John August

Film Industry

Young Billionaire’s Guide to Hollywood

Episode - 122

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Film Industry, Producers, Scriptnotes, Three Page Challenge, Transcribed, Videogames

John and Craig offer advice for super-rich aspirants about the film and television industry. If you have enough money to do anything, what should you do first? Do you want to make money, or make art? Or do you just want to hang out with famous people? No judgements.

Then we tackle another set of Three Page Challenges, with scripts ranging from Twitter-age slashers to animated birds.

Our next episode will be the Live Holiday Show, which airs Tuesday after Thursday’s recording. We hope to keep on our normal schedule through the end of the year, but there’s a chance we’ll skip a week.

LINKS

* [Company, Making of Original Cast Recording](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVf78joLfSg) part 1 of 6, on YouTube
* Boston Magazine on [Curt Schilling and 38 Studios](http://www.bostonmagazine.com/2012/07/38-studios-end-game/)
* The [Development of Duke Nukem Forever](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Development_of_Duke_Nukem_Forever) has its own Wikipedia entry
* [How to submit your Three Pages](http://johnaugust.com/threepage), and [Stuart’s post on lessons learned from the early batches](http://johnaugust.com/2012/learning-from-the-three-page-challenge)
* Three Pages by [Blake Kuehn](http://johnaugust.com/Assets/BlakeKuehn.fountain)
* Three Pages by [Steve D’Arcangelo](http://johnaugust.com/Assets/SteveDArcangelo.pdf)
* Three Pages by [C.L. Stone](http://johnaugust.com/Assets/CLStone.pdf)
* [The Room Two](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-room-two/id667362389) is available now
* [Skitch](http://evernote.com/skitch/) and [Evernote](http://evernote.com/) are great together
* Download the Scriptnotes app for [iOS](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/scriptnotes/id739117984?ls=1&mt=8) and [Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.johnaugust.android.scriptnotes) devices
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Scriptnotes listener Andreas Hornig

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_122.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_122.mp3).

**UPDATE** 12-21-13: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-ep-122-young-billionaires-guide-to-hollywood-transcript).

Let’s talk about coverage

Film Industry, Scriptnotes, Story and Plot, Transcribed, WGA

Craig and John talk readers and coverage, centering their discussion on profound_whatever’s infographic charting 300 submissions and the lessons screenwriters can take from it.

After that, we talk about the recent DGA deal with the AMPTP, and the degree to which it might predict the upcoming WGA negotiations.

Finally, we discuss getting high and are generally buzz-kills. Sorry.

LINKS:

* profound_whatever’s [post on r/screenwriting](http://www.reddit.com/r/Screenwriting/comments/1r5y6l/ive_covered_300_spec_scripts_for_5_different/) and its [accompanying infographic](http://i.imgur.com/T22gGBO.png)
* Deus ex machina [on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_ex_machina)
* [Directors Guild of America Board OKs New Contract, Triggering Member Vote](http://variety.com/2013/film/news/directors-guild-of-america-board-oks-new-contract-triggering-member-vote-1200874949/) from Variety
* [WGA Announces Contract Negotiating Committee](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/wga-announces-contract-negotiating-committee-655750) from The Hollywood Reporter
* [Writers in Treatment](http://www.writersintreatment.org/)
* [Screenflow](http://www.telestream.net/screenflow/) for Mac, and John’s video and post on [why he likes writing in Fountain](http://johnaugust.com/2013/why-i-like-writing-in-fountain)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Scriptnotes listener Matthew Chilelli

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_120.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_120.mp3).

**UPDATE** 12-5-13: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-ep-120-lets-talk-about-coverage-transcript).

Positive Moviegoing

Film Industry, Scriptnotes, Story and Plot, Television, Transcribed, Writing Process

Aline Brosh McKenna joins John and Craig to discuss watching movies with an open mind and why it’s important to befriend other writers.

Also this week: what to do when your outline collapses and a look at going broke in your 50s.

The Scriptnotes Live Holiday Show on December 19th is technically sold out, but there’s a chance seats will open up, so keep an eye on Twitter.

LINKS:

* [Aline Brosh McKenna](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0112459/) on IMDb, and her [first](http://johnaugust.com/2012/the-black-list-and-a-stack-of-scenes), [second](http://johnaugust.com/2013/how-screenwriters-find-their-voice), [third](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-100th-episode), and [third-and-a-half](http://johnaugust.com/2013/101-qa-from-the-live-show) appearances on Scriptnotes
* The [Scriptnotes Holiday Show](https://www.wgfoundation.org/screenwriting-events/scriptnotes-holiday/) is sold out, but follow [@johnaugust](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) and [@clmazin](https://twitter.com/clmazin) to be the first to know if more tickets are released
* [John Gatins](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0309691/) on IMDb
* [What It’s Like to Fail](http://priceonomics.com/what-its-like-to-fail/) on priceonomics
* [Scroobius Pip](http://scroobiuspip.co.uk/) and [You Will See Me](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OS4W3OCESY)
* [Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks](http://www.amazon.com/dp/0393064425/?tag=johnaugustcom-20) by Keith Houston
* [Irony punctuation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irony_punctuation) on Wikipedia
* The [TreadDesk](http://asoft11239.accrisoft.com/treaddesk/)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Scriptnotes listener Kris Gotthelf

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_119.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_119.mp3).

**UPDATE** 12-1-13: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-ep-119-positive-moviegoing-transcript).

Damsels in distress

Film Industry, QandA, Scriptnotes, Story and Plot, Transcribed

Craig and John love women and jeopardy, but folks, we gotta stop kidnapping girlfriends as plot devices. We discuss ways to avoid this trope.

In other news, T-Bone Burnett has a great name and strong words about copyright and making a living. Readers have questions about pseudonyms, second acts and breaking the back of a new project. Plus, more terrible managers.

T-shirts are back, starting today! But pre-orders stop November 15th, so don’t dally.

John is hosting a Big Fish talkback on Saturday, November 23rd after the matinee, so use your SCRIPT code to get tickets now.

Links:

* The [John August Store](http://store.johnaugust.com/) is open for business!
* [Get your Big Fish tickets now](http://www.bigfishthemusical.com/), and use discount code SCRIPT (for November 23rd or otherwise)
* John’s post on [how we record Scriptnotes](http://johnaugust.com/2013/how-we-record-scriptnotes)
* T-Bone Burnett [in the Hollywood Reporter](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/earshot/t-bone-burnett-silicon-valley-652114)
* [Anita Sarkeesian](http://www.feministfrequency.com/) and her Tropes vs Women in Video Games project
* Complex’s [The 15 Hottest Damsels In Distress In Movies](http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2012/07/the-15-hottest-damsels-in-distress-in-movies)
* TV Tropes on [damsels in distress](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DamselInDistress?from=Main.DistressedDamsel)
* MacGuffins on [TV Tropes](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MacGuffin) and [Screenwriting.io](http://screenwriting.io/what-is-a-mcguffin/)
* [Planet Money podcast](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/npr-planet-money-podcast/id290783428?mt=2)
* Planet Money on the [American check system](http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/10/04/229224964/episode-489-the-invisible-plumbing-of-our-economy)
* Craig’s [One Cool Thing](http://johnaugust.com/onecoolthings) is [John August](http://johnaugust.com/)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Scriptnotes listener Matthew Chielli

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_116.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_116.mp3).

**UPDATE** 11-9-13: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-ep-116-damsels-in-distress-transcript).