John August

Transcribed

Not Controversial At All

Episode - 566

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Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John invites writer/producer/actor Ashley Nicole Black (Ted Lasso, Black Lady Sketch Show) to discuss fandoms, cultural appropriation and boycotts over abortion access.

They also answer simpler listener questions: What do TV producer titles really mean? When should you attach a showrunner? And what happens when you disagree with your manager?

In our bonus segment for premium members, they talk parties! John and Ashley discuss the new norms for hosting people post-pandemic.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 9-27-22 The transcript for this story can be found here.

Sorry to Splaflut

Scriptnotes, Three Page Challenge, Transcribed

John and Craig host a round of the Three Page Challenge, a segment where they offer feedback on listeners’ scripts. This week they discuss the whiplash of cutting too quickly, captivating title pages, and V.O. narration that actually works.

We also cover the return of MoviePass, 25 years of Netflix, and AI generated language.

In our bonus segment for premium members, we discuss senior year.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 9-23-22 The transcript for this episode can now be found here.

VFX Deep Dive

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig welcome VFX supervisor Alex Wang (The Last of Us) and VFX producer/writer Addie Manis (Foundation) to pull back the (green screen) curtain on the visual effects production process.

We ask the VFX experts to break down a sample scene, line by line to explain how they’d turn scene description into an actual scene. From their first read to the edit, they describe how the script guides the visual language for their projects.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig talk about friends, both how to make them and how to keep them.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 8-30-22 The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Why Now?

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig tackle the third question every development executive asks: “why now?” What makes an idea relevant to the moment? They offer ways writers can think about this early on in their process, including reframing it as “how now?” instead.

We then talk about reversals and look at how they work on the page, using a scene from Chernobyl. This week’s follow up includes discussions on abortion access, post-release editing, and the impact of cancelling an almost-finished movie.

In our bonus segment for premium members, the guys debate when to engage with stupid people and when it’s best to ignore them.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 8-15-22 The transcript for this episode can be found here.