John August

Transcribed

Billion Dollar Advice

Episode - 603

Go to Archive

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig welcome Akela Cooper (M3GAN, Malignant) to help offer guidance to billionaires looking to put their money in the safest place they can: the film and television industry. The trio looks at the upsides of investing in productions, which business models already exist and what we can learn from the independent television studios of the past.

We also chart Akela’s career from USC student through to this year’s hit film M3GAN. We then answer listener questions on planting easter eggs and nameless characters.

In our bonus segment for premium members, Akela tells us about her experience in two different studio training programs and whether they’re useful for new writers.

Links:

* Akela Cooper on [IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4868455/) and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/akelacooper/)
* [Paramount Writers Mentoring Program](https://www.paramount.com/writers-mentoring-program)(formerly CBS Writers Mentoring Program)
* [Warner Bros. Television Workshop](https://televisionworkshop.warnerbros.com/)
* [M3GAN Dance Scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c7XccFwJrQ)
* [Episode 122: “Young Billionaires Guide to Hollywood”](https://johnaugust.com/2013/young-billionaires-guide-to-hollywood)
* [Ben Affleck And Matt Damon Launch Production Company With RedBird Capital’s Gerry Cardinale](https://deadline.com/2022/11/ben-affleck-matt-damon-launch-production-company-with-redbird-capital-1235178013/) by Bruce Haring for Variety
* [Warner Bros. Discovery In Talks To License HBO Original Series To Netflix](https://deadline.com/2023/06/warner-bros-discovery-in-talks-to-license-hbo-original-series-to-netflix-1235421444/) by Peter White for Deadline
* [The Carsey-Werner Company](https://www.carseywerner.com/) on [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Carsey-Werner_Company)
* [Чёрный Ворон (Black Raven) – Chernobyl OST](https://youtu.be/-q23tuds2ZU)
* [Evolution Keeps Making Crabs, And Nobody Knows Why](https://www.sciencealert.com/evolution-keeps-making-crabs-and-nobody-knows-why) by Clare Watson for Science Alert
* [Welcome to Wrexham](https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/welcome-to-wrexham) on FX and Hulu
* [Arnold](https://www.netflix.com/title/81317673) on Netflix
* [The Last Action Heroes](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/668268/the-last-action-heroes-by-nick-de-semlyen/) by Nick de Semlyen
* [Commando: The Musical](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FFQ_g8OoQM)
* [Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!](https://cottonbureau.com/people/scriptnotes-podcast)
* [Check out the Inneresting Newsletter](https://inneresting.substack.com/)
* [Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription](https://scriptnotes.supportingcast.fm/gifts) or [treat yourself to a premium subscription!](https://scriptnotes.supportingcast.fm/)
* [Craig Mazin](https://www.instagram.com/clmazin/) on Instagram
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [John on Mastodon](https://mastodon.art/@johnaugust)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Nora Beyer ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))
* Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by [Matthew Chilelli](https://twitter.com/machelli). Our intern is Halley Lamberson.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/603standard.mp3).

**UPDATE 7-26-23:** The transcript for this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2023/scriptnotes-episode-603-billion-dollar-advice-transcript).

Research Isn’t Cheating

Scriptnotes, Three Page Challenge, Transcribed

John and Craig host another round of the Three Page Challenge, selecting three listeners’ scripts for feedback on what’s working and common pitfalls to avoid. They offer insights into the tricky issues when cheating movement, formatting non-English dialogue, and the importance of logic in comedy.

But first, we answer some long-gestating listener questions: What are strategies for writers to option IP on their own? Can you use your smart relative for dialogue? And how do you discuss co-creators of projects when meeting with a potential rep?

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig gloat about all the things they can get away with never having to do — everything from calculus to remembering their children’s phone numbers.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 7-26-23: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Side Quests

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig take a detour to discuss side quests: those smaller tasks that can serve as the building blocks of a character’s journey. How do side quests differ from your hero’s primary goal? What’s the best way to use them? And how can writers make them meaningful?

We then discuss the importance of failure to the artistic process. We also follow up on graphic design for writers, spacing out TV episodes, and a Scriptnotes love story.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig put on their headsets to to talk about VR.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 7-5-23: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

McQuarrie Returns

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

As we reach our 600th episode, John and Craig welcome back writer and director Christopher McQuarrie (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Top Gun: Maverick, The Usual Suspects) to continue their decades-long argument on the future of the movies and the forces that power the entertainment industry.

Together they lead a wide-ranging debate on the corporate lure of AI, cultivating movie stars, the bad habits writers have to unlearn, the importance of making genre movies, feeding the Hollywood machine, and the false division between art and entertainment.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John, Craig and Chris discuss the best way to watch movies and the ideal exhibition of sound and picture.

Links:

* Chris McQuarrie on [IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003160/) and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/christophermcquarrie)
* [The looming threat of AI to Hollywood, and why it should matter to you](https://www.vox.com/culture/23700519/writers-strike-ai-2023-wga) by Alissa Wilkinson for Vox
* [Anker 3-in-1 Cube with MagSafe](https://www.anker.com/products/y1811?variant=42206465327254)
* [Signal](https://signal.org/en/)
* [GoodRx](https://www.goodrx.com/)
* [Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!](https://cottonbureau.com/people/scriptnotes-podcast)
* [Check out the Inneresting Newsletter](https://inneresting.substack.com/)
* [Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription](https://scriptnotes.supportingcast.fm/gifts) or [treat yourself to a premium subscription!](https://scriptnotes.supportingcast.fm/)
* [Craig Mazin](https://www.instagram.com/clmazin/) on Instagram
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [John on Mastodon](https://mastodon.art/@johnaugust)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Nico Mansy ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))
* Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by [Matthew Chilelli](https://twitter.com/machelli).

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/600v2standard.mp3).

**UPDATE 6-20-23:** The transcript for this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2023/scriptnotes-episode-600-mcquarrie-returns-transcript).