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Transcribed

All About Family

Episode - 348

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May 1, 2018 Adaptation, Education, Film Industry, Follow Up, Formatting, News, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig partake in another installment of How Would This Be a Movie? Which story is destined for the big screen: The millennial mother with her surprise, Youtube-guided childbirth? The couple that has the same fight for decades? The Japanese families-for-hire?

We also follow up on the logic of multi-cam formatting, Georgia’s success in diversifying crews through training programs, and effective character descriptions.

Tickets are now on sale for our next Scriptnotes Live Show on Tuesday, May 22nd at the ArcLight in Hollywood, with guests including Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan of Westworld.

Links:

  • Our next live Scriptnotes will be Tuesday, May 22nd at the ArcLight in Hollywood. Tickets are on sale now — proceeds benefit Hollywood HEART, which runs special programs and summer camps for at-risk youth.
  • How 50 Famous Female Characters Were Described in Their Screenplays by Kyle Buchanan and Jordan Crucchiola for Vulture
  • Woman tells incredible story of how she used YouTube videos to carry out waterbirth of own baby she doubted she even had, while alone in hotel room written by Tom Embury-Dennis for The Independent
  • The Worrywart vs. the Zen Master by Tom Bowman and Brigid Schulte for Slate
  • Japan’s Rent-A-Family Industry, written by Elif Batuman for The New Yorker
  • Choir!Choir!Choir! is a choir in Toronto that meets once a week for drop-in singing events.
  • QTAKE Monitor is an app that lets you watch shots on set from your own device.
  • The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!
  • The USB drives!
  • John August on Twitter
  • Craig Mazin on Twitter
  • John on Instagram
  • Find past episodes
  • Outro by Nicolas Curcio (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 5-8-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Changing the Defaults

April 17, 2018 Film Industry, International, News, Scriptnotes, Transcribed, WGA

John sits down with screenwriter Christina Hodson to discuss race, gender, and representation in Hollywood, and how screenwriters can help correct the status quo with the one thing they can control: the words on the page.

We tackle the nuances of designating race for open-ethnicity characters, the assumption of whiteness, the pros and cons of feature writers rooms and the promise of inclusion riders.

We also answer a listener question about why some movies are timeless and some feel dated as soon as they premiere.

Links:

  • Thanks for joining us, Christina Hodson. Her upcoming movies include Bumblebee of the Transformers franchise and Batgirl.
  • The Pudding’s Film Dialogue from 2,000 screenplays, Broken Down by Gender and Age
  • Premium subscribers can listen to the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend bonus episode with Aline Brosh McKenna and Rachel Bloom here.
  • A pilot announcement that includes this character description: “a girl-next-door type but also with a behind-the-ear tattoo. She can just as easily bro out with the guys as she can be the girliest girl.”
  • A guide to WGA dues, courtesy of Stuart!
  • Mothers of Sparta by Dawn Davies
  • Female writer friends, like Frances Marion
  • The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!
  • The USB drives!
  • John August on Twitter
  • Craig Mazin on Twitter
  • John on Instagram
  • Find past episodes
  • Outro by Hunter Christensen (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 4-19-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Love, Aptaker & Berger

April 10, 2018 Adaptation, Film Industry, Los Angeles, Producers, Scriptnotes, Television, Transcribed

John and Craig welcome Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, the writing team that showruns This Is Us and just made history with Love, Simon.

We discuss their experience of breaking into the industry, writing with a partner, running a hit show, adapting YA novels for the screen, and the broccoli/marinara/pudding meals that got them here.

Links:

  • Thanks for joining us, Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger!
  • Love, Simon is in theaters now! Isaac and Elizabeth also run This Is Us on NBC.
  • Queer Qrosswords rewards your donation to an LBGTQ+ charity with crossword puzzles.
  • Taking Twitter off your phone while you’re on vacation
  • Not being on one’s phone while waiting for someone
  • Headspace guided meditation app
  • The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!
  • The USB drives!
  • Isaac Aptaker on Twitter
  • Elizabeth Berger on Twitter
  • John August on Twitter
  • Craig Mazin on Twitter
  • John on Instagram
  • Find past episodes
  • Outro by Travis Newton (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 4-16-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Comedy Geometry

April 3, 2018 Film Industry, Follow Up, Producers, Scriptnotes, Story and Plot, Television, Transcribed, Travel, Writing Process

Craig welcomes Alec Berg, executive producer of two current HBO comedies (Barry and Silicon Valley), to discuss balancing productivity and creative energy, “comedy geometry,” and identifying as a craftsman rather than an artist.

We also answer listener questions about committing to a genre, the necessity of act breaks, and how much writers actually get to keep of their paycheck.

Links:

  • Thanks for joining us, Alec Berg! Check out his credits.
  • Barry is now on HBO!
  • Silicon Valley is in its 5th season on HBO.
  • Sharing your wifi password
  • The Last of Sheila by Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim, directed by Herbert Ross. Here’s the trailer.
  • The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!
  • The USB drives!
  • Alec Berg on Twitter
  • John August on Twitter
  • Craig Mazin on Twitter
  • John on Instagram
  • Find past episodes
  • Outro by Rajesh Naroth (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 4-11-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

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