John August

Pitches

Philosophy for Screenwriters

Episode - 483

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News, Pitches, Scriptnotes, So-Called Experts, Transcribed

John and Craig discuss their personal philosophies and how writers can approach philosophical questions in terms of theme (central dramatic question) and character (moral codes and motivation).

Then we cover virtual pitches and listener questions on eight-sequence structure and how to read a script. We also follow up on the agency campaign, failed insurrections, and bad IP.

Finally in our bonus segment for premium members, we revisit our disagreement in episode 481 about whether it’s okay to lie.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 1-15-21 The transcripts for this episode can now be found here.

Rules and Plans

Arlo Finch, Follow Up, Formatting, Pitches, Scriptnotes, Transcribed, Writing Process

John and Craig discuss when and how to break screenplay orthodoxy, from experimental formatting to narrative misdirects. They also examine why it’s important that your characters create, communicate, and break plans.

We also address follow up from our Raiders of the Lost Ark deep dive, and respond to questions about shared and international writing credits.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 2-6-19: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Professional Realism

Arlo Finch, Books, Directors, Film Industry, Genres, How-To, Pitches, Producers, QandA, Scriptnotes, Story and Plot, Television, Transcribed, WGA, Words on the page, Writing Process

John welcomes Derek Haas (Chicago Fire, 3:10 to Yuma, 2 Fast 2 Furious) to talk about writing accurate portrayals of different jobs, and when to sacrifice reality for storytelling. They also share their time-management strategies in honor of those New Year resolutions to get writing done.

We also answer listener questions about the necessity of entertainment lawyers, how to keep your energy high pitch after pitch, Story By credits, and how to stay alive after that first staff writing job ends.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 2-12-19: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

No Writing Left Behind

Film Industry, Pitches, Producers, Scriptnotes, Story and Plot, Transcribed, Treatments, WGA, Writing Process

John and Craig discuss the dangers of leave-behinds. The “writing before the writing” is an important part of the craft, but giving it away for free is bad for everyone.

We also answer a listener question about character wants versus needs, and why that distinction has become such a guru staple.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 10-25-2018 The transcript for this episode can now be found here.