John August

Transcribed

Getting Staffed in 2021

Episode - 487

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News, PayUpHollywood, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig debate best practices for writers looking to staff for television rooms–including whether you should be on social media and how to approach a showrunner meeting.

We also take a look at the GameStop story and discuss whether and how this should be a movie. Then Liz Alper and Jamarah Hayner join us to discuss the impact of covid shutdowns on assistants.

Finally in our bonus segment for premium members, we share our awkward dating stories.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 2-12-21 The transcript for this episode can now be found here.

Sexy Ghosts of Chula Vista

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig discuss how screenwriters use irony to build tension and texture, and why the term should be freed from its pedantic literary shackles.

Then it’s another round of the Three Page Challenge, where we look at the first three pages of listener-submitted scripts ranging from multidimensional ghost stories to erotic pleasure principles. We also follow up on ethical female characters and why Craig left Twitter.

Finally in our bonus segment for premium members, we discuss money and the return on happiness.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 2-5-21 The transcript for this episode can now be found here.

Unions and Guilds

News, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig explain Hollywood’s guilds and unions. They cover the history, the challenges, and their hopes for the future.

We also look at character alignments and whether it’s helpful for writers to chart out their character’s traits. We follow up on eight sequence structure and mockable IP. Throughout the episode, Craig tries to solve the mystery of John’s sweet fingers.

Finally, in our bonus segment for premium members, we talk about the screenwriting guru turned Qanon leader.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 2-1-21 The transcript for this episode can now be found here.

Philosophy for Screenwriters

News, Pitches, Scriptnotes, So-Called Experts, Transcribed

John and Craig discuss their personal philosophies and how writers can approach philosophical questions in terms of theme (central dramatic question) and character (moral codes and motivation).

Then we cover virtual pitches and listener questions on eight-sequence structure and how to read a script. We also follow up on the agency campaign, failed insurrections, and bad IP.

Finally in our bonus segment for premium members, we revisit our disagreement in episode 481 about whether it’s okay to lie.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 1-15-21 The transcripts for this episode can now be found here.