John August

Transcribed

Infinite Westworld

Episode - 352

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Directors, Genres, QandA, Scriptnotes, Story and Plot, Television, Transcribed, Writing Process

John and Craig welcome Lisa Joy & Jonah Nolan (Westworld) and Stephen McFeely & Christopher Markus (Avengers: Infinity War) to our annual live show benefitting Hollywood Heart.

We discuss worldbuilding, the challenges and delights of serialized storytelling, and the extreme measures taken to keep secrets.

We also answer audience questions on villains as protagonists, music supervision, and research as procrastination.

Recorded May 22, 2018 at the ArcLight in Hollywood

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 6-6-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Full Circle

Big Fish, Follow Up, Los Angeles, News, Scriptnotes, Software, Story and Plot, Transcribed, Writing Process

John and Craig talk about the way that movies tend to bring their stories full circle, and what that means for writers trying to figure out their story beats. They discuss rhyming, bookending and how properly setting up the central thematic question helps make the answer feel meaningful.

We also answer listener questions about putting one’s work on YouTube, annotating scripts, and arbitration.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 5-30-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Limerence

Broadway, Film Industry, Genres, QandA, Scriptnotes, Story and Plot, Television, Transcribed, Writing Process

John and co-host John Gatins sit down with Aline Brosh McKenna and Rachel Bloom to discuss the experience of writing the third season of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, from breaking story in hot tubs to adjusting genital-related dances in compliance with Broadcast Standards and Practices.

With spoilers aplenty, we discuss the challenges of a TV protagonist’s Act 2 “rocky shoals,” the nuance of exploring mental illness with comedy, the process of writing surprising musical numbers, and the opportunities of turning the rom-com genre on its head.

Recorded live on May 9th.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 5-23-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Putting Words on the Page

Directors, Follow Up, Formatting, Los Angeles, News, Scriptnotes, Software, Television, Tools, Transcribed, Treatments, Words on the page, Writing Process

John and Craig discuss the digital tools of the trade. From outline to first draft to production rewrites, screenwriters find themselves facing different challenges. We talk about what works for each of us. We also speculate on what impact Highland 2’s gender analysis tool will have.

Then we answer listener questions about following the “rules” of formatting, from creative scene headers to “hey reader” notes and tips for introducing characters who play important roles later in the script.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 5-15-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.