John August

QandA

Psychotherapy for screenwriters

Episode - 99

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Follow Up, Psych 101, Rights and Copyright, Scriptnotes, Transcribed, Writing Process

John and Craig sit down with screenwriter-turned-psychotherapist Dennis Palumbo to discuss writer’s block, procrastination, partnerships and more. It’s a can’t-miss episode for aspiring writers and professionals alike.

The live 100th episode of Scriptnotes is this Thursday, July 25th, at the Academy Lab in Hollywood. The event is sold out, but there will probably be a stand-by line. Follow @johnaugust or @clmazin on Twitter for details.

LINKS:

You can download the episode here: AAC | mp3.

UPDATE 7-27-13: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Long movies, producer credits and price-fixing

Film Industry, Producers, Scriptnotes, Story and Plot, Transcribed

John and Craig discuss the Apple ebook price-fixing lawsuit and its lessons for Hollywood, before segueing to the new credits system for producers. Then: Have movies gotten too long, and would making them shorter really save money?

T-shirts. If you ordered one, you should probably have it by now. So if it’s not in your hands, email Stuart at orders@dev.johnaugust.com to investigate.

There was confusion about the Golden Ticket. If you got a card saying, “This is the Golden Ticket!” then you have the Golden Ticket. If not, you just have a lovely card with your shirt.

There will probably be a standby line for the Live 100th episode on July 25th in Hollywood. Follow @johnaugust or @clmazin on Twitter for details.

LINKS:

You can download the episode here: AAC.

UPDATE 7-19-13: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Is 15 the new 30?

Film Industry, News, Scriptnotes, Story and Plot, Transcribed, WGA, Words on the page

Have first acts gotten shorter, or does it just feel that way? John and Craig discuss the pressure on screenwriters to “get to it” faster, and why that’s often the wrong goal.

From there, we talk about the WGA’s annual numbers, which paint an improving picture for TV writers — but more bad news for the feature folk. Finally, we discuss the fight over THE BUTLER, and the degree to which studios can protect titles.

Do you make music? If you want to record us a great outro, we’ll be featuring some on upcoming episodes. Entries should feature the basic Scriptnotes melody (C3-E-D-B-C4) or its minor cousin, but otherwise it’s wide open except for, you know, don’t use copyrighted material. Send a link to ask@dev.johnaugust.com pointing to an mp3 or other sound file we can hear. It’s an expo, not a competition, so have fun.

If you want to share the Scriptnotes love, don’t forget to leave us a rating on iTunes.

LINKS:

You can download the episode here: AAC.

UPDATE 7-12-13: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

The Origins and Formatting of Modern Screenplays

Video, Words on the page


In this 15-minute video, John Hess gives a terrific overview of the history of the screenplay format, and how changes in the film industry changed the way the words are arranged on the page.

I could quibble with a few things.

First, the modern screenplay has an obvious analogue in the stage play, and didn’t develop in a vacuum. Second, Hess gets a little proscriptive at the end of the video, and conflates screenwriting software with the format. (Which is part of why we made Fountain, to untangle the writing from the formatting.)

But his overall point is worth making: the screenplay format is what it is, and it’s a fool’s errand to try something wildly different.