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John August

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  • 75% of Nothing
    Episode – 303 | Jun 6, 2017
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    Craig and John answer listener questions about writer agreements, videogame properties, and page one rewrites.

  • Let’s Make Some Oscar Bait
    Episode – 302 | May 30, 2017
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    In a new installment of How Would This Be a Movie, John and Craig take a look at three stories in the news to discuss how to adapt them into award-winning movies.

  • The Addams Family
    Episode – 301 | May 23, 2017
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    Craig and John look at The Addams Family — not just the 1991 film and its sequel, but the property itself to see what lessons we can learn when adapting for the big screen.

  • From Writer to Writer-Director
    Episode – 300 | May 16, 2017
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    Chris McQuarrie (THE USUAL SUSPECTS, VALKYRIE) joins us to talk through how he went from writing giant movies to directing them.

  • It’s Always Sunny in Star Wars
    Episode – 299 | May 9, 2017
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    Craig and guest host Dana Fox welcome Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Rian Johnson (Looper, Star Wars: The Last Jedi) to the live show at the Arclight. The four discuss breaking into Hollywood, handling rejection and sticking to your vision as a writer/director.

  • How Characters Move
    Episode – 298 | May 2, 2017
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    Craig and John take on a new round of Three Page Challenges. There’s a fat “Elvis,” a bounty hunter White Rabbit, and a guy locked in the trunk of a speeding Mustang.

  • Free-Agent Franchises
    Episode – 297 | Apr 25, 2017
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    Craig and John investigate the future of the 007 franchise, script-reading robots, and the realities of overhauling a movie in the editing room.

  • Television with Damon Lindelof
    Episode – 296 | Apr 18, 2017
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    John sits down with Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers) for a bonus-length discussion of all things TV.

  • The Return of Malcolm
    Episode – 295 | Apr 11, 2017
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    Malcolm Spellman returns to help us answer a bunch of listener questions, including the most important one: what’s Malcolm up to? (Warning! Adult language.)

  • Getting the Details Wrong
    Episode – 294 | Apr 4, 2017
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    Craig and John discuss chess, bad news, baseball, God, and screenwriting competitions.

  • Psychotherapy for Screenwriters
    Episode – 99 | Mar 28, 2017
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    A pernicious cold has stolen John’s voice, so he and Craig reach into the vault to unearth their conversation with screenwriter-turned-psychotherapist Dennis Palumbo, in which they discuss writer’s block, procrastination, partnerships and more. It’s a can’t-miss episode for aspiring writers and professionals alike.

  • Underground Railroad of Love
    Episode – 293 | Mar 21, 2017
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    Special guest Irene Turner joins Craig and John for a new round of “How Would This Be a Movie?”

  • Question Time
    Episode – 292 | Mar 14, 2017
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    John and Craig answer listener questions about credits and casting, pilots and professional experience. Does Tom Ford really need his name on the poster twice? Kinda. It’s complicated.

  • California Cannibal Cults
    Episode – 291 | Mar 7, 2017
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    It’s a new Three Page Challenge, where John and Craig take a look at listeners’ scenes and offer their honest critique.

  • The Social Media Episode
    Episode – 290 | Feb 28, 2017
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    Craig and John discuss how and whether screenwriters should use social media.

  • WGA Negotiations 101
    Episode – 289 | Feb 21, 2017
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    Craig and John take a deep dive looking at how the Writers Guild attempts to make a deal with the studios on behalf of film and TV writers.

  • Betty, Veronica and Craig
    Episode – 288 | Feb 14, 2017
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    John and Craig look at what screenwriters can pick up from Kellyanne Conway, plus what John learned from going through the copy-editing process on his book.

  • Hollywood is Always Dying
    Episode – 287 | Feb 7, 2017
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    Craig and John discuss a Vanity Fair article about the impending disruption of Hollywood and are unimpressed. The better question worth asking: if this were the end of the film and television industry, what signs would we look for?

  • Script Doctors, Dialogue and Hacks
    Episode – 286 | Jan 31, 2017
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    John and Craig return to the topic of dialogue, looking at how characters talk in film and why dialogue matters.

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    Each week, screenwriters John August and Craig Mazin discuss screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters, everything from the craft to the business to the best ways to get yourself writing.

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