Three Page Challenge

Getting Staffed

Episode - 390

March 5, 2019 Scriptnotes, Three Page Challenge, Transcribed, WGA

John and Craig proudly welcome back former Scriptnotes producer Megan McDonnell to tell her journey from film student to getting staffed on her first television show.

We then review a batch of Three Page Challenge submissions, covering how to keep your audience engaged, build tension, and earn interesting characters. Plus, follow up on the WGA and recent Bones ruling.

Thank you to our Three Page Challenge participants, and special thanks to Megan McDonnell for all of your work on Scriptnotes!

Links:

The Bones Decision
The Peter Stark Program
Three Pages by Christopher Cramer
Three Pages by David Koutsouridis
Three Pages by Carrie Wong and Herman Ming
Megan’s Desk Setup
Light Up Phone Charger
Russian doll starring Natasha Lyonne
Submit to the Three Page Challenge here
Submit to the Pitch Session here
T-shirts are available here! We’ve got new designs, including Colored Revisions, Karateka, and Highland2.
John August on Twitter
Craig Mazin on Twitter
John on Instagram
Find past episodes
Scriptnotes Digital Seasons are also now available!
Outro The Stuart Special by James Llonch & Jim Bond (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 3-8-19: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Austin 2018 Three Page Challenge

November 13, 2018 Producers, QandA, Scriptnotes, Three Page Challenge, Transcribed, Words on the page

John and Craig review three new Three Page Challenge entries with the help of Lindsay Doran (producer of Stranger Than Fiction, Sense and Sensibility, Nanny McPhee, Dead Again) and Jewerl Ross (manager and founder of Silent R Management). They then invite the writers up to discuss the notes, including the importance of geography, setting up relationships, and the danger in feeding kittens to sharks.

We also answer listener questions about “emotional math,” breaking rules, the evolution of screenwriting and trying to be clever, but failing.

Thanks to the Austin Film Festival for hosting us and to our brave participants!

Links:

Tickets are on sale for the Holiday Live Show!
Thank you for joining us, Lindsay Doran and Jewerl Ross!
Lindsay Doran’s Ted Talk is also great.
The Three Pages
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
T-shirts are available here! We’ve got new designs, including Colored Revisions, Karateka, and Highland2.
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 11-28-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Two Things at the Same Time

October 2, 2018 Scriptnotes, Story and Plot, Three Page Challenge, Transcribed, Words on the page

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.

Relationships

July 24, 2018 Arlo Finch, Broadway, Formatting, News, Scriptnotes, Three Page Challenge, Transcribed, Words on the page, Writing Process

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.