John August

Film Industry

Feel the Nerd Burn

Episode - 227

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Directors, Film Industry, Follow Up, QandA, Rights and Copyright, Scriptnotes, Three Page Challenge, Transcribed

Craig and John discuss three new entries in the Three Page Challenge, looking at how simple mistakes and confusing word choices can hurt the read.

Also this week, a follow up on functional revenge, a brand-new version of Highland, and Craig gets big laughs on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.

Links:

* [The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, December 3, 2015](http://www.cc.com/full-episodes/95di1k/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah-december-3–2015—idris-elba-season-21-ep-21032)
* Craig in [The New York Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/02/opinion/anyone-but-ted-cruz.html?_r=0) and on [Jezebel](http://theslot.jezebel.com/fuckin-craig-mazin-an-appreciation-of-ted-cruzs-colleg-1746278435)
* [Download Highland 1.9 now](http://quoteunquoteapps.com/highland/) and [sign up to be a Highland 2 beta tester](http://quoteunquoteapps.com/highland-2-beta/)
* [Does Revenge Serve an Evolutionary Purpose?](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/revenge-evolution/) from Scientific American
* [One Hit Kill is now available for purchase](http://www.onehitkillgame.com/)
* [Projection Problems Plague 70mm L.A. Press Screening Of Quentin Tarantino’s ‘The Hateful Eight’](http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/projection-problems-plague-70mm-la-press-screening-of-quentin-tarantinos-the-hateful-eight-20151203) from Indie Wire
* Three Pages by [Jody Russell](http://johnaugust.com/Assets/JodyRussell.pdf)
* Three Pages by [Mark S.W. & V.P. Walling](http://johnaugust.com/Assets/MarkSWVPWalling.pdf)
* Three Pages by [Matthew Gentile](http://johnaugust.com/Assets/MatthewGentile.pdf)
* [Submit your Three Pages here](http://johnaugust.com/threepage)
* The Wall Street Journal on [How Cyndi Lauper Wrote Her First No. 1 Hit, ‘Time After Time’](http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-cyndi-lauper-wrote-her-first-no-1-hit-time-after-time-1448985798)
* [Secret Hitler](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/maxtemkin/secret-hitler) is now on Kickstarter
* [Amazon Prime Now](https://www.amazon.com/primenow) offers one hour delivery
* [Email us](mailto:ask@johnaugust.com) or tweet [John](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) or [Craig](https://twitter.com/clmazin) for advice on things that have nothing to do with screenwriting
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Roman Mittermayr ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_227.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_227.mp3).

**UPDATE 12-11-15:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2015/scriptnotes-ep-227-feel-the-nerd-burn-transcript).

Live from Austin 2015

Film Industry, Follow Up, News, QandA, Scriptnotes, Transcribed, Travel

Craig and John return to the Austin Film Festival for a supersize live show with guests Nicole Perlman and Steve Zissis.

We talk with Nicole about what’s changed in her life after the breakout success of Guardians of the Galaxy, and how she juggles multiple projects.

Steve Zissis tells us how he transitioned from waiter to co-creator of HBO’s Togetherness, and the unusual origin of the show.

Then all four of us play How Would This Be a Movie, looking at #Zola’s adventure, the runaway blimp and the lonely death of George Bell.

Plus audience questions!

Our thanks to the Austin Film Festival for hosting us, and our terrific audience.

* [The Austin Film Festival](https://www.austinfilmfestival.com/aff/live/)
* [The Monty Hall problem](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Hall_problem) on Wikipedia
* Nicole Perlman on [IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2270979/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Uncannygirl), and on [Scriptnotes, 164](http://johnaugust.com/2014/guardians-of-the-galaxys-nicole-perlman)
* Steve Zissis on [IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1587813/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/stevezissis)
* Togetherness on [HBO](http://www.hbo.com/togetherness) and [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Togetherness_(TV_series))
* Papermag on [The Harrowing Twitter Odyssey of @_zolarmoon](http://www.papermag.com/2015/10/the_harrowing_twitter_odyssey.php)
* The Baltimore Sun on the [rogue JLENS blimp](http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/harford/aberdeen-havre-de-grace/bs-md-jlens-blimp-loose-20151028-story.html)
* [The Lonely Death of George Bell](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/18/nyregion/dying-alone-in-new-york-city.html), from The New York Times
* Variety on [Nicole Perlman and Challenger](http://variety.com/2006/film/features/nicole-perlman-1200337283/)
* [Marty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marty_(teleplay)) on Wikipedia
* [Glif](http://www.studioneat.com/products/glif) tripod phone mount
* [Cosmonauts: Birth of the Space Age](http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/Plan_your_visit/exhibitions/cosmonauts.aspx) at the London Science Museum
* The Man Who Planted Trees, on [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Planted_Trees_(film)) and [Netflix DVD](http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/The-Man-Who-Planted-Trees/70048862?strkid=1887480798_0_0&strackid=743041023553ef8f_0_srl&trkid=222336)
* [Thync](http://www.thync.com/)
* [Intro/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_222.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_222.mp3).

**UPDATE 11-6-15:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2015/scriptnotes-ep-222-live-from-austin-2015-transcript).

Nobody Knows Anything (including what this quote means)

Film Industry, Follow Up, Psych 101, Scriptnotes, So-Called Experts, Transcribed, Writing Process

Craig and John get to the bottom of William Goldman’s famous quotation about Hollywood, which is so often misapplied. Then it’s a discussion of zombie cars, wind-tunnels, blockbusters, and the paradox of choice.

Finally, we look at the intersection of luck and talent behind a screenwriter’s career, and why struggle isn’t a useful yardstick for much of anything.

Links:

* [Austin Film Festival 2015 panel schedule](https://austinfilmfestival.com/festivalandconference/conference/2015-panels/)
* Karina Longworth’s [You Must Remember This](http://www.vidiocy.com/you-must-remember-this)
* Scriptnotes, 220: [Writers Rooms, Taxes, and Fat Hamlet](http://johnaugust.com/2015/writers-rooms-taxes-and-fat-hamlet)
* [William Goldman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Goldman) on Wikipedia, and [Adventures in the Screen Trade](http://www.amazon.com/dp/0446391174/?tag=johnaugustcom-20) on Amazon
* [The Zombie-mobile](https://medium.com/swlh/the-zombie-mobile-b03932ac971d#.whezv2fps)
* [Least objectionable program](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Least_objectionable_program) on Wikipedia
* [The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less](http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060005696/?tag=johnaugustcom-20) by Barry Schwartz
* [The Selling Your Screenplay Podcast, episode 95](https://t.co/kq6mQdMUZh)
* [Tessy and Tab](http://www.tessyandtab.com/)
* [BuzzFeed Crosswords](http://www.buzzfeed.com/tag/crosswords), and [logic-puzzles.org](http://www.logic-puzzles.org/)
* [Pokémon’s Creepy Lavender Town Myth, Explained](http://kotaku.com/pokemons-creepy-lavender-town-myth-explained-1651851621) on Kotaku

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_221.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_221.mp3).

**UPDATE 10-28-15:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2015/scriptnotes-ep-221-nobody-knows-anything-including-what-this-quote-means-transcript).

Apprenticeship 101

Film Industry

Jana Kinsman worked as an apprentice beekeeper and goat-tender, but a lot of her advice applies well to [anyone in their first job](https://medium.com/@janakinsman/being-a-good-apprentice-e7a182dae495#.w7v86ea11):

> This isn’t your chance to prove yourself in a grandiose way. Your mentor isn’t expecting you to suddenly make their lives easier, they’re not looking for a hero or someone to throw themselves over the puddle where they’re about to walk.

> This is not your opportunity to change their system or their workspace or their routine. I’ve worked with many mentors whose way of doing things was an absolute trainwreck. Inefficiencies galore, messes, unfinished projects EVERYWHERE. But it was never my responsibility to point it out to them.

When I started working in Hollywood — first as a reader, later as an assistant — I didn’t know what I was doing. I observed and tried to figure out what needed to be done, and asked as many questions as I needed to.

I quietly watched how my bosses worked, not because I wanted to become them, but because I wanted to understand how they made decisions, and how they fit into the bigger picture of the industry.

Kinsman concurs:

> I tell people that some of the most valuable things I learned from working with mentors have been examples of how I don’t want to do things. It’s not about forcing yourself into thinking your mentor is a flawless human with a perfect way of doing things, it’s seeing their flaws and their inefficient systems and accepting them for who they are.

> Often times this will give you a chance to put yourself in their shoes and look at your own future realistically: If you were doing what they were doing for as long as they’ve been doing it, would you be perfect?

You eventually realize that everyone is doing the best they can, just like you. The difference is experience, and the only way to get it is to do the work.