John August

Transcribed

Cleaning up the Leftovers

Episode - 429

Go to Archive

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig use Thanksgiving break to finally answer some long-gestating listener questions, ranging from writing television with act breaks to keeping your drafts organized. Plus we’ll look at two moves by the US Justice Department and their impact on screenwriters.

In this week’s bonus segment, we do a meme! We’ll compare and reflect on our beliefs at the start and end of the decade.

Links:

* [Scriptnotes Holiday Live Show](https://www.wgfoundation.org/events/all/2019/12/12/the-scriptnotes-holiday-live-show)
* [Assistant Townhall Extra Episode]()
* [Assistant Townhall Full Livestream](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5x_jDCftkg)
* [Justice Department](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2019-11-26/doj-wga-agencies-lawsuit) on WGA ATA negotiations
* [Justice Department Moves to End Paramount Decree](https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/paramount-decrees-end-makan-delrahim-1203408484/)
* [Scriptnotes T-shirts](https://cottonbureau.com/people/scriptnotes-podcast) now featuring all past designs!
* [Writer Emergency Pack](https://store.johnaugust.com/products/writer-emergency-pack-single-deck)
* [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)
* Scriptnotes is produced by Megana Rao and edited by Matthew Chilelli
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Jemma Moran ([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_429.mp3).

**UPDATE 12-17-19** The transcript for this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2019/scriptnotes-ep-429-cleaning-up-the-leftovers-transcript).

The New One with Mike Birbiglia

Scriptnotes, Three Page Challenge, Transcribed

John and Craig welcome back writer/comedian Mike Birbiglia (Sleepwalk with Me, My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend) to discuss his one-man show “The New One.” When writing about yourself, how much has to be true? What responsibilities do you have to friends and loved ones?

Then it’s a new round of the Three Page Challenge, where we look at the first three pages in listeners’ scripts. We also address Akiva Schaffer’s concerns on movie screeners and try our first-ever bonus segment after the credits.

Links:

* Three Page Challenge – [F.T.S. by Danielle Motley](https://johnaugust.com/index.php?gf-download=2019%2F11%2FEpisode-One-Menstrual-Pain.pdf&form-id=1&field-id=4&hash=ff25d83a46dbde00a8e57c144f97dc4ebcd29551f03484526afc619c3977504e)
* Three Page Challenge – [Dunked by John Bickerstaff](https://johnaugust.com/index.php?gf-download=2019%2F11%2FDunked_Bickerstaff_3pgs.pdf&form-id=1&field-id=4&hash=54450e8466882607a7d62150309b7b46843e61db6a177f55108ff987e4a31ee5)
* Buy tickets to our live show with guests Kevin Feige, Lorene Scafaria, Shoshannah Stern, and Josh Feldman on December 12th at the LA Film School [here](https://www.wgfoundation.org/events/all/2019/12/12/the-scriptnotes-holiday-live-show).
* Join us or livestream the [Assistant Townhall](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/town-hall-for-hollywood-assistants-with-payuphollywood-scriptnotes-yea-tickets-80803941765) this Sunday, November 24th
* [Spleeter](https://waxy.org/2019/11/fast-and-free-music-separation-with-deezers-machine-learning-library/) open source music separation library
* [Brains Sweep Themselves Clean Of Toxins During Sleep](https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/10/18/236211811/brains-sweep-themselves-clean-of-toxins-during-sleep) by Jon Hamilton
* [Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501144324/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_-zZ0DbSMA1Y3X) by Matthew Walker
* Support local! [Books are Magic](https://www.booksaremagic.net/)
* [Mike Birbiglia](https://twitter.com/birbigs) on Twitter
* [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)
* Scriptnotes is produced by Megana Rao and edited by Matthew Chilelli
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Matthew Chilelli ([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_427_the_new_one.mp3).

**UPDATE 12-1-19:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2019/scriptnotes-ep-427-the-new-one-with-mike-birbiglia-transcript).

Tough Love vs. Self Care

News, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig discuss when writers should practice tough love vs. self-care. Inspired by Chuck Wendig’s blog post, they examine how real-world issues impact writers’ ability to get work done — but how they can also be used as an excuse for procrastination and laziness. They offer a checklist for helping decide whether it’s time to be harder or easier on yourself.

We also follow up on the Austin Film Festival, fan backlash, and show-runner tips for championing assistant pay, especially during the holiday season.

Links:

* The [Official Watchmen Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-official-watchmen-podcast/id1485052917) with Craig Mazin
* Susannah Grant on Creative Decisions behind [Unbelievable](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a29093906/unbelievable-netflix-susannah-grant-interview/) Release
* Michael Greene [Holiday Bonus](https://twitter.com/andmichaelgreen/status/1067885775134441477?s=20) Twitter Thread
* Tough Love vs. Self Care:[Sharp Rock, Soft Pillow: The Balance Of Self-Care And Tough Love](http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2019/10/22/sharp-rock-soft-pillow-the-balance-of-self-care-and-tough-love/)
* [Chuck Wendig: Terrible Minds](http://terribleminds.com/ramble/)
* [One Page Dungeon](https://watabou.itch.io/one-page-dungeon) by watabou
* [Superhero Therapy](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/10/superhero-therapy-im-batman/600475/)
* [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))

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_425_tough_love.mp3).

**UPDATE 11-8-2019** The transcript for this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2019/scriptnotes-ep-425-tough-love-vs-self-care-transcript).

Minimum Viable Movie

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig discuss how to figure out if a given idea can work as a movie. What are the minimum requirements for story and vision a writer should consider before starting on a screenplay?

We also invite Megana Rao and Bo Shim to follow up on our discussion of low assistant pay. Plus follow up from the WGA and video game industry awards, and a look ahead to the Austin Film Festival.

Links:

* [Austin Film Festival Schedule](https://austinfilmfestival.com/festival-and-conference-aff/2019-full-schedule/)
* Taylor Swift [Tiny Desk Concert on NPR](https://www.npr.org/2019/10/16/770318649/taylor-swift-tiny-desk-concert)
* [What Is the Time Signature of the Ominous Electronic Score of The Terminator?](https://slate.com/culture/2014/02/the-time-signature-of-the-terminator-score-is-a-mystery-for-the-ages.html) by Seth Stevenson
* [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 Tyler Adams ([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_423_minimum_viable_movie.mp3)

**UPDATE 10-29-2019** The transcript for this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2019/scriptnotes-episode-423-minimum-viable-movie-transcript).