John August

Transcribed

Writing effective transitions

Episode - 89

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Directors, Film Industry, Los Angeles, Scriptnotes, Transcribed, Words on the page

How you get from one scene to the next can be just as important as the scenes themselves. Craig and John talk techniques and tactics for making those cuts count.

But first there’s the issue of the $23 million lawsuit filed by two of the GI Joe writers, claiming that much of the storyline in the 2013 sequel came from their earlier work. Is this the case John and Craig have long predicted, in which unpaid pre-writing comes back to haunt the studios?

We also look at a bunch of shots we no longer need to see in movies.

Plus Craig and John have actual news, with a date for the long-promised live 100th episode in Los Angeles, and a bonus live podcast in June.

LINKS:

You can download the episode here: AAC.

UPDATE 5-16-13: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Ugly children and cigarettes

Film Industry, Formatting, QandA, Scriptnotes, So-Called Experts, Television, Three Page Challenge, Transcribed

Has a statistician cracked the code on successful screenplay formulas? John and Craig cast a skeptical eye at a New York Times article on Vinny Bruzzese, who claims to have done exactly that.

But is the real story Bruzzese’s numbers game, or a general misunderstanding of how the film industry actually operates?

From there, we answer several reader questions before diving in on a new batch of Three Page Challenges.

LINKS:

You can download the episode here: AAC.

UPDATE 5-10-13: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Moving On is not Giving Up

Film Industry, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig discuss when to stop rewriting a project and accept that it’s just not going to become a movie. Then we go bigger to look at when to give up on the dream of being a screenwriter — which starts with a hard look at why people seek out the career in the first place.

Also in this episode, we talk reviews and the virtues of not reading them, plus a look at Zach Braff’s Kickstarter situation.

LINKS:

You can download the episode here: AAC.

UPDATE 5-5-13: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Taking notes

Apps, Film Industry, Formatting, QandA, Screenwriting Software, Scriptnotes, Transcribed, Treatments

Craig leads the discussion on how to survive a notes meeting. As screenwriters, our instinct is to defend, deny and debate — but these are almost always the wrong choice. By reframing the discussion about the movie rather than the script, you can often end up at a better place.

From there, John opens the listener mailbag so we can answer questions about cheating scene description and romantic obsession. Plus we talk about Slugline, Highland, Final Draft and the plethora of screenwriting apps available to screenwriters today.

LINKS:

You can download the episode here: AAC.

UPDATE 4-28-13: The transcript of this episode can be found here.