John August

Random Advice

Let me give you some advice

Episode - 112

Go to Archive

Film Industry, Indie, Producers, QandA, Random Advice, Scriptnotes, So-Called Experts, Story and Plot, Transcribed, Words on the page

Craig and John go back to basics with an all advice episode, looking at the Dear J.J. recommendations for Star Wars, Tony Gilroy’s advice to screenwriters and whatever’s up with Max Landis.

From there, they open the listener mailbag to answer questions ranging from mastering characters’ voices to indie financing.

Links:

* [4 Rules to Make Star Wars Great Again](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_joDNOpeWWo&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D_joDNOpeWWo&app=desktop)
* Clerks on [Death Star politics](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGOVbXF7Iog)
* Eddie Izzard on [the Death Star cantina](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ2yRTRlMFU)
* Tony Gilroy’s [Top 10 tips for writing a Hollywood blockbuster](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24348113)
* The New York Times on [Rethinking Gender Bias in Theater](http://theater.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/theater/24play.html?_r=1&)
* [Max Landis](http://shelbysells.com/2013/09/30/interview-series-max-landis/) on the Pillow Talk interview series
* Wikipedia on [Bitcoin mining](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitcoin_mining#Bitcoin_mining)
* John’s 2011 blog post on [Blue Valentine and adoption](http://johnaugust.com/2011/dear-cindy-in-blue-valentine)
* [WinesTilSoldOut](http://wtso.com/)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Scriptnotes listener The Face of Human Error

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_112.m4a) | [mp3](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_112.mp3).

**UPDATE** 10-10-13: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-ep-112-let-me-give-you-some-advice-transcript).

50 Random Questions

Follow Up, Los Angeles, Random Advice, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

As promised, John and Craig answer a bunch of listener questions on everything except screenwriting, on topics ranging from sex to science to sushi.

* How can the universe be infinite, but expanding?
* What’s it like being bald?
* Do spouses need to have common interests?
* Can someone become a morning person?
* And what’s the secret to a close, comfortable shave?

We start with two things in the news: an update on the Zach Braff Kickstarter situation, and the attempt to unionize the writers of E!’s Fashion Police.

LINKS:

* 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
* [Zach Braff’s response](http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1869987317/wish-i-was-here-1/posts/482298) to [The Hollywood Reporter’s article](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannes-zach-braffs-kickstarter-film-523352) on his film’s gap financer
* The Hollywood Reporter on [E!’s Fashion Police writers strike](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/fashion-police-writers-strike-begins-441421)
* [Highland v 1.0.2](http://quoteunquoteapps.com/highland/) brings shift + return caps, lyrics and various minor bug fixes
* Try [Cignot.com](http://www.cignot.com/Default.asp) for all your eCig needs
* Thumbs up for [UC Verde Buffalo Grass](http://ucverdebuffalograss.com/)
* [Kevo](http://www.kwikset.com/Kevo/default.aspx) is on its way
* The [Nest Thermostat](http://nest.com/) is fantastic
* For LA pizza, check out [Pizzeria Mozza](http://www.pizzeriamozza.com/), [Joe’s Pizza](http://www.joespizza.com/Tel_310_395-9222.html) in Santa Monica or the pizza kiosk at [The Americana](http://www.americanaatbrand.com/)
* And for LA sushi, we like [Nobu](http://www.noburestaurants.com/) and [Matsuhisa](http://www.nobumatsuhisa.com/), [Sugarfish](http://sugarfishsushi.com/) and the former [Nozawa](http://sushinozawa.com/), [Sasabune](http://www.trustmesushi.com) and [Chef Niki Nakayama](http://www.n-naka.com/about/chef/)’s n/naka
* If you’re in Chicago (or Washington D.C.), try [Protein Bar](http://www.theproteinbar.com/)
* Craig still loves his [Tesla](http://www.teslamotors.com/) and John still loves his [Leaf](http://www.nissanusa.com/electric-cars/leaf/)
* [Alternate with water](http://johnaugust.com/2009/alternate-with-water) when you’re drinking
* OUTRO: George Michael’s [Father Figure](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_EGdiS2PEE) covered by Cantaloop

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_90.m4a).

**UPDATE** 5-24-13: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-ep-90-50-random-questions-transcript).

First sale and funny on the page

News, QandA, Random Advice, Rights and Copyright, Scriptnotes, Transcribed, Words on the page

Craig and John look at two recent court decisions that could have a big impact on how movies get sold and resold — and how writers get paid. First-Sale Doctrine is one of those intractable issues that involves freedom and control, bits and atoms, creators and consumers.

From there, we take a look at whether comedy is necessarily funny on the page, and why jokes can work or fail based on tiny details. Then we tackle productivity and happiness, concepts that may not be as directly related as you believe.

LINKS:

* [First-sale doctrine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-sale_doctrine) on Wikipedia
* [Reselling Digital Goods Is Copyright Infringement, Judge Rules](http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/04/reselling-digital-goods/) from Wired
* [Capitol Records LLC vs ReDigi Inc.](http://www.scribd.com/doc/133451611/Redigi-Capitol)
* New York times on [the ReDigi ruling](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/business/media/redigi-loses-suit-over-reselling-of-digital-music.html?\_r=0)
* [Carl Lewis “sings” The Star-Spangled Banner](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJLvCM4j2mg)
* Jonas Maxwell’s [tips for singing the national anthem](http://www.jonasmaxwell.com/pages/index.cfm?pg=298)
* [BioShock Infinite](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003O6E6NE/?tag=johnaugustcom-20) on Amazon.com
* How to [ask a question](http://johnaugust.com/ask-a-question)
* OUTRO: Leslie Nielsen (as Enrico Palazzo) [sings the national anthem](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73ZsDdK0sTI)

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_84.m4a).

**UPDATE** 4-15-13: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-ep-84-first-sale-and-funny-on-the-page-transcript).

So you’re applying for a job

Random Advice

Having sifted through many resumes over the years, I agree with [Brett Terpstra’s advice](http://brettterpstra.com/2013/01/16/thank-you-for-your-time-well-be-in-touch/):

  • Customize (or at least supplement) your resume. If you’re going to link to a web resume, it’s awesome if you make it a unique url tailored to the job you’re applying for.
  • Don’t list 10-year-old, deprecated technologies under your current skills. Your awards in COBOL programming are actually a turnoff when listed under skills instead of achievements.
  • Have a skills section. Your job as manager of a restaurant franchise location is less interesting to me than your current capabilities.
  • Put that skills section at the top. You know, before your extra-curricular activities.
  • Make your resume a well-formatted PDF, not a DOCX file.

That last one is apparently controversial, because many places require you to send in a Word file. But I personally dread when I see a .doc in an email, because I’m never sure how it’s going to open, or how it’s going to look — particularly on mobile. I don’t even have Word installed on my main machine, so every time I open one of these files, I get warnings from Pages or TextEdit.

Creating a custom URL for your resume is smart, and shows me you know what you’re doing. It will also tell you that I actually clicked through.