90 | Finding The Thematic “Thesis Statement” Of Your Script w/ Maggie Cohn

The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna

Meg LeFauve & Lorien McKenna

Tv & Film

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 9 June 2022

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Maggie Cohn and her co-showrunner Antonio Campos knew that in adapting one of the most popular documentaries of all time (The Staircase), they had to have their own fresh take. And in finding this, Maggie discovered that she uncovered a unifying “thesis statement” to keep her story and emotional thematic on rails as they wrote. It’s a fascinating conversation, and we hope you enjoy it!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, welcome to the screenwriting life. I'm Meg Lafov. And I'm Lorraine McKenna. We are professional screenwriters. We've worked together as a team and separately. We've worked on studio and indie films, live action and, from my work on Inside Out and
0:13.9	Captain Marvel. To my work in Pixar Story Department on Up, Brave, and Inside Out.
0:17.9	We are here to share our insights on the craft of screenwriting and also the lights.
0:23.5	Had a not only survive the ups and downs, but thrive.
0:26.6	We want to help you become the best screenwriter you can be
0:29.1	and to reassure you that you are not alone on this journey.
0:32.4	Hey everyone, welcome back to the show.
0:34.0	Today we're chatting with Maggie Cone,
0:36.0	co-showrunner of HBO Max's critically acclaimed
0:39.0	true crime series, The Staircase,
0:41.0	which I'm loving by the way.
0:43.2	Maggie is a leading voice in the true crime drama and biopick spaces
0:47.6	with writing credits including Narkos, Mexico
0:50.0	and American Crime Story for Saatchi.
0:52.4	Her talents are well suited for real world storytelling
0:55.2	because of her empathy and respect for the intricacies of life,
0:58.1	especially women's lives.
0:59.8	Hi Maggie, welcome to the show.
1:01.3	Hi Maggie.
1:02.0	Thank you for having me.
1:03.3	Hi.
1:05.0	We feel so lucky to have you here with us.
	...

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