Transcribed

John and Craig compare the romanticism and reality of writing. They discuss why inspiration is overvalued, why ‘bad motivations’ aren’t necessarily bad, and the rare bliss that occurs when inspiration and motivation align.

We answer listener questions on act breaks, cover the phenomenon of show-runners as promotional vehicles, and John attempts to manifest a Van Halen movie.

And in our bonus segment for premium members, we talk creepy crawlies.

Links:

• Starbucks Seam Life Hack
• John Scalzi’s Blogpost: Find the Time or Don’t
• Happy The Last of Us Day! Check out this trailer.
• Whisper by Open AI
• Tick Tock the Game
• Sign up for the Inneresting Newsletter for more writing resources!
• Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
• Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription!
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John August on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Outro by MCL Karman (send us yours!)
• Scriptnotes is produced by Megana Rao and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@dev.johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 11-2-22 The transcript for this episode can now be found here.

John and Craig discuss movie and television stars. When do you want to cast a huge star, and when is it not a good idea? From big names in small parts to new names in big parts, they try to calculate how much fame a role requires.

We follow up on the editing process and share advice on staying nimble. We also answer listener questions on recorded pitches, writing left behind, and time management with multiple contracts.

In our bonus segment for premium members, we play a round of Two Truths and a Lie to test our deception skills.

Links:

• Get tickets for the Scriptnotes Live Show Livestream
• Order Writer Emergency Pack XL here!
• Learn more about the original Writer Emergency Pack here
• WGA No Writing Left Behind
• A Year Ago, Nicole Kidman Tried To Save The Movies. She Had No Idea What Would Come Next. by David Mack for Buzzfeed
• Murray Bartlett and his Emmy’s acceptance speech.
• Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
• Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
• Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription!
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John August on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Outro by Adam Pineless (send us yours!)
• Scriptnotes is produced by Megana Rao and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@dev.johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 10-31-22 The transcript for this episode can be found here.

John invites writer/producer/actor Ashley Nicole Black (Ted Lasso, Black Lady Sketch Show) to discuss fandoms, cultural appropriation and boycotts over abortion access.

They also answer simpler listener questions: What do TV producer titles really mean? When should you attach a showrunner? And what happens when you disagree with your manager?

In our bonus segment for premium members, they talk parties! John and Ashley discuss the new norms for hosting people post-pandemic.

Links:

• Our first post-pandemic live show on October 19 is sold out, but you can still get tickets to the livestream here!
• WGA West Elections
• Coalition Of 1,425 Showrunners & Directors Raises $2.5M To Help Women Gain Access To Abortions While Calling On Studios To Step Up on Deadline
• Scriptnotes Episode 533, We See and We Hear Transcript
• Find out more about Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward’s Writing the Other book and workshops
• Hiromi Goto’s 6 Questions on cultural appropriation
• Black Lady Sketch Show – Basic Ball
• Critics and Fans Have Never Disagreed More About Movies by Lucas Shaw for Bloomberg
• Mack’s AquaBlock Swimming Earplugs
• Thigh Society
• Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
• Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
• Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription!
• Ashley Nicole Black on Twitter
• Craig Mazin on Twitter
• John August on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• Outro by Bryan C. Sanchez (send us yours!)
• Scriptnotes is produced by Megana Rao and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@dev.johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 9-27-22 The transcript for this story can be found here.