Michael and his team break down the craft of screenwriting so that audiences can better understand why a given scene succeeds at making us laugh, cry, and empathize with characters on the silver screen. Even though the podcast discusses a visual medium, Beyond the Screenplay translates perfectly into audio. Michael and his team keep their conversation within the context of the script, creating pictures with their words and enlivening scenes of dialogue so that listeners are able to relive the movies in their mind. Their show is a lesson that any topic can make a great podcast, and it demonstrates how embracing the medium of audio can open up new possibilities for creativity.
Beyond the Screenplay follows a sustainable format that allows each episode to remain relevant long after it’s been published. Michael and his co-hosts discuss one film every week. This straightforward format has also allowed for variety, like episodes comparing two movies, or recaps of their favorite films from a particular decade. Since the show is co-hosted by five film buffs and features guest spots from other experts in the industry, their conversation draws from an enormous well of knowledge and insight. As YouTube creators, Michael and his team are able to make their existing content go even further with podcasting (reaching and engaging even more film fans with the conversations they’re already having). And because of the endless number of movies in the world, they have no shortage of future episodes.
We talked with Michael and his team about their podcasting process and what they’ve learned along the way.
