johnaugust.com

Scriptnotes: Ep. 321

John welcomes Grant Faulkner, Executive Director of NaNoWriMo and author of Pep Talks for Writers, to discuss the writing process and how to get out of your own way creatively.

We explore the ubiquity of the Other Syndrome and the perils of envy. We also look at pen names, “throw-away writing,” and the advantages of being a beginner.

Links:

• Grant Faulkner’s website and Wikipedia entry.
• Pep Talks for Writers by Grant Faulkner is available here.
• You can participate in NaNoWriMo, too!
• I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen by Sylvie Simmons
• The Last Invention of Man: How AI might take over the world by Max Tegmark
• The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!
• The USB drives!
• John August on Twitter
• Grant Faulkner 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. 320

John and Craig attempt to answer the question that many aspiring screenwriters dare not ask aloud: when — if ever — is the right time to give up on the dream of becoming a working screenwriter?

Relatedly, is it okay to omit “aspiring” when describing oneself as a screenwriter? How do you ask friends for career help without burning bridges? Is that criminal record a problem?

We also address listener questions about why the Paramount Decree isn’t an issue for streaming services, plus working with auteurs, and formatting car chases.

Thanks for sending us examples of Exposition News!

Links:

• CPG Grey’s video, channel, and website
• Exposition News on Arrested Development, Community, The Simpsons, and Shaun of the Dead
• The BBC adds Nigerian Pidgin
• Google’s Pixel Buds, or the real-life Babel Fish
• 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 10-16-17: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Scriptnotes: Ep. 212

John and Craig sit down with Marielle Heller, the writer and director of the acclaimed feature The Diary of a Teenage Girl, to talk about the journey of getting her movie made, from optioning the novel to the Sundance Labs through production.

We discuss sex scenes and ’70s wallpaper, anamorphic lenses and leaving subplots on the cutting room floor. Plus there’s a lot of MacGruber.

This episode originally aired August 25, 2015.

Links:

• Scriptnotes and a live Three Page Challenge will be at the 2017 Austin Film Festival
• Submit for the Three Page Challenge
• Marielle Heller on IMDb
• The Diary of a Teenage Girl official site and the trailer
• The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Revised Edition by Phoebe Gloeckner
• Scriptnotes, 121: My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend’s Screenwriter, with Mike Birbiglia
• Sundance Institute Feature Film Program
• Director of Photography Brandon Trost on Wikipedia
• Rotoscoping on Wikipedia
• Mari Heller on NPR’s Fresh Air
• VHS Camcorder
• I’m Sorry I Didn’t Respond to Your Email, My Husband Coughed to Death Two Years Ago by Rachel Ward
• The Wonder Weeks App
• The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!
• The USB drives are available!
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Outro by Jack Mazin (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 10-13-17: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Scriptnotes: Ep. 319

John and Craig speculate about why the film industry fared better in the transition to digital while the music industry struggled.

We also follow up on the WGA elections, hearing John’s priorities as a new board member. Lured back into the intrigue of MoviePass, we discuss new information on this business model.

Then it’s another installment of the Three Page Challenge, in which we discuss listener-submitted pages of their screenplays.

Finally, we answer the most provocative of listener-questions: how do you name your files?

Links:

• WGA Section of johnaugust.com
• I’m Joining the WGA Board
• CEO Mitch Lowe Pulls Back The Curtain On MoviePass And Explains Its Economics from Forbes, by Rob Cain
• Three Pages by Steven Wood
• Three Pages by Elizabeth Boston
• Three Pages by Dan Pavlik
• Submit for the Three Page Challenge
• Austin Film Festival 2017 Film Slate
• Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
• Meet Cute – Short Film on Indiewire
• The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!
• The USB drives will be available again in a few days!
• 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 10-2-17: The transcript of this episode can be found here

Scriptnotes: Ep. 318

John and Craig welcome back Aline Brosh McKenna to talk about writing projects outside the familiar constraints of screenwriting.

We discuss the surprises and adjustments involved in the creative processes of different media: Aline’s graphic novel Jane, Craig’s HBO miniseries Chernobyl, and John’s original song, “Rise.” We also dig into why screenwriters sometimes need to be amateurs again.

Then we answer listener questions about making fair deals as someone in a different country, and how best to read one’s script before rewriting.

Links:

• Submit to the Three Page Challenge and check the box if you’ll be in Austin for the Austin Film Festival
• The new season of Crazy Ex Girlfriend premieres Friday October 13th
• John Gatins’ IMDb
• Order Aline Brosh McKenna’s new graphic novel, Jane
• Ramón K. Pérez’s website, twitter and graphic novel, Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand
• “Rise” composer Sam Davis’ website
• The Original Melody, John’s Snap Track, and the demo track with vocalist Curt Hansen for “Rise”
• Or you can check out this post for more details about “Rise”
• Mark Halpin Puzzles
• Insecure on HBO
• Out on the Wire by Jessica Abel
• The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!
• The USB drives!
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• Aline Brosh McKenna on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Outro by John August (lyrics) and Sam Davis (music) (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 9-26-17: The transcript of this episode can be found here

Scriptnotes: Ep. 317

Craig and John debut a new segment: This Kind of Scene, looking at how different movies handle similar situations. The Hudsucker Proxy, The Devil Wears Prada, Hidden Figures and Training Day all need to introduce their heroes to their new workplaces. We examine how those scenes work, both on the page and on screen.

We then discuss what it means to write for an international market, and determine what a “therapy piece” is and how to avoid writing one.

We also follow up on our discussion from episode 310 on the WGA deal and explore why animation writers aren’t included in the WGA.

Links:

• The Academy Nicholl Fellowships
• The Hudsucker Proxy on Wikipedia and the full script.
• Our scene in The Hudsucker Proxy, and in the script
• The Devil Wears Prada on Wikipedia, and the full script.
• Our first scene in The Devil Wears Prada, and in the script
• Our second scene in The Devil Wears Prada, and in the script
• Hidden Figures on Wikipedia, and the full script.
• Our scene from Hidden Figures, and in the script.
• Training Day on Wikipedia, and the full script.
• Our scene from Training Day, and in the script.
• Sword Guys Are a Thing and I’ve Had Sex With All of Them by Hana Michels for The Cut
• 3,700-Year-Old Babylonian Stone Tablet Gets Translated, Changes History by Collin Gosell for Distractify
• 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 9-18-17: The transcript of this episode can be found here.