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Scriptnotes Podcast

664 - Hollywood Got Old

Scriptnotes Podcast

John August

Screenwriter, Tv & Film, Writing, John, Screenwriting, August, Craig, Screenplay, Mazin

4.8 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 5 November 2024

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

John and Craig look at how writers (and other humans) handle the anxiety of uncertainty, from election nights to green lights. We’ll talk through strategies for navigating situations where your circle of concern doesn’t match your circle of control.

Then we travel back to the 1980s and 90s, when many studios were run by ambitious strivers in their late 20s and early 30s. As the decades have passed, the players in these positions have held onto their posts, leaving the next generation stuck mid-ladder. We discuss what impact the aging of Hollywood has had on its output, and where the new guard might find an opening.

We also ask, is development wage theft? And answer listener questions on reusing material written for a different project, and the cost-plus model of production.

And in our bonus topic for premium members, what aspects of pandemic life have we incorporated into our daily routines?

Links:

Email us at [email protected]

You can download the episode here.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hello and welcome. My name is John August. My name is Craig Mason. And you're listening to

0:06.4

episode 664 of Script Notes, a podcast about screenwriting and things that are interesting to

0:11.0

screenwriters. Today on the show, how do you handle the anxiety of uncertainty? At times in life,

0:16.6

particularly in this industry, you're waiting around for an answer that's going to have a direct

0:20.3

impact on you.

0:21.3

We'll talk through strategies for navigating those situations.

0:24.3

Then, Craig, do you want to feel old?

0:26.1

The president of production at New Line is 27.

0:29.5

That guy at Fox, the one person, 28.

0:32.2

Paramount Studio Chief is 31, and by the time he's 35, he'll be the chairman of Disney.

0:38.6

Craig, does that surprise you?

0:44.8

It doesn't surprise me. It delights me because the odds that all of those people have been listening to script notes for the last 10 years is pretty high. I've always said, this gig is our best job insurance.

0:51.7

Well, Craig, unfortunately, we have traveled back in time secretly because that was actually

0:55.9

true in the 80s and 90s because all those people are well-known names you recognize,

1:00.4

like Jeffrey Katzenberg or Mike Duluca, you know, those folks were all running these

1:05.5

studios when they were in their 20s and early 30s and they were no longer doing that.

1:09.1

Now Hollywood is run by folks in their 50s 60s 70s

1:13.8

basically nothing changed those people that came a lot you know john when we started in the 90s

1:22.0

it did feel like there was maybe it's generational there was this group of 20-somethings coming in going.

1:28.3

That was my start class coming into the industry.

1:29.9

Everybody get out of our way.

1:31.1

We're taking this.

...

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