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John August

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QandA

Habits, heavy lifting, and the possibility of suck

August 18, 2009 Charlie's Angels, Video, Writing Process

MakingOf has part two of my interview up on the site, in which I talk about work habits, writer’s block and 20-minute timers.

Groundhog Day and Unexplained Magic

August 15, 2009 Genres, Story and Plot

An observation made halfway through a five-hour meeting in Beijing: in the movie Groundhog Day, it is never explained why Bill Murray’s character is stuck in a time loop.

Quoting books in a script

July 31, 2009 QandA, Rights and Copyright, Words on the page

Screenplays don’t cite references because they don’t quote things.

Setting is not story

July 28, 2009 Film Industry, Genres, Pitches

An LA Times article about the island of Pagasa makes a great case study in the difference between an interesting setting and an actual movie idea.

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