John August

Transcribed

McQuarrie on McQuarrie

Episode - 596

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Scriptnotes, Transcribed

In preparation for episode 600, John revisits our first two episodes with Christopher McQuarrie (Top Gun: Maverick, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, The Usual Suspects) to marvel at his wisdom and enjoy his ongoing feud with Craig.

We chart his course from writer to writer-director, his process of rescuing a movie in crisis, the storytelling opportunities on TV, and what the future holds for young filmmakers.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John, Craig and Chris conduct a post-mortem on what killed the Spoof Movie – surely there must be a reason? (Of course there’s a reason, and don’t call us Shirley.)

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 5-30-23: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Correctable Crises

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John welcomes Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (Up Here, The Carmichael Show) to discuss the state of modern TV writing and answer crafty questions from our overflowing mailbag.

How do you structure a limited series? How do you take inspiration from an idea without ripping it off? And how do you know if your story really needs that sex scene?

In our bonus segment for premium members, we explore the tricky situation of having a co-worker who is nice but incompetent.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 5-30-23: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Bindles and Gold Pans

HWTBAM, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig look at another set of incredible news stories and ask, How Would This Be a Movie? Stories include an AI love service, an inventor with good intentions who doomed our planet, a fake Aretha Franklin, and a multi-million dollar nut heist.

We also follow up on heroic names and answer listener questions about researching your story.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig lie awake and wonder — what happens to our work after we die?

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 5-11-23: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

The Ref with Richard LaGravenese

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

Writer and director Richard LaGravenese joins Craig for an in-depth analysis of his 1994 comedy classic screenplay, THE REF. Together, Craig and Richard dig into the rules of farce, making hyper-verbal characters work, and the difference between a main character and a protagonist.

We also discuss how to write compelling monologues, engineering a character’s catharsis, and why coffee really is better with cake.

In our bonus segment for premium members, Craig and Richard discuss why it’s often so hard for men to make – and keep – close friends.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 5-11-23: The transcript for this episode can be found here.