Scriptnotes Podcast John August and Craig Mazin

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 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 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 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.

John and Drew discuss the WGA’s Pattern of Demands for the 2023 MBA negotiation. In order to best understand what the WGA is asking for, John explains each bullet point in detail and helps to define terms such as mini-rooms, span, new media, and two-step deals.
Links:
Find more about the WGA negotiations here at WGAContract2023.org WGA Seeks Approval of ‘Pattern of Demands’ for Upcoming Studio Negotiations by Gene Maddaus for Variety Scriptnotes Episode 407: Understanding Your Feature Contract Scriptnotes Episode 553: Adapting Station Eleven Scriptnotes Episode 546: Limited Series 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 honor of our producer Megana Rao’s departure, John and Craig discuss how to retool a long-running show when a beloved character leaves. How should writers think about replacing them, and does it have to change the fundamental dynamics?
We also follow up on staffing while pregnant, working with child actors, and European script consultants. We then answer listener questions about contributing to ideas as an assistant, selling a show in the room, and writing under pseudonyms.
In our bonus segment for premium members, we dive into the wild and wondrous world of online prescription services.
Links:
Woman who poisoned lookalike with cheesecake to steal identity convicted from The Guardian ‘The Last of Us’ Featurette with Keivonn Woodard from HBO The Fleishman Effect: In a city of Rachels and Libbys, the FX show has some New York moms worried they’re the ones in trouble by Caitlin Moscatello for The Cut 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 John on Mastodon Outro by David Kawale (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 discuss a doppelgänger murder, the true life of a Hollywood rebel, an unexpected roadtrip, and more in this week’s installment of How Would This Be A Movie, where we analyze how stories in the news would translate onscreen.
We also follow up on Chat GPT, Celebrity Jeopardy, and writing in other people’s voices. We then answer an embarrassed listener’s question on unfavorable movie reviews.
In our bonus segment for premium members, we discuss overpowered characters in D&D and how character strengths factor into our own writing.
 
Links:
‘Doppelganger murder’: Woman accused of killing Instagram lookalike in plot to fake her own death By Andy Eckardt and Aina J. Khan for NBC The Godfather, Saudi-Style by Anuj Chopra for the Guardian The Last Days of Nikki Finke by Jacob Bernstein for the NYT The Nun and the Monk who fell in Love and Married by Aleem Maqbool for BBC 13 stranded strangers went on a road trip. Here’s what happened by Francesca Street for CNN ‘Nothing, Forever’ Is An Endless ‘Seinfeld’ Episode Generated by AI by Chloe Xiang for Vice Manta Sleep Mask 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 John on Mastodon Outro by Timothy Lenko (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.