Transcribed

John and Craig tackle eight topics ranging from WGA negotiations to overlapping dialogue, to John’s new agency.

We also follow up on Better Sex, Chernobyl, and Craig’s solo episode.

Links:

* [Scriptnotes Episode 406, Better Sex with Rachel Bloom](https://johnaugust.com/2019/better-sex-with-rachel-bloom)
* [Verve Talent and Literary Agency](https://www.vervetla.com/) and [John’s Tweets](https://twitter.com/johnaugust/status/1144754149763850241).
* Find Chernobyl scripts [here](https://johnaugust.com/library)!
* Watch [Chernobyl](https://www.hbo.com/chernobyl), listen to the podcast [here](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-chernobyl-podcast).
* [WGA Financials](https://www.wga.org/the-guild/about-us/annual-report)
* [Dots, Dashes, and Parentheticals](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7XUNvtNSt8&feature=youtu.be)
* [Scriptnotes Episode 403, How to Write a Movie](https://johnaugust.com/2019/how-to-write-a-movie)
* [Aladdin](https://movies.disney.com/aladdin-2019)
* [Rodecaster Pro Sound Board](https://www.rode.com/rodecasterpro)
* [Russian Doll](https://www.netflix.com/watch/80211627?source=35)
* [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 the Arbitrary Jukebox Experiment ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_408_rolling_dice.mp3).

**UPDATE 7-10-19** the transcript for this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2019/scriptnotes-ep-408-rolling-dice-transcript).

John and Craig are joined by attorney Ken Richman and Laurie Espinosa of the WGA West for a detailed discussion of screenwriting contracts. They look at what to expect, where you can negotiate, and what to watch out for.

Follow along with the example contract [here](https://johnaugust.com/Assets/WGAContractSlides407.pdf).

Links:

* [Example Contract](https://johnaugust.com/Assets/WGAContractSlides407.pdf)
* Try the newest release of [Highland 2.5](https://highland2.app/).
* Order your Scriptnotes 400 shirts, sweatshirts, and tanks [(Light)](https://cottonbureau.com/products/scriptnotes-400-light#/1506766/tee-men-standard-tee-heather-white-tri-blend-s) and [(Dark)](https://cottonbureau.com/products/scriptnotes-400-dark#/1506818/tee-men-standard-tee-vintage-black-tri-blend-s)!
* [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 Alex Winder ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_407_understanding_your_feature_contract.mp3).

**UPDATE 7-11-19:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2019/scriptnotes-ep-407-understanding-your-feature-contract-transcript).

John and Craig welcome back longtime friend of the podcast Rachel Bloom (co-creator and star of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) to discuss how sex and sexuality are portrayed on both the big and small screen. They cover ways to approach sensitive topics in a writers room and the moments we still haven’t seen on screen.

Links:

* Rachel Bloom’s Realistic Sex [Interview](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/a26453707/rachel-bloom-realistic-tv-sex-scenes/)
* [Sex Education TV Series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_Education_(TV_series))
* [Moan: Anonymous Essays on Female Orgasm](https://www.amazon.com/Moan-Essays-Female-Emma-Koenig/dp/1455540552) with foreword by Rachel Bloom
* [How to Draw a Horse](https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/how-to-draw-a-horse)
* [Dig it!](https://apps.apple.com/al/app/dig-it/id1453411110) on the App Store
* [Hello from the Magic Tavern](https://hellofromthemagictavern.com/)
* [A Very Fatal Murder](https://www.theonion.com/c/a-very-fatal-murder)
* [Rachel on Tour](https://racheldoesstuff.com/tour/)
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [Craig Mazin](https://twitter.com/clmazin) on Twitter
* [Rachel Bloom](https://twitter.com/Racheldoesstuff) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Jim Bond and James Llonch ([Send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_406_better_sex_with_rachel_bloom2.mp3).

**UPDATE 6-28-19:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2019/scriptnotes-ep-406-better-sex-with-rachel-bloom).

John and Craig host comedy titans Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, The Heat, Spy), Ben Falcone (The Boss, Tammy), Kourtney Kang (Fresh Off the Boat), Rob McElhenney (Always Sunny in Philadelphia), and Alec Berg (Barry, Silicon Valley) onstage to discuss writing jokes, what they look for in a writing partner, and the heartbreak of movie endings.

We also record our first ever Scriptnotes commercial and introduce a new game called ‘Bot or Not.’

Recorded live from the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles. Thanks to Hollywood Heart for organizing this event and to a great audience!

Links:

* Thanks for joining us [Melissa McCarthy](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0565250/), [Ben Falcone](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1229520/), [Kourtney Kang](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1752030/), [Rob McElhenney](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0568390/), and [Alec Berg](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0073688/)!
* [Learn more](https://www.hollywoodheart.org/about/our-mission/) about Hollywood Heart. [Donate here](https://www.hollywoodheart.org/donate/)!
* Buy special edition ‘Camp Scriptnotes’ T-shirts to benefit Hollywood Heart [here](https://store.johnaugust.com/)!
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [Craig Mazin](https://twitter.com/clmazin) on Twitter
* [Melissa McCarthy](https://twitter.com/melissamccarthy) on Twitter
* [Ben Falcone](https://twitter.com/benfalcone?lang=en) on Twitter
* [Kourtney Kang](https://twitter.com/kourtneykang) on Twitter
* [Rob McElhenney](https://twitter.com/RMcElhenney) on Twitter
* [Alec Berg](https://twitter.com/realalecberg?lang=en) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Rajesh Naroth (answer to the trivia question: who holds the record for most listener outros) ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_405_live_at_the_ace_hotel.mp3).

**UPDATE 6-21-19:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2019/episode-405-live-at-the-ace-transcript).