John August

AI

The Power of the Cold Open

Episode - 644

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Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig explore one of the most powerful and versatile tools in episodic television: the cold open. But how does it work? What kind of scenes does it showcase best? How can it play with point of view, perspective and time? What makes it memorable? And how do you make it work for your story?

We also discuss new requirements for loan-out corporations, follow up on streaming ads and AI-generated coverage, and answer listener questions on titles, exposition and disabled representation.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig check out OpenAI’s flirty new chat capabilities and ask, do they have any love for talking to human-like AI’s?

Links:

Email us at ask@dev.johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 7-12-24: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Mystery and Suspense

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John has the flu (or does he?) and Craig is missing, so we’re going back through the vaults to look at the mechanics of mystery and suspense. How do writers exploit the audience’s curiosity? What builds and breaks their trust? How do you use suspense across genres? And what do these techniques look like on the page?

But first, we look at the current agency shakeups and share our thoughts on OpenAI’s new engine, Sora.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Drew talk about their experience with the Apple Vision Pro.

Links:

Email us at ask@dev.johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 04-01-24: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

In the Beginning Was the Word

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig ponder the nature of words and what gives them meaning. Using new information on how large language models function, they look at the dizzying amount of connections words can create with other words, between humans, and their profound effect on the nature of consciousness. We promise we’re not high.

We also follow up on racist characters before answering listener questions on balancing deadlines with an artistic process and our ideal press junket questions.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig reflect on the impact left on them by the art and life of Sinéad O’Conner.

Links:

Email us at ask@dev.johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 8-14-23: The transcript for this episode can be found here.