John August

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On Losing A Parent

Episode - 479

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News, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig talk about losing a parent on screen and in real life, with a look at the emotional journey and some practical advice for navigating the experience.

We also discuss updates to the Warner Bros announcement, tips for managing idea scraps, and answer listener questions about when to discuss paid versus spec writing and slow-to-respond producers.

In our bonus segment for premium subscribers, we talk power, including Craig’s controversial opinions on nuclear energy and the staggering price drops in solar.

Links:

* [Christopher Nolan Rips HBO Max as Worst Streaming Service Denounces Warner Bros Plan](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/christopher-nolan-rips-hbo-max-as-worst-streaming-service-denounces-warner-bros-plan) Kim Masters for THR
* [Did QuantumScape Just Solve a 40-Year-Old Battery Problem?](https://www.wired.com/story/quantumscape-solid-state-battery/#intcid=_wired-homepage-right-rail_35658516-6d30-45d5-a730-6073773577d4_popular4-1) by Daniel Oberhaus for Wired
* [Rose Glass](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/dec/09/saint-maud-leads-british-film-independent-film-award-nominations)
* [Beeple Everyday](https://www.beeple-crap.com/everydays) by Mike Winkelmann, a visual artist in South Carolina
* [The Cost of Solar has Dropped Spectacularly](https://ourworldindata.org/cheap-renewables-growth) by Max Roser
* [Geothermal energy is poised for a big breakthrough](https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2020/10/21/21515461/renewable-energy-geothermal-egs-ags-supercritical) by David Roberts
* [Craig vs Howard Dean](https://twitter.com/clmazin/status/1335086888919519232)
* [Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!](https://cottonbureau.com/people/scriptnotes-podcast)
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [Craig Mazin](https://twitter.com/clmazin) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Heidi Lauren Duke ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))
* Scriptnotes is produced by Megana Rao and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/479standard.mp3).

**UPDATE 12-20-2020** The transcript for this episode can now be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2020/scriptnotes-episode-479-on-losing-a-parent-transcript).

Episode 11: How Movie Money Works, Rebroadcast

News

John and Craig discuss the trend of studios releasing movies straight to streaming by revisiting an old discussion on movie accounting.

We cover above the line and below the line costs, how distribution fees work, and why all this is important to screenwriters.

Finally, in our newly recorded bonus segment we discuss the 2020 Macs and the future of computing.

Links:

* [Find the original post here](https://johnaugust.com/2011/how-movie-money-works) along with a helpful cheatsheet!
* Support Staff please fill out the [Pay Up Hollywood Survey](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeJwPx8-eACD3b2-GMfkue6kGKdSiudlFa3wAX4oRMTaTg-fA/viewform?usp=send_form)!
* [The Paramount Decree](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Paramount_Pictures,_Inc.)–this is the court case John had trouble naming during the discussion
* [Warner Bros. to Debut Entire 2021 Film Slate, Including ‘Dune’ and ‘Matrix 4,’ Both on HBO Max and In Theaters](https://variety.com/2020/film/news/warner-bros-hbo-max-theaters-dune-matrix-4-1234845342/)
* [Why is Apples M1 Chip so Fast](https://erik-engheim.medium.com/why-is-apples-m1-chip-so-fast-3262b158cba2) by Erik Engheim
* [Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!](https://cottonbureau.com/people/scriptnotes-podcast)
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [Craig Mazin](https://twitter.com/clmazin) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* Intro: [Mister T cartoon intro](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLaPjOdLZhM) and
* Outro: [Fatback Band – (Are You Ready) Do The Bus Stop](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeeOPR8bxac), ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))
* Scriptnotes is produced by Megana Rao and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/11rebroadcaststandard.mp3).

 

Some early reflections on losing my mom

News

young john and mother on stepsMy mom died early Saturday morning. She was my first proofreader, biggest champion and fiercest Scrabble opponent. She won money on Jeopardy! and sang at Carnegie Hall. She was remarkable. I’ll love her always.

Like so many Americans in 2020, I didn’t get to be near my mom as she died. A stranger held an iPad while I blubbered about how much I loved her. I’m grateful to that nurse while always mindful that this didn’t have to happen.

My mom didn’t die of COVID, but within it. Routine appointments got pushed back. How long had her heart and kidneys been failing? We’ll never know. Statistically, she’s part of the “excess mortality” of this pandemic.

This summer, we drove 1,200 miles to Colorado to see her. This is as close as we could get.

john in mask pointing at second story balcony where mom sits

My mom was a hugger, and I didn’t get to hug her in the last year of her life. It sucks. To their credit, the strict protocols worked. No one in her senior living community got COVID-19.

Still, the pandemic did bring us closer. We FaceTimed every day at lunch. My mom was nosy in the nicest way. I got to know way too much about her fellow residents.

When I wrote the deathbed scene in Big Fish, I was drawing from the memory of losing my father in college. It was the fantasy version of the conversation I wished I’d had with a man I struggled to understand.

I had an extra 30 years to know my mom. There was no great mystery, regret or unfinished business. We were good.

Still, my mom was the last person who still saw me as her little boy. The last one who was proud of me for simply existing. That’s the loss I feel most today.

As a dad, a husband, and a 50-year-old orphan, I urge you to make sure the people you love know it. Don’t assume there will be time after the pandemic. There will always be something else.

red and green plaid face mask

This mask is one I sewed for my mom last week because I knew she’d want something Christmas-y.

One Hour Dramas

News, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John welcomes writer-producers Dailyn Rodriguez (Queen of the South, Ugly Betty) and Chad Gomez Creasey (NCIS: New Orleans, Castle) to talk about writing network dramas and production during a pandemic.

We answer listener questions on act breaks, politics on tv, and sustainable story engines.

Finally, in our bonus segment for premium members we discuss ‘ambient television’ and our favorite comfort-shows.

Links:

* [Beowulf: A New Translation](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MKNSL7Z/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1) by Maria Dahvana Headley
* [WGA Health Plans](https://wgaplans.org/health/healthfaqs.html)
* [Calida Garcia Rawles](https://www.calidagarciarawles.com/pressure/lck83elskowjitdujiq10wiulbu8tb)
* [“Emily in Paris” and the Rise of Ambient TV](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/emily-in-paris-and-the-rise-of-ambient-tv) for the New Yorker by Kyle Chayka
* [Dailyn Rodriguez](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1335519/) on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/dailynrod)
* [Chad Gomez Creasey](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1548657/) on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/chadgcreasey)
* [Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!](https://cottonbureau.com/people/scriptnotes-podcast)
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [Craig Mazin](https://twitter.com/clmazin) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Alex Winder ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))
* Scriptnotes is produced by Megana Rao and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/478standard.mp3).

 

**UPDATE 12-9-20** The transcript for this episode can now be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2020/scriptnotes-episode-478-the-one-hour-drama-transcript).