John August

Adaptation

Confusing, Unlikable and On-The-Nose

Episode - 223

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Adaptation, Follow Up, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig look at some of the least helpful notes screenwriters receive, and strategies for dealing with them.

Then it’s a look at novelists who adapt their own books into screenplays, and the pros and cons involved.

In the premium feed over at scriptnotes.net, you’ll find two bonus episodes: the live Three Page Challenge from Austin 2015, and my interview with The Martian screenwriter Drew Goddard for the Writers Guild Foundation.

Links:

* [The Austin Film Festival](https://www.austinfilmfestival.com/)
* Sign up for a premium subscription at [scriptnotes.net](http://scriptnotes.net/) for access to bonus episodes, like this week’s [2015 Austin Three Page Challenge](http://scriptnotes.net/three-page-challenge-austin-2015) and [John’s interview with Drew Goddard](http://scriptnotes.net/drew-goddard-the-origin-story)
* Man Up on [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_Up_(film)) and [Apple Trailers](http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/manup/), and writer Tess Morris on [IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2208729/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/TheTessMorris)
* [2015 Nicholl Screenwriting Awards: Andrew Friedhof](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flcUaT0QhLk&feature=youtu.be) on YouTube
* Follow John’s progress on [his NaNoWriMo profile](http://nanowrimo.org/participants/john-august/novels/the-forest-909268/stats)
* Los Angeles Times on [Melissa Mathison](http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-melissa-mathinson-dies-story.html)
* [Against Subtlety](http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2015/11/against_subtlety_the_case_for_heavy_handedness_in_art.html) from Slate
* Herman Melville’s Bartleby, the Scrivener [on Project Gutenberg](http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11231), and the [interactive, annotated version from Slate](http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2015/10/herman_melville_s_bartleby_the_scrivener_an_interactive_annotated_text.html)
* [The Room Three](http://www.fireproofgames.com/games/the-room-three-2) from Fireproof Games
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Matthew Chilelli ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_223.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_223.mp3).

**UPDATE 11-13-15:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2015/scriptnotes-ep-223-confusing-unlikable-and-on-the-nose-transcript).

The Martian, or Making Things Going Wrong Well

Adaptation, Story and Plot

Next month, I’ll be chatting with Drew Goddard, screenwriter of The Martian, for a Writers Guild Foundation event.

One of the things I want to talk about is how cleverly The Martian sets expectations and then defeats them in surprising ways. The film is marketed as a story of survival and ingenuity, but on a screenwriting level it’s a series of carefully-structured hopes denied.

As The Bitter Script Reader [points out](http://thebitterscriptreader.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-martian-is-kind-of-film.html):

> A good rule of thumb in film is that if we’re explained a plan in painstaking detail, […] things will not go to plan. The way things NEED to happen is laid out for us so that when we’re in the thick of it, we’ll have that “oh shit!” reaction as things come apart.

On [today’s Scriptnotes](http://johnaugust.com/2015/features-are-different), Craig and I talk about on why this kind of constant denial engine — and the life-or-death stakes it helps feed — makes The Martian a movie idea rather than a TV idea. It’s a journey this character can only take once. And it’s Goddard and Scott’s terrific execution that makes it such an enjoyable ride.

If you want to join me for the conversation with Goddard, [tickets are available now](https://www.wgfoundation.org/screenwriting-events/writers-on-writing-with-drew-goddard/).

Screenwriter Mark Mallouk on Black Mass

Adaptation, News, Story and Plot, Writing Process

In addition to today’s normal Scriptnotes episode, premium subscribers can find a [half-hour interview](http://scriptnotes.net/black-mass-screenwriter-mark-mallouk) I did with Black Mass screenwriter Mark Mallouk.

We discuss the film’s long journey from book to screen, including how the sudden reappearance of Whitey Bulger in 2011 changed both the script and the production. This Q&A was recorded following the WGA screening on September 26, 2015. Thanks to Mike from the Writers Guild Theater for providing the audio.

Scriptnotes is free every Tuesday. Bonus episodes like this one are part of the $2/month premium feed, which also gives you access to all of the back catalog. I’m trying to get in the habit of pulling out the audio recorder when talking with writers, so look for more of these bonus interviews as we head into awards season.

If you want to subscribe to the premium feed, visit [scriptnotes.net](http://scriptnotes.net).

Once subscribed, you can access episodes through the app, available for both [iOS](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/scriptnotes/id739117984?mt=8) and [Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.johnaugust.android.scriptnotes&hl=en).

Clerks and recreation

Adaptation, Follow Up, How-To, News, Scriptnotes, Story and Plot, Transcribed

Craig and John tackle another installment of “How would this be a movie?” with a look at the Kentucky clerk, the French train bros, Uber and Deflategate. Who are the heroes and villains, and would there be enough plot to support the running time?

We also explore the happy-sad feeling of finishing a screenplay.

Only two-weeks left to pre-order a Scriptnotes t-shirt. Don’t miss out!

Links:

* [Scriptnotes shirts are available for pre-order in the John August Store](http://store.johnaugust.com/)
* [You Must Remember This podcast, with Karina Longworth](http://www.infiniteguest.org/remember-this/)
* [Eazypower 30167 40-Inch Flexible Drill Extension with 1/4-Inch Keyed Chuck](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009XAFXU/?tag=johnaugustcom-20) on Amazon
* [Explainer: The Kentucky Clerk Marriage License Controversy](http://blog.acton.org/archives/81601-explainer-the-kentucky-clerk-marriage-license-controversy.html), and [in The New York Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/05/us/kim-davis-same-sex-marriage.html?_r=0)
* [A change of seats for 3 Americans led to saved lives on Paris-bound train](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/as-french-train-suspect-is-interrogated-questions-mount-on-europes-security/2015/08/23/088ff2fe-4923-11e5-9f53-d1e3ddfd0cda_story.html), from The Washington Post
* [Under Siege 2: Dark Territory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_Siege_2:_Dark_Territory), [Snowpiercer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowpiercer) and [The Raid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Raid:_Redemption)
* [Timeline of events for Deflategate, Tom Brady](http://espn.go.com/blog/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4782561/timeline-of-events-for-deflategate-tom-brady) on ESPN.com
* [Concussion](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io6hPdC41RM) trailer
* The New Yorker on [The Long History of the Fight Against Uber](http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-long-history-of-the-fight-against-uber)
* [Hell’s Club](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QajyNRnyPMs&feature=youtu.be), a mashup from AMDSFILMS
* [Use Ice Cubes and Your Dryer to Steam Out Wrinkles](http://lifehacker.com/use-ice-cubes-and-your-dryer-to-steam-out-wrinkles-1551615442) on Lifehacker
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Matthew Chilelli ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_214.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_214.mp3).

**UPDATE 9-11-15:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2015/scriptnotes-ep-214-clerks-and-recreation-transcript).