John August

Transcribed

Collapsing Scenes

Episode - 458

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Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig examine how and why it can be necessary to collapse scenes in a rewrite. They also follow-up on returning to production, portrayals of police on screen and assistant pay.

We then welcome Michelle Amor, Hilliard Guess, and Bianca Sams — co-chairs of the WGA West’s Committee of Black Writers — to discuss how Hollywood needs to change the way it hires and promotes Black writers.

Finally, in our bonus segment for premium members, we talk about the return of professional sportsball.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

The original post for this episode can now be found here.

Getting Staffed in Comedy Variety

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig welcome writer and performer Ashley Nicole Black (Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, A Black Lady Sketch Show) to discuss comedy and variety shows — how they’re written and how to get a job writing them.

We also talk about studio diversity programs, why additional training can send the wrong message, and how to speak up in a writers room. Then we answer listener questions on idea ownership, writing police stories, and follow up on digital writer’s rooms.

In our bonus segment for premium members, we talk about fireworks.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 7-3-2020 The transcript for this episode can now be found here.

Too Much at Once

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig follow up and give updates on the many topics we’ve been talking about the past few weeks, including police on screen, assistant pay, short seasons and restarting production.

We also hear from a past Three-Page participant on their experience post-challenge and cover highlights from the WGA’s Inclusion and Equity report.

In our bonus segment for premium members, we’ll be talking about computers: what we’re using, and what we’d like to see.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 6-19-20 The transcript for this episode can now be found here.

That Icky Feeling

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig explore that icky feeling something’s wrong with your script and what to do about it. They also discuss the difference between story and screenplay, both as official WGA categories and how we use those terms everyday.

We follow up on French hours, whether you should send editable documents to producers, and offer tips on discussing story ideas with friends and colleagues.

And in our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig read erotic fiction.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 6-4-20 The transcript for this episode is now available here.