John August

Television

Texting in film and television

Follow Up, Television, Words on the page

Craig and I may have [taken umbrage](http://johnaugust.com/2014/scriptnotes-ep-147-to-chase-or-to-spec-transcript) at his video about comedy directors who aren’t Edgar Wright, but Tony Zhou’s [newest video](http://vimeo.com/103554797) looking at how filmmakers handle texting and the internet on-screen is all good.

Zhou’s underlying point is that we still haven’t settled on conventions for showing texting or the internet. And that’s good! Filmmakers can and should experiment to see what works best for their needs.

In ten years, some of our choices will look quaint and foolish, but that’s the fun and challenge of making new things.

Yes, screenwriting is actually writing

Episode - 150

Go to Archive

Adaptation, Apps, Follow Up, QandA, Scriptnotes, Television, Transcribed

Craig and John take a swing at several of the week’s hyperbolic headlines, from conflict-free comedy to Fitzgerald’s failures to Strong Female Characters with nothing to do. In each case, there’s a valid idea lurking beneath the overstated claim, but it’s important to separate good examples from bad.

We then answer a stack of listener questions, ranging from slow contracts to strange emails to friendly options.

Links:

* Vulture with [Everything You Need to Know About Episode VIII Director, Rian Johnson](http://www.vulture.com/2014/06/who-is-new-star-wars-viii-director-rian-johnson.html)
* Scriptnotes, Episode 115: [Back to Austin with Rian Johnson and Kelly Marcel](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-back-to-austin-with-rian-johnson-and-kelly-marcel)
* [Storyboard Fountain](http://storyboardfountain.com/) from Charles Forman and Chris Smoak
* The [first](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoJggcl3M7M), [second](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8EVGl2KEgk), [third](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyAqbZCOIK0) and [fourth](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snoDfhUObhA) videos in Jim Meskimen’s How To Do Impressions series
* This is [Kano](http://kano.me/)
* [We’re losing all our Strong Female Characters to Trinity Syndrome](http://thedissolve.com/features/exposition/618-were-losing-all-our-strong-female-characters-to-tr/) by Tasha Robinson
* [Sitcoms are being strangled by a lack of conflict](http://www.avclub.com/article/sitcoms-are-being-strangled-lack-conflict-204453) by Todd VanDerWerff
* [Screenwriting isn’t writing](http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/movies/2014/06/screenwriting-isnt-writing.html) by Richard Brody
* Ken LaZebnik’s [The Red Light at the End of the Dock](http://www.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=211039#{“page”:20,”issue_id”:211039}) from WrittenBy
* James Ward Byrkit’s [Coherence](http://coherencethemovie.com/) is in theaters now
* [Quackwatch](http://www.quackwatch.com/) is your guide to quackery, health fraud, and intelligent decisions
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Scriptnotes listener Rajesh Naroth ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_150.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_150.mp3).

**UPDATE 6-26-14:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2014/scriptnotes-ep-150-yes-screenwriting-is-actually-writing-transcript).

Q&A from the Superhero Spectacular

Film Industry, QandA, Scriptnotes, Television, Transcribed

Craig and John, along with their talented panelists, answer questions from the audience at the May 15, 2014 live show.

One listener references Episode 99, Psychotherapy for Screenwriters, which remains one of our favorites.

You listen to it and the whole back catalog by subscribing at Scriptnotes.net for just $1.99/month. Subscribing gives you access to all episodes through our apps for iOS and Android.

Once again, our thanks to the Writers Guild Foundation for organizing this event.

Links:

* [The Writers Guild Foundation](http://wgfoundation.org)
* Scriptnotes, Episode 144: [The Summer Superhero Spectacular](http://johnaugust.com/2014/the-summer-superhero-spectacular)
* [Andrea Berloff](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0075696/) on IMDb, and [Deadline’s Conan announcement](http://www.deadline.com/2013/10/legend-of-conan-lands-andrea-berloff-to-script-arnold-schwarzenegger-epic-reprise/)
* [Christopher Markus](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1321655/) & [Stephen McFeely](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1321656/) on IMDb, and [their interview on LA Times Hero Complex](http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/captain-america-winter-soldier-writers-revel-in-marvel-universe/#/0)
* [David Goyer](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0333060/) on IMDb, and [his BAFTA Screenwriters Lecture](http://www.bafta.org/film/features/david-s-goyer-delivers-his-bafta-screenwriters-lecture,3931,BA.html)
* [Susannah Grant](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0335666/) on IMDb, and a [feature on her from Salon](http://www.salon.com/2000/04/13/grant/)
* Scriptnotes, Episode 99: [Psychotherapy for Screenwriters](http://johnaugust.com/2013/psychotherapy-for-screenwriters)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Scriptnotes listener Wilson Kelly ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_145.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_145.mp3).

**UPDATE 5-28-14:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2014/scriptnotes-ep-145-qa-from-the-superhero-spectacular-transcript).

Wait for it

Psych 101, Television

Robin Sloan wonders whether all-at-once seasons like House of Cards work against shows by denying viewers the [joy of anticipation](https://medium.com/p/b716758d7d97):

> If Game of Thrones was delivered all at once, I’d scrub right past [the opening title] sequence, as beautiful as it is. But thanks to that wait, that week eternal between episodes, I watch the clockwork castles every time. I savor them. You can pick your metaphor: appetizer, foreplay, warm-up act. We like those things, all of them! They all enhance the main event, even as they delay it.

> Delay, withhold, restrict, release: This is storytelling 101, Scheherazade stuff, and it’s deeper than marketing and distribution. We bring all of our creative talents to bear on matters of plot and character; the anticipation that precedes and interpenetrates a story deserves no less. More than ever, the shape of a season can be designed and managed. More than ever, anticipation can be art-directed.

When Craig and I discussed True Detective [on the podcast](http://johnaugust.com/2014/world-building), I argued that much of its popular success came from the build-up each week. Without it, the series might have become merely Really Good rather than Must See.