• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

John August

  • Arlo Finch
  • Scriptnotes
  • Library
  • Store
  • About

News

Philosophy for Screenwriters

Episode - 483

Play

January 12, 2021 News, Pitches, Scriptnotes, So-Called Experts, Transcribed

John and Craig discuss their personal philosophies and how writers can approach philosophical questions in terms of theme (central dramatic question) and character (moral codes and motivation).

Then we cover virtual pitches and listener questions on eight-sequence structure and how to read a script. We also follow up on the agency campaign, failed insurrections, and bad IP.

Finally in our bonus segment for premium members, we revisit our disagreement in episode 481 about whether it’s okay to lie.

Links:

  • WGA Rejects WME Deal, Judge Rejects Injunction
  • Rubik’s Cube
  • Mr. Clean: a sailor? A genie? Both?
  • Eight Sequence Structure
  • John’s 2020 Year in Review
  • There is No Game
  • Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
  • Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription!
  • John August on Twitter
  • Craig Mazin on Twitter
  • John on Instagram
  • Outro by Rajesh Naroth (send us yours!)
  • Scriptnotes is produced by Megana Rao and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 1-15-21 The transcripts for this episode can now be found here.

Random Advice 2020

December 29, 2020 News, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig welcome back writer/producer Nichelle Tramble (Truth Be Told, The Good Wife) to share wisdom on listener questions that are interesting but unrelated to screenwriting.

We discuss how to know if you’re marrying the right person, open relationships, and how to deal with being the ‘starter’ girlfriend. We also cover jealousy, laughter, the ethics of lying to the Red Cross, and disappointing Secret Santas.

Finally, in our bonus segment for premium members we discuss that Martin Shkreli article and how it would be a movie.

Links:

  • Donate to Dorm Key, make sure to ear mark your contribution!
  • Sarah Silverman, Jesus is Magic
  • Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life by Sissela Bok
  • Episode 403, How to Write a Movie in Spanish translated by Fernando Polanco
  • Death Saves merch
  • Notes on a Silencing: A Memoir by Lacy Crawford
  • The Journalist and the Pharma Bro by Stephanie Clifford
  • https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2838492/“>Nichelle Tramble Spellman and on Instagram
  • Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
  • Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription
  • John August on Twitter
  • Craig Mazin on Twitter
  • John on Instagram
  • Outro by Heidi Lauren Duke (send us yours!)
  • Scriptnotes is produced by Megana Rao and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 1-7-21 The transcript for this episode can now be found here.

On Losing A Parent

December 15, 2020 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 Kim Masters for THR
  • Did QuantumScape Just Solve a 40-Year-Old Battery Problem? by Daniel Oberhaus for Wired
  • Rose Glass
  • Beeple Everyday by Mike Winkelmann, a visual artist in South Carolina
  • The Cost of Solar has Dropped Spectacularly by Max Roser
  • Geothermal energy is poised for a big breakthrough by David Roberts
  • Craig vs Howard Dean
  • Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
  • John August on Twitter
  • Craig Mazin on Twitter
  • John on Instagram
  • Outro by Heidi Lauren Duke (send us yours!)
  • Scriptnotes is produced by Megana Rao and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 12-20-2020 The transcript for this episode can now be found here.

Episode 11: How Movie Money Works, Rebroadcast

December 8, 2020 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 along with a helpful cheatsheet!
  • Support Staff please fill out the Pay Up Hollywood Survey!
  • The Paramount Decree–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
  • Why is Apples M1 Chip so Fast by Erik Engheim
  • Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
  • John August on Twitter
  • Craig Mazin on Twitter
  • John on Instagram
  • Intro: Mister T cartoon intro and
  • Outro: Fatback Band – (Are You Ready) Do The Bus Stop, (send us yours!)
  • Scriptnotes is produced by Megana Rao and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

 

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Newsletter

A weekly-ish roundup of stuff we've found interesting delivered right to your inbox.

Read Past Issues

Explore

Projects

  • Arlo Finch (27)
  • Big Fish (87)
  • Charlie (39)
  • Charlie's Angels (16)
  • Chosen (2)
  • Corpse Bride (9)
  • Dead Projects (18)
  • Frankenweenie (10)
  • Go (30)
  • Karateka (4)
  • Monsterpocalypse (3)
  • One Hit Kill (6)
  • Ops (6)
  • Preacher (2)
  • Prince of Persia (13)
  • Shazam (6)
  • Snake People (6)
  • Tarzan (5)
  • The Nines (118)
  • The Remnants (12)
  • The Variant (22)

Apps

  • Bronson (13)
  • FDX Reader (11)
  • Fountain (32)
  • Highland (71)
  • Less IMDb (4)
  • Weekend Read (33)

Recommended Reading

  • First Person (82)
  • Geek Alert (145)
  • WGA (121)
  • Workspace (19)

Screenwriting Q&A

  • Adaptation (66)
  • Directors (90)
  • Education (48)
  • Film Industry (479)
  • Formatting (128)
  • Genres (90)
  • Glossary (6)
  • Pitches (29)
  • Producers (59)
  • Psych 101 (117)
  • Rights and Copyright (95)
  • So-Called Experts (46)
  • Story and Plot (170)
  • Television (161)
  • Treatments (21)
  • Words on the page (236)
  • Writing Process (177)

More screenwriting Q&A at screenwriting.io

© 2021 John August — All Rights Reserved.