John August

Words on the page

Is 15 the new 30?

Episode - 97

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Film Industry, News, Scriptnotes, Story and Plot, Transcribed, WGA, Words on the page

Have first acts gotten shorter, or does it just feel that way? John and Craig discuss the pressure on screenwriters to “get to it” faster, and why that’s often the wrong goal.

From there, we talk about the WGA’s annual numbers, which paint an improving picture for TV writers — but more bad news for the feature folk. Finally, we discuss the fight over THE BUTLER, and the degree to which studios can protect titles.

Do you make music? If you want to record us a great outro, we’ll be featuring some on upcoming episodes. Entries should feature the basic Scriptnotes melody (C3-E-D-B-C4) or its minor cousin, but otherwise it’s wide open except for, you know, don’t use copyrighted material. Send a link to ask@johnaugust.com pointing to an mp3 or other sound file we can hear. It’s an expo, not a competition, so have fun.

If you want to share the Scriptnotes love, don’t forget to leave us a rating on iTunes.

LINKS:

* The live [100th episode](http://www.oscars.org/events-exhibitions/events/2013/07/script-notes.html) is sold out!
* WGA’s [2013 Annual Financial Report](http://www.wga.org/uploadedFiles/who_we_are/annual_reports/annualreport13.pdf)
* [John’s 2011 blog post](http://johnaugust.com/2011/you-cant-copyright-titles) on copyrighting movie titles
* [You got served: Weinstein fighting for ‘The Butler’ title](http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/goldstandard/la-et-mn-butler-name-change-20130703,0,6660171.story) from the LA Times
* [The Hero’s Journey](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZxs_jGN7Pg&feature=player_embedded) by Glove and Boots
* [Popehat.com](http://www.popehat.com/) and their [posts on Prenda Law](http://www.popehat.com/tag/prenda-law/)

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_97.m4a).

**UPDATE** 7-12-13: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-ep-97-is-15-the-new-30-transcript).

The Origins and Formatting of Modern Screenplays

Video, Words on the page

In [this 15-minute video](http://vimeo.com/67418669), John Hess gives a terrific overview of the history of the screenplay format, and how changes in the film industry changed the way the words are arranged on the page.

I could quibble with a few things.

First, the modern screenplay has an obvious analogue in the stage play, and didn’t develop in a vacuum. Second, Hess gets a little proscriptive at the end of the video, and conflates screenwriting software with the format. (Which is part of why we made [Fountain](http://fountain.io), to untangle the writing from the formatting.)

But his overall point is worth making: the screenplay format *is* what it is, and it’s a fool’s errand to try something wildly different.

10 Questions, 10 Answers

Film Industry, QandA, Rights and Copyright, Scriptnotes, Television, Transcribed, Words on the page

John and Craig tackle the bursting mailbag, answering listener questions on topics ranging from the variable length of the TV season to underachieving agents to embarrassing IMDb credits.

This Friday, June 21, is the last day to order Scriptnotes t-shirts, so click over to [store.johnaugust.com](http://store.johnaugust.com/) if you want to express your love for the show in screen-printed form.

We’ll be mailing out shirts starting July 1st, so you’ll have plenty of time to get them broken in for the live 100th episode, July 25th in Hollywood. (Tickets should go on sale July 1.)

But first, you can see us at the Writers Guild Foundation Craft Day, which is Saturday, June 29th. See the links for ticket info.

LINKS:

* [Email us](http://johnaugust.com/ask-a-question) or tweet [John](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) or [Craig](https://twitter.com/clmazin) your questions for future episodes
* [Fitbit](http://www.fitbit.com/) helps you manage your health and wellness goals
* [Mission Log Podcast](http://www.missionlogpodcast.com/discovereddocuments/)’s archive of discovered Star Trek documents is fantastic
* [Order your Scriptnotes shirts](http://store.johnaugust.com/) before June 21st!
* The Writers Guild Foundation presents [The Screenwriter’s Craft: Finding Your Voice](https://www.wgfoundation.org/screenwriting-events/the-screenwriters-craft-finding-your-voice/) featuring Scriptnotes Live
* John’s blog post on [this summer’s two live shows](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-live-in-la)

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_94.m4a).

**UPDATE** 6-21-13: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-ep-94-10-questions-10-answers-transcript).

Let’s talk about Nikki Finke

Directors, Film Industry, Resources, Scriptnotes, Software, Tools, Transcribed, Words on the page

John and Craig discuss the polarizing potentate of Deadline Hollywood Daily, then segue into what a healthy entertainment journalism ecosystem might look like.

From there, it’s a discussion of Amazon Studios’ new storyboarding software, which demos well but isn’t likely to change much. It’s a good jumping-off spot for talking about storyboarding in general.

Also this week: T-shirts! Live dates!

Official Scriptnotes t-shirts are available in Umbrage Orange and Rational Blue — but only until June 21st, so don’t delay. You can find them at store.johnaugust.com (or follow the link below).

Two live shows this summer! June 29th and July 25th, both in Los Angeles. Click the links for details.

LINKS:

* The Daily Beast on [Nikki Finke’s 8 Greatest Freakouts](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/06/04/deadline-hollywood-editor-in-chief-nikki-finke-s-8-greatest-freakouts.html)
* The LA Times on how [Nikki Finke’s next big story may be her own exit](http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-fi-ct-nikki-finke-20130604,0,4915206,full.story)
* Time asks [What’s Next for Hollywood’s Most Feared Reporter?](http://entertainment.time.com/2013/06/06/whats-next-for-hollywoods-most-feared-reporter/)
* The (one and only?) infamous [Nikki Finke headshot](http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlla/files/original/nikki_finke.jpg)
* Gawker on [Why Nikki Finke Never Makes a Mistake](http://gawker.com/5392863/why-nikki-finke-never-makes-a-mistake) and the [commenter edition](http://gawker.com/5501268/why-nikki-finke-never-makes-a-mistake-commenter-edition)
* The Writers Guild Foundation presents [The Screenwriter’s Craft: Finding Your Voice](https://www.wgfoundation.org/screenwriting-events/the-screenwriters-craft-finding-your-voice/) featuring Scriptnotes Live
* [Submit your Three Pages](http://johnaugust.com/threepage) for the Writers Guild Foundation event and let us know you’ll be there
* John’s blog post on [this summer’s two live shows](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-live-in-la)
* [Amazon Storyteller](http://studios.amazon.com/storyteller) from Amazon Studios
* Get your Scriptnotes shirt from [the John August Store](http://store.johnaugust.com/) until June 21st
* [f.lux](http://justgetflux.com/) adjusts your displays for the time of day
* [Kingdom Rush Frontiers](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kingdom-rush-frontiers-hd/id598581619?mt=8) is available now

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_93.m4a).

**UPDATE** 6-14-13: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-ep-93-lets-talk-about-nikki-finke-transcript).