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@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

567 - No Stars, Please

Screenwriters John August and Craig Mazin discuss screenwriting and related topics in the film and television industry, everything from getting stuff written to the vagaries of copyright and work-for-hire law.

TV & Film

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:   Scriptnotes hats and drinkware!  John jumps out of a plane on Instagram  Corporate Transparency Act: An Overview of Impending Reporting Obligations MoviePass, MovieCrash | Official Trailer from HBO The Film Fund and the Reddit thread LOST – Desmond in the Hatch Suwada Nail Clippers Song Exploder – Madonna’s “Hung Up” The Ladder by Hatch Escapes Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram John August on Threads, Instagram and Twitter John on Mastodon Outro by Eric Pearson (send us yours!) Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.  Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

644 - The Power of the Cold Open

  John joins Mike Birbiglia on his podcast Working It Out to share direct, practical screenwriting advice that you’ll actually use, whether you’re an aspiring screenwriter or you want to pursue creative work of any kind. They explore John’s screenwriting process, from defining his expression “breaking the back of the script,” through the different forms of conflict and navigating the murky middle of the story. John shares the best writing advice he’s ever received, the screenplays everyone should read, what he appreciates in standup specials and why cool people aren’t funny. They also revisit the gains made on AI as a result of the writers strike. Links:  Mike Birbiglia’s Working It Out Watch this episode of Working It Out on YouTube See Mike Birbiglia Live The Old Man & the Pool on Netflix  Scriptnotes, Ep 179: The Conflict Episode Aliens screenplay by James Cameron  Sex, lies and videotape screenplay by Steven Soderbergh Miry’s List Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram John August on Threads, Instagram and Twitter John on Mastodon Working It Out is produced by Mike Birbiglia, Peter Salomone, Joseph Birbiglia and Mabel Lewis. Associate producer: Gary Simons. Consulting producer: Seth Barrish. Video consultant: Graham Willoughby. Special Thanks to Marissa Hurwitz, Josh Upfal, David Raphael, Nina Cwik, J. Hope Stein, and Oona. Music by Jack Antonoff and Bleachers Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.  Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.   

Working It Out: Screenwriting Advice You’ll Actually Use

In this compendium episode, John and Craig demystify the the relationship between writers and the people who represent them, looking at how to acquire, work with and (if necessary) fire your agents and managers. How do you get an agent or a manager? What are they looking for in a potential client? What frustrates them? How do you position yourself for success? And what should you be looking for in an agent? How should they treat their clients? What is in their job description? How do you navigate disagreements, and what are best practices for when you have to part ways? In our bonus segment for premium members, John discusses how and why he changed his mind and signed with his first-ever manager just a few weeks ago. Links:  Episode 2 – How to get an agent and/or manager  Episode 172 – Franz Kafka’s brother, and the perfect agent  Episode 7 – Firing a manager, and trying new software  How ‘Go,’ the Wildest, Druggiest, Horniest Cult Movie of 1999 Got Made (And Almost Didn’t) by Paul Schrodt for GQ Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram John August on Threads, Instagram and Twitter John on Mastodon Outro by James Llonch (send us yours!) This episode’s segments were originally produced by Stuart Friedel. Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.  Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

643 - Agents and Managers 101

Why are things so rough in Hollywood right now? John and Craig look at the industry’s current contraction, its historical analogues, and offer suggestions for what might fix it. We also follow up on streaming ad breaks and New York accents, before answering listener questions on being paralyzed, whether it’s by your second draft or writing professional emails. In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig wonder what to do with their digital lives once they’ve shuffled off this mortal coil, and how do you keep it from getting creepy? Links:   The Life and Death of Hollywood by Daniel Bessner for Harpers  One weird trick for fixing Hollywood by Max Read Moloch Trap Lola Dupre Codenames Duet 2 Kings 2:23-24 Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram John August on Threads, Instagram and Twitter John on Mastodon Outro by Ben Singer (send us yours!) Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.  Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.

642 - It’s Brutal Out Here

  John and Craig investigate what characters know and how we know they know what they know. It’s something that can be as confusing as that last sentence was, but they offer clear guidance on building informed characters, audience expectations, and how to get everybody on the same page. We also look at how ad breaks in streaming are interrupting established act breaks. But first we follow up on AI transcription and character voice, and answer listener questions on authentic depictions and how to ask for a WGA contract. In our bonus segment for premium members, how should you act when you meet a famous person? John and Craig have big (but well-concealed) feelings. Links:  Do I Sound Gay? Documentary International Dialects of English Archive Accent Tag on YouTube Chilean beer ads in Star Wars Letter Jam TacticalMap  Fallout on Prime Video Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Threads and Instagram John August on Threads, Instagram and Twitter John on Mastodon Outro by Nica Brooke (send us yours!) Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli.  Email us at ask@johnaugust.com You can download the episode here.         

567 - No Stars, Please

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