John August

Transcribed

The Title of This Episode

Episode - 495

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Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig tackle the tricky territory of movie titles: what makes them great, why they’re important, and how a bad one can tank a good movie.

We answer listener questions on writing diverse characters, surprising movie expenses, and residuals.

Finally, in our bonus segment for premium members Craig outlines how to behave in a restaurant.

Links:

* [12 Great Movies with Terrible Titles](https://screenrant.com/best-movies-worst-titles/) by Margaret Maurer
* [That Song In Every Musical That No One Likes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXKUgjYh7lo) by Sarah Smallwood Parsons
* [Facer](https://www.facer.io/featured) for smart watch faces and [Carrot](http://www.meetcarrot.com/weather/applewatch.html) a weather app for the Apple Watch.
* [Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!](https://cottonbureau.com/people/scriptnotes-podcast)
* [Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription](https://scriptnotes.supportingcast.fm/gifts) or [treat yourself to a premium subscription!](https://scriptnotes.supportingcast.fm/)
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [Craig Mazin](https://twitter.com/clmazin) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Chester Howie ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))
* Scriptnotes is produced by Megana Rao and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/495standard.mp3).

**UPDATE 4-9-21** The transcript for this episode can now be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2021/scriptnotes-episode-495-the-title-of-this-episode-transcript).

Screenwriting in Color

News, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig discuss the use of color in film by highlighting iconic scenes and sharing how they think about color palettes in their own writing.

We then host another Three Page Challenge, this time focusing on how well these opening scenes set up expectations for the script. We now ask for loglines, which are kept secret from John and Craig!

Finally in our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig discuss their Olympic ambitions.

Links:

* [WGA Strike](https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/the-chase-strike-writers-wga-itv-1234936943/) against ABC’s The Chase.
* For current university students and professors: Learn more about the [Highland 2 Student License](https://quoteunquoteapps.com/highland-2/students.php)
* [The Secret Lives of Color](https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Lives-Color-Kassia-Clair/dp/0143131141) by Kassia St Clair
* [Rinky Dink](https://johnaugust.com/index.php?gf-download=2021%2F03%2FRinky-Dink-Three-Page-Challenge.pdf&form-id=1&field-id=4&hash=428197df8aa5744b9773ac3f65f597c5f8419e2fd6e60923f799f6b7e82795bf) by Stephen Brower
* [The Twilight Run](https://johnaugust.com/index.php?gf-download=2021%2F03%2FThe-Twilight-Run-Three-Page-Challenge.pdf&form-id=1&field-id=4&hash=f3e0780b9271811e28acf59ac67b2286357b3148ddf029bb4e12671a3fa558d9) by Andrew McDonald and Nick Sanford
* [South Carthay](https://johnaugust.com/index.php?gf-download=2021%2F03%2FSouth-Carthay-Pilot-3_21_21.pdf&form-id=1&field-id=4&hash=ba275113a62a9a36a5dbf43a1c70442a3d5dd4ac8d303ec137268bbe73da2528) by Alex Rennie
* [The Loop by Emily VanDerWerff](https://emilyvdw.substack.com/p/the-loop)
* [The Best Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever](https://addapinch.com/the-best-chocolate-cake-recipe-ever/) by Robin Stone
* [Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!](https://cottonbureau.com/people/scriptnotes-podcast)
* [Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription](https://scriptnotes.supportingcast.fm/gifts) or [treat yourself to a premium subscription!](https://scriptnotes.supportingcast.fm/)
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [Craig Mazin](https://twitter.com/clmazin) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Matthew Chilelli ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))
* Scriptnotes is produced by Megana Rao and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/494standard.mp3).

**UPDATE 4-3-21** The transcript for this episode can now be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2021/scriptnotes-episode-494-screenwriting-in-color-transcript).

Opening Scenes

News, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig discuss the craft of constructing beginnings: what they consider when writing the first line of a script and how opening scenes have evolved with audience expectations.

We also investigate a question from former producer Stuart Friedel and dive into the history of foreign levies. We then make predictions on the future of movie-going by analyzing the history of megaplexes.

Finally, in our bonus segment for premium members we look at cliches versus conventions.

Links:

* [WGA Parental Leave](https://www.wga.org/members/membership-information/new-paid-parental-leave-benefit-details) begins May 2!
* [Learn more about foreign levies](https://www.wga.org/the-guild/levies-payments/foreign-levies-program/history)
* [99 Percent Invisible Podcast Episode: The Megaplex](https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-megaplex/)
* [We’ve Outgrown the Ugly Duckling Transformation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa4bR5ZO3dM) by Mina Le on Youtube
* [TV Tropes](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/VampireTropes) – Vampires
* [Listener Guide Submissions](https://johnaugust.com/guide) send in your favorite episodes from 300-500!
* [Check out the Screenwriting Life Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-screenwriting-life-with-meg-lefauve-and-lorien-mckenna/id1501641442) and this episode with [John!](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/35-john-august-on-worldbuilding-in-your-writing/id1501641442?i=1000512898141)
* [Upstep](https://app.upstep.com) – the review is positive!
* [Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!](https://cottonbureau.com/people/scriptnotes-podcast)
* [Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription](https://scriptnotes.supportingcast.fm/gifts) or [treat yourself to a premium subscription!](https://scriptnotes.supportingcast.fm/)
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [Craig Mazin](https://twitter.com/clmazin) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Peter Hoopes ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))
* Scriptnotes is produced by Megana Rao and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/493standard1.mp3).

**UPDATE 3-26-2021** The transcript for this episode is now available [here](https://johnaugust.com/2021/scriptnotes-episode-493-opening-scenes-transcript).

Gray Areas

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig wade into the murky ethical challenges screenwriters face in Hollywood: When do you speak out against a peer? How do you claim an idea? Should you accept money from shady sources? They share their own experiences navigating these questions.

We also follow up on female redemption arcs, NFTs, and joining the WGA. We answer listener questions on topics from ‘the director’s pass’ to creating personal websites.

Finally in our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig share their personal origin stories about the moment they decided to become screenwriters.

Links:

* [Listener Guide Submissions](https://johnaugust.com/guide) send in your favorite episodes from 300-500!
* [Screenwriting Competitions Aren’t Worth the Money](https://johnaugust.com/2021/screenwriting-competitions-arent-worth-the-money) blogpost
* [$69 Million Beeple Auction for NFT](https://slate.com/technology/2021/03/beeple-auction-christies-nft-69-million-explained-why-why-why.html )
* [Scriptnotes, Episode 407: Understanding Your Feature Contract](https://johnaugust.com/2019/understanding-your-feature-contract)
* [Build a website on card.co](https://carrd.co/build)
* [For Creators, Everything Is for Sale](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/10/style/creators-selling-selves.html) by Taylor Lorenz for the NYT
* [Upstep](https://app.upstep.com) for insoles, and for more unboxing content, check out this podcast [All Consuming](https://allconsuming.show)
* [Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!](https://cottonbureau.com/people/scriptnotes-podcast)
* [Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription](https://scriptnotes.supportingcast.fm/gifts) or [treat yourself to a premium subscription!](https://scriptnotes.supportingcast.fm/)
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [Craig Mazin](https://twitter.com/clmazin) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Michael Karmon ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))
* Scriptnotes is produced by Megana Rao and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/492standard.mp3).

**UPDATE 3-20-2021** The transcript for this episode can now be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2021/scriptnotes-episode-492-gray-areas-transcript).