John August

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The One with David Koepp

Episode - 418

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Scriptnotes

John and Craig welcome legendary screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Death Becomes Her, Carlito’s Way, Mission: Impossible, Spider-Man and Panic Room) to talk about adaptations, embargoes, books and the modern blockbuster, which David has had an outsized role in shaping.

We also cover exposition in science fiction and how action writing has evolved over the last twenty years.

Links:

* [David Koepp](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0462895/)
* [Alex Billington](https://twitter.com/i/moments/1170819858826584065) on [embargoes](https://www.firstshowing.net/2019/an-open-letter-about-the-harmfulness-of-embargoes-at-film-festivals/).
* [Cold Storage](https://www.amazon.com/Cold-Storage-Novel-David-Koepp/dp/0062916432) by David Koepp
* [Spark Email App](https://sparkmailapp.com/)
* [Freedom App](https://freedom.to/)
* [The Intelligence Trap: Why Smart People Make Dumb Mistakes](https://www.amazon.com/Intelligence-Trap-Smart-People-Mistakes/dp/0393651428)
* [Essentialism](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0753555166/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_ckaGDbP6DX727)
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [Craig Mazin](https://twitter.com/clmazin) on Twitter
* [David Koepp](https://www.instagram.com/dgkoepp/) on Instagram
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [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_418_david_koepp.mp3).

**UPDATE 9-24-2019:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2019/scriptnotes-ep-418-the-one-with-david-koepp).

Idea Management

Scriptnotes

John and Craig welcome back Aline Brosh McKenna to tackle the issue of idea management. What do you do with all those half-formed ideas and how do you decide which ones to pursue? They share best practices and their approach to middle-of-the-night inspiration.

We’ll also discuss how screenwriters’ quotes are determined and answer some listener questions.

Links:

* For anyone experiencing issues with the app, please try signing up for premium using this [link](https://my.libsyn.com/show/view/id/44610)! Email ask@johnaugust.com with any questions.
* [The Shadows Casting Call](johnaugust.com/casting) John is looking for a 15-year-old blind actress for the lead role — please help by sharing this link with anyone who might be a good fit!
* [Dungeon World](https://dungeon-world.com/)
* [Crazy, Rich Asians Pay Disparity](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/crazy-rich-asians-screenwriter-adele-lim-exits-sequel-pay-disparity-dispute-1236431)
* [Searching for Bobby Fischer](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108065/)
* [After Dark My Sweet](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098994/)
* [Reg Ex Crossword Puzzle](https://regexcrossword.com)
* [Sooth](https://www.soothe.com/) Massage App
* [Assassin’s Creed](https://assassinscreed.ubisoft.com/game/en-us/games)
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [Craig Mazin](https://twitter.com/clmazin) on Twitter
* [Aline Brosh McKenna](https://twitter.com/alinebmckenna) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [Outro](http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-the-outros) by Victor Krause ([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_417.mp3).

**UPDATE 10-1-19:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2019/scriptnotes-ep-417-idea-management-transcript).

Fantasy Worldbuilding

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig welcome Alison Luhrs, a senior narrative designer at Wizards of the Coast to talk about fantasy world-building as a profession. It is a great conversation about what is probably a lot of listeners’ dream job.

We also follow up on the WGA elections, John’s decision to cast a blind actress, and the universality of ice-cream truck wars.

Links:

* [The Shadows Casting Call](johnaugust.com/casting) John is looking for a 15 year old blind actress for the lead role — please help by sharing this link with anyone who might be a good fit!
* [The Hollywood Disability Inclusion Toolkit: The RespectAbility Guide to Inclusion in the Entertainment Industry](https://www.respectability.org/hollywood-inclusion/)
* [Scriptnotes, Ep 315: Big Screens, Big Money](https://johnaugust.com/2017/big-screens-big-money)
* [NaNoWriMo classroom kit](https://store.nanowrimo.org/products/d5ce724ee44c89b2d2240da73f117eebf329e3364f629f8f-23)
* [Comfort and Joy](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0087072/)
* [99 Problems](https://www.99problemsfilm.com/) by Ross Killeen
* [The Black Mambas documentary](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8430900/)
* [Wizards of the Coast](https://company.wizards.com/)
* [Twine](https://twinery.org/)
* [Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language](https://amzn.to/2Z4gpLg) by Gretchen McCulloch
* [Alison Luhrs](https://twitter.com/alisontheperson?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor) on Twitter or [here for game related questions](https://twitter.com/alisonthewizard?lang=en)
* [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)
* [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_416_fantasy_worldbuilding.mp3).

**UPDATE 9-12-19:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2019/scriptnotes-ep-416-fantasy-worldbuilding).

The Veep Episode

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig welcome Julia Louis-Dreyfus and David Mandel, two of the executive producers of HBO’s award-winning comedy series Veep. They discuss the writing process from blue-sky brainstorming to the final edit, how the show has evolved over the seasons, and striking the right tone during an unpredictable political climate.

We also take a look at why unlikeable characters are important for conflict and what we can take away from the ending of Seinfeld.

Links:

* [Veep](https://www.hbo.com/veep)
* [Julia Louis-Dreyfus](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000506/)
* [David Mandel](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0541635/)
* [John August](https://twitter.com/johnaugust) on Twitter
* [The Shadows Casting Call](https://johnaugust.com/casting) John is looking for a 15-year-old blind actress for the lead role — please help by sharing this link with anyone who might be a good fit!
* [Craig Mazin](https://twitter.com/clmazin) on Twitter
* [Julia Louis-Dreyfus](https://twitter.com/OfficialJLD) on Twitter
* [David Mandel](https://twitter.com/DavidHMandel) on Twitter
* [John on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/johnaugust/?hl=en)
* [Julia Louis-Dreyfus](https://www.instagram.com/officialjld/?hl=en) on Instagram
* [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_415_the_veep_episode.mp3)

**UPDATE 9-12-19:** The transcript of this episode can be found [here](https://johnaugust.com/2019/scriptnotes-ep-415-the-veep-episode).