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Drew Marquardt

Buckling Down (Encore)

Episode - 271

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October 1, 2024 Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig are on opposite sides of the world this week, so they’re revisiting an episode from 2016 to look at the many psychological barriers facing writers tackling big projects, and offer practical strategies for actually getting the work done.

They also discuss the then-upcoming election (same as it ever was), and answer a listener question about how autism spectrum disorder might impact a screenwriting career.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Drew reflect on what’s changed in the eight years since this episode last aired, and then like all conversations in 2024, they just start talking about Moo Deng.

Links:

  • Episode 271: Buckling Down – Transcript
  • Inevitable Foundation
  • Forest, Snowstorm and Howling Wind ambiance tracks
  • Julia Roberts To Star In Feature Film About PTA Mom Framed For Drug Possession by Nellie Andreeva for Deadline
  • Here’s How to Finish That F*ing Book, You Monster by Chuck Wendig
  • Wikitravel
  • The Writers Guild Foundation
  • Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
  • Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
  • Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription!
  • Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram
  • John August on Threads, Instagram, Twitter and Mastodon
  • Outro by Pedro Aguilera (send us yours!)
  • This episode was originally produced by Godwin Jabangwe. Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@dev.johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

Featured Friday: Vampires

September 27, 2024 News

Weekend Read, our app for reading scripts on your phone, features a new curated collection of screenplays each week.

This week, we look at at the many blood-draining Vampire stories to see how a sub-genre can continually reinvent itself in order to stay immortal.

Our collection includes:

  • Blade by David S. Goyer
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer – “Welcome to the Hellmouth” by Joss Whedon
  • Doctor Sleep by Mike Flanagan
  • Dracula – “The Rules of the Beast” by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat
  • From Dusk till Dawn by Quentin Tarantino
  • Interview with the Vampire – “In Throes of Increasing Wonder…” by Rolin Jones
  • Let Me In by Matt Reeves
  • Near Dark by Eric Red and Kathryn Bigelow
  • Only Lovers Left Alive by Jim Jarmusch
  • Shadow of the Vampire by Steven Katz
  • The Lost Boys by Jeffrey Boam
  • The Vampire Diaries – “Pilot” by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec
  • True Blood – “Strange Love” by Alan Ball
  • Twilight by Melissa Rosenberg
  • Van Helsing by Stephen Sommers
  • What We Do in the Shadows – “Pilot” by Jemaine Clement

Read these and other featured collections only on Weekend Read 2, available on all Mac and iOS devices. Download for free!

Big Money Movies with Marielle Heller

September 24, 2024 HWTBAM, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John welcomes back Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me?, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood) to look at three stories of real people with too much money and ask, How Would This Be a Movie? Stories include strategies for dating Leonardo DiCaprio, the rise-fall-rise of inventor Palmer Luckey, and a council built to give away a fortune.

We also go feral over Marielle’s new movie Nightbitch, as she shares the joys of adapting something that feels personal and her tricks to directing dogs and children. But first, we take a look at a new study on which movies studios are developing, and share exciting news for those joining us at the Austin Film Festival.

In our bonus segment for premium members, Marielle and John remember the terror, nerves and euphoria of premiering your movie at film festivals.

Links:

  • Nightbitch | Official Trailer
  • Marielle Heller
  • Highland Pro Austin launch party – sign up here!
  • MacGruber on Peacock
  • Hollywood’s 10 Percent Problem by Matt Belloni at Puck
  • Dating a Celebrity – Thread by bo.predko
  • American Vulcan by Jeremy Stern for Tablet
  • How to Give Away a Fortune by Joshua Yaffa for The New Yorker
  • You Get to Be Fulfilled Now by Teresa Jusino
  • Bird Milk & Mosquito Bones by Priyanka Mattoo
  • Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
  • Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
  • Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription!
  • Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram
  • John August on Threads, Instagram, Twitter and Mastodon
  • Outro by Spencer Lackey (send us yours!)
  • Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@dev.johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 11-19-24: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Featured Friday: Organized Crime

September 20, 2024 Weekend Read

Weekend Read, our app for reading scripts on your phone, features a new curated collection of screenplays each week.

This week, we look at the operatic conflicts and power struggles of organized crime stories, what makes their anti-heroes so compelling, and why as far back as we can remember we always wanted to be a gangster.

Our collection includes:

  • A Most Violent Year by J. C. Chandor
  • American Gangster by Steven Zaillian
  • Analyze This by Kenneth Lonergan and Peter Tolan and Harold Ramis
  • Animal Kingdom by David Michôd
  • Black Mass by Mark Mallouk
  • Drive by Hossein Amini
  • Gangs of New York by Jay Cocks
  • Goodfellas by Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese
  • Heat by Michael Mann
  • Narcos – “Descenso” by Chris Brancato
  • New Jack City by Barry Michael Cooper
  • Road to Perdition by David Self
  • Sons of Anarchy – “Pilot” by Kurt Sutter
  • The Departed by William Monahan
  • The Godfather by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola
  • The Godfather: Part II by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola
  • The Irishman by Steven Zaillian
  • The Sopranos – “Pilot” by David Chase
  • The Town by Peter Craig

Read these and other featured collections only on Weekend Read 2, available on all Mac and iOS devices. Download for free!

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