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Scriptnotes: Ep. 368

John welcomes Alison McDonald (American Dad!, Nurse Jackie, the remake of Roots) and Ryan Knighton (In the Dark) to talk through the basics of the TV writers room, covering how they got in, how much to talk, how to make a living, what to wear and what’s for lunch.

In follow up, we look at disappearing digital purchases and the further fallout from Les Moonves.

We have new Scriptnotes T-shirts available — Colored Revisions! Thanks to Alison, Ryan now knows about magenta.

Links:

• T-shirts are available here! We’ve got new designs, including Colored Revisions, Karateka, and Highland2.
• Anders G Da Silva’s tweet about missing movies from his iTunes library
• ‘Designing Women’ Creator Goes Public With Les Moonves War: Not All Harassment Is Sexual, a guest column by Linda Bloodworth Thomason for the Hollywood Reporter
• Succession on HBO
• Be My Eyes app
• Improv classes for TV writers
• The USB drives!
• Ryan Knighton on Twitter
• Alison McDonald on Twitter
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Scriptnotes Digital Seasons are also now available!
• Outro by Rajesh Naroth (send us yours!).

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

Scriptnotes: Ep. 367

Aline Brosh McKenna joins John and Craig to discuss the progress made in the year following the Weinstein revelations. Have the systems for reporting and preventing sexual harassment improved, or are we still just dealing with hurricanes?

We also follow up on The Academy’s decision to nix the Popular Film category, the IATSE agreement, missing movies, and Craig’s distaste for ventriloquism. And Final Draft teaches us that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Links:

• The Academy decided against adding the Popular Film Category this year.
• Site supporting the IATSE Basic Agreement
• A listener let us know when he saw a familiar looking typewriter, but Final Draft apologized.
• Matt followed up with insight on how murky rights keep movies in limbo.
• Even Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop, 12-year old Darcy Lynne on America’s Got Talent and Avenue Q can’t change Craig’s mind about ventriloquism.
• An iPad stand
• Awards Are Stupid, Jerry Seinfeld’s acceptance speech for his HBO Comedian Award
• The USB drives!
• Aline Brosh McKenna on Twitter
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Scriptnotes Digital Seasons are also now available!
• Outro by Luke Davis (send us yours!).

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

Scriptnotes: Ep. Extra

John and Craig discuss their choices for WGA Board Elections and misinformation about proposed revisions to the Screen Credits Manual.

Links:

• WGA East Elections
• Jonathan Fernandez
• Patti Carr
• Patric Verrone
• Betsy Thomas
• Travis Donnelly
• Dante W. Harper
• Eric Heisserer
• Deric Hughes
• David Slack
• Ashley Gable
• Spiro Skentzos
• VJ Boyd
• Deborah Amelon
• WGA Sets Referendum On Proposed Changes To Its Screen Credits Manual – Update
• The USB drives!
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Scriptnotes Digital Seasons are also now available!
• Outro by Matthew Chilelli (send us yours!).

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 9-18-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Scriptnotes: Ep. 366

John and Craig cover endings, both for craft and for business. First they articulate the importance of the denouement and the social contract it fulfills with the audience. Then they discuss what happens to a writer’s work after their death.

We also follow up on pitching, and introduce a new segment: Change Craig’s Mind. This week: Ventriloquists!

Links:

• You can listen to John & Craig on another podcast: Jordan, Jesse, Go!
• You can check out our episode with Mindy Kaling, or our episode with Susanna Fogel and David Iserson for some context in this week’s follow-up.
• John’s attempt at “Changing Craig’s Mind” about ventriloquism: Nina Conti
• Edward Albee’s estate has special rules about casting for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
• Erin Gibson: Throwing Shade podcast, Gay of Thrones, and her new book, Feminasty: The Complicated Woman’s Guide to Surviving the Patriarchy Without Drinking Herself to Death.
• Phoebe Waller-Bridge: Killing Eve, Fleabag, and she’s the robot, L3-37, in Solo
• The Witcher 3: Blood And Wine DLC
• The USB drives!
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Scriptnotes Digital Seasons are also now available!
• Outro by Rajesh Naroth (send us yours!). And thank you, Luke Davis, for Craig’s musical intro!

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 9-12-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Scriptnotes: Ep. 365

John and Craig are back at it with another installment of How Would This Be a Movie? They consider the story of a competitive mass Tinder date, a retirement home for ventriloquist dummies and the McDonald’s Monopoly heist.

We also revisit John’s WGA Corner for updates, follow up on the conflict within IATSE, and get a great sense of Craig’s passionate beef with ventriloquism.

Links:

• Studios Back In Antitrust Spotlight As AMC Chain Loses Key Court Ruling by Dominic Patten for Deadline
• Class Struggle in Hollywood, 1930-1950: Moguls, Stars, Reds, and Trade Unionists by Gerald Horne
• @bvdhai’s Twitter thread about the mass Tinder date
• Woman dupes dozens of dudes into weirdest Tinder date ever and Tinder hottie dupes dozens of dopes, but it’s all a marketing stunt by Ruth Brown for the NY Post
• ‘Tinder Trap’ model claims she’s the victim after duping guys by Tamar Lapin and Ruth Brown
• Monterey Jack’s Twitter thread about Vent Haven
• Vent Haven’s official website
• How an Ex-Cop Rigged McDonald’s Monopoly Game and Stole Millions Jeff Maysh for the Daily Beast
• Behind Hollywood’s A-List Bidding War for a McDonald’s Monopoly Article by Chris Lee for Vulture
• In a Town of 11 People, Mysterious Disappearance Turns Neighbor Against Neighbor by Jacqueline Williams for the New York Times
• McGill music student awarded $350,000 after girlfriend stalls career by René Bruemmer for the Montreal Gazette
• US judge orders 30-year-old man to move out of his parents’ house
• Flat track roller derby, like Angel City Derby
• 7 Billion Humans
• The USB drives!
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Scriptnotes Digital Seasons are also now available!
• Outro by Timothy Vajda (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 9-4-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Scriptnotes: Ep. 364

John welcomes Kate Hagen to talk about missing movies and the role that video stores play in archiving film history, preserving access to all movies and creating a sense of community. They discuss some of the barriers to films getting digital distribution, from limited music licenses to struggles with chain-of-title when companies fail.

We also discuss what it is to be a script reader, write coverage and clash with a boss’ taste. And we follow up on Moviepass and its legacy.

Links:

• Thanks for joining us, Kate Hagen!
• In Search of the Last Great Video Store by Kate Hagen
• The Black List
• Netflix’s DVD service
• Fresh Horses was one of those missing movies.
• The Fall of MoviePass and its reverse stock split
• Kate recommends Ladies & Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains, Mikey and Nicky and FilmStruck to watch classic movies.
• My Life as a Goddess by Guy Branum
• Tees-En-Scène sells shirts that highlight and support female writer/directors.
• The USB drives!
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• Kate Hagen on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Scriptnotes Digital Seasons are also now available!
• Outro by Luke Davis (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 8-28-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.