John August

HWTBAM

Love and Money

Episode - 637

Go to Archive

HWTBAM, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig look at four unbelievable stories in the news and ask, How Would This Be a Movie? Stories include a finance journalist who was scammed out of her savings, men who offer dating bounties, a franken-sheep made of cloned animal parts, and how standardized tests changed one woman’s life.

We also reveal which modern classics we’ve never seen (We meant to! We’re sorry!) to decide which – if any – we need to watch. But first, we follow up on D&D for kids, ESL, AI in reality TV, and Tiffany problems before answering listener questions on formats and recommending your spouse.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig look at new guidelines for AI and how they might affect our future.

Links:

* [Weekend Read 2](https://quoteunquoteapps.com/weekendread/)
* [“Creep” post by @davo_arid on Twitter](https://x.com/davo_arid/status/1772116369544233394?s=20)
* [Full list of movies we haven’t seen](https://johnaugust.com/2024/movies-we-havent-seen)
* [The Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It to a Stranger](https://www.thecut.com/article/amazon-scam-call-ftc-arrest-warrants.html) by Charlotte Cowles for The Cut
* [Wanted: True Love. Reward: $100,000](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/13/business/dating-bounty-roy-zaslavskiy.html) by Angela Chen for the NYT
* [Montana Man Pleads Guilty to Creating Massive Franken-Sheep With Cloned Animal Parts](https://gizmodo.com/franken-sheep-marco-polo-cloned-schubarth-hybrid-animal-1851330381) by Matt Novak for Gizmodo
* [How the SAT Changed My Life](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/27/opinion/sat-act-college.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&ugrp=c&pvid=911CC030-627F-4AF1-B24E-5E95790BAA0B) by Emi Nietfeld for the NYT
* [D.C. – What It Is](https://johnaugust.com/downloads_ripley/dc-what-it-is.pdf)
* [Fighting Fantasy books](https://www.fightingfantasy.com/)
* [LA Hero Workshop](https://www.heroworkshop.org/)
* [Sodalitas](https://jdrcool.itch.io/sodalitas)
* OSR’s [Oz](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/OZ/Andrew-Kolb/9781524873776) and [Neverland](https://publishing.andrewsmcmeel.com/book/neverland-a-fantasy-role-playing-setting/)
* [Questlings](https://www.letimangames.com/questlings.html)
* [Color My Quest](https://www.diceupgames.com/color-my-quest/)
* [WyrdScouts](https://www.wicked-clever.com/wyrdscouts/)
* [The Excellents](https://9thlevelgames.itch.io/the-excellents) and [Nancy Druid](https://towerofgames.com/miscellanous-rpgs-nancy-druid/)
* [Hero Kids](https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/106605/hero-kids-fantasy-rpg)
* [TTRPGkids](https://www.ttrpgkids.com/)
* [Hide’n’Treat](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FY3396J?th=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=johnaugustcom-20&linkId=664c36ab94b508919d980f4a79782f7c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl) and [Snuffle Mat](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08X2H4DKQ?th=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=johnaugustcom-20&linkId=c293752a7f2ed5b4be1e6ef6b4e70c09&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl)
* [Jaina Grey’s reviews for WIRED](https://www.wired.com/author/jaina-grey/)
* [Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!](https://cottonbureau.com/people/scriptnotes-podcast)
* [Check out the Inneresting Newsletter](https://inneresting.substack.com/)
* [Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription](https://scriptnotes.supportingcast.fm/gifts) or [treat yourself to a premium subscription!](https://scriptnotes.supportingcast.fm/)
* Craig Mazin on [Threads](https://www.threads.net/@clmazin) and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/clmazin/)
* John August on [Threads](https://www.threads.net/@johnaugust), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/johnaugust)
* [John on Mastodon](https://mastodon.art/@johnaugust)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Tim Brown ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))
* Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by [Matthew Chilelli](https://twitter.com/machelli).

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/637standard.mp3).

**UPDATE 4-2-24:** Listener Luke Rankin created a Letterboxd list of all the movies featured in this episode. [You can view it here](https://letterboxd.com/lukethatfilmguy/list/the-100s-of-the-past-4-decades-scriptnotes/).

**UPDATE 4-30-24:** The transcript for this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2024/scriptnotes-episode-637-love-and-money-transcript).

Unbelievably Agentic

HWTBAM, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John welcomes back Aline Brosh McKenna to look at how both you and your characters can become more “agentic.” What are the traps and pitfalls of going after what you want? How do you get people to engage with your protagonist, especially when the protagonist is yourself?

Then it’s another round of How Would This be a Movie? We look at stories about a harm-reduction hotline, countertop cancer, loyalty testers and a mathematician who exploited the lottery.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Aline talk about their strange new reality of being empty nesters.

Links:

* [How to be More Agentic](https://usefulfictions.substack.com/p/how-to-be-more-agentic) by Cate Hall
* [What’s Stopping You?](https://www.neelnanda.io/blog/44-agency) by Neel Nanda
* [Seven ways to become unstoppably agentic](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/Tnpp3cyEHMGthjGAf/seven-ways-to-become-unstoppably-agentic) by Evie Cottrell
* [“Agency” needs nuance](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/acyfmFTN3cNgwnYw6/agency-needs-nuance) by Evie Cottrell
* [The Woman on the Line](https://slate.com/human-interest/2023/09/overdose-drugs-fentanyl-opioid-never-use-alone.html) by Aymann Ismail and Mary Harris for Slate
* [California workers who cut countertops are dying of an incurable disease](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-09-24/silicosis-countertop-workers-engineered-stone) by Emily Alpert Reyes and Cindy Carcamo for the LA Times
* [Would Your Partner Cheat? These ‘Testers’ Will Give You an Answer](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/28/style/loyalty-test-infidelity-cheating.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare) by Gina Cherelus for the New York Times
* [The man who won the lottery 14 times](https://thehustle.co/the-man-who-won-the-lottery-14-times/) by Zachary Crockett for The Hustle
* [Musely](https://www.musely.com/)
* [So you wanna de-bog yourself](https://www.experimental-history.com/p/so-you-wanna-de-bog-yourself?publication_id=656797&post_id=140270094&isFreemail=true&r=3dw6x) by Adam Mastroianni
* [Aline Brosh McKenna](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aline_Brosh_McKenna)
* [Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!](https://cottonbureau.com/people/scriptnotes-podcast)
* [Check out the Inneresting Newsletter](https://inneresting.substack.com/)
* [Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription](https://scriptnotes.supportingcast.fm/gifts) or [treat yourself to a premium subscription!](https://scriptnotes.supportingcast.fm/)
* Craig Mazin on [Threads](https://www.threads.net/@clmazin) and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/clmazin/)
* John August on [Threads](https://www.threads.net/@johnaugust), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/johnaugust)
* [John on Mastodon](https://mastodon.art/@johnaugust)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Larry Douziech ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))
* Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by [Matthew Chilelli](https://twitter.com/machelli).

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/627standard.mp3).

**UPDATE 2-20-24:** The transcript for this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2024/scriptnotes-episode-627-unbelievably-agentic-transcript).

How Would This Be a Biopic?

HWTBAM, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig look at several notable figures in the news and ask, How Would This Be a Biopic? They examine the lives of Henry Kissinger, Sandra Day O’Connor, George Santos, Rosalynn Carter, and Sam Altman to see which are best suited for the big screen, and declare once-and-for-all the proper way to pronounce “biopic.”

We also follow up on VFX and AI, the two-column format, inner monologues, and Melissa Mazin sets the record straight on her role at Thanksgiving.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig speculate about which event in history had the biggest negative impact on human civilization.

Links:

* [Sandra Day O’Connor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandra_Day_O%27Connor)
* [Henry Kissinger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Kissinger)
* [Rosalynn Carter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalynn_Carter)
* [George Santos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Santos)
* [Sam Altman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Altman)
* [What happened at OpenAI? The Sam Altman saga, explained](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/11/20/openai-sam-altman-ceo-oust/) by Rachel Lehman for The Washington Post
* [International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)](https://www.internationalphoneticalphabet.org/ipa-sounds/ipa-chart-with-sounds/)
* [Fallout – Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kQ8i2FpRDk)
* [Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!](https://cottonbureau.com/people/scriptnotes-podcast)
* [Check out the Inneresting Newsletter](https://inneresting.substack.com/)
* [Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription](https://scriptnotes.supportingcast.fm/gifts) or [treat yourself to a premium subscription!](https://scriptnotes.supportingcast.fm/)
* Craig Mazin on [Threads](https://www.threads.net/@clmazin) and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/clmazin/)
* John August on [Threads](https://www.threads.net/@johnaugust), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/johnaugust)
* [John on Mastodon](https://mastodon.art/@johnaugust)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by James Llonch ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))
* Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by [Matthew Chilelli](https://twitter.com/machelli).

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/621standard.mp3).

**UPDATE 12-18-23:** The transcript for this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2023/scriptnotes-episode-621-how-would-this-be-a-biopic-transcript).

Medicine and Mayhem

HWTBAM, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig look at four tales of science, medicine and mayhem and ask, how would this be a movie? Stories include a catatonic woman who woke up after 20 years, a white supremacist transformed by MDMA, a drugged crypto lawyer, and an in-depth account of alien biology.

But first we have a very special announcement: Scriptnotes LIVE is back! We also follow-up on recent episodes before Drew and Halley look at statements John and Craig made years ago to see if either of them have changed their tune.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig discuss the changes that are coming to the world of Dungeons and Dragons with ONE D&D.

Links:

* [Scriptnotes LIVE! at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/scriptnotes-live-tickets-674019238687) benefitting [HollywoodHEART](https://www.hollywoodheart.org/)
* [A catatonic woman awakened after 20 years. Her story may change psychiatry](https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/wellbeing/300895339/a-catatonic-woman-awakened-after-20-years-her-story-may-change-psychiatry) by Richard Sima for Stuff
* [How a dose of MDMA transformed a white supremacist](https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230614-how-a-dose-of-mdma-transformed-a-white-supremacist) by Rachel Nuwer for BBC
* [He Went After Crypto Companies. Then Someone Came After Him.](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/18/business/kyle-roche-crypto-leaks-satoshi.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare) by John Carreyrou for the New York Times
* [Alien biology post](https://www.reddit.com/r/aliens/comments/14rp7w9/from_the_late_2000s_to_the_mid2010s_i_worked_as_a/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email) on Reddit
* [Awakenings](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099077/) and [Lorenzo’s Oil](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104756/)
* Scriptnotes episodes [74](https://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-ep-74-three-hole-punchdrunk-transcript), [176](https://johnaugust.com/2014/scriptnotes-ep-176-advice-to-a-first-time-director-transcript), [238](https://johnaugust.com/2016/scriptnotes-ep-238-the-job-of-writer-producer-transcript) and [251](https://johnaugust.com/2016/they-wont-even-read-you).
* [The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom](https://www.zelda.com/tears-of-the-kingdom/)
* Larry Turman on [IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0877274/) and [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Turman).
* Dan Goldberg on [IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0325175/) and [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Goldberg_(producer)).
* [Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!](https://cottonbureau.com/people/scriptnotes-podcast)
* [Check out the Inneresting Newsletter](https://inneresting.substack.com/)
* [Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription](https://scriptnotes.supportingcast.fm/gifts) or [treat yourself to a premium subscription!](https://scriptnotes.supportingcast.fm/)
* [Craig Mazin](https://www.instagram.com/clmazin/) on Instagram
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [John on Mastodon](https://mastodon.art/@johnaugust)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Jon Spurney ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))
* Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt with help from Halley Lamberson, and edited by [Matthew Chilelli](https://twitter.com/machelli).

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/605standard.mp3).

**UPDATE 8-11-23:** The transcript for this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2023/scriptnotes-episode-605-medicine-and-mayhem-transcript).