Episode Details

John and Craig ask, are screenwriters just oral storytellers who happen to write things down? They compare the literate and oral markers of the medium, how it separates screenplays from other literary forms, and consider whether screenplays are just one long pitch.

We also look at the upcoming WGA member meetings, follow up on having enough time in the edit bay, Steve Jobs, Eva Victor, justifiable Dad pride, and answer listener questions on deliverables and what makes a script "undeniable."

In our bonus segment for premium members, we look at the incredible slate of upcoming movies and make predictions for the 2026 box office.

Links:

• Steve Jobs' email to himself
• How Will the Miracle Happen Today? by Kevin Kelly
• Havelock's orality tester
• Quantum computing for lawyers by JP Aumasson
• Swoop
• Inhibiting a master regulator of aging regenerates joint cartilage in mice by Krista Conger
• The Sheep Detectives trailer
• Get your copy of the Scriptnotes book!
• Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt!
• Check out the Inneresting Newsletter
• Become a Scriptnotes Premium member, or gift a subscription
• Subscribe to Scriptnotes on YouTube
• Scriptnotes on Instagram
• John August on Bluesky and Instagram
• Outro by Jennifer Lucy Cook (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.