John August

Follow Up

Whiplash, on paper and on screen

Episode - 224

Go to Archive

Directors, Follow Up, Formatting, Scriptnotes, Transcribed, Words on the page

John and Craig take an in-depth look at two scenes in Damien Chazelle’s WHIPLASH to see how conflicts were structured — and what changed from script to shooting.

In follow-up, we discuss the myth vs. reality of Zola, and what we mean by a character having agency.

We’re having a live holiday show in Los Angeles! It’s December 9th in Hollywood, with special guests Riki Lindhome, Natasha Leggero and Malcolm Spellman. Tickets will sell out, so be sure to click the links below.

Links:

You can download the episode here: AAC | mp3.

UPDATE 11-20-15: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Confusing, Unlikable and On-The-Nose

Adaptation, Follow Up, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig look at some of the least helpful notes screenwriters receive, and strategies for dealing with them.

Then it’s a look at novelists who adapt their own books into screenplays, and the pros and cons involved.

In the premium feed over at scriptnotes.net, you’ll find two bonus episodes: the live Three Page Challenge from Austin 2015, and my interview with The Martian screenwriter Drew Goddard for the Writers Guild Foundation.

Links:

You can download the episode here: AAC | mp3.

UPDATE 11-13-15: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Live from Austin 2015

Film Industry, Follow Up, News, QandA, Scriptnotes, Transcribed, Travel

Craig and John return to the Austin Film Festival for a supersize live show with guests Nicole Perlman and Steve Zissis.

We talk with Nicole about what’s changed in her life after the breakout success of Guardians of the Galaxy, and how she juggles multiple projects.

Steve Zissis tells us how he transitioned from waiter to co-creator of HBO’s Togetherness, and the unusual origin of the show.

Then all four of us play How Would This Be a Movie, looking at #Zola’s adventure, the runaway blimp and the lonely death of George Bell.

Plus audience questions!

Our thanks to the Austin Film Festival for hosting us, and our terrific audience.

You can download the episode here: AAC | mp3.

UPDATE 11-6-15: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Nobody Knows Anything (including what this quote means)

Film Industry, Follow Up, Psych 101, Scriptnotes, So-Called Experts, Transcribed, Writing Process

Craig and John get to the bottom of William Goldman’s famous quotation about Hollywood, which is so often misapplied. Then it’s a discussion of zombie cars, wind-tunnels, blockbusters, and the paradox of choice.

Finally, we look at the intersection of luck and talent behind a screenwriter’s career, and why struggle isn’t a useful yardstick for much of anything.

Links:

You can download the episode here: AAC | mp3.

UPDATE 10-28-15: The transcript of this episode can be found here.