John August

Transcribed

The Title of This Episode

Episode - 495

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Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig tackle the tricky territory of movie titles: what makes them great, why they’re important, and how a bad one can tank a good movie.

We answer listener questions on writing diverse characters, surprising movie expenses, and residuals.

Finally, in our bonus segment for premium members Craig outlines how to behave in a restaurant.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 4-9-21 The transcript for this episode can now be found here.

Screenwriting in Color

News, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig discuss the use of color in film by highlighting iconic scenes and sharing how they think about color palettes in their own writing.

We then host another Three Page Challenge, this time focusing on how well these opening scenes set up expectations for the script. We now ask for loglines, which are kept secret from John and Craig!

Finally in our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig discuss their Olympic ambitions.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 4-3-21 The transcript for this episode can now be found here.

Opening Scenes

News, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig discuss the craft of constructing beginnings: what they consider when writing the first line of a script and how opening scenes have evolved with audience expectations.

We also investigate a question from former producer Stuart Friedel and dive into the history of foreign levies. We then make predictions on the future of movie-going by analyzing the history of megaplexes.

Finally, in our bonus segment for premium members we look at cliches versus conventions.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 3-26-2021 The transcript for this episode is now available here.

Gray Areas

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig wade into the murky ethical challenges screenwriters face in Hollywood: When do you speak out against a peer? How do you claim an idea? Should you accept money from shady sources? They share their own experiences navigating these questions.

We also follow up on female redemption arcs, NFTs, and joining the WGA. We answer listener questions on topics from ‘the director’s pass’ to creating personal websites.

Finally in our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig share their personal origin stories about the moment they decided to become screenwriters.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 3-20-2021 The transcript for this episode can now be found here.