In this mini-episode, John and Drew discuss the results of the Strike Authorization Vote, and what’s next for negotiations.

We also answer a listener question asking how preWGA writers can show support during a possible strike.

Links:

• Strike Authorization Results
• Find more about the 2023 WGA negotiations here at WGAContract2023.org
• John on Twitter, Instagram and Mastodon
• Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

John and Craig look at another set of incredible news stories and ask, How Would This Be a Movie? Stories include an AI love service, an inventor with good intentions who doomed our planet, a fake Aretha Franklin, and a multi-million dollar nut heist.

We also follow up on heroic names and answer listener questions about researching your story.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig lie awake and wonder — what happens to our work after we die?

Links:

• artificial-intelligence-chatbot-replika-boyfriend.html"> The Man of Your Dreams by Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz for The Cut
• inventor.html">The Brilliant Inventor Who Made Two of History’s Biggest Mistakes by Steven Johnson for The New York Times Magazine
• woman-found-puerto-rico.html?smid=em-share"> Pennsylvania Woman Who Disappeared in 1992 Is Found Alive in Puerto Rico by Eduardo Medina for the New York Times
• The Counterfeit Queen of Soul by Jeff Maysh for Smithsonian
• The Curious Case of the Disappearing Nuts by Peter Vigneron for Outside
• petrzela-fitness.html"> A History Professor Takes On Hollywood by Katherine Rosman for the New York Times
• This Isn’t Going to End Well: The True Story of a Man I Thought I Knew by Daniel Wallace
• writing-randall-kenan-novel-survivors.html"> Posthumously by Daniel Wallace
• The Last of Us: Soundtrack From the Series by David Fleming & Gustavo Santaolalla
• Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
• Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
• Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription!
• Craig Mazin on Instagram
• John August on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• John on Mastodon
• Outro by Orpheus (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.

Writer and director Richard LaGravenese joins Craig for an in-depth analysis of his 1994 comedy classic screenplay, THE REF. Together, Craig and Richard dig into the rules of farce, making hyper-verbal characters work, and the difference between a main character and a protagonist.

We also discuss how to write compelling monologues, engineering a character’s catharsis, and why coffee really is better with cake.

In our bonus segment for premium members, Craig and Richard discuss why it’s often so hard for men to make – and keep – close friends.

Links:

• The Ref on YouTube, Amazon and IMDb
• Richard LaGravenese on IMDb
• shared.s3.amazonaws.com/static/pdf/Henry_Red_Chief.pdf"> The Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry
• The Ref’s Opening Scene
• 201912.pdf">Puzzled Pint’s Code Sheet
• Levain Bakery
• Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
• Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
• Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription!
• Craig Mazin on Instagram
• John August on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• John on Mastodon
• Outro by Matt Davis (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.

John returns from the negotiating room to chat with Drew about the upcoming Strike Authorization Vote. What does Strike Authorization actually mean? How do WGA members vote? And what can writers do this week before voting begins?

We also answer a question from a listener wrestling with their fears of a potential strike.

Links:

• Find complete information for the Strike Authorization Vote here.
• Find more about the 2023 WGA negotiations here at WGAContract2023.org
• John on Twitter, Instagram and Mastodon
• Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

In an extensive deep-dive, John and Craig attempt to create the definitive explanation of screenwriting credits. How are they determined? Who has copyright? And what really happens when a screenplay goes to arbitration?

In our bonus segment for premium members, we look back on the 2023 awards season and pitch a potential awards show of our own.

Links:

• WGA Additional Literary Material Credit
• Scriptnotes, Ep 20: How credit arbitration works
• Jurassic World Script Credits Resolved; Helmer Colin Trevorrow Speaks On Arbitration Process on Deadline
• Big Fish poster
• WGAw Screen Credits Manual
• WGAw Credits Department contact information
• WGAw residuals look up
• Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
• Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
• Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription!
• Craig Mazin on Instagram
• John August on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• John on Mastodon
• Outro by Rajesh Naroth (send us yours!)
• Scriptnotes is produced by Stuart Friedel and Drew Marquardt, and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

John and Craig host another round of the Three Page Challenge where they look at listener pages and offer feedback on what’s working and how to avoid common pitfalls. They discuss writing gore, finding your tone, and introducing a character’s problem.

We also follow up on villains, pirates and European script consultants. We then ponder a long-nagging question: why do all action heroes have names that begin with J?

In our bonus segment for premium members, we talk about our experiences with anesthesia and how people are knocked out in The Last of Us.

Links:

• Has Anyone Ever Actually Tied a Damsel in Distress to a Railway Track? by Karl Smallwood
• Pirating the Oscars 2023: The Final Curtain Call by Andy Baio
• wick-james-bond-action-heroes-j-names.html"> Why Are All Action Heroes Named Jack, James, or John? by Demetria Glace for Slate
• Follow along with our Three Page Challenge Selections: Page-Challenge.pdf&form-id=1&field-id=4&hash=0ef4e278ecbe1687ad1a36c0a96f0e3b01a8d282ed17845879114ca368c0cfcd">Flotsam by Sam Darcy, Sockfoot by Jesse Allard, and Spark by Rachel Thomas
• Pijja Palace
• how I found the ‘so no head’ vine road in 15 minutes by RAINBOLT
• Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
• Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
• Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription!
• Craig Mazin on Instagram
• John August on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• John on Mastodon
• Outro by Richie Molyneux (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.

John and Craig welcome back writer/producer Megana Rao to discuss techniques to explain what happened in the world of a movie before the movie began. How do we use past events as touchstones, and how does our interpretation of events become the narrative in our culture?

Then Megana tells us her story of getting staffed. How does a new writer join the WGA, and what is expected of a writer on your first day? She also answers listener questions and shares advice she’s learned from her time on our show.

In our bonus segment for premium members, Megana introduces John and Craig to Get Ready With Me videos.

Links:

• How to Become a Member of the WGA
• Conceiving the 2000s by Noah Smith
• Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy by James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams
• The Romantics on Netflix
• vertical-ergonomic-mouse-mac.910-006471.html?&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Paid-Search&utm_campaign=Dialect_FY23_Q4_USA_LO_Logi_DTX-Logitech-Mac_Google_na&gclid=CjwKCAiAu5agBhBzEiwAdiR5tNB44Kqgo3rP9iFY1dYBXRKyxkrUCdDT7nmVvN7TXM-p4SK6A6QlLBoCBy4QAvD_BwE"> Logitech Lift Vertical Mouse
• Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
• Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
• Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription!
• Craig Mazin on Instagram
• John August on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• John on Mastodon
• Outro by Lex Kornelis (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.

John and Craig twirl their mustaches and discuss what motivates our villains. Why does past trauma lead some characters to become villains, while others become heroes? What separates good and evil, and what makes a villain great?

We also celebrate Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy TV special, and follow up on office phones, #PayUpHollywood, and American military influence in film.

In our bonus segment for premium members, we discuss Craig’s new tattoo of Ellie’s switchblade, and our first tattoo experiences.

Links:

• Amtel Systems
• xpm-2011-aug-21-la-ca-military-movies-20110821-story.html"> The U.S. military’s Hollywood connection by Rebecca Keegan for Los Angeles Times
• How E-girl influencers are trying to get Gen Z into the military by Günseli Yalcinkaya for DAZED
• Warren Beatty Appears in Bizarre Dick Tracy TCM Special in Apparent Film-Rights Ploy by Dan Clarendon
• The 1000 Deaths of Wile E. Coyote by T.B.D.
• Why do good people do bad things? by Daniel Effron
• Why some people are willing to challenge behavior they see as wrong despite personal risk by Catherine A. Sanderson
• WGAw Late Pay Desk
• The Puzzling Gap Between How Old You Are and How Old You Think You Are by Jennifer Senior for The Atlantic
• Tattoo artist Yeono
• Craig’s Tattoo
• Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
• Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
• Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription!
• Craig Mazin on Instagram
• John August on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• John on Mastodon
• Outro by Dilo Gold (send us yours!)
• Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt with help from Chris Csont and edited by Matthew Chilelli.

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

John and Craig welcome comedian, actor, writer and Jeopardy! champion Patton Oswalt to discuss joke structure and building standup specials. Patton pulls back the curtain on his writing process, how he develops a comedic premise, and earning an audience’s trust.

We also dissect M.O.D.O.K., punching up other people’s scripts, and the art of adaptation. We then answer a listener’s question about writing films that include standup comedy.

In our bonus segment for premium members, we discuss characters who keep secrets for no reas– there’s no time to explain!

Links:

• Patton Oswalt on IMDb, Twitter and Instagram
• “Wackity Schmackity Doo!” from Patton Oswalt’s Werewolves and Lollipops
• Animation of Patton’s “Christmas Shoes” joke
• “The Ham Incident” from Patton Oswalt’s Finest Hour
• M.O.D.O.K. on Hulu
• Silver Screen Fiend by Patton Oswalt
• Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Obesity by the American Academy of Pediatrics
• Dracula: The Evidence by Beehive Books
• lynskey-dear-prudence-advice-week.html"> Melanie Lynskey answers questions for Dear Prudence
• Murderers’ Row – Melanie Lynskey by Scout Tafoya
• The Unloved by Scout Tafoya for RogerEbert.com
• Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
• Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
• Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription!
• Craig Mazin on Instagram
• John August on Twitter
• John on Instagram
• John on Mastodon
• Outro by Timothy Lenko (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.