Whispering Loudly
John August
by Drew Marquardt
2d ago
John welcomes back Pamela Ribon (Nimona, My Year of Dicks) to quietly ask: what’s with all the whispering in movies these days? They discuss trends and techniques in voice and volume, picking the right moment to whisper, and the value of voices across decibel levels. We also revisit Pamela’s work on Moana to look at what you can learn from reading early drafts, ponder the threat of TikTok and YouTube, follow-up on vetting potential co-workers, and answer a listener question on writing animation. In our bonus segment for premium members, Pam shares all her star-studded stories from sitting in t ..read more
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Is This Person Going to Ruin Everything?
John August
by Drew Marquardt
1w ago
John and Craig wring their hands and ask, how do you make sure the person you’re hiring isn’t a monster? They look at best practices for vetting colleagues, sussing out problematic people, and managing your own emotions when you’re the person with power. We also discuss writing for non-native English speakers, using three examples to illustrate the importance of syntax, musicality and authenticity. But first, we answer listener questions on giving notes and kids playing D&D. In our bonus segment for premium members, we spill the kool-aid on our fears and fascinations with cults. Links: St ..read more
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Scriptnotes, Episode 630: The One with Celine Song, Transcript
John August
by Drew Marquardt
1w ago
The original post for this episode can be found here. John August: Hello and welcome. My name is John August, and this is Episode 630 of Scriptnotes, a podcast about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters. Today on the show, we welcome Celine Song, a playwright, screenwriter, and director, whose movie Past Lives is Oscar-nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. We will talk about that movie, but also getting staffed on a TV show, raising financing, making your first feature in two different countries. But before that, staffing on a TV show, deciding betw ..read more
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What If? Hollywood Edition
John August
by Drew Marquardt
2w ago
John and Craig explore the counterfactuals of Hollywood history — the relatively small moments that, if the coin toss had gone the other way, would have massive ramifications on the world as we know it. What if Edison was allowed to keep his monopoly on motion pictures? What does our industry look like without the Paramount Consent Decree? What if George Lucas died in his car accident? Would superhero movies have dominated our culture if Iron Man had bombed? What studios would have gone down if Titanic had sunk? And what if Netflix had stayed with its DVD-only model? In our bonus segment for p ..read more
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Reviving a Dormant Project
John August
by Drew Marquardt
3w ago
John welcomes back John Gatins (Flight, Coach Carter) to talk about reviving a dormant project and actually getting it made – like he just did with his new film Little Wing. They look at how films die, what brings them back to life, and go deep into the mechanics of sports movies. We also follow up on flu tests, the Tiffany problem and pet names before answering listener questions on professionalism, mid-credit scenes, and work ethic. In our bonus segment for premium members, John Gatins talks abut transitioning into a writing team and reveals his process of negotiating credits. Links: Little ..read more
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Mystery and Suspense
John August
by Drew Marquardt
1M ago
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: Scriptnotes 269 – Mystery vs. Confusion Scriptnotes 332 – Wa ..read more
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Scriptnotes, Episode 629: Cork Grease, Transcript
John August
by Drew Marquardt
1M ago
The original post for this episode can be found here. John August: Hello and welcome. My name is John August. Craig Mazin: My name is Craig Mazin. John: You are listening to Episode 629 of Scriptnotes, a podcast about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters. Today on the show, should you break up with a producer you like but who doesn’t seem to be moving a project forward, how should a writing team discuss their individual work, and when is it okay to say no to inclusive casting? We’ll answer these and other difficult questions, plus a new round of the Three Page Challen ..read more
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Scriptnotes, Episode 628: The Fandom Menace, Transcript
John August
by Drew Marquardt
1M ago
The original post for this episode can be found here. John August: Hello and welcome. My name is John August. Craig Mazin: Hello and welcome. My name is Craig Mazin. John: This is Episode 628 of Scriptnotes, a podcast about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters. Today on the show, Craig and I will discuss how things get cool, then hot, then terrible. We’ll have listener questions and a ton of follow-up, including about secret projects and alternative screenplay formats, something that Craig is always into talking about. Craig: I’m into it. John: In our bonus segment fo ..read more
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Scriptnotes, Episode 627: Unbelievably Agentic, Transcript
John August
by Drew Marquardt
1M ago
The original post for this episode can be found here. John August: Hello and welcome. My name is John August, and this is Episode 627 of Scriptnotes, a podcast about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters. Today on the show, we welcome back the OG Scriptnotes guest host, writer, director, showrunner, producer, Aline Brosh McKenna. Welcome back, Aline. Aline Brosh McKenna: I’m so excited to be here. There are so many people I need to thank. Oh, wait. That’s not the right place to do it. John: You have to comment on how surprisingly heavy the award is. Aline: Oh, it’s so ..read more
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Adapting for Television
John August
by Drew Marquardt
1M ago
John welcomes writer and showrunner Francesca Sloane (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Atlanta) to talk about her process of bringing a big-screen property to television. She shares how she and Donald Glover found their way into the story, how it evolved in development, building a room that was all women of color, re-writing on set, and the many lessons she learned as a first time showrunner. We also follow up on writing partners and phonetic alphabets before answering listener questions on writing samples, casting on the page and why some screenplays are free to read. In our bonus segment for premium me ..read more
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