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Scriptnotes: Ep. 314

Craig and John take a deep dive into 1992’s Unforgiven, looking at how the David Webb Peoples script works on the page and on the screen.

In the links below, you’ll find the PDF of the script we’re using. It’s also available in Weekend Read.

Links:

• Where to watch Unforgiven, and on IMDb and Wikipedia
• The Unforgiven script
• Weekend Read
• Past deep dives on The Addams Family, Ghost, Groundhog Day, Frozen, The Little Mermaid and Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Tuff Turf on Wikipedia
• The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!
• The USB drives!
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Outro by Rajesh Naroth (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

Scriptnotes: Ep. 313

John and Craig look at four films from the past and discuss how we could make them today.

Then we have more listener questions on internships and alternate jokes.

Next week is a deep dive on Unforgiven, so get to watching if you haven’t seen it recently.

Links:

• Triskaidekaphobia on Wikipedia
• Where to watch Unforgiven before next week’s deep dive
• You Get Me on Netflix
• Romancing the Stone, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Rain Man and Coming to America on Wikipedia
• Watch Toad get struck by lightning on YouTube
• BuzzFeed News Trained A Computer To Search For Hidden Spy Planes. This Is What We Found.
• The Maze of Games by Mike Selinker
• The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!
• The USB drives!
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Outro by Jonathan Mann (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 8-22-17: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Scriptnotes: Ep. 312

Craig and John tackle a bunch of listener questions, along with follow-up on previous discussions.

Are road trip movies just a series of coincidences? How do you start the second draft? Should you mention screenwriting awards in a query?

Plus: a Redditor insists there is a secret password you have to write within a script for it to be purchased. After 311 episodes, the time has come. We reveal that magic word.

Links:

• ‘Chernobyl’ Miniseries Set By HBO & Sky
• Carolyn Strauss on Scriptnotes, 127
• Big Fish The Musical starring Kelsey Grammer is on its way to London
• Scriptnotes, 310: What’s in the WGA Deal
• Scriptnotes, 309: Logic and Gimmickry
• A Reddit user asks: Is there a secret password for success?
• Every Three Hours on YouTube
• Mouth Time with Reductress on iTunes
• The House of Da Vinci
• The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!
• The USB drives!
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Outro by Rajesh Naroth (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 8-14-17: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Scriptnotes: Ep. 311

John and Craig welcome special guests Megan Amram (The Good Place), Tom Schnauz (Better Call Saul) and Matt Selman (The Simpsons) to talk about writing television, from staffing to breaking story to the challenge of short seasons.

Then we try out two new segments: How Could This Be Funny and An Aubry Plaza Type. Do they work? It’s debatable!

There is also a Q&A, which you can find as a bonus episode for subscribers at scriptnotes.net.

Recorded live at the Writers Guild Theater on July 25, 2017. Thanks to the Writers Guild Foundation for hosting us, and a terrific audience.

Links:

• Megan Amram on Wikipedia, IMDb and Twitter
• Thomas Schnauz on Wikipedia, IMDb and Twitter
• Matt Selman on Wikipedia, IMDb and Twitter, and as host of Duly Noted: The Scriptnotes Aftershow
• Massive Iceberg Breaks Off from Antarctica
• Donald Trump Jr.
• Sperm Count Dropping in Western World
• O.J. Simpson Wins Parole, Claiming He Has Led a ‘Conflict-Free Life’
• Thanks to the Writers Guild Foundation for hosting us
• The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!
• The USB drives!
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Outro by Rajesh Naroth (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 8-7-17: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Scriptnotes: Ep. 310

Craig and John talk with Chris Keyser, one of the co-chairs of the WGA Negotiating Committee, to learn what gains were achieved in the most recent deal, and what work lies ahead.

Warning: it’s a super-wonky episode that presumes you’re familiar with the basics outlined in episode 289.

Links:

• Scriptnotes, 289: WGA Negotiations 101
• Chris Keyser on IMDb, Wikipedia and Twitter, and on episode 138
• Poly Bridge
• The Apple Pencil, PDF Expert and Weekend Read
• Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz, on Amazon
• Season 1 of The Last Tycoon “drops” on Amazon Prime July 28th
• Get your tickets now for the July 25th Scriptnotes Live Homecoming Show
• The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!
• The USB drives!
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Outro by Rajesh Naroth (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 8-2-17: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Scriptnotes: Ep. 309

John and Craig step up to the whiteboard to look at the story logic in our scripts, then examine how tricks and gimmicks can help keep scenes interesting.

We also answer listener questions about paying experts for research help, and whether hiring a writing consultant ever makes sense.

Links:

• Get your tickets now for the July 25th Scriptnotes Live Homecoming Show, with guests Liz Meriwether, Megan Amram and more!
• Julie Buxbaum’s What to Say Next on Amazon
• Fridge logic on TV Tropes
• John on The perils of coincidence
• The Fargo TV series makes a religion of coincidence
• Gimmickry used in Kill Bill with split screens and animation, in (500) Days of Summer with musical numbers and alternate timelines, when talking to the dead in Iron Lady, when Love and Death becomes a silent film, and when flashbacks become childhood in The Hangover 2
• Go and The Nines on Amazon Video
• The LA Metro System
• Hyperloop One and its successful first test
• The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!
• The USB drives!
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Outro by Rajesh Naroth (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 7-25-17: The transcript of this episode can be found here.