Scriptnotes 403 - How to Write a Movie John August 2020-09-12 | In this special solo episode of Scriptnotes, Craig Mazin talks through the basics of story.This episode -- along with the entire back catalogue of Scriptnotes -- is available to premium subscribers at scriptnotes.net.http://scriptnotes.netWe've had many requests from instructors for a link to this episode, which is why we're making it available here. Please credit Craig and Scriptnotes if you're using it as part of your class.Full transcript here:johnaugust.com/2019/scriptnotes-ep-403-how-to-write-a-movie-transcript
Clarifying scene geography John August 2022-07-15 | In this screenwriting video, I discuss how small choices on the page can help (or hurt) a reader's ability to understand where characters are and what's happening.Links:The original Scriptnotes conversationjohnaugust.com/2021/screenwriting-in-colorThe original version of the scenehttp://shorturl.at/buUV3Writer's revised version of the scenehttp://shorturl.at/nwE37Demo filmed versionyoutu.be/s7_z3wbhVcE
Scriptnotes 399 John August 2022-05-03 | In this special episode of Scriptnotes, John and Craig meet with a group of development executives to talk about how they give notes to writers, and advice for doing it better.This episode -- along with the entire back catalogue of Scriptnotes -- is available to premium subscribers at scriptnotes.net.http://scriptnotes.netWe've had many requests from producers and executives for a link to this episode, which is why we're making it available for everyone.Full transcript here:johnaugust.com/2019/scriptnotes-ep-399-notes-on-notes
War and Peace - M1 Speed Test John August 2020-11-25 | We looked at how fast Highland 2 opens Tolstoy's 4,132 epic, and compared the results to Pages and Microsoft Word.
Scriptnotes Writers Voting John August 2020-10-11 | John and Craig talk with Ashley Nicole Black (A Black Lady Sketch Show) and Beth Schacter (Billions) and work on filling out their LA ballots.---General Voting Infovotesaveamerica.comIn-Person Voting in Los Angeleslavote.net/home/voting-elections/voting-options/voting-in-personBallot Drop Boxes in Los Angeleslavote.net/home/voting-elections/voting-options/vote-by-mail/vbm-ballot-drop-off----Voter Guides for California and Los AngelesLeague of Women Voterslwvc.org/vote/elections/ballot-recommendationsLA Timeslatimes.com/opinion/story/2020-09-09/la-times-endorsements-november-2020-election-trump-bidenSierra Clubsierraclub.org/california/2020-endorsementsACLUaclusocal.org/en/2020ballotguideCourage Californiaprogressivevotersguide.com/californiaCalifornia Labor Federationcalaborfed.org/general-election-endorsements-2020California Democratic Partycadem.org/vote/endorsementsCalifornia Republican Partycagop.org/s/endorsementsCalifornia Chamber of Commerceadvocacy.calchamber.com/elections/ballot-measures
Scriptnotes Episode 92: The Little Mermaid John August 2020-09-12 | Craig and John discuss and dissect 1989’s THE LITTLE MERMAID, looking at both its structure and scene work.The first of Disney’s modern animated musicals, The Little Mermaid established the template for how these films are supposed to work. While it’s not perfect, it’s an ideal film for looking at how heroes and villains articulate their goals, and how screenwriters quickly establish a world and its conflicts.Join us as we discuss useless sharks, lovable dogs and possibly the best I Want song ever written. (And don’t underestimate the importance of body language.)Subscribe to Scriptnotes: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scriptnotes-podcast/id462495496Original episode: johnaugust.com/2013/the-little-mermaidTranscript: http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-ep-92-the-little-mermaid-transcript
DMs Guide to Roll20 - Part 5 - Music, Items, APIs and Carrying Things John August 2020-09-03 | Craig Mazin wraps up his explainer on Roll20 by talking through a few last details on setting up background music and giving characters items. We briefly look at additional API scripts for things like carrying torches.
DMs Guide to Roll20 - Part 4 - Initiative, Combat and Macros John August 2020-09-03 | Craig Mazin talks through how to start and track initiative, check for hits and adjust hit points. Plus a quick look at macros.
DMs Guide to Roll20 - Part 3 - PCs, Vision and Light John August 2020-09-03 | Craig Mazin explains how to add PCs and the frustrations of Roll20's legacy lighting system. Note that this was recorded in late August 2020, so some options will no doubt change.
DMs Guide to Roll20 - Part 2 - Pages, Layers and Tokens John August 2020-09-03 | Craig Mazin talks me through how you work with maps, focusing on layers and visibility. Then it's a look at creature tokens, and supplementary material in the Journal.
DMs Guide to Roll20 - Part 1 - Getting Set Up John August 2020-09-03 | Craig Mazin talks John through the basics of setting up a Roll20 campaign as a DM.
Chevaliers Local Author Summer Reading John August 2020-06-20 | John August welcomes local LA authors to discuss their summer reading picks. Guests include Stuart Gibbs, Leslie Margolis, Aline Brosh McKenna, Thomas Lennon, Sarah Mlynowski, Julie Buxbaum, Kayla Cagan and Julia Claiborne Johnson.
Scriptnotes 447 - Live Three Page Challenge John August 2020-04-11 | John and Craig welcome special guest Dana Fox as they discuss four new entries in the Three Page Challenge. After each script, we invite the writer on to tell us about the project.You can read the samples here:johnaugust.com/2020/livestreaming-the-three-page-challenge
Scriptnotes Live - Episode 445 John August 2020-04-04 | John and Craig welcome Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Ryan Reynolds to discuss writing characters that break the fourth wall. Plus we play a game about screenwriting advice.
Scriptnotes 73 - Raiders of the Lost Ark John August 2020-03-26 | John August and Craig Mazin take a deep dive into RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, looking at both its structure and scene work. Originally recorded January 2013.This amazing and iconic 1981 film established so much of what we expect of out movie heroes and set pieces — but a lot of what it does would have a hard time getting through modern studio development. Five-minute exposition scenes! Nazi monkeys! Helpless heroes at the climax!And yet it works so well. There are great lessons to be learned for screenwriters in every genre.You can find all of the back episodes on Scriptnotes Premium: scriptnotes.netOriginal episode post here:johnaugust.com/2018/raiders-of-the-lost-ark-3Full transcript here:http://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-ep-73-raiders-of-the-lost-ark-transcriptRaiders story transcript:http://moedred.livejournal.com/2009/03/04
Reading from Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire John August 2020-03-16 | As part of #OperationStorytime, author John August reads the first chapter from his book Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire. You can find it in libraries and bookstores around the US (and in 12 other languages around the world). Plus there's a terrific audiobook! Look for it wherever you find audiobooks.You can read an excerpt with the next five chapters here:johnaugust.com/arlo-finchAnd check out the trailer for the series here:youtube.com/watch?v=YA0aIKDKU_s
Scriptnotes 99 - Psychotherapy for Screenwriters John August 2020-03-12 | 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.Subscribe to the weekly Scriptnotes podcastpodcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scriptnotes-podcast/id462495496Scriptnotes Premium members can access the entire back cataloghttp://scriptnotes.netLINKS:The original episodejohnaugust.com/2013/psychotherapy-for-screenwritersThe transcripthttp://johnaugust.com/2013/scriptnotes-ep-99-psychotherapy-for-screenwriters-transcriptDennis Palumbohttp://dennispalumbo.com
Dots, Dashes and Parentheticals John August 2019-07-05 | In this screenwriting video, I discuss how to show characters interrupting each other, or otherwise not waiting for their time to speak in screenplay dialogue format.While I say that there are no hard-and-fast rules, there are definitely conventions. Most scripts you read in 2019 follow these patterns in dots and dashes.
Arlo Finch - Series Trailer John August 2018-10-04 | When Arlo Finch moves to the mountains of Colorado, he discovers the forest outside his town is magic. With the help of his friends in the Rangers, he must learn to navigate the mysterious Long Woods, and confront the otherworldly forces intent on killing him.http://arlofinchbooks.comseries written by John Augustpublished by Roaring Brook/Macmillan (US/Canada) and Avilda (Denmark), Natur & Kultur (Sweden), Arena Verlag (Germany), Milan (France), Gyldendal (Norway), Luitingh-Sijthoff (Netherlands), Jaguar (Poland), Astrel (Brazil), Mondadori (Italy), Nemira (Romania), Dani Book (Israel)video by John Augustmusic by Matthew Chilellispecial thanks to Cormac Gilvary
Highland 2 - Were All Writers John August 2018-05-12 | Highland 2 is designed to be fast and flexible. It's a better way to write.
Speed Test: Word vs Pages vs iA Writer vs Highland 2 John August 2018-05-03 | When working with a large plain-text document -- in this case, Tolstoy's WAR AND PEACE -- which writing app opens the file fastest?I've written two novels in Highland 2, so I was pretty sure it would do well, but I was surprised by the final results.This video includes music:Never Give Up by Nicolai Heidlas | nicolai-heidlas.comMusic promoted by free-stock-music.comAttribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Killing the Blues John August 2017-11-13 | Scriptnotes co-host Craig Mazin sings "Killing the Blues," written by Rowland Salley.Craig originally recorded this track for Episode 109 of Scriptnotes, but it was omitted from the archived version. We're putting here so everyone can enjoy it -- and so Mr. Salley can get some royalties."Killing the Blues" has been notably covered by John Prine, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Shawn Colvin and many other artists.
Rise - Lyric Video (Instrumental) John August 2017-09-18 | lyrics by John August music by Sam Davisarrangement by Sam Davis with additional instrumentation by Matthew ChilelliLyrics and more information at http://johnaugust.com/riseSheet music at http://samdavismusic.com
Rise - Lyric Video John August 2017-09-18 | As sung by Curt Hansen lyrics by John August music by Sam Davisarrangement by Sam Davis with additional instrumentation by Matthew ChilelliLyrics and more information at http://johnaugust.com/riseSheet music at http://samdavismusic.com
Editing Scriptnotes John August 2016-05-12 | Scriptnotes editor Matthew Chilelli recorded his screen while editing episode 248. The full session took over two hours, so we're speeding it up here to focus on a few of his edits. Mostly, it's cutting out pauses and "ums" but you'll also see where we dropped a whole segment and re-recorded the intro because of it.Craig and I record separately over Skype, so the first part is Matthew joining up and syncing the two tracks.Other trivia: I mistakenly recorded this as being "episode 249" when it's actually 248. So Matthew had to go back and put in a fix.
Whiplash - Family Dinner John August 2015-11-17 | This scene from Damien Chapelle's Whiplash is discussed in episode 224 of the Scriptnotes podcast. Pay particular attention to how effortlessly Chazelle sets up the dynamic between Andrew's father and uncle, and how the scene's blocking keeps the focus (and eyelines) centered on Andrew.
Whiplash Script vs Screen John August 2015-11-17 | As discussed on episode 224 of the Scriptnotes podcast, this scene from Damien Chazelle's Whiplash shows how the conflict was built on the page, and details that changed during filming and editing. You can find the episode here: http://johnaugust.com/2015/whiplash-on-paper-and-on-screenPay particular attention to verb tenses. Fletcher (JK Simmons) moves a lot of things into the past. A big chunk is lifted from the back half of the scene, likely because it doesn't focus directly on Andrew and Fletcher's relationship in the present and future.You can find the Scriptnotes podcast on iTunes.The text is from the Whiplash script made available during award season.
Writer Emergency Pack time-lapse John August 2014-12-17 | Over three days in December 2014, we shipped out 8,000 Writer Emergency Packs.Music from FreeStockMusic.com
Development Emergency John August 2014-11-10 | Vineet Dewan offers suggestions for how development executives can use the Writer Emergency Pack.
Writer Emergency Pack - Kickstarter Intro John August 2014-11-04 | John August and Ryan Nelson introduce Writer Emergency Pack, a deck full of useful ideas to help get your story unstuck.
Scanning scripts on your iPhone with Weekend Read and Prizmo John August 2014-02-20 | How to go from a printed screenplay to a script in Weekend Read, using just your iPhone. It's not even close to perfect, but the fact it works at all is amazing.
The Nines - Script vs. Storyboard vs. Shot John August 2013-12-01 | A comparison of scenes from The Nines, looking at what I wrote, what we storyboarded, and what we ended up shooting.Storyboards by Vincent Lucido.
God (1998 short film) John August 2013-12-01 | Short film written and directed by John August, starring Melissa McCarthy. Eight years later, Melissa and I made a follow-up film (The Nines) in which she plays the same character.
The Remnants (2008) John August 2013-12-01 | Pilot written and directed by John August, starring Ze Frank, Justine Bateman, Michael Cassidy, Ben Falcone, Amanda Walsh and Ernie Hudson. Produced by Dan Etheridge and Matt Byrne.
Why I Like Writing in Fountain John August 2013-11-27 | As a screenwriter, I prefer writing in plain-text Fountain rather than 1991-style screenwriting apps like Final Draft or Celtx. In this video, I explain some reasons why Fountain is simpler, faster and better.Links:http://fountain.iohttp://quoteunquoteapps.com/highland
How to convert PDF to Final Draft (without Highland, using Reader) John August 2013-11-20 | This screencast tutorial shows you how to convert screenplay PDFs to Final Draft using a method shown on Final Draft's website.
How to convert a PDF to Final Draft (with Highland) John August 2013-11-15 | This screencast tutorial shows you how to convert screenplay PDFs into Final Draft using the Highland app for Mac.
How to convert PDFs to Final Draft (without Highland) John August 2013-11-15 | A screencast tutorial in how to convert screenplay PDFs to Final Draft. The Highland app for Mac makes this much easier, but if you're on a PC or for some other reason can't use Highland, this is probably your next best choice.
Screenwriters Hate Cell Phones John August 2013-10-11 | A short look at the ways screenwriters try to get rid of cell phones in movies, based in part on richfofo's terrific No Signal supercut. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIZVcRccCx0HD cut by zig of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Entering a scene John August 2009-04-28 | Screencast lesson from screenwriter John August on how to enter a scene with more impact. More info can be found at johnaugust.com.
Writing better action John August 2009-04-11 | Screencast lesson from screenwriter John August on writing better action beats. More info can be found at johnaugust.com.
Writing better scene description John August 2009-04-05 | Screenwriter John August works through a scene to improve the scene description. You learn much more about screenwriting at johnaugust.com.
Alaska: The Satchel Boy John August 2009-01-27 | A snippet from the pilot for Alaska (a/k/a The Circle), an ABC pilot created by John August, directed by Kim Manners.
The Nines - Official Trailer (US) John August 2007-08-31 | The trailer for The Nines, starring Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis and Melissa McCarthy. Written and directed by John August.
A Medical Situation John August 2007-07-26 | Clip from The Nines, featuring Ryan Reynolds. In theaters 8/31/07.
A Videogame God John August 2007-07-26 | Clip from The Nines, featuring Ryan Reynolds and Hope Davis. In theaters 8/31/07.
Kill Off The Hero John August 2007-07-25 | Clip from The Nines, featuring Ryan Reynolds. In theaters 8/31/07.
The Road John August 2007-07-19 | The main road in Mulanje, Malawi -- the only paved road. This gives some sense of how vital it is. Everyone uses is: cars, pedestrians and bikes.
Thank You/Days of My LIfe John August 2007-07-19 | Also on the road to church, the choir sang a second song. This one got stuck in my head for days.
