John August

Follow Up

We’d Like to Make an Offer

Episode - 77

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Film Industry, Follow Up, Pitches, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig discuss spec scripts, pitches and how it feels when your movie gets brutal reviews.

First up, an article by Margaret Heidenry in Vanity Fair tracks the history of spec script sales, going all the way back to Preston Sturges. We talk about the 90s bubble, and what’s changed.

Next, we discuss what a screenwriter needs to do in that last few hours before a pitch — including the drive over.

Finally, Craig talks about what it feels like when the movie you wrote does huge business, but you as the writer get singled out for harsh criticism.

In our One Cool Things, John admires Dungeon World, a newish RPG that radically simplifies the D&D mechanic, while Craig foresees the next big weight-loss drug.

LINKS:

* [When the Spec Script was king](http://m.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2013/03/will-spec-script-screenwriters-rise-again) by Margaret Heidenry in Vanity Fair
* [Examples of early screenplay formats](http://www.screenplayology.com/content-sections/screenplay-style-use/1-1/)
* [Amor Fati](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amor_fati) on Wikipedia
* [Dungeon World RPG](http://www.dungeon-world.com)
* [Canker sore drug helps mice lose weight without diet, exercise](http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/10/health/mice-weight-loss-drug/index.html)
* OUTRO: [Roll a D6](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54VJWHL2K3I)

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_77.m4a).

**UPDATE** 2-22-13: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-ep-77-wed-like-to-make-an-offer-transcript).

Three-Hole Punchdrunk

Follow Up, Meta, News, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

Craig and John discuss a new report that tallies spec script sales for 2012 — with the reminder that selling a spec isn’t necessarily the most important thing for new writers.

After some follow-up on last week’s Raiders episode, we crunch the numbers on our listener survey and discuss the genesis of Courier Prime, the typeface all the best scripts will be sporting in 2013.

Finally, we tackle reader questions on topics ranging from Facebook connections to “just checking in.”

All this and many suggestions for hole-punching in this week’s Scriptnotes.

LINKS:

* [IndyCast](https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/indycast-indiana-jones-news/id275916349?mt=2) on iTunes
* The truth about [Indy’s hat drop](http://pikdit.com/i/indiana-jones-hat-didnt-fall-off-someone-off-camera-threw-it-at-him-cant-be-unseen/)
* [Harrison Ford’s shooting script for Raiders](http://bid.profilesinhistory.com/Harrison-Ford-heavily-annotated-complete-shooting-script-for-Raiders-of-the-Lost-Ark_i10030668)
* [Scoggins Report](http://scogginsreport.com/2013/01/2012-year-end-spec-market-scorecard/) on spec sales for 2012
* [Scriptnotes survey results](http://johnaugust.com/Assets/scriptnotes_survey.pdf)
* [Courier Prime](http://quoteunquoteapps.com/courierprime)
* [Stanley Bostich Heavy Duty Hole Punch](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H0XFSC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000H0XFSC&linkCode=as2&tag=johnaugustcom-20) on Amazon
* Casting director [Pat Moran](http://www.thecredits.org/2013/01/the-queen-of-casting-meet-emmy-award-winning-baltimore-legend-pat-moran/) from The Credits
* OUTRO: [Ben and Kate](http://www.fox.com/ben-and-kate/) opening theme by Michael Andrews

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_74.m4a).

**UPDATE** 2-1-13: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-ep-74-three-hole-punchdrunk-transcript).

Do I get residuals? A flowchart

Follow Up

Jeff Drew (@jeffdrew) asks: “Animated movies don’t pay residuals like live-actn movies” Is there a WGA table, flowchart or infographic?

I couldn’t find one, so I made one:

residuals flowchart

btw, [Lucidchart](https://www.lucidchart.com/) is handy.

**UPDATE:** The official Twitter feed of the Animation Guild took offense at my flowchart, so I’ve amended it with the “Will I get paid residuals?” headline and changed the “no residuals” box to read “You get no residuals.”

As Steven Kaplan of the Animation Guild [tweets](https://twitter.com/AnimGuild):

> You are incorrect. Animation writers are @IATSE members and do get residuals. The IA residuals flows to our health plan.

> “Mailbox” residuals @IATSE members do not get. Ask a WGA writer what they pay for the WGA health plan though.

Of course, “mailbox” residuals are exactly what screenwriters mean when they talk about residuals. Big green envelopes. Actual money in your name that you can use to pay your rent.

I pointed out that residuals on a big studio movie can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to the writer. His reply:

> Indeed. Not saying its not lucrative, just pointing out the reason why IA residuals go toward the health plan.

> The IA residual component, calculated much differently than the WGA one, is an essential funding source for our health plan

So on an animated movie covered by The Animation Guild (not all are), residuals contribute to the health plan.

Ultimately, our disagreement is over “gets,” so let’s go back to Jeff Drew.

Jeff will **get** residual checks if he writes a successful live-action movie under the WGA’s jurisdiction. The same script, produced as an animated feature, will not **get** Jeff residuals money he can spend.

The Next 117 Pages

Adaptation, Follow Up, Formatting, QandA, Scriptnotes, Three Page Challenge, Transcribed, Words on the page

John and Craig talk about everything that comes after the oft-discussed First Three Pages, speculating on the kinds of issues they’d spot if they were looking at full scripts.

They also answer listener questions on topics ranging from proper spacing protocol to novelists rewriting their screenplay adaptations.

LINKS:

* [“The exception that proves the rule”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exception_that_proves_the_rule) on Wikipedia
* Stuart’s post, [Learning from the Three Page Challenge](http://johnaugust.com/2012/learning-from-the-three-page-challenge)
* [Brining](http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/70/Brining) on Cooking for Engineers
* [Cook’s Illustrated](http://www.cooksillustrated.com/)
* [Ticket to Ride](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ticket-to-ride/id432504470?mt=8) for iOS
* [German-style board games](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German-style_board_game) on Wikipedia
* INTRO: [Folger’s “Peter Comes Home for Christmas”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4kNl7cQdcU)
* OUTRO: [Train Song](https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/train-song/id303463575?i=303463582) by Feist and Ben Gibbard on iTunes

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_65.m4a).

**UPDATE** 11-29-12: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2012/scriptnotes-ep-65-the-next-117-pages-transcript).