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So-Called Experts

The One with Stephen Schiff

Episode - 337

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February 13, 2018 Film Industry, Scriptnotes, So-Called Experts, Story and Plot, Television, Transcribed, Writing Process

John is joined by The Americans’ executive producer Stephen Schiff at a live Scriptnotes taping in New York! They discuss grounding an outrageous premise in character, suspension of disbelief, premium act breaks, and writing for a foreign language.

We also answer audience questions about New York writers rooms, expert consultants, expecting comparisons, first drafts, and how to write a period piece when history is full of spoilers.

Links:

  • Stephen Schiff currently works on The Americans. Its final season premieres on March 28th.
  • Thank you, McNally Jackson Independent Booksellers for hosting our live show!
  • Google Ngram Viewer
  • Bookstore staff recommendations, which led John to The End We Start From by Megan Hunter
  • The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!
  • The USB drives!
  • John August on Twitter
  • Craig Mazin on Twitter
  • John on Instagram
  • Find past episodes
  • Outro by Matthew Chilelli (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 2-20-18: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

All of It Needs to Stop

November 7, 2017 Citizenship, Follow Up, News, Reading, Scriptnotes, So-Called Experts, Writing Process

John and Craig revisit the discussion of sexual harassment in Hollywood, and how to support writers facing it. While the media spotlight is on the predators, it’s the day-to-day bullying and bad behavior that may have a more pernicious effect.

Then it’s another round of How Would This Be a Movie, looking at stories in the news to see which ones might be suited for the big screen.

Is it the story of a prison camp for female firefighters? The shockingly unregulated human corpse trade? Or is it perhaps the anti-racist protestors shut down by other students at a super-liberal college?

We also answer listener questions about British English vocabulary and how to lure expert consultants for a project.

Links:

  • Last chance for Scriptnotes T-shirts! We’ve got Classic (in light and dark mode), the Umbrage Strikes Back, and Umbrage & Reason.
  • Peter Madsen admits to dismembering, but not killing, Kim Wall. This is a follow-up to past How Would This Be a Movie article, Famed Inventor Says He Buried Reporter ‘At Sea’ After His Homemade Sub Sank on NPR
  • The 15:17 to Paris, written by Dorothy Blyskyl and directed by Clint Eastwood, is a former How Would This Be a Movie come to life.
  • On the Line: The Female Inmates Who Battle California’s Deadly Wildfires by Matt Toder for NBC News.
  • Some dead bodies donated to research in US end up in warehouses of horrors by Beth Mole for Ars Technica.
  • The Surprising Revolt at the Most Liberal College in the Country by Chris Bodenner for The Atlantic
  • An interactive piece by Joel Eastwood and Erik Hinton for the Wall Street Journal looking at the rhyme schemes in Hamilton
  • Tens dice game app.
  • Big Fish in London!
  • The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!
  • The USB drives!
  • John August on Twitter
  • Craig Mazin on Twitter
  • John on Instagram
  • Find past episodes
  • Outro by Rajesh Naroth (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 11-14-17: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Unforgiven

August 22, 2017 Scriptnotes, So-Called Experts, Story and Plot, Transcribed, Words on the page

Craig and John take a deep dive into 1992’s Unforgiven, looking at how the David Webb Peoples script works on the page and on the screen.

In the links below, you’ll find the PDF of the script we’re using. It’s also available in Weekend Read.

Links:

  • Where to watch Unforgiven, and on IMDb and Wikipedia
  • The Unforgiven script
  • Weekend Read
  • Past deep dives on The Addams Family, Ghost, Groundhog Day, Frozen, The Little Mermaid and Raiders of the Lost Ark
  • Tuff Turf on Wikipedia
  • The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!
  • The USB drives!
  • John August on Twitter
  • Craig Mazin on Twitter
  • John on Instagram
  • Find past episodes
  • Outro by Rajesh Naroth (send us yours!)

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 8-30-17: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Don’t Think Twice

August 2, 2016 Follow Up, Indie, Meta, News, QandA, Scriptnotes, So-Called Experts, Story and Plot

Craig and guest host Mike Birbiglia discuss Mike’s new film, Don’t Think Twice, a comedy about life as an improv performer. The two explore the current state of independent film and the challenges facing aspiring filmmakers.

Craig and Mike also answer listener questions, including one on assassinating a fictional president.

Links:

  • Don’t Think Twice on Rotten Tomatoes
  • Angela Duckworth New York Times Op-Ed
  • Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance on Good Reads
  • Frank Oz on IMDB
  • Episode 99: Psychotherapy for Screenwriters
  • FING
  • Landmark Theatres
  • Music Box Theatre
  • John August on Twitter
  • Craig Mazin on Twitter
  • Mike Birbiglia on Twitter
  • Outro by Matt Davis (send us yours!)

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 8-5-16: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

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Each week, screenwriters John August and Craig Mazin discuss screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters, everything from the craft to the business to the best ways to actually get yourself writing.

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