John August

WGA

20 Questions with John and Craig

Episode - 38

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Film Industry, Los Angeles, QandA, Scriptnotes, WGA

John and Craig open the listener mailbag and sprint through twenty questions in just under an hour.

➤ When John sets a timer for himself, what is his work/break interval sweet spot? (1:12)

➤ How do you break up with your manager? (2:16)

➤ Are there any tricks for organizing files when writing out of order? (3:42)

➤ Why join the WGA? (5:35)

➤ What “lingo” do Craig and John use in story meetings? (13:48)

➤ Will a writer be held back by English being her second language? (17:33)

➤ Is it better to release a short through festivals or by putting it online in parts? (19:37)

➤ Do John and Craig have tips for juggling multiple writing jobs? (21:17)

➤ What is a safe LA neighborhood with good schools for a writer/father who is making the move? (25:56)

➤ Do Craig and John’s finished movies look like they imagined while they were writing them? (30:23)

➤ Is it a smart idea for a 23-year-old aspiring screenwriter to pick up and move to LA? (34:05)

➤ If a character’s race is not specifically mentioned, why is he or she assumed white? (34:57)

➤ Is it okay to refer to specific actors while pitching? What about in the script itself? (39:12)

➤ How did John and Craig meet and decided to collaborate on Scriptnotes? (41:18)

➤ Are screenwriting contests or studio writers’ programs the right step for a 30-year-old mother of one living in Ohio? (42:34)

➤ Why would anyone would want to become a screenwriter in today’s studio climate? (46:38)

➤ If your spec pilot begs to be a premise pilot, is it better to use a non-pilot episode as your sample? (49:15)

➤ Why does page length change when converting files from Movie Magic to Final Draft? Which page count is correct? (51:29)

➤ If your historical epic has a lot of required backstory, is it okay to meet the protagonist on page 30? (53:41)

➤ Is there shame in running with an idea someone else freely posted online? (55:23)

All this and just slightly more on episode 38 of Scriptnotes.

LINKS:

* [The Pomodoro Technique](http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/)
* Craig’s [Done Deal Pro forums post](http://messageboard.donedealpro.com/boards/showthread.php?t=65716&page=15) that prompted the question about “lingo”
* INTRO: [Skyhawks](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlOF1CG6vsk) intro (via Monte Ferraro)
* OUTRO: [Bach’s Prelude & Fugue No. 1 in C Major](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM6yMDB9wgE) by The Original Swingle Singers, 1963

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_38.m4a).

**UPDATE** 5-24-12: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2012/scriptnotes-ep-38-20-questions-with-john-and-craig-transcript).

Anatomy of a script

Education, WGA

Robin Schiff and Winnie Holzman’s great discussion series “Anatomy of a Script” is [starting up again](http://wgfoundation.org/aos.aspx) in March, and highly recommended for film and TV writers wanting to learn more about the craft.

Each session starts with a screening of the film or TV episode, followed by a discussion with the writer. I did one last year for Big Fish, and really enjoyed the questions from such a smart audience.

The guests this year look great:

March 13: **Mike White** on *Enlightened*

March 21: **Russell Gewirtz** on *Inside Man*

March 28: **Alex Gansa & Howard Gordon** on *Homeland*

April 4: **Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King** on *The Comeback*

April 11: **Mike Mills** on *Beginners*

April 18: **Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck** on *The Lives of Others*

You can [buy tickets](http://wgfoundation.org/aos.aspx) for individual sessions, or the whole series. Proceeds benefit the Writers Guild Foundation.

How credit arbitration works

Scriptnotes, WGA

John and Craig take an in-depth look at how screenwriting credits are determined. In some ways, credit arbitration is a luxury problem — the movie you wrote got made! — but it’s one of the most controversial, contentious and misunderstood parts of a screenwriter’s career.

Ideally, you’re the first, last and only writer employed on a movie. For Go and The Nines, that was the case. In situations where more than one writer works on a movie, figuring out who deserves credit can become an ordeal.

Most non-animated Hollywood features are written under a WGA contract. Part of that contract specifies that the WGA ultimately determines who receives screenplay and story credit (which collapses into “written by” credit if the same writer receives both). This week, we take a look at the rules, principles and guidelines, and offer advice for writers who find themselves facing a credit arbitration.

Plus, a quick visit to CES.

LINKS:

* [Mat Honan’s sad-and-accurate portral of CES](http://gizmodo.com/5875243/)
* [WGA’s screen credits manual](http://www.wga.org/subpage_writersresources.aspx?id=167)
* [Craig’s guide to writing an effective arbitration statement](https://web.archive.org/web/20080828070525/http://artfulwriter.com/?p=57)
* INTRO: [CHiPs opening titles](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYKdayl7BHM)
* OUTRO: [Stereophonics: You Sexy Thing](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpVgigAB1l8)

You can download the episode here: [AAC](http://traffic.libsyn.com/scriptnotes/scriptnotes_ep_20.m4a).

UPDATE 1-18-12: The transcript of this episode can be found [here](http://johnaugust.com/2012/scriptnotes-ep-20-how-credit-arbitration-works-transcript).

How residuals get divided between writers

Follow Up, Scriptnotes, WGA

We answered 13 questions by Daniel Barkeley on [yesterday’s podcast](http://johnaugust.com/2011/thirteen-questions-about-one-thing), but he wrote in asking for clarification on one issue:

> We’ve established that the “written by” gets 100% of the residual, the “screenplay or teleplay by” gets 75% of the residual and “story by” gets 25% of the residual. But what happens when multiple writers are attached to a single credit?

> For instance The Hangover Part 2 has three writers with the “written by” credit. How is that 100% residual divided between you three? Is it always equal, or is there some attempt made to compensate for varying levels of involvement in the project?

If two writers share a credit slot (like screenplay), that portion of residuals is split squarely between them. For example, let’s look at Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. I got sole story credit; I shared screenplay credit with The Wibberleys (a team, so they count as one writer).

My share of residuals equals 25% (story) + half of 75% (screenplay) for a total of 62.5%.

The Wibbs get half of 75% (screenplay), which gives them 37.5%.

If you add that up, 62.5 plus 37.5 equals 100 percent of residuals. Yay, math!