meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Scriptnotes Podcast

578 - Any Given Wednesday

Scriptnotes Podcast

John August

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

4.8 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 13 December 2022

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

John welcomes writer/producers Al Gough and Miles Millar (Smallville, Shanghai Noon, Into the Badlands) to discuss their process of discovering new stories within familiar worlds, like in their Addams Family hit series Wednesday.

We discuss casting actors, shooting overseas, and the difference between writers’ block and story block. We also answer listener questions on one-pagers and whether aspiring screenwriters should focus on feature or television writing samples.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John asks Al and Miles their thoughts on film school and what decisions they’d make if they had to go back.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hey, this is John heads up that today's episode has just a little bit of swearing in it.

0:06.0

Hello, and welcome. My name is John August and this episode 578 of Script Notes, a podcast about screenwriting and things

0:12.0

That are interesting to screenwriters

0:14.0

Often when we have guests on the show, I am meeting them for the first time right before we start recording

0:17.6

My guest today I've known for almost 30 years, which is impossible

0:20.8

Al Goth and Miles Miller are the writer producers known for Smallville, Shanghai, New, Into the Badlands and Injusly and other movies and TV series

0:27.2

Their latest is the Netflix hit series Wednesday. Welcome, Alan Miles. Good to see you. Absolutely great

0:33.6

So we actually went to film school together a thousand years ago. Yes, we did

0:38.6

1992 and I decided to so I want to get into a little bit of that and maybe in our bonus type of let's talk about film schools because Craig hates film schools

0:46.2

But it was actually incredibly important for the three of us. Yeah, we can get the other side of film school and whether we do it again

0:52.0

Yeah, well, yeah, I think the answer for all of us is yes

0:55.0

Yeah, I think I think it would be yes, but I might do it differently this time

0:59.2

So we'll see sort of what we're getting to that. That'll be a bonus segment

1:02.2

But for you guys right now, I really want to start by contrasting I

1:06.9

Remember as your whole career began so usually this would be the point where I would ask you to do an origin story

1:12.2

Well, let me see if I can give the origin story for Alan Miles and see how much of it get right and what stuff I get wrong

1:17.1

All right, so Al Goth before you came out for film school

1:21.3

You were working someplace in the east coast you went to Washington University. No, I went to no went to Catholic University

1:27.8

I was watching DC. Yeah, yeah, okay. Yeah, you came out to start with the intention of becoming a producer correct

1:34.2

Great mouse Miller you came from the UK you would been working in London before then yep

1:39.4

And you came into the program a start program at USC with intention of being a producer

1:43.8

Did you also know you're gonna write well? I didn't know what I was gonna do right?

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from John August, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of John August and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.