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On the 35th episode of Scriptnotes, John and Craig discuss the small, currently leaderless world of Walt Disney Studios, along with its challenges and opportunities.

With so many of Disney’s distribution slots taken up by DreamWorks, Marvel, Pixar and Bruckheimer, whoever gets the job of chief probably won’t be making many movies on his or her own. Yet the Disney brand is one of the only ones that still means something to ticket-buyers, so finding a way to make Disney movies feels like a priority.

A discussion of Gregory Poirier’s recent article on misguided cost-cutting segues to a letter from a veteran Hollywood screenwriter frustrated by just how bad studio development has gotten. That’s followed by more listener questions:

* What distinguishes a well-developed character from a flat one?

* How should a recent college graduate from Colorado go about starting a screenwriting career?

* Where do pitches come from?

* How long should it take for your agent to return your call?

John extols his favorite site for sheet music, while Craig gets nostalgic for his first real computer, the Franklin Ace 1000.

All this and more on Scriptnotes: A podcast about parking, and things that are interesting to parkers.

LINKS:

* [John’s post](http://johnaugust.com/2012/how-cost-cutting-hurt-movies) on Gregory Poirier’s article
* Jason Robert Brown on copyright and [fighting with teenagers](http://www.jasonrobertbrown.com/weblog/2010/06/fighting_with_teenagers_a_copy.php)
* Musicnotes version of [Jar of Hearts](http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtdFPE.asp?ppn=MN0085778&)
* Craig’s first computer, the [Franklin Ace 1000](http://www.vintage-computer.com/franklin.shtml)
* INTRO: [Wonderful World of Disney intro](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzj9vlWRUIw&feature=related)
* OUTRO: [HardChord DynaMix – Jar of Creep](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mub_xRooWAQ)

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_35.m4a).

**UPDATE** 5-4-12: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2012/scriptnotes-ep-35-the-disney-dilemma-transcript).

Craig and John just have to talk about the double-barrel craziness of the Joe Eszterhas/Mel Gibson spat. How often do you have screenwriters lobbing incendiary accusations at movie stars?

Well, pretty often, actually. But almost never so publicly. And the already-certifiable, formerly-A-list-ness of it all makes it especially gossip-worthy, so forgive us if we go on for a while.

That settled, we follow up on the Amazon Studios deal and what it means for screenwriters not currently in the WGA. One listener calls Craig an idiot, which leads to a discussion about what “professional screenwriting” even means.

John wants aspiring screenwriters to stop using the term “breaking in,” because it doesn’t accurately reflect the early stages of a writer’s career. Meanwhile, Craig takes umbrage at the idea of “trust fund screenwriters.”

We end with some questions and answers:

* What is a screenwriter’s quote, and how does it get determined?

* How do international screenwriters get U.S. visas?

* Can animation writers get WGA coverage?

All this and more in the new Scriptnotes.

LINKS:

* Joe Eszterhas’ [letter to Mel Gibson](http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/joe-eszterhas-letter-mel-gibson-36949)
* Warner Bros. buys rights to Reddit creation [Rome Sweet Rome](http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118044449)
* [John’s rusted car](http://johnaugust.com/Assets/johns_car.jpg), 1990-1996
* Intro: [Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle TV cartoon intro](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i__2vabLGxY)
* Outro: [North Korean teens play “Take On Me”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBgMeunuviE)

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_33.m4a).

**UPDATE** 4-19-12: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2012/scriptnotes-ep-33-professional-screenwriting-and-why-no-one-really-breaks-in-transcript).

This week, Craig and John get all Miss Manners to talk about best practices, bad behavior and throwing writers under the bus.

Short advice: Be charitable, be cool, be nice.

Note that we recorded this episode before the Oscars — at which Jim Rash, Nat Faxon and Alexander Payne received the award for Best Adapted Screenplay.  After that acceptance speech, one could imagine a follow-up conversation, but we’ll probably just be done with it.

Have been both the re-writer and the guy being rewritten, we also discuss how to best handle these awkward situations. (Pick up the phone and call the other writer, for starters.)

We finish up by answering a listener question:  How soon is too soon to follow-up with a producer who is reading your draft?

All this, plus discussion of Robin Quivers, Aline Brosh McKenna and a rumored Scriptnotes drinking game.

LINKS:

* [Google Translate adds Esperanto](http://www.theverge.com/2012/2/23/2820379/google-translate-esperanto)
* [Esperanto](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanto) on Wikipedia
* [Incubus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incubus_(1966_film)), the William Shatner movie we couldn’t remember
* [Google working on heads-up glasses](http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/21/google-to-sell-terminator-style-glasses-by-years-end/?pagewanted=all)
* Origin of [“thrown under the bus”](http://www.word-detective.com/2008/02/12/under-the-bus-to-throw/)
* INTRO: [A Different World](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zq3UYQJzPY) intro
* OUTRO: [Call Your Girlfriend](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaBC4DuXv9k) as covered by Erato

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_26.m4a).

**UPDATE** 2-29-12: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2012/scriptnotes-ep-26-etiquette-for-screenwriters-transcript).