John August

Follow Up

Texting in film and television

Follow Up, Television, Words on the page

Craig and I may have [taken umbrage](http://johnaugust.com/2014/scriptnotes-ep-147-to-chase-or-to-spec-transcript) at his video about comedy directors who aren’t Edgar Wright, but Tony Zhou’s [newest video](http://vimeo.com/103554797) looking at how filmmakers handle texting and the internet on-screen is all good.

Zhou’s underlying point is that we still haven’t settled on conventions for showing texting or the internet. And that’s good! Filmmakers can and should experiment to see what works best for their needs.

In ten years, some of our choices will look quaint and foolish, but that’s the fun and challenge of making new things.

One-Star Amazon Reviews

Follow Up

I’ve been following the Twitter feed [@AmznMovieRevws](https://twitter.com/AmznMovieRevws), which curates some of the most inane movie reviews on Amazon, particularly the one-star variety.

I was inspired to look up some for my own films.

review

In retrospect, we should have put a sticker the DVD warning people that it’s a not-for-real film.

review

Who’s the fellar from Berkley? That’s the central question of my new one-act play, “The Fellar from Berkley.” We’re trying to get Corey Stoll for the lead. Maybe Julia Stiles as the Slate reporter?

(Worth noting: Eight Seconds, the [Luke Perry bull-riding movie](http://www.amazon.com/8-Seconds-Luke-Perry/dp/B00002SSKG/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1408384607&sr=1-1&keywords=eight+seconds), has better reviews than Go, earning five stars to Go’s four.)

Summer Re-run: Psychotherapy for Screenwriters

Episode - 156

Go to Archive

Follow Up, Psych 101, Scriptnotes, Transcribed, Writing Process

John and Craig revisit one of their favorite episodes, in which they sit down with screenwriter-turned-psychotherapist Dennis Palumbo to discuss writer’s block, procrastination, partnerships and more. It’s a can’t-miss episode for aspiring writers and professionals alike.

LINKS:

* [Dennis Palumbo](http://dennispalumbo.com/), author and psychotherapist
* Dennis’s book [Night Terrors: A Daniel Rinaldi Mystery](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CKUTZGS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003O34OL6&linkCode=as2&tag=johnaugustcom-20) on Amazon
* [Impostor Syndrome](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome) on Wikipedia
* [The Imposter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Imposter_(2012_film))
* [Paper Karma](https://www.paperkarma.com/) helps you control your mailbox
* [The Secret in Their Eyes](http://www.sonyclassics.com/thesecretintheireyes/)

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_156.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_156.mp3).

The transcript of the original episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-ep-99-psychotherapy-for-screenwriters-transcript).

Two Writers, One Script

Film Industry, Follow Up, QandA, Scriptnotes, So-Called Experts, Transcribed, Writing Process

John and Craig look at the trend towards hiring two writers to work on separate drafts of the same project. Is it better to have writers in parallel than serially? Or does it end up with studios ordering off a Chinese menu: this scene, that character, that other set piece?

Both Craig and John just started new first drafts, so we talk about the difference between the Map and the Territory, and how outlines can’t always anticipate the discoveries made while writing.

Finally, we answer a bunch of listener questions ranging from the Peter Stark Program to loving your day job.

Links:

* John Gary on [spec sales, lightning strikes, and making the NFL](https://twitter.com/johngary/status/491658703821475840)
* [Hot Hollywood Trend: Two Scripts, One Movie](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hot-hollywood-trend-two-scripts-720224)
* [On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King](http://www.amazon.com/dp/1439156816/?tag=johnaugustcom-20) and [Making Movies, by Sidney Lumet](http://www.amazon.com/dp/0679756604/?tag=johnaugustcom-20)
* [Screenplay, by Syd Field](http://www.amazon.com/dp/0385339038/?tag=johnaugustcom-20), [The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield](http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936891026/?tag=johnaugustcom-20), [Sex, Lies and Videotape, by Steven Soderbergh](http://www.amazon.com/dp/0571202896/?tag=johnaugustcom-20), and [The First Time I Got Paid For It](http://www.amazon.com/dp/0306810972/?tag=johnaugustcom-20)
* [The Peter Stark Program](http://cinema.usc.edu/producing/)
* [The Total Film-Maker, by Jerry Lewis](http://cinearchive.org/post/72674722317/the-total-film-maker-jerry-lewis-book-on) on cinearchive.org
* [What Writers Can Learn From Goodnight Moon](http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/19/what-writers-can-learn-from-good-night-moon/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0) by Aimee Bender
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Scriptnotes listener Sir Funkytown ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_155.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_155.mp3).

**UPDATE 8-4-14:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2014/scriptnotes-ep-155-two-writers-one-script-transcript).