John August

Archives for 2004

Good book vs. movie comparison for ‘Big Fish’

Big Fish, Projects

[Boxofficeprophets](http://boxofficeprophets.com) has a well-considered article by Kim Hollis that looks at the differences between Daniel Wallace’s book and the movie version of Big Fish:

John August’s screenplay does take great liberties with the story detailed in the novel. Much is added or embellished, which is almost necessary given the brevity of the book. None of the expansion feels forced or off, though. It’s perfectly in keeping with the story of a man whose life was truly monumental.

You can read the rest [here](http://www.boxofficeprophets.com/column/index.cfm?columnID=8537).

Thanks to [Daniel](http://danielwallace.org) for the forward.

Very useful “Dead Zone” writer’s guides

Television

Last week, a reader asked if I could put up an example of a [show bible](http://johnaugust.com/archives/2004/more-dc-stuff-available-in-the-downloads-section). I didn’t have one to give. Fortunately, ‘DC’ wrote in with a [link to the writer’s guides](http://www.zen134237.zen.co.uk/Dead_Zone/) for USA Network’s series [The Dead Zone](http://www.usanetwork.com/series/thedeadzone/).

The guide for Season 3 weighs in as 108 pages of .pdf goodness, and includes summaries of all previous episodes plus guidelines for aspiring writers. Executive Producer [Michael Piller](http://imdb.com/name/nm0683522/) comes from the Star Trek camp, which has long allowed ardent fans to pitch potential episodes — very much the exception to the rule. Kudos to the producers for being so generous.

I’ve never watched The Dead Zone, but if I ever decide to catch up on previous seasons, I now know where to look.

Rewriting based on other people’s notes

QandA, Writing Process

questionmark I am about to begin work on a new draft of a script of mine that is currently under option with an Irish Film Production Company. I have been seriously writing for two years (since finishing up my Film & TV studies at college) and haven’t to this day had to rewrite one of my scripts based on outside suggestions.

I was just wondering, what tips you would have on re-writing? Are there any tips? Is there even a standard way of re-writing at all? How should I attack this new challenge?

— Kevin Lehane
Cork City, Ireland

The bulk of screenwriting is really screenrewriting. Whether it’s your second draft, or your seventeeth, you’re constantly trying to make the script better/faster/cheaper/funnier while not forgetting what made you write it in the first place. Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Be bold. You always have the old version saved on the hard drive, so why not try that radical idea? The worst that can happen is that it doesn’t work. Even if it’s a disaster, you may discover some great things you can use in the less-radical version.

2. Have a plan. If you know what you’re trying to accomplish, you’re less likely to hit dead ends.

3. Don’t confuse rewriting with polishing. Rewriting means ripping apart scenes and sequences and rebuilding them piece-by-piece. Polishing is finding ways to make the writing subtly better: changing words, moving commas, and breaking up sentences. Both jobs are crucial, but don’t polish until the scene accomplishes its function.

4. When considering other people’s notes, focus on why they had an issue, not how they proposed solving it. If it’s not clear why a beat didn’t work for them, keep asking questions.

5. Always be willing to kill your favorite moments. To paraphrase Spock: The needs of the movie outweigh the needs of the scene.

Researching and writing The Circle

QandA, Television

Question MarkI just finished reading [both episodes](http://johnaugust.com/library) of The Circle, and I was wondering if you could answer a few questions about writing for television.

  1. How much time did you spend doing research for each episode?
  2. How long did it take you to write an episode?
  3. Seeing as how you created the show, but would have not written every episode during the season how are the episodes handled by other writers?
  4. Do you as the creator set an outline for the season as to what each episode would center around and where you wanted to show to go?

Thanks for your time, I enjoyed reading them both.

-Josh
Federal Way, WA

I probably spent three weeks researching Alaska for The Circle, most of that before I started writing the pilot. By the time I started working on episode 2, there really wasn’t anything new I needed to research.

Television scripts are short, at least by feature standards. An hour-long drama will clock in below sixty pages, so it’s no big chore to write one in a week. Unfortunately, in the real world of television production, you often have to write one in a weekend, and that’s where it gets ugly.

Since The Circle never went to series, we didn’t end up hiring a writing staff, although [Matt Pyken](http://imdb.com/name/nm0701487/) and [Michael Berns](http://imdb.com/name/nm0076965/) did pen a follow-up episode. Had the show been picked up by ABC, we would have hired an executive producer to ultimately take the reins of the show. Although I would stay on to consult, he would have supervised the writing staff, setting the course for each episode and the series as a whole. This would include meeting with the writers (both individually and as a group); approving beat sheets, outlines and scripts; and rewriting scripts as needed.

This executive producer would be considered the showrunner, since all the creative decisions would ultimately rest with him. I knew this going in. I deliberately created a show I felt could flourish without my day-to-day involvement. Although I love TV, I prefer features. That’s where I make my living, and the time table is much more relaxed.