John August

QandA

Pen Names and Divine Intervention

Episode - 43

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QandA, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

This week, John is a bit under the weather, so Craig takes over moderator duties as they tackle four listener questions:

➤ When you spec a script based on a producer’s idea, who owns it?

➤ And on that topic, do producers ever really buy an idea?

➤ How much divine intervention — or other coincidence — can a movie support?

➤ How do pen names work for screenwriters?

In follow-up, Clive Barker is writing — but not directing — that Amazon Studios project. John regrets the error. And in verb-related news, metal can’t pound, but it can pound flat, oddly enough.

All this and two cool things in this week’s Scriptnotes.

LINKS:

* [Plague Inc.](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/plague-inc./id525818839?mt=8) for iOS
* [English Verb Classes and Alternations](http://www.amazon.com/dp/0226475336/?tag=johnaugustcom-20) by Beth Levin
* [Researcher’s findings in the Amazon pit him against Noam Chomsky](http://chronicle.com/article/Researchers-Findings-in-the/131260/)
* [The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls](http://www.amazon.com/dp/030727862X/?tag=johnaugustcom-20) by Jason Turbow
* [Robin Ventura vs. Nolan Ryan](http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=12745349)
* [ScanCafe](http://www.scancafe.com/)
* INTRO: [Godzilla intro](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTItRfN-LO8)
* OUTRO: [What’s My Name](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iY7c_rqowM) cover by VanJess

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_43.m4a).

**UPDATE** 6-28-12: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2012/scriptnotes-ep-43-pen-names-and-divine-intervention-transcript).

Verbs are what’s happening

QandA, Scriptnotes, Words on the page

This week’s episode finds Craig and John answering questions about agent etiquette, business cards and those troubling rewrites that unravel everything.

From there, John goes on a small tirade about weak verbs and Dungeons and Dragons-style scene description. Good writing: It’s not just for novelists.

There’s some language geekery as well, with a look at the hidden micro-classes of verbs that prevent a reasonable speaker from saying things like, “Whisper Tom the joke.”

All this and more in the 42nd installment of Scriptnotes.

LINKS:

* [Chicago Fire](http://www.nbc.com/chicago-fire/) on NBC
* [Flight](http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/flight/) trailer
* [Buddha Jones](http://www.buddhajonestrailers.com/) trailer house
* [*Th*-Fronting](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th-fronting)
* [The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature](http://www.amazon.com/dp/0670063274/?tag=johnaugustcom-20), by Steven Pinker
* [NYC Subway by Embark](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nyc-subway-by-embark-new-york/id450991137?mt=8), the transit app for iOS
* [MacBook Pro with Retina Display](http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/)
* INTRO: [Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCr3ZVZZjYA)
* OUTRO: [Verb! That’s What’s Happening](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWnO98eoZ-o), a Schoolhouse Rock cover by Moby

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_42.m4a).

**UPDATE** 6-21-12: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2012/scriptnotes-ep-42-verbs-are-whats-happening-transcript).

Amazon Studios and the free option

Film Industry, Follow Up

The new-and-improved Amazon Studios liked Chip Street’s screenplay Faeries enough that they wanted to feature it on their “consider list.”

But that good news [came with a catch](http://chipstreet.com/2012/06/01/amazon-studios-new-old-deal-for-screenplay-options/):

> To make it happen, all we need to do is click a button, and MAKE OUR SCRIPT A PUBLIC SUBMISSION – starting that 45 day option clock ticking.

> Now, we could choose to make the script public and displayed on the consider list, and set the collaboration feature to ‘closed’. So nobody can write new version for Amazon to own rights to. But remember, the ‘closed’ setting only applies to written versions. Filmmakers COULD still make video content based on our script. And Amazon would own the rights to those videos. FOREVER. And they can distribute those videos as they please – on YouTube, or on their subscription based VOD platform, and collect ad revenue from associated ad content. Forever. For free. Did we say free? Free. Did we say forever? Forever.

> What this amounts to is that while they didn’t want to pay for an option, they did want us to give them a free option for 45 days. And all that that implies. Exactly what we were trying to avoid by going with a private submission in the first place.

As Craig and I have discussed on the podcast, the new rules at Amazon Studios certainly seem like a step in the right direction. But if I were in Chip’s shoes, I’d have the same hesitation.

If you’re interested in the vagaries of the new Amazon Studios, [his post](http://chipstreet.com/2012/06/01/amazon-studios-new-old-deal-for-screenplay-options/) is a must-read, with lots of good links and insights.

Littlest Plot Shop

Scriptnotes, Story and Plot, Transcribed

Craig and John take a look at the difference between plot and story with some help from the Littlest Pet Shop and Game of Thrones.

Plot answers the “what” questions: What happens next? What is in the mysterious vault? What secret was the dowager keeping?

Story, however, is much more concerned with the “whos” and “hows” and “whys.” Characters have their own needs and impulses. The trick of good writing is to match up what the characters want to do (motivation) with what the screenwriter wants them to do (plot).

Mild spoiler alert: In the last few minutes, we discuss recent developments on Game of Thrones, but in a general-enough way that it’s not likely to impact your enjoyment if you’re behind. Still, caveat spectator.

Finally, two bits of housekeeping:

* We post [full transcripts](http://johnaugust.com/transcript) of every show a few days after they air.

* If you [subscribe to us](http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/scriptnotes-podcast/id462495496) on iTunes, please leave us some feedback. For next week’s show, we’ll read the reviews ranked “most helpful” live, no matter what they say. Which may be a terrible idea. We’ll see.

LINKS:

* [Littlest Pet Shop](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRgWqd36Mww) videos
* [Plot Wizard](http://plotwizard.com/)
* [Plotto: The Master Book of All Plots](http://www.amazon.com/dp/1935639188/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=plottomatic-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1935639188&adid=1GY1MPCHFA0R96HJ5TC6&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fplotwizard.com%2F)
by William Wallace Cook
* Craig recommends Joe Nienalt and Daniel Vang’s [Will-Read-Your-Script Fundraiser](http://messageboard.donedealpro.com/boards/showthread.php?t=67391) for the American Heart Association
* John recommends this [all-your-barcodes-together card](http://keyringthing.com)
* INTRO: [My Little Pony](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9J2vF3Q3o8)
* OUTRO: [Black Horse and the Cherry Tree](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz_1UXMXKP0) by military band Sidewinder at the White House

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_39.m4a).

**UPDATE** 5-30-12: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2012/scriptnotes-ep-39-littlest-plot-shop-transcript).