John August

Writing Process

(Adjective) Soldier

Episode - 325

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Adaptation, Film Industry, Resources, Rights and Copyright, Scriptnotes, Transcribed, Web series, Writing Process

Craig and John open the overflowing listener mailbag to tackle questions on everything from montages to life rights to passive heroes. Plus, we have a definitive answer on whether to number minor characters. (Don’t.)

We also finally address a major controversy: Craig’s missing cover of “Killing the Blues” from Episode 109. It exists, and you can listen to it today.

The Scriptnotes 2017 Holiday Live Show will be December 7th in Hollywood. Mark your calendars! Tickets available soon.

Links:

* Tickets available for the [Holiday Live Show](https://www.wgfoundation.org/screenwriting-events/scriptnotes-holiday-live-show-john-august-craig-mazin/) now!
* Team America: World Police’s defense of [“Montage”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I_5Bw1U4s4)
* [NOLO’s Getting Permission: Using & Licensing Copyright-Protected Materials Online & Off](https://store.nolo.com/products/getting-permission-riper.html), a handy legal guide for rights and rights purchases.
* [Cosmo Kramer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmo_Kramer), from Seinfeld, is based on [Kenny Kramer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Kramer), who [sued a writer for defamation](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/seinfeld-writer-beats-kramers-defamation-718728)
* [James Bond](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bond) and [the Berne Convention](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berne_Convention)
* [Trademark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trademark), [Copyright](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright), and a snazzy (https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks-getting-started/trademark-basics/trademark-patent-or-copyright) on the difference between them from the USPTO.
* The [Copyright Term Extension Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Term_Extension_Act), AKA the Sonny Bono Act, AKA the Mickey Mouse Protection Act.
* [Charles Dickens’](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens) struggle with piracy in the US is illuminated in [Fifty Inventions that Shaped the Modern World](http://www.amazon.com/dp/0735216134/?tag=johnaugustcom-20) by Tim Harford.
* [Go](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0139239/)’s character, Spider Marine, comes from John’s mishearing the Smashing Pumpkins lyric [“despite all my rage.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-r-V0uK4u0)
* Craig’s [cover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEHWE-pcK2A) of “Killing the Blues,” by Rowland Salley.
* The [South Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Park) video game, [South Park: The Fractured but Whole](https://southpark.ubisoft.com/game/en-us/home/) (a sequel to [The Stick of Truth](http://southpark.cc.com/games/stick-of-truth#))
*all possible trigger warnings apply
* The [Adelante Shoe Co.](https://adelanteshoes.com) makes shoes for the discerning global citizen.
* Next week’s episode is the 2017 Austin Live Three Page Challenge — you can check out the pages [here](http://johnaugust.com/aff2017) or on [Weekend Read](https://quoteunquoteapps.com/weekendread/).
* Matthew Chilelli’s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSNzEBS_KW8&feature=youtu.be) about his definitely-not-haunted apartment in Japan
* [The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!](johnaugust.com/guide)
* [The USB drives!](https://store.johnaugust.com/collections/frontpage/products/scriptnotes-300-episode-usb-flash-drive)
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [Craig Mazin](https://twitter.com/clmazin) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [Find past episodes](http://scriptnotes.net/)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Rowland Salley, performed by Craig Mazin ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_325.mp3).

**UPDATE 11-20-17:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2017/scriptnotes-ep-325-adjective-soldier-transcript).

All of It Needs to Stop

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](https://cottonbureau.com/people/scriptnotes-podcast)! We’ve got [Classic](https://cottonbureau.com/products/scriptnotes-classic) (in light and dark mode), the [Umbrage Strikes Back](https://cottonbureau.com/products/scriptnotes-the-umbrage-strikes-back), and [Umbrage & Reason](https://cottonbureau.com/products/scriptnotes-umbragereason).
* Peter Madsen [admits](http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/30/europe/denmark-journalist-dismembered/index.html) 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](http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/08/21/545029872/famed-inventor-says-he-buried-reporter-at-sea-after-his-homemade-sub-sank?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=npr&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnews) on NPR
* [The 15:17 to Paris](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6802308/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1), 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](https://www.nbcnews.com/video/california-on-fire-these-female-inmates-are-fighting-the-blazes-1068589123744) by Matt Toder for NBC News.
* [Some dead bodies donated to research in US end up in warehouses of horrors](https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/10/how-much-for-your-head-unregulated-us-brokers-make-killing-on-donated-bodies/?amp=1) by Beth Mole for Ars Technica.
* [The Surprising Revolt at the Most Liberal College in the Country](https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/11/the-surprising-revolt-at-reed/544682/) by Chris Bodenner for The Atlantic
* An [interactive piece](http://graphics.wsj.com/hamilton/) by Joel Eastwood and Erik Hinton for the Wall Street Journal looking at the rhyme schemes in Hamilton
* [Tens](http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPhone/TENS%21/news.asp?c=74488) dice game app.
* [Big Fish](https://www.theotherpalace.co.uk/whats-on/big-fish-the-musical/booking) in London!
* [The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!](johnaugust.com/guide)
* [The USB drives!](https://store.johnaugust.com/collections/frontpage/products/scriptnotes-300-episode-usb-flash-drive)
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [Craig Mazin](https://twitter.com/clmazin) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [Find past episodes](http://scriptnotes.net/)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Rajesh Naroth ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_324.mp3).

**UPDATE 11-14-17:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2017/scriptnotes-ep-324-all-of-it-needs-to-stop-transcript).

Austin Live Show 2017 (AKA Too Many Scotts)

Directors, Film Industry, Producers, Scriptnotes, Story and Plot, Television, Transcribed, Travel, Writer Emergency Pack, Writing Process

John and Craig talk with uber-screenwriter Scott Frank (Out of Sight, Get Shorty, Minority Report, Logan) about how his feature script Godless ended up as a miniseries at Netflix.

We then invite more guests up to discuss what movies can learn from the success of TV:

– Guinevere Turner (American Psycho, Go Fish)
– Scott Alexander (Ed Wood, The People v. O.J. Simpson,)
– Tess Morris (Man Up, “You Had Us At Hello” podcast)
– Lindsay Doran (producer of Stranger Than Fiction, Sense and Sensibility)

In our final segment, we’re joined by a new batch of writers to play “The Studio Has Notes.”

– Dana Fox (How to Be Single, Ben and Kate)
– Megan Amram (The Good Place, The Simpsons)
– Oren Uziel (22 Jump Street, Shimmer Lake)
– Jason Fuchs (Wonder Woman, Ice Age: Continental Drift)
– Scott Rosenberg (High Fidelity, Beautiful Girls)

Can our lucky audience member pick out the one fake note among the five real ones? Can you?

Recorded live from the Driskill Ballroom at the 2017 Austin Film Festival.

Thanks to the Austin Film Festival for hosting us, and to a great audience. It’s one of our highlights each year.

Links:

* Scriptnotes T-shirts are [here](https://cottonbureau.com/people/scriptnotes-podcast)! We’ve got [Classic](https://cottonbureau.com/products/scriptnotes-classic) (in light and dark mode), the [Umbrage Strikes Back](http://johnaugust.com/Assets/umbrage_strikes_back_shirt.jpg), and [Umbrage & Reason](https://cottonbureau.com/products/scriptnotes-umbragereason).
* Thank you, [Austin Film Festival](https://www.austinfilmfestival.com/aff/live/)!
* [Scott Frank](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Frank)’s [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0291082/) and on [twitter](https://twitter.com/scottfrank). And don’t miss the [trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMUiRYoc76A) for Godless, his upcoming miniseries on Netflix.
* [Guinevere Turner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinevere_Turner)’s [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0877587/) and on [twitter](https://twitter.com/turnerguinevere)
* Scott Alexander’s [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0018735/)
* [Tess Morris](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tess_Morris)’s [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2208729/) and on [twitter](https://twitter.com/TheTessMorris)
* [Lindsay Doran](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindsay_Doran)’s [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0233386/)
* [Dana Fox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dana_Fox)’s [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1401416/) and on [twitter](https://twitter.com/inthehenhouse)
* [Megan Amram](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megan_Amram)’s [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1689290/) and on [twitter](https://twitter.com/meganamram)
* Oren Uziel’s [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3349927/) and on [twitter](https://twitter.com/orenuziel)
* [Jason Fuchs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Fuchs)’s [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0297229/) and on [twitter](https://twitter.com/JasonIsaacFuchs)
* [Scott Rosenberg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Rosenberg)’s [IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003298/)
* “The Studio Has Notes” [notes](http://johnaugust.com/Assets/Studio_Has_Notes_AFF.pdf)
* [The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!](johnaugust.com/guide)
* [The USB drives!](https://store.johnaugust.com/collections/frontpage/products/scriptnotes-300-episode-usb-flash-drive)
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [Craig Mazin](https://twitter.com/clmazin) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [Find past episodes](http://scriptnotes.net/)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Matthew Chilelli ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_323-v2.mp3).

**UPDATE 11-6-17:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2017/scriptnotes-ep-323-austin-live-show-2017-aka-too-many-scotts-transcript).

Getting Stuff Written

Books, Challenge, Education, Psych 101, Scriptnotes, Transcribed, Words, Writing Process

John welcomes Grant Faulkner, Executive Director of NaNoWriMo and author of Pep Talks for Writers, to discuss the writing process and how to get out of your own way creatively.

We explore the ubiquity of the Other Syndrome and the perils of envy. We also look at pen names, “throw-away writing,” and the advantages of being a beginner.

Links:

* Grant Faulkner’s [website](http://www.grantfaulkner.com) and [Wikipedia entry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Faulkner).
* Pep Talks for Writers by Grant Faulkner is available [here](http://www.amazon.com/dp/1452161089/?tag=johnaugustcom-20).
* You can participate in [NaNoWriMo](https://nanowrimo.org/), too!
* [I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen](http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061994987/?tag=johnaugustcom-20) by Sylvie Simmons
* [The Last Invention of Man: How AI might take over the world](http://nautil.us/issue/53/monsters/the-last-invention-of-man#comm) by Max Tegmark
* [The Scriptnotes Listeners’ Guide!](johnaugust.com/guide)
* [The USB drives!](https://store.johnaugust.com/collections/frontpage/products/scriptnotes-300-episode-usb-flash-drive)
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [Grant Faulkner](https://twitter.com/grantfaulkner) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [Find past episodes](http://scriptnotes.net/)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Rajesh Naroth ([send us yours!](http://johnaugust.com/2014/outros-needed))

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode [here](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_321.mp3).

**UPDATE 10-23-17:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2017/scriptnotes-ep-321-getting-stuff-written-transcript).