Transcribed

John and Craig welcome Daniels, writing-directing duo Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (Swiss Army Man, Everything Everywhere All at Once) to discuss making big, ambitious movies. The filmmakers share their process of chasing challenging ideas and the importance of novelty seeking.

We also talk about having faith in your future self, bravery, the narrative structure of pop songs, and idea generation as a fish net.

In our bonus segment for premium members, we learn about directing music videos and the unlikely flashpoint of many of their ideas. (It’s Maroon 5. No really, it is and you have to hear the explanation.)

Links:

• Daniels on Twitter, Dan Kwan on IG
• Turn Down For What by DJ Snake and Lil Jon, Houdini by Foster the People, and The Simple Song by the Shins music videos
• Interesting Ball short film
• Everything, Everywhere All at Once
• The Territory
• Pamela Ribon’s My Year of Dicks, directed by Sara Gunnarsdóttir
• Spatchcocking
• Jumbo’s Clown Room
• Your Undivided Attention podcast
• Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!](https://cottonbureau.com/people/scriptnotes-podcast)
• Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
• Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription!
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John August on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Outro by Matthew Jordan (send us yours!)
• Scriptnotes is produced by Megana Rao and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 2-24-23 The transcript for this episode can be found here.

John and Craig get crafty! They examine how sentence structure and word choice translate to camera direction, allowing writers to direct the reader’s eye. They offer advice on how to think about the visual and aural idea behind each noun and verb, and why the screenwriter’s task is unique.

We also discuss Disney’s leadership changes, follow up on Craig’s outline process, and answer listener questions on montages and villainizing ordinary citizens.

In our most contentious bonus segment yet, sixteen sweet treats battle it out in the first-ever Scriptnotes dessert bracket.

Links:

* [Bob Iger Back As Disney CEO, Bob Chapek Out](https://deadline.com/2022/11/disney-bob-iger-returns-ceo-bob-chapek-out-1235178223/) on Deadline
* [Scriptnotes, Episode 543: 20 Questions with John](https://johnaugust.com/2022/20-questions-with-john)
* [David Wappel’s Twitter Thread on Anchoring Nouns](https://twitter.com/davidwappel/status/1202287786998390785?s=20&t=xSSMDkDRYaft-MmoMKhE5w)
* Learn more and support the [Inevitable Foundation here](https://www.inevitable.foundation/)
* [Woobles Crochet Kit](https://thewoobles.com/products/penguin-crochet-kit), check out John’s craft [here](https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ck6ShCeApLU/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link)
* [AKG K702 Headphones](https://www.akg.com/Headphones/Professional%20Headphones/K702.html)
* [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://twitter.com/clmazin) on Twitter
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Matthew Jordan ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))
* Scriptnotes is produced by [Megana Rao](https://twitter.com/MeganaRao) 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/576standard.mp3).

**UPDATE 12-15-22** The transcript for this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2023/scriptnotes-episode-576-what-youre-looking-at-transcript).

John and Craig investigate why some scenes are so much harder to write than others, with strategies for tackling (or surrendering) to the difficulty.

We also follow up on virtual rooms, act breaks, and diversity workshops. Listener questions this week include introducing twists, getting elbowed out of your project, and whether it’s possible to be too meta?

In our bonus segment for premium members, Megana shares her experiences attending the Austin Film Festival for the first time.

Links:

* [MoviePass Executives Charged with Fraud](https://deadline.com/2022/11/moviepass-executives-charged-fraud-doj-1235164324/)
* [Warner Bros. Discovery Says It Will Keep Writers and Directors Workshops Alive, But Evolve to Conglomerate-Wide DEI Oversight](https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/warner-bros-discovery-writers-directors-workshops-alive-1235401368/)
* [The Six Hour Scene](https://johnaugust.com/2008/the-six-hour-scene) from John’s Blog
* [Doug McGrath](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0569790/) Austin Film Society [Honoree Speech](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqmaguUe9Gc)
* [The Past Within – Rusty Lake](https://www.rustylake.com/adventure-games/the-past-within.html)
* [The Fablemans](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14208870/)
* [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://twitter.com/clmazin) on Twitter
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Holly Overton ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))
* Scriptnotes is produced by [Megana Rao](https://twitter.com/MeganaRao) 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/574standard1.mp3).

**UPDATE 12-1-22** The transcript for this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2022/scriptnotes-episode-574-difficult-scenes-transcript).