John August

Transcribed

Working with directors

Episode - 4

Go to Archive

Directors, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

In episode four of Scriptnotes, Craig and I discuss migraines, kidney stones and zombie apocalypse preparations before we segue to the main topic: how screenwriters work with directors, from the first meeting to on-set etiquette to giving notes in post.

Screenwriters and directors often come at a project from different directions. The writer is trying to explain the movie he’s already written; the director is trying to explore the movie he’s planning to make.

By understanding what a director wants and needs, you stand the best chance of getting your movie on screen in a way that satisfies both of you.

Links:

You can download the episode here: AAC.

UPDATE 9-24-11: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Kids, cards, whiteboards and outlines

Scriptnotes, Transcribed, Writing Process

This week, Craig and I follow up on our earlier comment about kids being the death of screenwriters, then dive into the process of outlining a script, from index cards to whiteboards to spreadsheets.

Along the way, we discuss Curious George, Torchwood and V.

Some links:

* [My Dad Lives in a Downtown Hotel](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0247549/). Beau Bridges!
* [Curious George Goes to the Hospital](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0395070627/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=johnaugustcom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0395070627)
* [Torchwood: Miracle Day](http://www.starz.com/originals/torchwood/Pages/title.aspx?src=starz_mktg&med=referral&cmp=torchwood&cid327)
* [Elizabeth Mitchell](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Mitchell) [boiling water](http://www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo/rights-managed/42-23347152/woman-boiling-water-on-camping-stove), perhaps.
* V theme cover by [Bottin](http://www.bottin.it/).

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_03.m4a).

**We’re now listed in iTunes.** You can [subscribe here](http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/scriptnotes-podcast/id462495496). Ratings and raves are welcome. Questions and feedback are much better posted below, since we can answer back.

We are also listed in Sticher and several other podcast directories. If you are using a third-party player, you can find the podcast feed [here](http://johnaugust.com/podcast/feed).

UPDATE 9-21-11: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2011/scriptnotes-ep-3-kids-cards-whiteboards-and-outlines-transcript).

How to get an agent and/or manager

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

For our second podcast, Craig Mazin and I decided to tackle the question we’ve both been ducking since we started our blogs: “How do I get an agent and/or manager?”

It’s an intractable question because while most working screenwriters have representation, no two of them got it the same way. If you ask a panel of writers, you’ll hear a series of anecdotes, but you won’t get a better sense of what next steps you should take.

Craig compares it to losing your virginity, which seems fair. I opted to flip the question to ask, “How do I get the right agent or manager to notice me?”

We won’t typically devote an entire episode to one issue, but this one seemed to require it.

In related podcast news:

* **We’re now listed in iTunes.** The first episode is up, and the rest will begin posting automatically. You can [subscribe here](http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/scriptnotes-podcast/id462495496).

* **Transcripts.** Several days after an episode airs, you’ll find the text of the podcast appended to the post (c.f. [episode one](http://johnaugust.com/2011/pitching-a-take-and-the-wga-elections)).

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_02.m4a).

Using a non-iTunes podcast reader? You can find the podcast feed [here](http://johnaugust.com/podcast/feed).

UPDATE 9-7-11: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2011/scriptnotes-ep-2-how-to-get-an-agent-andor-manager-transcript).

Pitching a take, and the WGA elections

Scriptnotes, Transcribed, WGA

Today marks the inaugural episode of Scriptnotes, a podcast that Craig Mazin and I are trying out. It’s meant to be a weekly-or-so conversation about items of interest to screenwriters, from getting stuff written to dealing with insane producers.

Topics in episode one:

* Pitching a take. When screenwriters are asked to come in and meet with the studio (or producers) about a project, what do both sides expect? How much work do you do in advance? How different is it from pitching an original idea?

* The WGA elections. It’s time to pick new officers and new board members. We talk about issues and priorities, and what the WGA Board actually does.

You can listen to the episode here:

Down the road, we plan to have the podcast up in the usual places (like iTunes), so you can subscribe and get episodes automatically delivered. I’ll post details when they’re available.

UPDATE 9-4-11: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2011/scriptnotes-ep-1-pitching-a-take-and-the-wga-elections-transcript).