johnaugust.com

Scriptnotes: Ep. 370

John and Craig look into simultaneity and how to visually articulate two things happening at once with the temporally-limited medium of written word.

We also explore how simultaneity can ramp up tension, fracture narrative and play with expectations. Then we apply what we’ve discussed to three new entries in the Three Page Challenge.

Links:

• Become a premium subscriber in time for our bonus Q&A episode. Submit your questions here.
• T-shirts are available here! We’ve got new designs, including Colored Revisions, Karateka, and Highland2.
• Three Pages by Angelique Gross
• Three Pages by Yohannes Ashenafi
• Three Pages by J. Gordon
• Mark Rober’s video, “How to Beat Any Escape Room”
• iOS 12’s password handoff feature
• Inneresting, a new John August newsletter. You can subscribe here.
• 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!).

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 10-11-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Scriptnotes: Ep. 369

John and Craig welcome Franklin Leonard to weigh in on the current definition of “movie.” In the age of streaming, this distinction is not only important for audiences and awards, but has a meaningful effect on how writers are paid.

We also take umbrage with Awards Season as a Hollywood fixture, and follow up on a five year-old prediction about iPads in movie theaters.

Links:

• Scriptnotes, Episode 108: Are two screens better than one? addresses the fear of iPads in theaters
• Become a premium subscriber in time for our bonus Q&A episode. Submit your questions here.
• Show Us Your Room and the Instagram hashtag
• Rusty Lake’s new game, Paradox, with video of actual people
• Roma, written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón
• Inneresting, a new John August newsletter. You can subscribe here.
• T-shirts are available here! We’ve got new designs, including Colored Revisions, Karateka, and Highland2.
• The USB drives!
• Franklin Leonard 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 Matthew Chilelli (send us yours!).

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 9-28-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

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.

UPDATE 9-27-18: The transcript of this episode can be found 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.

UPDATE 9-19-18: The transcript of this episode can be found 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.