Scriptnotes is a podcast about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters, hosted by John August and Craig Mazin. It is one of the most popular podcasts on iTunes, and is approaching its 250th episode.[1][2]
The show's popularity can be put down to two main factors: its honesty about a profession rarely covered publicly, and the interplay between the two hosts.
While screenwriting is a well-known, seemingly glamorous profession, the reality is that only 1,500 people in the United States make a regular living from it, and almost all of them live in the hub of the movie industry in Los Angeles. There are a large number of services and paid-for events that purport to offer guidance and advice on how to become a screenwriter - services that the hosts are sharply critical of, decrying them as a waste of time and money. Likewise most scriptwriting contests. In contrast, John and Craig provide straight, no-nonsense advice and, on occasion, searingly honest appraisal of the industry and people's chances of "making it".
What could be a dull podcast is enlivened by the contrast in the two presenters' personalities, dry humor, and their willingness to challenge one another. John August, who largely writes fantasy movies, is unerringly polite and positive while Craig Mazin - a sharp-edged comedy writer - identifies himself as a grouch and someone people have to grow to like. They will often relate opposing viewpoints on screenwriting issues and then explore why they disagree, sometimes gently chiding the other. It makes for a highly listenable show.
Recurring Segments
Three-page challenge
Aspiring screenwriters are encouraged to send in three pages of their screenplay - almost always the first three - to be critiqued. The scripts vary widely in tone, style and genre. Links to the screenplays are provided in the show notes so listeners can read them and then listen to their comments. Typically three are tackled in one show. Those that have had their screenplays subjected to John and Craig's critical eyes have typically thanked them from the feedback, which has ranged from congratulatory to despairing. The three-page challenge is a particularly useful segment for screenwriters as it provides sharp insights into unproduced screenplays; lessons easily applied to your own project. The segment was first announced with a call for submissions in episode 45[3] and the first critiques debuted the next week in episode 46.[4]
One Cool Thing
One Cool Thing is a weekly segment that occurs at the end of each episode. John, Craig, and their guests will each give a plug to someone or something they deem cool. The cool things vary greatly. The segment dates back to May 2012, when John officially started it at the end of episode 35.[5] Since then he has been a faithful participant. Craig's participation was suspect for a time, most notably during a six-week stretch that began in August 2012, but since then he has overcome his umbrage-tinted glasses and regularly found something in the world worth praising every week.
How Would This Be a Movie?
In this newer segment of the show, John and Craig pull a few current stories from the news and discuss if and how those stories could be adapted into feature films. The discussion often includes brainstorming several different genres and approaches a perspective writer could take on the story, discussing how to collapse or expand the details of the story to fit a feature film, and determining which of the week's stories, if any, have any serious potential as a future film. The segment debuted in episode 201, when the stories included scandals in FIFA, the Large Hadron Collider, and sexual assault on college campuses.[6]
- ^ http://johnaugust.com/podcast
- ^ http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/scriptnotes-podcast/id462495496
- ^ http://johnaugust.com/2012/setting-perspective-and-terrible-numbers
- ^ http://johnaugust.com/2012/mistakes-development-executives-make
- ^ http://johnaugust.com/2012/the-disney-dilemma
- ^ http://johnaugust.com/2015/how-would-this-be-a-movie