John August

Transcribed

The Driver’s Seat

Episode - 679

Go to Archive

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John welcomes back Liz Hannah (The Girl From Plainville, The Post) to ask, how do you know if a character can carry a story? They look at ways of identifying your protagonist, defining privileged storytelling power, and the choices to make when figuring out which characters can hold narrative point of view.

We also look a the phenomenon of the “Stranger in the Room,” follow up on writing during crazy times, brain trusts, plays vs movies, the phrase “begs the question,” and the usefulness of sharing your pronouns.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Liz explain the difference between East LA, West LA, and why the valley might beat them both.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 3-25-25: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

The On-Set Producer

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig welcome producer Dan Etheridge (iZombie, High Potential, Party Down) to look at how non-writing producers develop projects, coordinate across departments, and maintain the tone of the show as directors come and go.

We offer practical tips for making the most of video village, regardless of your role, and solutions for the scourge of directors chairs.

Highland Pro, John’s next generation screenwriting app is now available now for Mac, iPad and iPhone! We discuss what’s new and what’s coming next.

We also answer listener questions pitching multiple projects, writing on tablets and how to launch an app.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John, Craig and Dan look back on their experience officiating weddings, and offer advice for those about to marry people. Dan even officiated John’s wedding!

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 3-21-25: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Puzzle Box Storytelling

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig decipher mystery box shows, where the premise and audience experience involve solving the puzzle of what’s really happening. They look at strategies for revealing clues and information, being mindful of the audience’s expectations, and the importance of the emotional journey inside the labyrinth.

We also announce a new video game, discuss what we can learn by revisiting old projects, follow up on unlocked pages and home automation, and answer listener questions on live instruments, pulling story from D&D campaigns, and where to draw the line between INT. and EXT.

In our bonus segment for premium members, how do you set boundaries when you feel like you’re always supposed to be writing? That’s not rhetorical — we need help.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 3-17-25: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Say Nothing with Joshua Zetumer

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

Craig welcomes writer and showrunner Joshua Zetumer, creator of the limited series Say Nothing, to explore the process of dramatizing real events — particularly when the subject matter can be volatile. They discuss how to keep a sprawling historical epic from feeling like a lecture, keeping a consistent tone, humanizing complicated people, and how not to get sued by the people who were really involved.

They also answer listener questions on following up with people after the fires, charting the emotional journey of the audience, and whether writers need to cite their sources when writing about real events.

In our bonus segment for premium members, Craig and Joshua pretend to be civil engineers and ask, how can we make Los Angeles function better?

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 2-12-25: The transcript for this episode can be found here.