John August

Follow Up

Subscribing to app developers

Apps, Follow Up

Cameron Bonde wants the App Store to take a page from YouTube and Twitter, allowing users to [subscribe to app developers](http://camsvirtualrealityreality.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/how-to-fix-appstore-and-android-market.html?m=1):

> Subscriptions could show up the same way updates do now and in the same list. Much like ‘updates’ and ‘installed’ apps are separated now, just add ‘your subscriptions’ (i.e. you get a notification about a new app, or simply be able to display all new subs like YouTube does now).

This is a non-trivial amount of work, because it would require Apple to keep track of a new set of relationships betweens customers and developers.

But the upside might be worth it:

> Rarely-released quality apps from indie devs won’t get forgotten in the 6 months it takes to make another one.

> Getting new apps from devs you already approve of will lower the crap ratio.

> The dev will know how much of a following they have and be more reluctant to release crap due to the risk of unsubscribing. Encouraging QUALITY over quantity.

> Other people will know the general quality of a dev from the ratio of subs vs blocks which should be publicly visible.

> The block-to-sub ratio could be used by Google/Apple to semi-automatically detect devs who should be kicked off the market.

Bonde’s post is from 2011, but it’s a better idea than many I’ve seen.

Would customers even bother subscribing? Would app developers pester them to subscribe the same way they nag for App Store reviews? Any system can be gamed. I’m sure this would be as well.

Still, I think some sort of following/subscription model would help connect users with developers. For good reason, Apple doesn’t want developers to have email addresses. But without an ongoing relationship, there’s no long-term accountability or reputation.

The Grimm side of marriage

Follow Up, Psych 101, Random Advice

This morning, I [tweeted](https://twitter.com/johnaugust/status/454629102142517248):

> Grimm’s fairy tales offer uniformly terrible marriage advice:
> 1. Endure supernatural hardship
> 2. Marry the person who rescues you

My observation was based on my nightly reading of a copy of Grimm’s that I got at Barnes and Noble last week, ((I’m reading one of those $20 made-for-Barnes versions, and it’s actually really nice.)) not any statistical analysis. But it sure feels true.

If someone has the time this weekend, I’d be curious to know which of Grimm’s tales actually fit this pattern. The book is free through [Project Gutenberg](http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2591/2591-h/2591-h.htm).

Obviously, fairy tales are simplifications of reality, so we can’t expect verisimilitude in them. But this pattern of marrying the first person who assists you seems an especially dangerous idea to instill in young women.

As I think about acquaintances with terrible boyfriends/husbands, almost invariably the girl came from a difficult background (abusive parents, poverty, illness), and this guy got them away from it.

But the fact that they rescued you once doesn’t mean they are the right person for you to build a life with. It doesn’t mean they’ll be a supportive spouse or a good parent. And it doesn’t mean that you’re right for them, either.

If the only requirement for marriage is saving you from peril, we should all marry firefighters.

The Deal with the Deal

Episode - 138

Go to Archive

Follow Up, Formatting, Highland, News, Scriptnotes, Transcribed, WGA, Writing Process

John and Craig talk with WGA President Chris Keyser about the tentative deal reached between writers and the studios, and why it’s more groundbreaking than it might appear at first glance.

We continue our discussion of a new screenwriting format by looking at how we got here, both the history of “modern” screenplay layout and the alternatives.

Finally, John just delivered a new script, the first one he wrote entirely in Highland. We discuss the difference between drafts and assemblies, and how much we like to know before digging in on a sequence.

Links:

* [Courier Prime](http://quoteunquoteapps.com/courierprime/)
* WGA President Chris Keyser on [IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0450899/) and [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Keyser)
* Deadline’s January article on [Chip Johannessen and Billy Ray’s letter to WGA members](http://www.deadline.com/2014/01/writers-guild-producers-pension-health-contribution-cuts-new-contract/)
* [Thomas Ince](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_H._Ince) on Wikipedia
* [Sample pages](http://johnaugust.com/Assets/four-alternate-formats-final.pdf) from alternatively formatted screenplays
* Screenwriting.io on [multicamera script formatting](http://screenwriting.io/how-are-multicamera-tv-scripts-formatted/)
* [Highland](http://quoteunquoteapps.com/highland/)
* [The Way to Go](http://www.amazon.com/dp/1594204683/?tag=johnaugustcom-20) by Kate Ascher
* Lilly Onakuramara on [the Pitch Perfect wiki](http://pitch-perfect.wikia.com/wiki/Lilly_Onakuramara), and [a YouTube compilation of some of her best moments](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdG6v7gkxm4)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Scriptnotes listener Blake Kuehn ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_138.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_138.mp3).

**UPDATE** 4-11-14: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2014/scriptnotes-ep-138-the-deal-with-the-deal-transcript).

Draw Your Own Werewolf

Film Industry, Follow Up, QandA, Rights and Copyright, Scriptnotes, Television, Transcribed, Words on the page

Craig delights as John gets @-napped in a Twitter thread about copyright infringement. Then they talk disruption in television, and how it affects writers.

Finally, they answer listener questions about underlining, fan fiction scripts and whether a professional writer’s script would fare well in the Three Page Challenge.

Links:

* [Tesla Model S](http://www.teslamotors.com/models)
* [Monkeys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey) on Wikipedia
* Standing beds by [Ernesto Neto](http://vectroave.com/2010/07/ernesto-neto-art-installations/ernesto-neto-art-installations-4/) and [Jamie O’Shea](http://www.gizmag.com/vertical-bed/20209/)
* The [Twitter thread](https://twitter.com/davidstripinis/status/448920986050899968) on linking to media
* [Fair use](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use) on Wikipedia
* [Is House of Cards Really a Hit?](http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/02/is-i-house-of-cards-i-really-a-hit/284035/)
* [Netflix and In-Season Stacking](http://www.wired.com/business/2014/03/netflix-wants-keep-binge-watching/)
* Scriptnotes, Episode 58: [Writing your very first screenplay](http://johnaugust.com/2012/writing-your-very-first-screenplay)
* [Slack](https://slack.com/)
* [Caffeine](http://lightheadsw.com/caffeine/) for OSX
* The Scriptnotes App for [iPhone](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/scriptnotes/id739117984?mt=8) and [Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.johnaugust.android.scriptnotes)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Scriptnotes editor Matthew Chilelli

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_137.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_137.mp3).

**UPDATE** 4-3-14: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2014/scriptnotes-ep-137-draw-your-own-werewolf-transcript).