John August

Producers

Austin Live Show 2017 (AKA Too Many Scotts)

Episode - 323

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Directors, Film Industry, Producers, Scriptnotes, Story and Plot, Television, Transcribed, Travel, Writer Emergency Pack, Writing Process

John and Craig talk with uber-screenwriter Scott Frank (Out of Sight, Get Shorty, Minority Report, Logan) about how his feature script Godless ended up as a miniseries at Netflix.

We then invite more guests up to discuss what movies can learn from the success of TV:

  • Guinevere Turner (American Psycho, Go Fish)
  • Scott Alexander (Ed Wood, The People v. O.J. Simpson,)
  • Tess Morris (Man Up, “You Had Us At Hello” podcast)
  • Lindsay Doran (producer of Stranger Than Fiction, Sense and Sensibility)

In our final segment, we’re joined by a new batch of writers to play “The Studio Has Notes.”

  • Dana Fox (How to Be Single, Ben and Kate)
  • Megan Amram (The Good Place, The Simpsons)
  • Oren Uziel (22 Jump Street, Shimmer Lake)
  • Jason Fuchs (Wonder Woman, Ice Age: Continental Drift)
  • Scott Rosenberg (High Fidelity, Beautiful Girls)

Can our lucky audience member pick out the one fake note among the five real ones? Can you?

Recorded live from the Driskill Ballroom at the 2017 Austin Film Festival.

Thanks to the Austin Film Festival for hosting us, and to a great audience. It’s one of our highlights each year.

Links:

Email us at ask@dev.johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 11-6-17: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Big Screens, Big Money

Film Industry, Producers, QandA, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig offer a 101 on how movies make money at theaters, and why a 1948 Supreme Court case changed everything.

Then we look at two recent disruptions to the standard model: Movie Pass and Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky.

We also answer listener questions on waiting periods and creative rights.

Links:

Email us at ask@dev.johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 9-6-17: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

What’s in the WGA Deal

Film Industry, Follow Up, Producers, Scriptnotes, Television, Transcribed, WGA

Craig and John talk with Chris Keyser, one of the co-chairs of the WGA Negotiating Committee, to learn what gains were achieved in the most recent deal, and what work lies ahead.

Warning: it’s a super-wonky episode that presumes you’re familiar with the basics outlined in episode 289.

Links:

Email us at ask@dev.johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 8-2-17: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

Television Economics for Dummies

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

Jonathan Groff — the Black-ish writer/producer, not the actor — joins John and Craig to explain the new vocabulary of television and why companies are all about ownership.

Then it’s another round of How Would This Be a Movie (or an episode of network comedy). We tackle Peter Thiel, Swiss banks, psychotic sheep, and absent-minded grampas.

Our track record of predicting which of these ideas will go into development has been quite good. Let us know what you think on our Facebook page or Twitter.

Links:

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 6-10-16: The transcript of this episode can be found here.