John August

Resources

Picking names popular in their time

Resources

“Paul from LA” wrote in with [this link](http://babynamewizard.com/voyager) to a site I kind of remember using when we were picking a name for my daughter. It lets you type in any first name and graphs how popular it has been (in the U.S.) over the past 130 years. What’s less obvious is that if you hover over the graph at any point, it can show you a name’s rank in that year.

For example, here’s John, which has fallen from #1 to #20.

[John graph](http://babynamewizard.com/voyager#prefix=JOHN&ms=false&sw=m&exact=true)

It’s worth a bit of time-wasting to see how names come and go.

Were I to seek examples of the subjunctive…

Resources, Words on the page

…I might begin with the excellent [Wikipedia article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subjunctive) on the issue, which provides a nice introduction to its usage in English and other Indo-European languages.

I’m a native English speaker, but the first language I studied was Spanish, which I think accounts for my fascination with the subjunctive mood. It’s much more commonly heard in Spanish, partly because its usage in English disappears amid polysemy:

→ I wish **you were** nicer to your brother. (past subjunctive)
→ **You were** lucky he didn’t hit you. (past indicative)

Different words, but you wouldn’t know it. The only time you notice the subjunctive in English is when the verb doesn’t seem to match the subject:

→ If **I were** rich, I’d have you killed. (contrafactual)
→ I request that **he be** given exile. (indirect command)
→ **Let us fight** our enemies, not each other. (hortatory)

When the subjunctive shows up, there’s almost always drama. Someone is expressing hope or doubt. It’s worth paying attention.

Cynics have been predicting the death of the subjunctive for years, arguing that it is mostly confined to archaic phrases. I disagree. While there are many shaky grammatical constructs I could easily see collapsing (who/whom, lay/lie), I think the subjunctive has several points in its favor:

* **Most native speakers don’t know they’re using it.** While we notice when it’s omitted (“If I was president…”), the majority of people get it right without knowing why. (“I demand my account be reactivated immediately.”)

* **While there are alternatives, they’re rarely better.** The previous example could be rewritten, “I demand you reactivate my account…” or “Reactivate my account, you idiot!” But neither achieves the same effect as the subjunctive. English thrives on having many ways of saying similar-but-different things.

* **It’s really common in religious material.** The U.S. is very church-y, so Americans get a weekly dosage of subjunctive in their sermons and prayers. (“The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face to shine upon thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace.”)

Remember that the subjunctive is invoked by the semantics, not just the words leading up to it:

→ If I were correct with my answer, I would have won Jeopardy.
*but…*
→ If I was correct in my calculations, we should hear a boom in three seconds.

Now that I’ve expressed my deep affection for the subjunctive, let me urge discretion when using it in screenwriting. Many times, your characters will speak ungrammatically. Your knowledge of the subjunctive should never trump their ignorance.

PAPPY

If was a bettin’ man, I’d say he demanded Sonny kills that other fella lest he rats him out to Bubba.

That’s three missed opportunities to use the subjunctive, but it may be the right choice for Pappy. Always go by ear with dialogue.

Script frenzy

Resources

[Script Frenzy](http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/) is starting April 1st. I don’t know enough about it to endorse it, but some readers might find the faux-competitive nature of it motivational.

> Script Frenzy is an international writing event in which participants attempt the daring feat of writing 100 pages of scripted material in the month of April. As part of a donation-funded nonprofit, Script Frenzy charges no fee to participate; there are also no valuable prizes awarded or “best” scripts singled out. Every writer who completes the goal of 100 pages is victorious and awe-inspiring and will receive a handsome Script Frenzy Winner’s Certificate and web icon proclaiming this fact.

It sounds like [NaNoWriMo](http://www.nanowrimo.org/) for screenplays. One hundred pages in a month is an ambitious but achievable goal.

If any readers end up entering and finishing, please [write in](mailto:ask@johnaugust.com) and let us know how it went.

Test screening questionnaires

Film Industry, Projects, QandA, Resources, Television, The Nines

questionmarkWe have the first cut on a historical drama we eventually want to try to get on History Channel or Lifetime. It’s about a group of young Quaker Girls who create an anti-Rebel/Pro-Abolutionist Newspaper in the middle of Confederate Virginia.

We want to have a test screening to determine plot comprehension, pace, etc. Where do we find an example of a test screening card or form we can “borrow?”

— Drew
Virginia

There are several companies that do paid test screenings, and I’m sure each has a template and a standardized methodology. But you’re not interested in statistics, and don’t need to compare your movie with other historical dramas of the last five years. You just want to make your movie better. So you can safely make up a sheet of your own.

Here’s what you want to include:

1. First question: How did they like it? You want to get a sense of (a) what changes the people who liked it feel are necessary, and (b) whether there are any changes that could win over the people who didn’t really like it. ((Often, the folks who don’t like it will never like it, but it’s worth hearing their opinion so you’ll know what to expect.))

2. A space to list the things they liked most.

3. A space to list the things they liked least.

4. A space to list any moments they felt it lagged.

5. Ask if they ever got confused — and when, and why.

6. If you have specific areas of concern (music, narration, whatever), you can either make those open answer questions, or give some sort of 1-5 grid for circling.

7. A big thank you at the end, because they are doing you a huge favor watching your in-progress project.

You want your viewer to be able to fill this all out in less than five minutes, so that means no more than two pages. Your best bet is to photocopy it on card stock, two sides.

In the [Downloads](http://johnaugust.com/downloads) section, I’ve included the form we used for our second test screening of The Nines. Feel free to use it as a template. ((The second question, “Given a pair of magical scissors, is there anything you’d snip out?” is the one I always wished people would ask me.))

Because you’ll ask: Yes, it was strange test screening a movie in which a significant plot point concerns the test screening process. But it was a big help.

Ultimately, you may still want or need to do a more professional test screening. For instance, if you sold it to Lifetime, they might need to know how their audience responds to it, so they can tailor their advertising appropriately. But for the early stages you’re in, I’d save your money and do it yourself.