John August

Transcribed

Our Take on Long Takes

Episode - 683

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Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig break out of coverage to look at oners and long shots, cutting through any directorial showboating to compare the pros and cons and cons and cons of those unbroken takes, offering ways to decide when they are necessary or purposeful, and how to recognize when it’s better to cut.

We also look at changes to Sundance and the Nicholl Fellowship, answer listener questions on house lights in movie theaters, Oscar voting, improv movies, and share a few horror stories from John and Craig’s early career.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig look at their relationship with their phones and consider dumbing down.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 5-2-25: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Talking Austen in Austin (Encore)

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

In this episode from 2012, John and Craig sit down with producer and former studio executive Lindsay Doran (Sense and Sensibility, Stranger than Fiction) at the Austin Film Festival to explore the producer’s relationship with the screenplay.

The look at how the role of producer has changed, the ideal development process, how she developed Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson, and staying true to your values in a fickle business.

In our bonus segment for premium members, Drew joins John back in 2025 to consider the value of a good alumni program, and how an alma mater that under-delivers can be the pits.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

The original transcript for this episode can be found here.

The Second Season with Tony Gilroy

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig welcome writer and showrunner Tony Gilroy (Andor, Michael Clayton) for an in-depth look at crafting a second season of a hit TV show. They look at ways to find your season’s structure, setting your production up for success, controlling the energy your audience spends on information, and how to wrap up your story before the show eats you alive.

They also answer listener questions on what to do when a movie that’s similar to yours is wildly successful, and whether being a movie critic could hurt your writing career.

In our bonus segment for premium members, Tony sticks around to ponder which words we wish existed in English, and how we’d use them in our scripts.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 4-2-25: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

The Waiting Game

Scriptnotes, Three Page Challenge, Transcribed

John and Craig sit in project purgatory and ask, what do you do when the only answer you’re getting is “maybe”? They share advice on how to gently check in without annoying people, recognizing the soft pass, the unexpected benefits of patience, and what to do when you’re the person holding up the gears.

Then it’s another round of the Three Page Challenge, where John and Craig give their honest feedback on three listener-submitted scripts. We also follow up on script supervisors and the encroaching perils of AI production.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig spill the telltale signs that a movie or TV show has had reshoots.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 4-2-25: The transcript for this episode can be found here.