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Scriptnotes: Ep. 363

John and Craig pack this business-centric episode with big picture conversations about guild negotiations, changes to the Oscars, the Disney/Fox merger, the Paramount Consent Decree, and the tragedy that is being unable to stream The Flamingo Kid.

Links:

• Scriptnotes is now on Spotify!
• The Austin Film Festival is coming up on October 25th!
• Changes are coming to the Oscars, including a new category for “Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film.”
• IATSE is not backing its Editors Guild in asking for a reasonable turnaround and pension support.
• The Department of Justice will review the Paramount Consent Decree.
• In Search of the Last Great Video Store by Kate Hagen for the Black List blog.
• Add to this form if you find a movie that isn’t streamable.
• Antihero game for iOS.
• Mark Halpin’s puzzles for The Nation
• 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 Luke Davis (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 8-22-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Scriptnotes: Ep. 362

John sits down with writer/actor Mindy Kaling (The Office, The Mindy Project, Champions) to talk about her origin story, her big break as Ben Affleck, what it’s like to simultaneously showrun and star in a sitcom, and the nature of half-hour comedies.

We also answer a listener question about point of view and its relationship with genre and medium.

Links:

• Thanks to Mindy Kaling for joining us!
• Champions is available to watch on NBC.com.
• You can watch a recording of her play, Matt and Ben, written and performed by Mindy and Brenda Withers. It premiered at the Fringe Festival in New York.
• Keep an eye out for Four Weddings and a Funeral.
• The End of the Fucking World and Godless on Netflix
• The Visitors by Ragnar Kjartansson at The Broad
• The USB drives!
• Mindy Kaling 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 Timothy Vajda (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 8-14-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Scriptnotes: Ep. 361

John welcomes Susanna Fogel and David Iserson to talk about making their new movie, The Spy Who Dumped Me. They discuss the transition from TV and indie film to blockbuster, the collaboration involved in crafting a comic action sequence, and the fun of production overseas.

Susanna and David explain the advantages of spec scripts (this was one), and what it’s like writing with a partner.

Links:

• Thanks to Susanna Fogel and David Iserson for joining us! The Spy Who Dumped Me is in theaters now.
• David’s much-anticipated premiere suit
• Banvard’s Folly by Paul Collins
• American Kingpin by Nick Bilton
• Natalie Walker’s Twitter Auditions
• Also, as promised in episode 357, this is Craig’s fancy corkboard!
• The USB drives!
• David Iserson on Twitter
• Susanna Fogel 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.

UPDATE 8-7-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Scriptnotes: Ep. 360

John and Craig discuss the importance and basics of developing relationships in storytelling. Characters are nothing without relationships, like Woody without Buzz, Shrek without Donkey, John without Craig…

We then test these ideas about relationships against a fresh set of Three Page Challenges.

Links:

• Arlo Finch covers look different around the world. You can catch John at the San Diego Festival of Books on August 25, at the Orange Public Library Comic-Con on September 22, at the Texas Book Festival on October 25th, or in Frankfurt, Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen in early October.
• The Austin Film Festival is also coming up on October 25th.
• In a musical, the relationship can be with the audience, like in Shrek: The Musical’s “Big Bright Beautiful World” or Fiddler on the Roof’s “If I Were a Rich Man” — as opposed to the movie version.
• Three pages by Jonathan Brown
• Three pages by Paul Acampora & Erin Dionne
• Three pages by Mathieu Ghekiere
• You can submit for the three page challenge here.
• Images of America Book Series
• Larchmont by Patricia Lombard
• African-Americans in Los Angeles by Karin L. Stanford
• Lindsay Doran’s Ted Talk – Saving the World vs. Kissing the Girl
• The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!
• 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 Michael O’Konis (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 7-31-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Scriptnotes: Ep. 359

John and Craig welcome Liz Hannah (screenwriter of The Post) to explore where movies come from, be it real life, storytelling social media sites, or all-powerful comic book IP. How do these story sources affect the writer’s relationship with the material and with the audience?

We also follow up on the meaning of “Jackman Shot” and answer listener questions about using accents to indicate foreign language, where low-budget holiday movies fit into a blossoming writing career and the responsibilities of adapting the work of someone with a questionable moral legacy.

Links:

• Thanks for joining us, Liz Hannah! Liz’s film, The Post, was a Best Picture nominee.
• Fred Jackman, cinematographer/writer/director/special effects hero, is the apparent namesake of the Jackman shot.
• How Wattpad is Rewriting the Rules of Hollywood, by Chris Lee writing for Vulture
• Hunting the Con Queen of Hollywood: Who’s the “Crazy Evil Genius” Behind a Global Racket?, by Scott Johnson writing for the Hollywood Reporter
• Comic Book Shake-Up: DMG Entertainment Acquires Valiant , by Borys Kit for The Hollywood Reporter
• Valkyrie, Schindler’s List and The Death of Stalin are examples of how one can handle the indication of foreign language.
• Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past by David Reich
• GamePigeon
• Overlooked by the New York Times adds obituaries for remarkable people that were overlooked in their time, like Bette Nesmith Graham who invented liquid paper.
• The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!
• The USB drives!
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• Liz Hannah on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Scriptnotes Digital Seasons are also now available!
• Outro by Larry Douziech (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 7-23-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Scriptnotes: Ep. 358

John and Craig discuss the power of point of view in scripts and how the choice of which characters have storytelling power changes how we experience a movie. Point of view has a meaningful role in creating mystery, expanding scale, elevating characters, and energizing a story.

We also answer listener questions about “Jackman shots,” renaming a character in the middle of a story, and supporting a child who writes.

Links:

• Scriptnotes Digital Seasons are now available!
• Margin Call uses the ”plain English” trope a little differently.
• Justin Dise walks through the basic shot types in a blog post for B&H.
• Bubble, a podcast by Jordan Morris
• Alleys, an immersive escape mobile game
• The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!
• The USB drives!
• John August on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Find past episodes
• Outro by Luke Davis (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 7-17-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.