Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast
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137 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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DZ-84: Choices & Decisions 1 - Booksmart
30 oktober 2021 · 1 uur 13 min
Listen how the separation of choice, decision, and consequence (for a character) creates emotional impact. Lees meer
In order to better understand dramatising of character, Chas and Stu take a very draft zero look at very specific tool: choices and decisions. We analyse three films through the decisions made by their characters. In particular, how the audience understanding of: the choice available, the considered decision itself, and the consequence changes how we feel about these characters. And how separating those three things can create different emotional effects on your audience.
We debate this in the episode, but this is the terminology we settle on:
CHOICE: Are the options presented to the character.
DECISION: Is the knowing consideration of the choice and resulting action.
CONSEQUENCE: is the resulting outcome from the choice.
Part 1 (this part) establishes what we mean by choice and decision, and then takes a deep dive into BOOKSMART, directed by Olivia Wilde, and written by Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins and Susanna Fogel. We all discuss FLEABAG, SEVEN, and old favourite, Star Wars.
Part 2 will turn our analytical eye on THE FAREWELL and WRATH OF MAN.
Thanks to Chris for editing this episodes.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Thomas, Garrett, Bjorn, Randy, Jesse, Theis, Sandra and Khrob.
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CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:01:36 – Choices vs Decisions
00:19:51 – Booksmart
01:01:41 – Decisions & Structure
01:05:50 – Mills' decision in Se7en
01:07:50 – Key Learnings and Wrap Up
FILMS
BOOKSMART (2019) — (w) Sarah Haskins, Emily Halpern, Katie Silberman, Susanna Fogel (d) Olivia Wilde
SE7EN (1995) — (w) Andrew Kevin Walker (d) David Fincher
STAR WARS (1977) — (w) George Lucas
THE FAREWELL (2019) — (w) Lulu Wang
WRATH OF MAN (2021) — (w) Ivan Atkinson, Marn Davies, Guy Ritchie (d) Guy Ritchie
SHOWS
FLEA…
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DZ-83: A Very Thematic Stand-up Special!
8 september 2021 · 2 uur 32 min
Listen if you want to understand how stand-up comedians grip audiences and build emotional arcs (and what narrative tools screenwriters can borrow from comedy)! Lees meer
Standup comedians can keep audiences gripped to their every word for over an hour, and often bring them to emotional climaxes by the end. So how do they do it and what tools can apply to scripted narratives?
For this deep dive into standup, Stu and Chas are joined by the super-talented comic and podcaster Alice Fraser. Which is rather fortuitous. Because not only are we schooled on comedy techniques, but because Alice also has a Masters in Narrative Rhetoric.
So as we dive in to NANETTE by Hannah Gadsby, BABY COBRA by Ali Wong and IT’S THE FIREWORKS TALKING by Daniel Kitson (with more than a passing reference to Alice’s own show SAVAGE and INSIDE by Bo Burnham), we analyse narrative structure, transitions, set-ups and pay-offs used by stand-ups…
But we end up focusing on exploring thematic tools - particularly the Aristotelean concepts of the rhetorical triangle:
- logos (how the story is told); - ethos (who the storyteller is); and - pathos (how the audience emotionally engages).
With these powers combined, storytellers of all kinds can produce work of thematic power and resonance. Or just funny.
And in backmatter, we discuss adapting Savage for the recorded stage with Alice!
This episode brought to you by ScriptUp – https://www.scriptupstudio.com – use promo code DZ10 to get 10% off.
Enjoy!
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
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Watch and comment on YouTube.
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Thomas, Garrett, Bjorn, Randy, Jesse, Theis, Sandra and Khrob.
→ Read the transcript for this episode.
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"If you introduce this idea in a harmless form, then they're willing to swallow it later. When, if you presented it raw out front, they would recoil." — Alice Fraser @ 00:11:22
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CHAPTERS
00:00:…
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DZ-82: Dramatising Given Circumstances in WATCHMEN
18 augustus 2021 · 2 uur 6 min
Listen if you're drowning your readers in world-building and can't figure out how to make it awesome! Lees meer
In this final podcast release of last year’s run of LiveSoLation episodes, Chas and Stu are joined by Uber-geek Mel Killingsworth (who else?) in an epic exploration of how Dave Gibbons’ and Alan Moore’s seminal graphic novel WATCHMEN is adapted differently in Zack Snyder’s 2009 film and Damon Lindelof’s 2019 HBO television show.
For this podcast release, we focus on a single craft tool: GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES. Traditionally an acting tool, we look at how it is also a useful writing tool: how is your story world different to your audience’s lived world and how best to communicate that?
In terms of WATCHMEN (as you will hear), there is so much given circumstances to convey — in terms of alternate history, superhero rules, political rules, character backstory, character worldview — that is done excellently in both the movie and the TV show that this becomes a masterclass in exposition.
We also touch on narrative structure and tone: how presenting the exact same information in a different order or through a different tonal lens can change how it lands for an audience. But this is explored much more fully in the very-visual companion YouTube videos.
While this episode may not be for the feint of heart, we feel it is one of our best. Hope you do too. Quantity has a quality of its very own.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Watch and comment on YouTube.
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Thomas, Garrett, Bjorn, Randy, Jesse, Theis, Sandra and Khrob.
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CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:01:02 – Watching the Watchmen
00:06:13 – Summaries
00:17:07 – Given Circumstances
00:38:39 – The Characters
00:51:07 – Theme & Characters
01:02:13 – Narrative Structure & Theme
01:27:07 – Worldview
01:33:47 – Dr Manhattan
01:51:50 – Wrap Up
FILMS
WATCHMEN (2009) — (w…
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DZ-81: Pitch Decks & Look Books - Development Tools 4
30 juni 2021 · 1 uur 13 min
Listen if you're preparing to pitch a project and want to understand how to create compelling visual materials Lees meer
Chas and Stu are joined by writer/director/producer/multi-hyphenate Marc Furmie of Rezistor Studios to talk all things pitch decks and look books. Coming from an advertising and music video background, Marc shares his experience in putting together visual materials to pitch a project. We discuss the difference between pitch decks and lookbooks, how they help you sell your projects, what buyers are looking for, television vs features, and how do we make yours better?
This is a podcast cutdown of the live stream that was done with Marc. So if you'd like to see what we are discussing (including a critique of a listener's pitch deck) then check out our YouTube recording: https://youtu.be/T5u1uzKNVQs.
Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Watch and comment on YouTube.
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
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LINKS
YouTube: DZ-81: Pitch Decks & Look Books (Full Video)
Read: Rezistor Studios
Website: Eagle Image Library
Website: Adobe Fonts
Website: Da Font
EPISODES IN THE DEVELOPMENT TOOLS SERIES
DZ-106: How do you know if you have enough story?
DZ-71: Treatments & Loglines - Development Tools 1
DZ-72: Theme & The Story Synopsis - Development Tools 2
DZ-81: Pitch Decks & Look Books - Development Tools 4
DZ-73: Selling documents - Development Tools 3
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More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.
If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.
We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.
Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2021/dz-81/
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DZ-80: Interweaving Timelines 3 - Little Women
31 mei 2021 · 2 uur 11 min
Listen to explore non-chronological structures can make work thematically resonant. Lees meer
In our final part, part 3, of our Interweaving Timelines series, we — Chas, Stu & Mel — take a deep dive into Greta Gerwig's 2019 adaptation of Little Women. In her adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's iconic novels, Greta chose to interweave the seperate timelines of Little Women and it's sequel, Good Wives, to create a thematically and emotionally potent work. This differs from all the other adaptations, which have chosen to keep the chronological storytelling of the source material.
We compare Gerwig's choices and their resulting effects with Gilliam Armstrong & Robin Swicord's more faithful (and chronological) 1994 version. It's almost like a scientific experiment!
Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Randy, Garrett, Bjorn, Jessie, Khrob and Sandra.
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CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:00:37 – ScriptUp Sponsorship
00:02:00 – Little Women - 2019 vs 1994
00:06:35 – 2019's Interweaving Timelines
00:15:29 – Summarising the plot points
00:31:39 – Initial contrasts with chronological telling
00:35:32 – Laurie's Proposal
00:54:10 – Amy and Laurie's courtship
01:03:34 – Beth's Death
01:26:44 – Book burning and ice skating
01:36:51 – How the structure expresses theme
01:44:06 – Key Learnings and Wrap Up
01:59:02 – Backmatter
FILMS
LITTLE WOMEN (2019) — (w) Greta Gerwig, Louisa May Alcott (d) Greta Gerwig
LITTLE WOMEN (1994) — (w) Louisa May Alcott, Robin Swicord (d) Gillian Armstrong
SCRIPTS
Study the script: LITTLE WOMEN (2019) — Greta Gerwig, Louisa May Alcott
SHOT ZERO DEEP DIVES
Art of the Title Sequence: LITTLE WOMEN
LINKS
Listen: Scriptnotes, Ep 433: The One with Greta Gerwig
EPISODES IN THE INTERWEAVING TIMELINES SERIES
DZ-78: Interweaving Timelines 1 - Destroyer
DZ-7…
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DZ-79: Interweaving Timelines 2 - The Social Network
30 april 2021 · 1 uur 37 min
Listen to understand how manage stakes when you're using flashforwards. Lees meer
In this Part 2 of Interweaving Timelines (aka The Stu Monologue Episode), Mel, Chas and Stu tackle Sorkin/Fincher's The Social Network. As you’ll hear, it is clearly Stu’s favourite of the examples we cover and, ah, not Mel’s favourite. While all three bring their own biases and opinions on the reality of Facebook as it has become, we do manage to put the destruction of democracy to one side to actually analyse the meticulous craft that this film displays.
We analyse Sorkin’s on-the-page skill with time jumps, managing intercutting and introducing characters - as well as explore how the flash-forward technique manages the absence of stakes (i.e. we know Facebook exists) and creates a different emotional experience to the flashbacks of Destroyer. Finally, and most importantly, we look at how the interweaving timelines change how the audience feel about Mark Zuckerberg (as portrayed in this film).
Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Randy, Garrett, Bjorn, Joakim, Khrob and Sandra.
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CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:01:48 – The Social Network
00:07:36 – The flash forward structure
00:18:46 – Why did we pick this film?
00:29:41 – What are the stakes?
00:42:45 – Time jumps & transitions
00:52:59 – Audience's perception of Mark
01:00:45 – Storyteller cuts
01:09:20 – Sorkin vs Fincher
01:16:07 – Wrap up & key learnings
01:23:15 – Backmatter
FILMS
THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010) — (w) Aaron Sorkin (d) David Fincher
SCRIPTS
Study the script: THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010) — Aaron Sorkin
EPISODES IN THE INTERWEAVING TIMELINES SERIES
DZ-78: Interweaving Timelines 1 - Destroyer
DZ-79: Interweaving Timelines 2 - The Social Network
DZ-80: Interweaving Timelines 3 - Little Women
RELATED EPISODES
DZ-43: Dr…
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DZ-78: Interweaving Timelines 1 - Destroyer
1 april 2021 · 1 uur 43 min
Listen when you're writting multiple timelines and struggling to anchor your reader to one timeline's perspective. Lees meer
Stu and Chas are joined by Mel Killingsworth to dissect interweaving timelines. Not anthology films. Not Cloud Atlas. But films where two plot lines featuring the same characters, but from different timelines, are woven together.
How do you manage stakes when you know a character’s future? What questions does this prompt in the viewer? And how the hell do you orient the reader?
To answer these questions, it will take three episodes. In this Part 1, our intrepid team (and Mel’s 42 pages of homework) tackle the 2018 film DESTROYER directed by Karen Kusama, written by Hay & Manfredi and starring Nicole Kidman.
Meanwhile, Part 2 will cover THE SOCIAL NETWORK and Part 3 will compare the 1994 Gillian Armstrong version with 2019 Greta Gerwig version of LITTLE WOMEN. Whew.
Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Randy, Garrett, Bjorn, Jack, Khrob and Sandra.
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CHAPTERS
00:00:10 – Intro
00:01:46 – Interweaving Timelines?
00:14:54 – Destroyer & Timelines
00:35:28 – Indicating Timelines
00:39:21 – Ordering the Key Events
00:51:50 – Theme & Timelines
01:06:44 – Questions prompted by the ending
01:20:58 – Key Learnings & Wrap Up
01:37:37 – Backmatter
FILMS
DESTROYER (2018) — (w) Matt Manfredi, Phil Hay (d) Karyn Kusama
SCRIPTS
Study the script: DESTROYER (2018) — Matt Manfredi, Phil Hay
LINKS
Website: A Game Designer's Analysis Of QAnon
EPISODES IN THE INTERWEAVING TIMELINES SERIES
DZ-78: Interweaving Timelines 1 - Destroyer
DZ-79: Interweaving Timelines 2 - The Social Network
DZ-80: Interweaving Timelines 3 - Little Women
RELATED EPISODES
DZ-05: Shifting audience point of view and heightened emotions
DZ-46: Structure & Point of View
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More Draft Zer…
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DZ-77: Backmatter - Prioritising and choosing projects
28 februari 2021 · 1 uur 37 min
Listen if you're starting a new co-writing relationship, managing multiple projects, or wondering how to prioritize your next screenplay. Lees meer
In their now-annual full backmatter episode, Stu and Chas let their hair down, drop the guise of objectivity, and allow themselves to have an even more subjective opinion about writing and the business of writing.
In this particular Backmatter entry, they wax lyrical on deep breath: character journeys, hyperlink cinema, keeping genre fresh, beginning a new co-writing relationship, managing multiple projects, choosing your next project, and - naturally - Star Wars (and Ready or Not)
BTW the system using folders is actually from Anthony Johnston.
Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Randy, Bjorn, Garrett, Joakim, Khrob and Sandra.
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CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Intro
00:02:55 – DZ update
00:11:18 – Mooting future topics
00:39:51 – Questions to ask of a new co-writing relationship
00:49:56 – Why is pressure different to stakes and obstacles?
00:55:22 – How to manage multiple projects?
01:07:08 – How to pick your next project?
01:19:54 – The Mandalorian Season 2
FILMS
READY OR NOT (2019) — (w) Guy Busick, R Christopher Murphy (d) Tyler Gillett, Matt Bettinelli Olpin
SHOWS
THE MANDALORIAN 2x1 — (w) Jon Favreau
SCRIPTS
Study the script: READY OR NOT (2019) — Guy Busick, R Christopher Murphy
LINKS
Read: Brandon Sanderson
Read: Anthony Johnston
EPISODES IN THE BACKMATTER SERIES
DZ-17: Where's my gold-plated ensuite?
DZ-36: Backmatter - Time Risk and Fixing Movies
DZ-47: Backmatter - A Lost Jedi, White Knighting, and Writers-On-Set
DZ-57: Backmatter - Aesthetics and Forgiveness in Writing
DZ-64: Backmatter - Controlling your Work, Treatments, and Writing Styles
DZ-77: Backmatter - Prioritising and choosing projects
DZ-86: Backmatte…
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DZ-76: Spotlight on Sofia Coppola
1 februari 2021 · 1 uur 54 min
Listen to discover how Sofia Coppola crafts character performance on the page and uses whitespace to create her distinctive cinematic voice Lees meer
Following the success of the Tips from Tarantino episode, we have again decided to look at three different scripts from over the course of a long screenwriting career from a single writer to see what we can learn. Our beloved patreons not only selected Sofia Coppola as said writer, but also selected the scripts to analyse: LOST IN TRANSLATION, THE BLING RING and THE BEGUILED.
Stu and Chas are joined by repeat Draft Zero offender Melanie Killingsworth and are surprised to find that Coppola does not often write the tone or experience of her films into her scripts (given how specific her tone is and how unique the experiences of her films are). Instead, we are treated to a masterclass in writing character performance on the page - actor catnip, if you will - as well as Coppola’s insightful use of whitespace.
Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode, and to Carissa Lee for reading the script excerpts.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Watch and comment on YouTube.
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
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CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Intro
00:02:12 – Sofia Coppola & Writing to Direct
00:13:49 – Lost in Translation
00:54:07 – The Bling Ring
01:18:24 – The Beguiled
01:34:53 – Wrap Up & Key Learnings
01:45:28 – Backmatter: Cultural Portray in Lost in Translation
FILMS
LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003) — (w) Sofia Coppola
THE BLING RING (2013) — (w) Sofia Coppola
THE BEGUILED (2017) — (w) Thomas Cullinan, Sofia Coppola (d) Sofia Coppola
SCRIPTS
Study the script: LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003) — Sofia Coppola
Study the script: THE BLING RING (2013) — Sofia Coppola
Study the script: THE BEGUILED (2017) — Thomas Cullinan, Sofia Coppola
LINKS
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DZ-75: Fury Road & Visual Storytelling
31 december 2020 · 1 uur 9 min
Listen to hear how visual storytelling can carry an entire narrative with minimal dialogue. Lees meer
Stu and Chas are joined by filmmaker, podcaster and writer Lia Matthew Brownn to deep dive into FURY ROAD and its astounding visual storytelling, both on the page and on screen. We talk about setups and payoffs, given circumstances, image systems, environmental storytelling, and how the relationship between Furiosa and Max is built over the course of the story with very little dialogue (besides Tom Hardy’s grunts and the odd bellow of “MEDIOCRE!”). You can also watch the complete live stream on YouTube or just the breakdown of the Furiosa/Max fight (which isn’t in the podcast) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8uYAbEcQeQ&feature=youtu.be
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Watch and comment on YouTube.
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
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CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Intro: Fury Road & Visual Storytelling
00:01:07 – Why Fury Road?
00:06:17 – World Building & Given Circumstances
00:23:19 – World Building & Plot Points
00:30:50 – Setups & Payoffs
00:35:03 – Who is the Protagonist?
00:35:08 – Max & Furiosa's Arc
01:00:44 – Stray Observations
01:05:28 – Wrap Up
FILMS
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (2015) — (w) George Miller, Nico Lathouris, Brendan Mccarthy (d) George Miller
SCRIPTS
Study the script: MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (2015) — George Miller, Nico Lathouris, Brendan Mccarthy
LINKS
Read: Buy Lia's book! The Cinema of Survival -- Mad Max: Fury Road
Read: Cinephillia and Beyond - In Search of Our Better Selves: The Rebirth, Redemption and Road Warriors of George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road
Read: The Art of Mad Max Max Fury Road
YouTube: Breaking down the Max vs Furiosa Fight - Storyboards vs Filmed
RELATED EPISODES
DZ-33: Protagonist vs Hero - Dawn of Character Function
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More Dr…
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DZ-74: Midsommar & Folk Horror
1 december 2020 · 2 uur 2 min
Listen if you want to understand how folk horror works as a genre and how Ari Aster uses it to explore grief and toxic relationships Lees meer
Draft Zero return with their next YouTube livestream! Stu and Chas are joined by previous guest (and successful screenwriter) C.S. McMullen for a deep dive into MIDSOMMAR! We analyse the film through the lens of Folk Horror, but tackle broader topics such as horror vs dread, rising tension, transgressions, unfilmables, and portraying toxic relationships.
You can also watch the recorded live stream on YouTube.
Audio quotations used for educational purposes only. Timestamps indicated below. Chapter markers included in the mp3.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Watch and comment on YouTube.
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Stuart, Jack, Chris, Khrob and Sandra.
———
CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Intro: Misommar & Folk Horror
00:00:15 – Why Midsommar?
00:03:54 – What makes horror "folk"?
00:18:20 – The First Ritual
00:32:17 – Transgressions
01:07:32 – Grief & The Ending
01:23:18 – The May Queen
01:40:04 – Wrap Up & An Exercise
FILMS
MIDSOMMAR (2019) — (w) Ari Aster
SCRIPTS
Study the script: MIDSOMMAR (2019) — Ari Aster
LINKS
Read: Watch: Midsommar
Read: Watch: The Wicker Man
RELATED EPISODES
DZ-60: Unfilmables 1 - Engaging imagination
DZ-61: Unfilmables 2 - Moments of Awe
DZ-62: Unfilmables 3 - As Ifs & Emotional Context
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More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.
If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.
We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.
Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2020/dz-74/
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DZ-73: Selling documents - Development Tools 3
21 oktober 2020 · 39 min
Listen if you're preparing treatments, loglines, or outlines to pitch to producers or agencies. Lees meer
In developing our stories and scripts, we have probably written some combination of treatments and loglines and outlines. Some of us have probably even sent these development materials out to producers or agencies when “selling” a project — as a step towards getting someone to read or gulp produce your material. If so... have you written them differently? Should you have? You probably should have...
In this final part from the epic recording on short documents, Stephen explores how we should craft the words on the page and structure these documents differently when they are to sell the project as opposed to develop the project. Something that Chas and Stu badly need to hear, learn and apply right now.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
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Thanks to our Patrons, especially Theis, Jack, Chris, Khrob, Sandra and Matteo.
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EPISODES IN THE DEVELOPMENT TOOLS SERIES
DZ-106: How do you know if you have enough story?
DZ-71: Treatments & Loglines - Development Tools 1
DZ-72: Theme & The Story Synopsis - Development Tools 2
DZ-81: Pitch Decks & Look Books - Development Tools 4
DZ-73: Selling documents - Development Tools 3
RELATED EPISODES
DZ-71: Treatments & Loglines - Development Tools 1
DZ-72: Theme & The Story Synopsis – Development Tools 2
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More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.
If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.
We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.
Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2020/dz-73/
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DZ-72: Theme & The Story Synopsis - Development Tools 2
28 september 2020 · 1 uur
Listen tolearn concrete tools for developing theme in the early stages of your writing. Lees meer
Continuing our look at tools used in development, Chas & Stu are joined by Stephen Cleary to talk about Theme, The Thematic Logline and what Stephen calls The Story Synopsis. All are tools to help writers better understand their theme and how it is dramatised. We use the classic film WITNESS as an example, so spoilers abound.
Thanks to Meegan May for reading the examples. Meegan May is an emerging queer screenwriter and former military intelligence analyst with plenty of award winning scripts and extensive experience in development. Look her up! http://meeganmay.com
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
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CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Intro: Theme in Development
00:01:54 – The Story Synopsis
00:04:19 – Plot & Theme / Praxis & Mythos
00:11:12 – Back to the Story Synopsis
00:13:45 – Witness
00:16:09 – Thematic Logline
00:17:00 – Using the Thematic Logline in development
00:22:26 – Witness - 1st Act in Story Synopsis
00:25:46 – Witness - 2nd Act in Story Synopsis
00:28:55 – Characters, Plot & Theme
00:30:27 – Witness - Book drops his facadé
00:33:25 – Witness - 3rd Act in Story Synopsis
00:40:49 – Witness - Complete Story Synopsis
00:41:51 – Using the Story Synopsis in development
00:48:04 – Rewriting using the Story Synopsis
00:54:53 – Wrap Up
FILMS
WITNESS (1985) — (w) William Kelley, Earl W Wallace, William Kelley, Earl W Wallace, Pamela Wallace (d) Peter Weir
LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) — (w) Michael Wilson, Robert Bolt (d) David Lean
MACBETH (1971) — (w) Kenneth Tynan, Roman Polanski (d) Roman Polanski
SCRIPTS
Study the script: WITNESS (1985) — William Kelley, Earl W Wallace, William Kelley, Earl W Wallace, Pamela Wallace
Study the script:…
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DZ-71: Treatments & Loglines - Development Tools 1
1 september 2020 · 1 uur 27 min
Listen to understand why a treatment isn't something to dread, but the plot-development tool that saves you months of writing. Lees meer
Stu and Chas are joined by fan-favourite, Stephen Cleary, to NOT look at what makes great screenplays work -- but what makes great "short documents" work. We draw on Stephen Cleary's wealth of experience in developing work with writers, as a producer, as a script editor and as a former head of development.
This recording turned especially epic and so we have divided it into three parts that can be listened to in any order.
Part 1 (this part) explores the short documents and tools you can use to develop your story’s PLOT before going to script, including the Premise, the Logline, various synopses, character documents, and - of course - the dreaded Treatment… But also looks at development tools that aren’t written like: script reads, mini-shoots and animatics.
Stay tuned for :
Part 2 (DZ-71) which delves into documents that develop your story’s theme; and then
Part 3 (DZ-73) where we look at how to write short documents differently when your objective isn’t story development but rather selling your idea/project.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
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Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Theis, Jack, Chris, Khrob, Sandra and Matteo.
———
CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Intro
00:13:32 – The writing gym
00:19:32 – Animatics & Script Readings
00:28:08 – Telling your story out loud
00:31:07 – Why Treatments suck
00:36:49 – The Premise
00:44:43 – Exploring WRITTEN short docs
01:04:29 – What about non-hero's journey?
01:14:36 – Using short docs to keep going
01:21:04 – Back to the Premise
01:24:37 – Moving from Premise to Logline
01:25:33 – Stay tuned for Part 2!
EPISODES IN THE DEVELOPMENT TOOLS SERIES
DZ-106: How do you know if you have enough story?
DZ-71: Treatments & Loglines - Development Tools 1
DZ-72: Theme & The Story Synopsis - Dev…
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DZ-70: Joker & Melodrama
23 juli 2020 · 1 uur 36 min
Listen if you're writing a character whose trauma becomes the engine of your entire narrative. Lees meer
Draft Zero return with their next YouTube livestream! Stu and Chas take a deep dive into JOKER and analyse the film through the story paradigm of melodrama. Is it a melodrama? Why or why not does that matter? And does that influence how it has been written on the page?
They then answer listeners questions on JOKER and more.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Watch and comment on YouTube.
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
———
CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Intro: Joker & Melodrama
00:01:42 – What is Melodrama?
00:16:47 – Why Joker?
00:23:25 – Is Joker a Melodrama?
00:24:40 – Father & Son
00:28:00 – Penny Fleck's confession
00:41:30 – What is it like to be powerless?
00:54:35 – Bathroom Dancing
01:01:12 – The Joker Born
01:15:04 – Arthur Stands Up
01:28:42 – Listener Questions
FILMS
JOKER (2019) — (w) Scott Silver, Todd Phillips (d) Todd Phillips
SCRIPTS
Study the script: JOKER (2019) — Scott Silver, Todd Phillips
LINKS
Read: Slap Happy Larry - Tips for Writing Melodrama
Website: DZ LiVEsolation Announcments
RELATED EPISODES
DZ-67: Writing Passive Protagonists & Melodrama
———
More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.
If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.
We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.
Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2020/dz-70/
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DZ-69: PARASITE & Audience Questions
10 juni 2020 · 1 uur 23 min
Listen to understand how refusing to give your audience moral clarity can deepen their investment in character fates. Lees meer
Draft Zero return with their next YouTube livestream! Stu and Chas take a deep dive into PARASITE and how its mastery of audience questions elevates the film. They then answer listeners questions on PARASITE and much more.
If you want to watch along instead of listen, you can watch on YouTube:
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Watch and comment on YouTube.
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
→ Read the transcript for this episode.
———
CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Cold Open
00:01:37 – Introducing Parasite: Why Audience Questions Elevate the Film
00:05:36 – › How sequence questions control the audience's moment-to-moment engagement
00:09:54 – › When filmmakers withhold plot questions to force thematic reflection
00:10:08 – PARASITE'S Cast of Characters
00:12:43 – The Establishing Sequence: Introducing the Kims
00:15:21 – › How given circumstances prime audience sympathy before the plan begins
00:19:35 – › Directing and blocking as tools for revealing character intention on the page
00:23:44 – The Kims Infiltrate the Park Household
00:27:01 – › Narrative point of view and when the audience falls behind the characters
00:31:23 – › How the shift from opportunism to plan changes the audience's relationship to character
00:37:04 – › Escalating micro-questions and the fun-and-games logic of the con sequence
00:42:50 – The Kims Settle In: Character Questions Replace Plot Questions
00:47:13 – The Midpoint: What Is in the Basement
00:53:19 – The Flood: Theme Surfaces When Plot Questions Dissolve
00:56:20 – The Birthday Party and the Unresolved Bomb
00:59:04 – › Mr Kim's no-plan monologue as the film's thematic statement
01:03:44 – › How class resentment is…
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DZ-68: Using POV to structure KNIVES OUT
17 mei 2020 · 1 uur 33 min
Listen to help you master the gap between what your audience knows and what your characters know. Lees meer
Born out of isolation madness, this episode is an edited version of Draft Zero’s first YouTube livestream. Stu and Chas both watched KNIVES OUT and - together with our listeners - broke down each sequence and turning point by reference to what the audience knows in relation to the characters (aka narrative point of view). They then answer listener questions on KNIVES OUT and much else besides live on air.
If you want to watch along instead of listen, the video of the episode can be found here:
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Watch and comment on YouTube.
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Theis, Jesse, Jack, Chris, Khrob, Sandra, Nick and Matteo.
———
CHAPTERS
00:05:19 – Summary of narrative point of view and audience expectations
00:10:12 – Exploring some of Rian Johnson's word craft
00:14:15 – Micro POV shifts in the interview montage
00:21:16 – How POV shifts turn the film
00:47:22 – When to let your foot off the plot gas
00:59:46 – Backmatter / Listener Questions
FILMS
KNIVES OUT (2019) — (w) Rian Johnson
SCRIPTS
Study the script: KNIVES OUT (2019) — Rian Johnson
RELATED EPISODES
DZ-05: Shifting audience point of view and heightened emotions
DZ-46: Structure & Point of View
———
More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.
If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.
We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.
Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2020/dz-68/
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DZ-67: Writing Passive Protagonists & Melodrama
30 april 2020 · 2 uur 58 min
Listen if you want to write powerful stories centred on characters without much agency. Lees meer
Stu and Chas are joined by Stephen Cleary following his exploration into Melodrama, and together they try to reclaim the word from its pejorative meaning.
By examining powerful Melodramas - like THE HANDMAID’S TALE, LADIES IN BLACK and STRANGER THINGS… with many a tangent on MARRIAGE STORY, PETE’S DRAGON, MILDRED PIERCE, GAME OF THRONES, LOST, THE JOKER, THE KILLING, THE WITCHER, war movies and survival films - the three hosts try to unpick what makes Melodrama an alternate story paradigm to the Hero’s Journey.
They delve into how Melodramas centre on characters that don’t have agency; where the plot happens to characters (as opposed to being driven by them); how Melodramas don’t end so much as close; and how all of the above delves into character questions more deeply than the Hero’s Journey. And to wrap it all up, the kind of techniques you use on the page to write effective melodramas.
Content Warning : There is a lot of discussion in this episode about melodrama being associated with "women’s stories" vs "the hero’s journey" - which is biased towards a "masculine" mode of storytelling - and we fully acknowledge in the show and here that we are three cismen talking about these things.
This episode was edited by Christopher Walker.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
———
CHAPTERS
00:01:25 – Intro: Melodrama & Passive Protoganists
00:01:31 – What is Melodrama?
00:38:06 – The Handmaid's Tale
00:56:44 – Horror and Melodrama
01:00:35 – Marriage Story
01:15:18 – The Handmaid's Tale & Narrative Techniques
01:30:37 – Game of Thrones and Endings
01:33:20 – Melodrama & Endings
01:39:19 – Ladies in Black
02:13:47 – Stranger Things
02:31:52 – The …
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DZ LiVEsolation Annoucement
7 april 2020 · 6 min
How does Draft Zero cope with lockdown? Lees meer
LINKS
Facebook: http://facebook.com/draftzeropodcast/
Patreon: http://patreon.com/draftzero/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIEz5b9FMNa7Tj8DkcJQWRA
Dear DZ Listeners,
We hope you are all staying healthy and safe. Due this difficult time of lockdown, Chas and Stu have decided to "regularly" do special live-streamed episodes (via YouTube Live) of Draft Zero that we are calling LiVEsolation.
They different from (and in addition to) Draft Zero Classic™ as you'll be able to interact with us as we record: asking questions, prompting for clarification, and making observations that come part of the discussion. You'll also be able to see video of our us (👎) while also seeing video of the scripts and scenes we are discussing (👍). After they're streamed, recordings of the livestreams (including the chat!) will be on our YouTube channel for later viewing.
LiVEsolation episodes that we particularly like will also be cleaned up and put out through the traditional podcast feed… but not always. Because our priority is doing these regularly, they'll be looser - like a great live gig. We are aiming for once-a-week and at the same time… but that won't always be possible due to… well…life. We are also having special guests and will need to work around their schedules and timezones.
So how do you keep up wth our shifting schedule?
We recommend you like our page on Facebook. Our livestreams will be created as events so you know what streams we will be doing and when… in your timezone!
We are also making PUBLIC posts on our Patreon page (i.e. ones you don't have to pay for if you don't have the coin during these trying times), so if you follow us there you'll get something like an email newsletter with announcements about what's forthcoming. Oh, and if you are a Patreon you'll get priority access to the online chat (when appropriate) and also get to vote on forthcoming topics.
Meanwhile, Draft Zero Classic™ episodes will cont…
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DZ-66: The Mandalorian and The Rise of Skywalker - Audience Knowledge vs Character Motivation
17 maart 2020 · 1 uur 45 min
Listen to understand how fan service weaponizes external knowledge against character logic. Lees meer
By Order 66: Chas and Stu are joined by special guest - filmmaker Mel Killingsworth - to talk all things Star Wars. Well. Focusing on The Mandalorian and The Rise of Skywalker and wherever else our tangents take us.
Our primary lens is look at how both shows handle "fan service" — but really its about how you handle character motivations when your audience has more knowledge than your characters, especially knowledge from outside the show itself. To that end, we discuss the characters of Poe, Rey, Kylo, and Palpatine in depth. We also discuss the Watchmen TV Show, Mindhunter, Jojo Rabbit, Snowtown and Zodiac.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
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Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
———
CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:04:28 – Poe's Backstory
00:11:38 – The Mandalorian
00:23:00 – The Rise of Skywalker
00:24:15 – Rey Palpatine
00:38:15 – Palpatine's Plan
00:46:22 – Rey Skywalker
00:52:12 – Ben Solo - Depressive Demon Nightmare Boy
01:07:09 – Palpatine's Return & Watchmen
01:15:44 – Rose Tico
01:19:11 – Fake-Out Deaths
01:25:47 – The Mandalorian (Revisted)
01:30:32 – Wrap Up & Key Learnings
FILMS
THE MANDALORIAN (2019) — (w) Jon Favreau
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (2019) — (w) Jj Abrams, Chris Terrio, Jj Abrams, Chris Terrio, Derek Connolly, Colin Trevorrow (d) Jj Abrams
LINKS
Read: Wikipedia - Fan Service
Read: Jeanette Ng - The Rise of Skywalker: Memorabilia without Memory, a Misunderstanding of Hope
Read: Film Crit Hulk - The Force Belongs To Us: THE LAST JEDI's Beautiful Refocusing of Star Wars
———
More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.
If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on…
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DZ-65: Collaborating with a Director - The Snip
14 februari 2020 · 1 uur 3 min
Listen if you are thinking of producing your own short film! Lees meer
This episode, Chas steps down as co-host (kinda) and is interviewed by Stu as a guest, alongside director Ben Mizzi, about the short rom-com that Chas wrote and Ben directed & produced. The episode covers taking an idea from pitch to screen, working with a director, directing performance on the page, and marketing and distribution strategies for short films.
And if you want to watch THE SNIP (a 16 min rom com about a guy who gets a vasectomy without telling his wife) here it is: https://youtu.be/_iBdDFKqqbs
Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
———
CHAPTERS
00:00:20 – Introduction: The Snip
00:03:44 – Working With a Director
00:13:16 – How did you go from pitch to script?
00:22:21 – Short films and audience expectations
00:26:34 – What expectations can you have of the end product?
00:39:08 – How do you "direct" performance on the page?
00:46:00 – How do you direct performance from a writer?
00:52:21 – What are some marketing strategies for short films?
00:58:16 – What is your online release strategy?
LINKS
YouTube: THE SNIP
LISTEN: Screen Director with Jeremy Saunders on Key Art
———
More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.
If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.
We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.
Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2020/dz-65/
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DZ-64: Backmatter - Controlling your Work, Treatments, and Writing Styles
30 januari 2020 · 1 uur 42 min
Listen to understand what you can control in your career--and what you absolutely cannot. Lees meer
In our annual Backmatter-only episode, Stu and Chas indulge themselves by offering personal opinions on the life and work of emerging screenwriters based on their own personal experience.
To that end, they discuss: what is and is not in your control in relation to an emerging writing career; choosing what project to develop next; using the Black List site to gain traction; the difference between treatments for pitching as opposed to for development; and the difference in writing style when writing on spec as against work for hire.
We also unexpectedly have a guest: David Wappel kindly joins us to share his thoughts on anchoring nouns.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
———
CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:05:27 – What is in your control?
00:28:58 – Choosing what to develop
00:33:24 – Using the Black List site
00:59:47 – Treatments for development vs for pitching
01:23:23 – Writing on spec vs work for hire
01:37:37 – Backmatter to backmatter
LINKS
Read: M. Night Shyamalan on His Failures, His Successes, and Glass
YouTube: Can't watch a rough cut lady song
Read: Write Along Podcast on Planners and Pantsers
EPISODES IN THE BACKMATTER SERIES
DZ-17: Where's my gold-plated ensuite?
DZ-36: Backmatter - Time Risk and Fixing Movies
DZ-47: Backmatter - A Lost Jedi, White Knighting, and Writers-On-Set
DZ-57: Backmatter - Aesthetics and Forgiveness in Writing
DZ-64: Backmatter - Controlling your Work, Treatments, and Writing Styles
DZ-77: Backmatter - Prioritising and choosing projects
DZ-86: Backmatter - Minimum Viable Product
DZ-95: Backmatter - Building and Maintenance
———
More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.
…
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DZ-63: Tools for Better Dialogue 2 - Hook and Eye
31 december 2019 · 1 uur 58 min
Listen when you're rewriting dialogue and want to create connection between characters. Lees meer
A full three years after the first instalment (and one of our most popular), Stu and Chas have kidnapped Stephen Cleary to once again develop some craft tools around dialogue. It would be fair to say that - in that time - all three have learnt a lot more about dialogue than they knew in 2016. It would be also fair to say that Stephen perhaps learnt a little more through his research into “genderlect”.
In Part II, we analyse key scenes from films and TV shows famous for their dialogue, namely FLEABAG (Season 2, Episode 5), JUNO and DEADWOOD (The Pilot). The biggest tools we explore are: the hook and eye; how dialogue can reveal status and empathy; rhythm; contrast and affinity; and pacing.
And just to help us all out, Stephen rounds out the episode with some quick fire examples - FIVE EASY PIECES, JERRY MAGUIRE, GROSSE POINTE BLANK, and NOTTING HILL (again) - and further dialogue tips.
Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode during the holiday season.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
———
CHAPTERS
00:00:06 – Intro: Dialogue (Part 2) - Hook and Eye
00:05:52 – Status and Gender
00:15:26 – Fleabag (S2E05)
00:47:41 – Juno
01:20:20 – Deadwood (Pilot)
01:40:55 – More Dialogue Tips & Technique
FILMS
JUNO (2007) — (w) Diablo Cody (d) Jason Reitman
SHOWS
DEADWOOD 1x1 "Deadwood" — Walter Hill (d), David Milch (w)
FLEABAG 2x5 — Harry Bradbeer (d), Phoebe Waller Bridge (w)
SCRIPTS
Study the script: JUNO (2007) — Diablo Cody
LINKS
Read: Genderlect / Language and Gender
Read: Time - The Truth About How Much Women Talk -- and Whether Men Listen
YouTube: FLEABAG: Hair is Everything
YouTube: You can never go home again
YouTube: NOTTING HIL…
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DZ-62: Unfilmables 3 - As Ifs & Emotional Context
2 december 2019 · 2 uur 17 min
Listen if you want to learn how to write tone and emotional context on the page. Lees meer
In this third and final part of our series on unfilmables, Chas and Stu turn their critical eye to... each other’s work! They take their key learnings from the previous episodes and apply them to rewriting scenes from their own projects. They discuss metaphors, emotional context, and how you can write tone on the page without resorting to unfilmables.
They are also joined by Carissa Lee (who has been reading the excerpts) to discuss her perspective as an actor on the scripts we’ve been reading; and they answer listener questions about unfilmables.
And, lastly, in backmatter Carissa reads the entire script to Stu’s award-nominated script, DUST BUNNY.
Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode, and Carissa Lee for performing the big print.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Theis, Jesse, Daniel, Jack, Chris, Khrob, Sandra, Nick, Matteo and Carrie.
———
FILMS
PAYLOAD (2011) — (w) Stuart Willis
RESTORATION (2016) — (w) Stuart Willis, Matthew Clayfield (d) Stuart Willis
LINKS
Read: DZ-62 Unfilmables (Part 3) - Collated Scripts
YouTube: PAYLOAD written & directed by Stuart Willis
YouTube: RESTORATION written by Matthew Clayfield & Stuart Willis
LISTEN: PAYLOAD Original Soundtrack composed by David Barber
LISTEN: RESTORATION Original Soundtrack composed by David Barber
EPISODES IN THE UNFILMABLES SERIES
DZ-60: Unfilmables 1 - Engaging imagination
DZ-61: Unfilmables 2 - Moments of Awe
DZ-62: Unfilmables 3 - As Ifs & Emotional Context
———
More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.
If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.
We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.
F…
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DZ-61: Unfilmables 2 - Moments of Awe
25 september 2019 · 2 uur 6 min
Listen if you're writing a moment that feels too big for the page (but you need it on the page). Lees meer
In this second part of our series on unfilmables, Chas and Stu continue their deep dive into how writing the “unfilmable” can enhance your script. Rather than looking at micro moments, they turn their gaze to "moments of awe" — those often breathtaking cinematic moments that feel beyond writing. But are those scenes actually unscriptable?
In this episode we look at sequences from YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE, SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER, THE INVITIATION, and MOONLIGHT. We talk writing cinematically, performance beats, breaking (and maintaining) "the spell", limited palettes of language, self-contextualising writing, and instructables.
Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode, and Carissa Lee for performing the big print.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
———
CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Unfilmables & Unscriptables (Part 2)
00:00:31 – Intro: Unfilmables Revisited - Moments of Awe
00:11:57 – Julio - When Unfilmables Don't Work
00:22:12 – You Were Never Really Here
00:26:05 – You Were Never Really Here [script reading]
00:29:00 – You Were Never Really Here [analysis continued]
00:39:29 – Searching for Bobby Fischer
00:47:09 – Searching for Bobby Fischer [script reading]
00:48:15 – Searching for Bobby Fischer [analysis continued]
01:04:10 – The Invitation
01:12:57 – The Invitiation [script reading]
01:15:52 – The Invitation [analysis continued]
01:29:23 – Moonlight
01:49:38 – Wrap Up & Key Learnings
FILMS
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE (2017) — (w) Jonathan Ames, Lynne Ramsay (d) Lynne Ramsay
SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER (1993) — (w) Fred Waitzkin, Steven Zaillian (d) Steven Zaillian
THE INVITATION (2016) — (w) Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi …
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DZ-60: Unfilmables 1 - Engaging imagination
7 augustus 2019 · 2 uur 25 min
Listen to discover how *produced* screenplays use unfilmables to shape tone, performance, and humour on the page. Lees meer
AKA Why your screenwriting guru is wrong
In this episode, Chas and Stu deep dive into the controversial area of “unfilmables” — those alleged screenwriting sins, where a writer writes a line that (apparently) cannot be seen or heard. But many produced spec scripts use unfilmables to great effect. So how and why do they “get away with it”?
In this first part, they look at unfilmables in micro moments: to describe locations, set (or change) the mood/tone, bring performances to life, and communicate certain types of humour. To that end, they breakdown into examples from LETHAL WEAPON, MY BRIDESMAID IS A BITCH, HEREDITARY, FLEABAG, KILLING EVE, A QUIET PLACE, KILLING THEM SOFTLY, SHARP OBJECTS, SPARTAN, THE NICE GUYS, DRIVE, THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI, TREE OF LIFE, and MICHAEL CLAYTON.
Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode, and Carissa Lee for performing the big print.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Devin, Jack, Paul, Chris, Khrob, Sandra, Nick, Rob, Matteo, Daniel and Carrie.
———
CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Intro: Unfilmables & Unscriptables
00:11:42 – What are unfilmables?
00:23:10 – Lethal Weapon
00:32:40 – Your Bridesmaid is a Bitch
00:40:15 – Hereditary
00:53:02 – Battlestar Galactica
00:55:15 – Killing Eve
00:59:27 – Killing Them Softly
01:04:32 – Hereditary (again)
01:12:30 – Sharp Objects
01:22:18 – Spartan
01:30:42 – The Girl On the Train
01:35:37 – Fleabag
01:43:20 – The Nice Guys
01:47:05 – Drive
01:54:09 – Michael Clayton
02:01:21 – The Tree of Life
02:07:59 – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
02:11:52 – Key Learnings & Wrap Up
FILMS
LETHAL WEAPON (1987) — (w) Shane Black (d) Richard Donner
HEREDITARY (2018) — (w) Ari Aster
A QUIET PLACE (2018) — (w) …
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DZ-59: Avengers Endgame - Ending Character Journeys
1 juli 2019 · 1 uur 15 min
Listen if you're interested in how to dramatise character change, position your audience in relation to characters, and explore the difference between empathy and sympathy in screenwriting Lees meer
One day, Chas saw Avengers: Endgame for the second time and wrote a review on Letterboxd. In particular, he had issues with how little he perceived the characters of Cap and Tony changed within the film, their big finale (spoiler). Then friend and patron of the podcast Julio Olivera vehemently disagreed in the comments. He was egged on by Stu. And there in the comments began a debate that looked a lot like an episode of Draft Zero. So we decided to make it one.
And what began as an exploration of how to dramatise character change swiftly became an exploration of how to position audience in relation to your characters. Do you want the audience empathising with the characters? Feeling what they are feeling in the moment? Or do you want your audience sympathising with your characters? Being rocked by surprise after the fact? Reminding your audience of their own personal relationship with the characters.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Jack, Paul, Chris, Khrob, Sandra, Nick, Rob, Matteo, Daniel and Carrie.
———
CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Intro: Chas' Letterboxd Review
00:04:28 – How Does The Snap Affect Cap & Tony?
00:08:31 – How Is Tony's Journey Dramatised?
00:26:57 – Workshopping A Moment When Tony Risks It All
00:35:14 – Proving Tony Has Changed Since Iron Man
00:48:03 – How Is Steve's Journey Dramatised?
00:54:50 – What If Cap Chose To Stay In The Past?
01:02:44 – Key Learnings & Wrap Up
FILMS
AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019) — (w) Stephen Mcfeely, Christopher Markus (d) Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
SCRIPTS
Study the script: AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019) — Stephen Mcfeely, Christopher Markus
———
More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome P…
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DZ-58: Game of Thrones - Character Exposition
16 mei 2019 · 1 uur 48 min
Listen to understand why what a character *doesn't* say reveals more than exposition ever could. Lees meer
In watching Season 7 (and the first three episodes of Season 8) of Game of Thrones, Stu noticed that there were lots of scenes where characters either met for the first time or were reunited after a long time apart. In these scenes, the audience knows (or thinks they know) more than either character. And so the fascination, power and subversion comes from what the characters choose to reveal... or not.
And yet... while we thought this episode would be an extension of our previous musings on exposition, in nearly every great scene we assessed, the characters basically said “screw talking about plot or backstory” and instead exposited about their own character: How it feels to be them; how they have, or have not, changed.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
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Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
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CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:01:10 – Game of Thrones & Exposition
00:12:54 – Jamie & Cersei in the Map Room
00:28:23 – Arya & Hot Pie at the Cossroads
00:39:10 – Jon & The Brotherhood at Eastwatch
00:47:54 – Jon & Tyrion at Dragonstone
01:01:06 – Jon, Davos & Missandei at Dragonstone
01:07:05 – Arya & Sansa in the Crypt
01:18:46 – Bran, Arya & Sansa in the weirwood
01:27:14 – Arya & Jon in the weirwood
01:33:06 – Bran & Meera at Winterfell
01:37:14 – Wrap Up & Learnings
01:40:13 – Education & Thwarting
SHOWS
GAME OF THRONES — (w) David Benioff, D B Weiss
LINKS
Read: AV Club: As new spreads, Westeros reckons with the cumulative absurdity of Game of Thrones
Listen: Terry Rossio on the On the Page Podcast
EPISODES IN THE EXPOSITION SERIES
DZ-58: Game of Thrones - Character Exposition
DZ-37: Excelling at Exposition (Part 1)
DZ-38: Excelling at Exposition (Part 2)
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DZ-57: Backmatter - Aesthetics and Forgiveness in Writing
1 mei 2019 · 1 uur 29 min
Listen if you need to forgive yourself (for not writing) Lees meer
It is time (in fact, well past time) for our semi-annual #Backmatter episode. For the uninitiated, this is an episode where Stu and Chas discuss career and craft-related topics beyond what makes great screenplays work. To that end, Stu and Chas dive into: a five year review of Draft Zero and how it has changed their writing craft and process; a discussion on the aesthetics of writing; learnings for emerging writers in having their work produced; and finally forgiving yourself for not writing.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
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Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
———
CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Five Years of Draft Zero
00:07:30 – How Has 5 Years of DZ Changed Our Writing?
00:16:38 – How We Used to Approach Writing vs Now
00:27:30 – Stu on Index Cards
00:32:01 – Beginner's Guide to Draft Zero
00:35:25 – Purpose of Draft Zero
00:42:26 – Questions You're Asking the Audience
00:51:11 – This Is Water
00:56:34 – Having Your Work Produced
01:11:25 – Forgiving Yourself For Not Writing
LINKS
YouTube: Ira Glass on the Creative Process (www.getoutthebox.org)
Read: Listen: Lingua Ignota - For I Am The Light (And Mine Is The Only Way)
YouTube: Listen: David Foster Wallace - This is Water
Read: How Millennials Became The Burnout Generation
EPISODES IN THE BACKMATTER SERIES
DZ-17: Where's my gold-plated ensuite?
DZ-36: Backmatter - Time Risk and Fixing Movies
DZ-47: Backmatter - A Lost Jedi, White Knighting, and Writers-On-Set
DZ-57: Backmatter - Aesthetics and Forgiveness in Writing
DZ-64: Backmatter - Controlling your Work, Treatments, and Writing Styles
DZ-77: Backmatter - Prioritising and choosing projects
DZ-86: Backmatter - Minimum Viable Product
DZ-95: Backmatter - Building and Maintenance
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More Draft Zero…
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DZ-56: Character Motivations 2
30 maart 2019 · 2 uur 16 min
Listen if you want to understand how character decisions can break a screenplay and how to fix them Lees meer
In this second part of their exploration of character motivations, Chas and Stu dive into what makes “BAD” screenplays NOT work. They examine at moments where they (and maybe you, dear listeners) did not believe a key decision being made by a character and so were taken out of the movie. In a departure from the Draft Zero format, they apply the tools they developed in Part 1 to workshop potential fixes to these beats.
Character decisions that come under the microscope are AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (again), SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, DIE HARD (which is a good example for contrast, not a bad one!), PREDATOR 2, SICARIO 2: DÍA DEL SOLDADO and PROMETHEUS (with an honourable mention to A PRINCESS BRIDE).
Let us know if you like the variation on our format or not!
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
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Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
———
CHAPTERS
00:10:41 – AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR
00:16:58 – SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY
00:34:04 – DIE HARD
00:38:04 – PREDATOR 2
00:53:30 – SICARIO 2: DÍA DEL SOLDADO
01:35:15 – PROMETHEUS
02:04:06 – WRAP UP & KEY LEARNINGS
FILMS
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2018) — (w) Stephen Mcfeely, Christopher Markus (d) Joe Russo, Anthony Russo
SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (2018) — (w) Lawrence Kasdan, Jon Kasdan (d) Ron Howard
DIE HARD (1988) — (w) Roderick Thorp, Jeb Stuart, Steven E De Souza (d) John Mctiernan
PREDATOR 2 (1990) — (w) Jim Thomas, John Thomas (d) Stephen Hopkins
SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO (2018) — (w) Taylor Sheridan (d) Stefano Sollima
PROMETHEUS (2012) — (w) Jon Spaihts, Damon Lindelof (d) Ridley Scott
SCRIPTS
Study the script: DIE HARD (1988) — Roderick Thorp, Jeb Stuart, Steven E De Souza
Study the script: PREDA…
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DZ-55: Character Motivations 1
15 januari 2019 · 2 uur 18 min
Listen if you're writing a scene where your character does something 'out of character' and your readers to buy it. Lees meer
Chas & Stu look at examples of good character motivation. We’ve all watched movies where we don’t believe the motivation of a character or characters. We may have even written scripts where readers don’t buy the character’s choices. And that’s often a real problem because most of these choices coincide with key structural moments — e.g. the moments where the characters decide to do something “out of character” in order to progress to the next part of the story. To help us solve the problem of how to improve our character motivations, in this episode we explore great examples of character motivation and how they have helped the audience believe a character’s decision.
This episode started out as an exploration of bad character decisions; ones which are universally derided by audiences. And, sadly for us filmmakers, it is often a key structural decision being made by a character that audiences just don’t buy. However, as Stu and Chas did their homework, this episode swiftly became an exploration of character motivations (because that is really what you have to get across in order for your audience to believe a decision) and - in true DZ style - good examples of character motivations.
And so Chas and Stu dive into NOTTING HILL, TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE, GAME NIGHT, ARRIVAL, IN THE BEDROOM, BEIRUT, BREAKING BAD, THE MATRIX, BLOCKERS, A NEW HOPE (of course) and AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR. Passing/honourable mention also to MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, THE COMMUTER, THE LOBSTER, GAME OF THRONES, IRON MAN, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and DOCTOR STRANGE (as we re-visit and re-contextualise stuff we’ve analysed previously).
The potential craft tools they uncover are character patterning, structural timing of the decision, debating the decision (both internally and externally), withholding the decision from the audience, and using external plot elements to eithe…
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DZ-54: Thematic Sequences
10 oktober 2018 · 2 uur 50 min
Listen if you want to make theme your primary driver (for a sequence) Lees meer
Chas and Stu are joined, once again, by the inestimable Stephen Cleary. This episode is a spiritual sequel to our last episode with Stephen, the one on sequence structure. That episode explored how sequences could be broken into plot, character, and plot/character sequences.
Well, Stephen’s back to talk about a different type of sequence: the thematic sequence. By limiting (or removing all together) questions related to character or plot, filmmakers can force their audience to engage with the deeper, underlying meaning of the story.
Our deep dive onto this topic focuses on LOVE ACTUALLY, THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL, APOCALYPSE NOW, and IN THE BEDROOM. But it wouldn’t be a Draft Zero without numerous digressions including into HUNGER, GET OUT, INFINITY WAR, and THE THIN RED LINE.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
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Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
———
CHAPTERS
00:01:51 – Introduction: Thematic Sequences
00:10:21 – What Is A Thematic Sequence?
00:13:33 – Love Actually
00:42:29 – The Exterminating Angel
02:42:41 – Wrap Up And Key Learnings
FILMS
LOVE ACTUALLY (2003) — (w) Richard Curtis
THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL (1962) — (w) Luis Bunuel, Luis Alcoriza (d) Luis Bunuel
APOCALYPSE NOW (1979) — (w) John Milius, Francis Ford Coppola (d) Francis Ford Coppola
IN THE BEDROOM (2001) — (w) Todd Field, Robert Festinger (d) Todd Field
SCRIPTS
Study the script: LOVE ACTUALLY (2003) — Richard Curtis
Study the script: APOCALYPSE NOW (1979) — John Milius, Francis Ford Coppola
SHOT ZERO DEEP DIVES
Five Shots: DEAD PRESIDENTS
LINKS
YouTube: GET OUT - Dinner Party Scene
YouTube: APOCALYPSE NOW - Because its judgement that defeats us
EPISODES IN THE SEQUENCES SERIES
DZ-43: Drivin…
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DZ-53: Antagonists! 5 - vs Audience
26 augustus 2018 · 2 uur 26 min
Listen to turn narrative uncertainty itself into the engine that keeps viewers compelled. Lees meer
It’s time. The Epic Deep Dive(TM) into Antagonists has reached its shuddering conclusion. And for this Part V - by choosing films that have no obvious singular antagonist (and in some cases no obvious narrative either) - Stu and Chas realised there was indeed a final category of antagonists: the films themselves. Where the film (and the filmmaker) are engaging directly with the audience. Where the films are... VERSUS AUDIENCE.
The films that led to this “insight” often lie to the audience; talk directly to the audience; misdirect the audience; take the audience on meandering narrative strolls; or make the central character the antagonist to all other characters. Sometimes these techniques power a single scene. Sometimes they take up the whole film. All this to keep the audience compelled in the absence of singular antagonists. And these films are - drum roll, please - OCEAN’S 8, THE SECOND, F FOR FAKE, SANS SOLEIL and FORREST GUMP.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
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Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
———
CHAPTERS
00:03:22 – Introduction: Vs Audience
00:20:31 – Ocean's Eight
00:46:53 – The Second
01:14:06 – F For Fake
01:31:46 – Sans Soleil
01:48:55 – Forrest Gump
02:15:12 – Wrap Up And Key Learnings
FILMS
OCEAN'S EIGHT (2018) — (w) Gary Ross, Olivia Milch, Gary Ross (d) Gary Ross
THE SECOND (2018) — (w) Stephen Lance (d) Mairi Cameron
F FOR FAKE (1973) — (w) Orson Welles
SANS SOLEIL (1983) — (w) Chris Marker
FORREST GUMP (1994) — (w) Eric Roth, Winston Groom (d) Robert Zemeckis
SCRIPTS
Study the script: OCEAN'S EIGHT (2018) — Gary Ross, Olivia Milch, Gary Ross
Study the script: FORREST GUMP (1994) — Eric Roth, Winston Groom
LINKS
Read: UnListenable - Gnaw Their Tong…
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DZ-52: Antagonists! 4 - vs Systems
28 juni 2018 · 2 uur 16 min
Listen if you want to use how societal, governmental, or environmental forces as villains. Lees meer
This is Part Four (!!) of our Five Part Epic Exploration into antagonists forces and sources of conflict. In this episode we explore "system/world/society" antagonists. While stereotypically associated with science-fiction, these sources of conflict are found across genres.
To that end, we talk MINORITY REPORT, DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, MUDBOUND, and THE LOBSTER - with a special mention of, like, all the high school movies.
We continue refining our tools surrounding antagonists/sources of conflict: obstacles, pressure, enablers, pushers, pullers, education and thwarting. We especially focus on how the pressures of the system/world/society force characters to either submit to the system, overthrow it or escape it; and how framing all of your characters’ journeys in relation to the rules of the world they inhabit can lead to a thematically strong story.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
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Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
———
CHAPTERS
00:06:50 – Minority Report
00:36:49 – Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
00:53:31 – Mudbound
01:30:43 – The Lobster
02:01:02 – Systems And Genres
02:05:30 – Wrap Up & Key Learnings
FILMS
MINORITY REPORT (2002) — (w) Scott Frank, Jon Cohen (d) Steven Spielberg
DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2014) — (w) Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver (d) Matt Reeves
MUDBOUND (2017) — (w) Dee Rees, Hillary Jordan, Virgil Williams (d) Dee Rees
THE LOBSTER (2015) — (w) Efthimis Filippou, Yorgos Lanthimos (d) Yorgos Lanthimos
SCRIPTS
Study the script: MINORITY REPORT (2002) — Scott Frank, Jon Cohen
Study the script: DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2014) — Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
Study the script: MUDBOU…
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DZ-51: Antagonists! 3 - vs Nature
31 mei 2018 · 1 uur 52 min
Listen to understand why pressure--not obstacles--is what transforms a protagonist when they face an unstoppable force. Lees meer
In this Part Three of our Five Part Epic Exploration™ into antagonistic forces (and sources of conflict), Chas & Stu explore “nature” antagonists, including some supernatural ones. What became clear in doing the homework (and recording this episode twice) was that the antagonistic forces - whether natural or supernatural - presented different narrative challenges to the protagonists if (a) they did not seem to make choices and (b) could not be bargained with or defeated.
And so we embarked upon ALL IS LOST, THE GREY and CONTAGION — with special mentions of THE VVITCH, WORLD WAR Z, ZOMBIELAND, ANNIHILATION, ALIEN, ALIENS and probably some others we’ve forgotten.
Stu elaborates on his distinction between obstacles and pressure; Chas riffs on how nature antagonists can mirror the protagonist and reinforce theme; and they both explore the effect on protagonists who are pushed to their limits by antagonists that cannot be reasoned with.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
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Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
———
CHAPTERS
00:13:54 – All Is Lost
00:34:13 – The Grey
01:01:05 – Contagion
01:37:14 – Vs Supernatural
01:40:28 – The Vvitch
01:46:36 – Wrap Up And Learnings
FILMS
ALL IS LOST (2013) — (w) Jc Chandor
THE GREY (2012) — (w) Ian Mackenzie Jeffers, Joe Carnahan (d) Joe Carnahan
CONTAGION (2011) — (w) Scott Z Burns, Scott Z Burns (d) Steven Soderbergh
THE WITCH (2016) — (w) Robert Eggers
SCRIPTS
Study the script: ALL IS LOST (2013) — Jc Chandor
Study the script: CONTAGION (2011) — Scott Z Burns, Scott Z Burns
Study the script: THE WITCH (2016) — Robert Eggers
LINKS
Read: A Letter from David Mamet to the Writers of…
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DZ-50: Antagonists! 2 - vs Self
19 april 2018 · 1 uur 48 min
Listen if you want to understand how protagonists can serve as their own antagonist and how antagonistic forces shape a character's journey Lees meer
In Part Two of our Five Part Epic Exploration™ into antagonists, Chas & Stu take a look at "vs self" stories. Stories where the protagonist (or main character) serves as their own antagonist as well as the antagonist for those around them.
It took us a long time to settle on our homework, but we ended up exploring LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, SHAME, and MONSTER. Our discussion continues in backmatter with MINDHUNTER and STEVE JOBS.
As a result of our exploration, we manage to get a better understanding of our 'thesu' on: internal vs external change; obstacles and pressure; stories without singular antagonists; and how it really is the antagonistic forces that carve out the protagonist’s journey.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
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Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
———
CHAPTERS
00:05:15 – Little Miss Sunshine
00:25:10 – Shame
00:53:53 – Monster
01:20:10 – Wrap Up
01:33:40 – Mindhunter
FILMS
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (2006) — (w) Michael Arndt (d) Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
SHAME (2011) — (w) Abi Morgan, Steve Mcqueen (d) Steve Mcqueen
MONSTER (2003) — (w) Patty Jenkins
SCRIPTS
Study the script: LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (2006) — Michael Arndt
Study the script: SHAME (2011) — Abi Morgan, Steve Mcqueen
Study the script: MONSTER (2003) — Patty Jenkins
EPISODES IN THE ANTAGONISTS! SERIES
DZ-50: Antagonists! 2 - vs Self
DZ-51: Antagonists! 3 - vs Nature
DZ-52: Antagonists! 4 - vs Systems
DZ-53: Antagonists! 5 - vs Audience
DZ-49: Antagonists! 1 - vs Humans
RELATED EPISODES
DZ-43: Driving Sequences - Character and Plot Intensity
DZ-44: Marvel - First Acts and Establishing Characters
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More Draft Z…
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DZ-49: Antagonists! 1 - vs Humans
31 maart 2018 · 1 uur 21 min
Listen if you want to understand how to craft compelling antagonists who oppose your protagonist through direct human conflict Lees meer
Prompted by a listener (and patron of the podcast) question, Stu and Chas dive into antagonistic forces. And because Draft Zero does not do anything by halves, this is Part One of a Five Part Epic Exploration™ into antagonists; namely: vs humans, vs self, vs nature/supernatural, vs systems and “other”. aka the classic narrative conflicts.
For this “vs humans” part, we chose to look at DIE HARD, MISERY and THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE OF EBBING, MISSOURI (with special mentions to THE DARK KNIGHT, LA LA LAND and - of course - STAR WARS). In particular, we look at some classical villains, internal vs external antagonists, and how antagonists and protagonists can swap roles over a scene or a sequence.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
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Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
———
CHAPTERS
00:12:27 – Die Hard
00:24:34 – Misery
00:40:12 – The Dark Knight
00:45:32 – Three Billboards Outside Of Ebbing, Missouri
01:11:30 – LA LA Land
01:14:33 – Wrap Up
FILMS
DIE HARD (1988) — (w) Roderick Thorp, Jeb Stuart, Steven E De Souza (d) John Mctiernan
MISERY (1990) — (w) Stephen King, William Goldman (d) Rob Reiner
THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI (2017) — (w) Martin Mcdonagh
SCRIPTS
Study the script: DIE HARD (1988) — Roderick Thorp, Jeb Stuart, Steven E De Souza
Study the script: MISERY (1990) — Stephen King, William Goldman
Study the script: THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI (2017) — Martin Mcdonagh
SHOT ZERO DEEP DIVES
DIE HARD: integrating inserts in the action
Character Introductions 002: Hans Gruber
LINKS
Read: Boss (video games)
Read: Different kinds of antagonistic forces? (for draft zero episode)
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DZ-48: One-Shot - Blade Runner 2049 - Agency vs Choice
28 februari 2018 · 1 uur 54 min
Listen to discover how characters can be dramatised through binary choices (and understand the difference between choice and agency). Lees meer
To kick off 2018, Chas and Stu take a deep dive into one of their favourite movies of 2017: Blade Runner 2049. However, they abstained from “Fox News-ing this shit” by being joined by the most accomplished screenwriter they know, C.S. McMullen (Blood List 2017, Black List 2017, also a lover of Blade Runner 2049).
For a film that is thematically about choice, Stu and Chas thought this would be an excellent opportunity to explore how characters can be dramatised through binary choices. And yet, CS opened their eyes to the idea that characters can still be given choices without having agency. Without having choice in their choices. Not having choices that lead to different outcomes.
It is perhaps the lack of agency (rather than the lack of choice) that lead to some of the troubling depiction of women and minorities in Blade Runner 2049, which our intrepid hosts explore in detail.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
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Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
———
CHAPTERS
00:02:29 – Blade Runner 2049
00:10:33 – Wallace And Luv
00:26:18 – K And His Mission
00:30:19 – K And Joi
00:36:00 – K's Choices And His Arc
00:47:34 – Deckard And The Las Vegas Sequence
00:58:26 – Luv And Joshi
01:01:52 – K's Hero Choice
01:04:45 – K And Luv
01:10:57 – Tears In The Snow
01:19:24 – Depiction Of Women And Minorities
01:35:36 – Wrap Up And Key Learnings
FILMS
BLADE RUNNER 2049 (2017) — (w) Hampton Fancher, Hampton Fancher, Michael Green (d) Denis Villeneuve
SCRIPTS
Study the script: BLADE RUNNER 2049 (2017) — Hampton Fancher, Hampton Fancher, Michael Green
LINKS
Read: Find: C.S. McMullen
Read: JustWatch: Blade Runner 2049
YouTube: Watch: Blade Runner …
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DZ-47: Backmatter - A Lost Jedi, White Knighting, and Writers-On-Set
11 januari 2018 · 2 uur 22 min
Listen to understand how consequences (not intentions) impact whether an audience roots for or against your protagonist. Lees meer
Following our annual wrap up in 2017, we’ve decided to once again explore what craft issues/lessons we can garner from the latest Stars, namely Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, focusing on how consequences of character actions can do a lot of heavy lifting as to how the audience perceives that character (as well as looking at worldview and overall story structure).
We also discuss how the sexual assault allegations in our industry can impact on what work we choose to analyse as well as dive into a bunch of listener questions.
We end on whether - if our space pirates project gets off the ground - Chas should come on set, whether Stu will have him and whether it would do anyone any good.
Thanks to Khrob, Joakim and Christopher for being early patrons. They're good people. Sorry Christopher that you didn't get a shout-out in the episode but hopefully this note immortalised in the very bottom of the show notes demonstrates how much we appreciate ja!
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
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Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Joakim and Christopher.
———
CHAPTERS
00:01:28 – The Last Jedi W & D Rian Johnson
00:29:07 – Sexual Assault Allegations & Draft Zero Homework Policies
00:52:28 – Listener Questions
01:48:21 – Wrap Up
FILMS
STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (2017) — (w) Rian Johnson
LINKS
Read: The Verge - The Last Jedi: our spoiler-free review
Read: IndieWire - *Rian Johnson Explains Why Shattering Fan Theories About Rey's Parents Was Essential
Read: Variety: *our Reasons Why Last Jedi Isn't One For The Ages
Read: GamesRadar - George Lucas nearly wrote a perfect prequel trilogy. He just didn't notice
YouTube: Rose McGowan speaks publicly in Detroit, first time since Weinstein allegations
Read: Ronan Farrow - From Aggressive Overtures to S…
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DZ-46: Structure & Point of View
19 december 2017 · 2 uur 25 min
What questions do you want your audience asking at any given time? Lees meer
Waaaaaaaaaay back in DZ-05, Stu and Chas examined how shifting narrative point of view (i.e. what the audience knows in relation to the characters on screen) heightens emotions in any given scene. We've now taken that micro idea and applied it to the macro: how can deciding what the audience knows and when in relation to the characters organise your story? Are whole sequences or even acts driven by the audience following a character, feeling concerned about a character, empathising with a character or being absorbed in the irony of knowing more than all the characters interacting on screen.
To tackle this topic, Stu and Chas dive in to films that make very conscious structural choices in relation to narrative POV, namely: GET OUT, DUNKIRK and the underrated German film THE LIVES OF OTHERS (with honourable mentions to LA CONFIDENTIAL and MANCHESTER BY THE SEA).
Wait till the end to hear poor Stu's mind absolutely blown in relation to the Kuleshov effect.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND
Audio quotations used for educational purposes only. Timestamps indicated below. Chapter markers included in the mp3.
Special thanks to our Patreon supporters. If you would like more Draft Zero episodes more often, click here!
EPISODE LINKS
DRAFT ZERO Related Episodes
DZ-05: Shifting audience point of view and heightened emotions
DZ-10: Midpoint Reversals and The Ride
DZ-21: Scene Transitions and the Hook
INTRODUCTION
LA Confidential [@ 6m 21s]
Manchester by the Sea [@ 10m 57s]
GET OUT written & directed by Jordan Peele [@ 19m 57s]
Vimeo: Get Out - Alternate Ending
Jordan Peele on the Nerdist Podcast and on The Movie Crypt podcast
Jason Blum on the Nerdist Podcast
Find it on Just Watch
DUNKIRK written & directed by by Christopher Nolan [@ 50m 15s]
Vox: The sound illusion that makes Dunkirk so intense
Find it on Just Watch
THE LIVES OF OTHERS written & directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmark [@ 1hr…
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DZ-46: Structure & Point of View
19 december 2017 · 2 uur 25 min
Listen if you want to understand how narrative point of view can organise your entire story structure Lees meer
Waaaaaaaaaay back in DZ-5, Stu and Chas examined how shifting narrative point of view (i.e. what the audience knows in relation to the characters on screen) heightens emotions in any given scene. We've now taken that micro idea and applied it to the macro: how can deciding what the audience knows and when in relation to the characters organise your story? Are whole sequences or even acts driven by the audience following a character, feeling concerned about a character, empathising with a character or being absorbed in the irony of knowing more than all the characters interacting on screen.
To tackle this topic, Stu and Chas dive in to films that make very conscious structural choices in relation to narrative POV, namely: GET OUT, DUNKIRK and the underrated German film THE LIVES OF OTHERS (with honourable mentions to LA CONFIDENTIAL and MANCHESTER BY THE SEA).
Wait till the end to hear poor Stu's mind absolutely blown in relation to the Kuleshov effect.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
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Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob and Joakim.
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CHAPTERS
00:06:21 – Introduction
00:10:57 – Manchester By The Sea
00:19:57 – Get Out
00:50:15 – Dunkirk
01:31:00 – The Lives of Others
02:11:32 – Wrap Up
FILMS
DUNKIRK (2017) — (w) Christopher Nolan
GET OUT (2017) — (w) Jordan Peele
THE LIVES OF OTHERS (2006) — (w) Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck
SCRIPTS
Study the script: DUNKIRK (2017) — Christopher Nolan
Study the script: GET OUT (2017) — Jordan Peele
SHOT ZERO DEEP DIVES
Perp & Victim 2: Opening Kills in Horror (2000s+)
LINKS
Watch: Vimeo: Get Out - Alternate Ending
YouTube: Vox: The sound illusion that makes Dunkirk so intense
Read: The Kuleshov effect
RELATED EPISODES
DZ-05: Shifting audience point of view and heightened emotions
DZ-10: Midp…
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DZ-45: Arguments of the Scene
27 oktober 2017 · 2 uur 21 min
Listen to discover how a character's worldview becomes the engine of conflict inside a single scene. Lees meer
As part of their ongoing exploration of scene-work, Stu and Chas apply their earlier thinking on theme and character worldview to individual scenes. Can examining a scene from a thematic perspective impact the drama, conflict or stakes of the scene? How does your character’s conscious and subconscious world views dramatise the overall theme of the work? How can an individual scene reflect the larger themes of the overall story? Do any of these questions or approaches lead to writing better scenes?
To this end, Stu and Chas examine particular scenes from works that have particularly apparent, strong and consistent themes; namely: FINDING NEMO, EX MACHINA, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA and the Netflix TV series GLOW.
Special thanks to our Patreon supporters. If you would like more Draft Zero episodes more often, click here!
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
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Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob and Nick.
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CHAPTERS
00:10:36 – Finding Nemo
00:17:28 – Ex Machina
00:59:55 – Manchester By The Sea
01:28:26 – Glow
02:04:13 – Wrap Up
FILMS
FINDING NEMO (2003) — (w) Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds (d) Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
EX MACHINA (2015) — (w) Alex Garland
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (2016) — (w) Kenneth Lonergan
GLOW (2017) — (w) Liz Flahive, Carly Mensch
SCRIPTS
Study the script: FINDING NEMO (2003) — Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds
Study the script: EX MACHINA (2015) — Alex Garland
Study the script: MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (2016) — Kenneth Lonergan
SHOT ZERO DEEP DIVES
Blocking and Framing for Character: HIGH AND LOW
LINKS
YouTube: Every Frame a Painting: Snowpiercer - Left or Right
Read: Film Crit Hulk: Ex Machina and the Art of Character Identification
YouTube: Ex Machina - Ave Session 5 Avas Test
Read: Letterboxd: St…
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DZ-44: Marvel - First Acts and Establishing Characters
17 september 2017 · 2 uur 7 min
Listen if your first act exposition feels clunky--the MCU has a schema for burying backstory inside character introductions. Lees meer
First Acts are hard. They have to set so much in motion, especially setting up characters. To help them understand how to write effective first acts better, Stu and Chas turn their analytical gaze to a franchise that has been refining and reiterating its first act "schema" for over a decade... THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE.
The MCU has made (to date in 2017) six separate origin films, each tasked with establishing their titular characters. So you'd think they'd have found some patterns that works for them. In this episode, we take a look at three of these: IRON MAN, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, and DOCTOR STRANGE. Stu also makes numerous comparisons to THOR, and we enthuse about GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Vol 2.
As we breakdown where these first acts succeed (and, er, not-succeed), our discussion moves through sequence structure, macguffins, supporting characters, exposition... and -- most importantly -- Character Wounds and Character Flaws.
Even if you don't care for MCU films, there is plenty to learn from how they approach their first acts.
... and stick around after the end credits, for an important announcement re: our launching of a Patreon.
Thanks to Khrob and Nick for being patrons. They're good people.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
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Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob and Nick.
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CHAPTERS
00:07:42 – IRON MAN
00:39:08 – GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
01:18:13 – DOCTOR STRANGE
01:47:28 – WRAP UP
01:57:08 – WHAA? PATREON?
FILMS
IRON MAN (2008) — (w) Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway (d) Jon Favreau
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014) — (w) James Gunn, Nicole Perlman (d) James Gunn
DOCTOR STRANGE (2016) — (w) Jon Spaihts, Scott Derrickson, C Robert Cargill (d) Scott Derrickson
SCRIPTS
Study the script: IRON…
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DZ-43: Driving Sequences - Character and Plot Intensity
8 juli 2017 · 3 uur 17 min
Listen to understand how dramatic questions shape audience engagement and pacing through sequences. Lees meer
Chas and Stu are joined for the fourth time by the inestimable Stephen Cleary - this time to take a deep dive into sequences. A real deep dive. A 3+ hour deep dive.
Stephen postulates that sequences can compel the audience in different ways via the type of dramatic questions being posed. Are they plot questions ("Will she defuse the bomb?") or character questions ("Will she understand what compels her to defuse bombs?") or a combination of both? What is the impact on the pacing, structure of your story or audience experience of your characters by changing the type of question being asked? What happens to your story when your protagonist decides to literally abandon the plot?
Our deep dive roams through THE BOURNE IDENTITY, NAKED, THE DIVING BELL & THE BUTTERFLY, THERE WILL BE BLOOD, FARGO (the movie) and CHILDREN OF MEN... with many-a-tangent referencing HEAT, FRENZY, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, AMOUR, CHEF, HAPPY-GO-LUCKY, THE KINGSMAN, FURY ROAD, THE COLOUR OF POMEGRANATES, LIVING IS EASY WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED, MOONLIGHT, and probably some more that we've forgotten.
PS: Thanks to all our listeners who provided feedback on a draft edit of this episode.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
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Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
→ Read the transcript for this episode.
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"But at the point where the audience gets a little bit, okay, this is getting a bit philosophical, you then just drop, you just end up dropping, you're dropping a 12 minute car chase." — Stephen-Cleary @ 00:00:00
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CHAPTERS
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:01:38 – History and Theory of Sequences
00:05:08 – › Testing reel-length theory against silent film evidence
00:10:53 – › Dramatic…
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DZ-42: One-Shot - Character Worldview & Macro POV in SPLT
26 april 2017 · 1 uur 53 min
Listen when you're writing a twist and need to earn it through point-of-view rather than surprise alone. Lees meer
In our first (and perhaps last) one-shot, we take a close look at the M. Night Shyamalan's SPLIT. Rather than having one topic with many examples, we use the one example to look at many topics. Well, okay, a few topics.
Firstly, we take the opportunity to revisit theme. SPLIT offers a very clear example of the worldview of the characters and the rules of the world working together to create a coherent theme.
Then we look at the SPLIT's use of macro point-of-view. Given the film's contained nature, it makes some interesting choices in the story structure in order to control what the audience knows vis-a-vis the characters. This assists in generating tension (in both conventional and unconventional ways) while also creating a dramatic journey for the protagonist and reinforcing the theme.
We also cover (in lesser detail) flashbacks, tactics, contained spaces, character individuation, and... being a M. Night Shamalyan film... TWISTS.
Love it, hate it or indiffererent, please let us know what you think of this new format. We're not going to do it every episode, but it gives us the opportunity to look at some great films in more detail.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
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Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
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CHAPTERS
00:06:36 – Worldview
00:35:35 – Macro Pov And Narrative
01:03:26 – Flashbacks
01:12:34 – Tactics
01:15:35 – Contained Spaces
01:19:32 – Character Individuation
01:33:00 – Twist Endings
01:50:41 – Episode Wrap
FILMS
SPLIT (2017) — (w) M Night Shyamalan
SHOT ZERO DEEP DIVES
Shot-Reverse-Shot with Split Diopters in GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE
LINKS
Read: The Guardian: From Split to Psycho: why cinema fails dissociative identity disorder
Read: The Fashio…
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DZ-41: Theme and Worldview
24 maart 2017 · 2 uur 33 min
Listen if theme feels abstract - we talk how how to make it visible through what characters believe. Lees meer
In this episode, Stu and Chas tackle one of the more esoteric topics in screenwriting (and writing in general): theme! To help us tackle this topic, we decided to look at television pilots, because we felt that television requires the theme to be more explicit. Our zig-zagging (and long) discussion covers thematic engines, music themes, thematic loglines, punishment vs reward, and - perhaps most of all - the worldview of characters.
So we take a look at the opening and closing scenes (and middle scenes, too) of some of our favourite shows: HOUSE OF CARDS, CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND, TRUE DETECTIVE, FARGO and TRANSPARENT. We also make passing reference to SPEC OPS: THE LINE, GAME OF THRONES (its Stu's new Star Wars), and BOJACK HORSEMAN.
In backmatter, we talk about the difference between the written scripts of these pilots and their released versions.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
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Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
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CHAPTERS
00:24:33 – HOUSE OF CARDS
00:42:23 – CRAZY EX GIRLFRIEND
01:07:27 – TRUE DETECTIVE
01:52:46 – TRANSPARENT
02:01:05 – WRAP UP MATERIAL
02:21:29 – BACKMATTER
SHOWS
HOUSE OF CARDS 1x1 "Chapter 1" — David Fincher (d), Beau Willimon (w)
CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND 1x1 "Josh Just Happens to Live Here!" — Marc Webb (d), Aline Brosh Mckenna, Rachel Bloom (w)
TRUE DETECTIVE 1x1 "The Long Bright Dark" — Cary Joji Fukunaga (d), Nic Pizzolatto (w)
TRANSPARENT 1x1 "Pilot" — Joey Soloway (d), Joey Soloway (w)
FARGO 1x1 "The Crocodile's Dilemma" — Adam Bernstein (d), Noah Hawley (w)
GAME OF THRONES 1x1 "Winter Is Coming" — Tim Van Patten (d), David Benioff, D B Weiss (w)
BOJACK HORSEMAN 1x1 "BoJack Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Story, Chapter One" — Joel Mose…
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DZ-40: Tactics and Scenes
4 februari 2017 · 2 uur 16 min
Listen to learn how a character's tactics reveal who they are under pressure--and how their changing tactics reveals their growth. Lees meer
In this episode, Stu and Chas turn their gaze to the "tactics" that characters use in scenes to get what they want. Tactics are how the characters try to achieve their goals and (we reckon) can be revealing of the essence of their character. The shifting and thwarting of tactics can make scenes more dynamic; while over the course of a story, the changing of tactics can reflect the growth of characters... even if their goal stays the same.
We take a close look at great single scenes from ZODIAC and TRAINING DAY. And then we look at a number of scenes over the course of HELL OR HIGH WATER, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and WINTER'S BONE. And we also skate over WILE E COYOTE, GAME OF THRONES, MACBETH, HAMLET, and EDGE OF SEVENTEEN.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
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Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
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CHAPTERS
00:08:08 – ROADRUNNER
00:16:15 – ZODIAC
00:36:53 – TRAINING DAY
00:46:22 – HELL OR HIGH WATER
01:21:34 – SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
01:43:23 – WINTER'S BONE
FILMS
ZODIAC (2007) — (w) James Vanderbilt (d) David Fincher
TRAINING DAY (2001) — (w) David Ayer (d) Antoine Fuqua
HELL OR HIGH WATER (2016) — (w) Taylor Sheridan (d) David Mackenzie
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991) — (w) Ted Tally, Thomas Harris (d) Jonathan Demme
WINTER'S BONE (2010) — (w) Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, Daniel Woodrell (d) Debra Granik
SCRIPTS
Study the script: ZODIAC (2007) — James Vanderbilt
Study the script: TRAINING DAY (2001) — David Ayer
Study the script: HELL OR HIGH WATER (2016) — Taylor Sheridan
Study the script: THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991) — Ted Tally, Thomas Harris
SHOT ZERO DEEP DIVES
▶ The detached, indifferent camera of Zodiac
LINKS
Read: gam…
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DZ-39: Backmatter - Hitting LA, Receiving Feedback, and a Roguish One
15 januari 2017 · 1 uur 30 min
Listen if you're about to network at a festival and have no idea what writers actually do with their time there. Lees meer
In another backmatter-only episode, Stu & Chas zig-zag through a range of topics. We talk about Chas' experience(s) hitting both Los Angeles and the Austin Film Festival, effective networking, career capital, the art of receiving feedback, and Stu's harsh Three Strikes Rule. We look back at the most important lessons we've learned about storytelling in 2016 and that leads us to talk about character choices in a little-known and little-talked about film called ROGUE ONE.
And, of course, we open the listener mail box for critiques, praise, suggestions and follow-up to earlier episodes -- especially our Exposition two-parter.
Thanks to everyone for their support in 2016! We look forward to erratically bringing you new episodes this year.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
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FILMS
ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (2016) — (w) John Knoll, Chris Weitz, Gary Whitta, Tony Gilroy (d) Gareth Edwards
LINKS
Read: Urban Dictionary: Career Capital
Read: Forbes: 7 Steps To Developing Career Capital -- And Achieving Success
Read: Music Bed: Creative Critique - The Art of Receiving Feedback
Read: Yahoo UK: Rogue One's editors reveal the scenes added in the Star Wars standalone reshoots (exclusive)
Read: Mamo 459: Rogue Two Podcast
Read: Super Ticket 8: Rowgue Three
Read: Vashi Visuals: ROGUE ONE - 46 SHOTS NOT IN THE FINAL FILM
Read: Destroy All Monsters: The Meme-ification of ROGUE ONE
EPISODES IN THE BACKMATTER SERIES
DZ-39: Backmatter - Hitting LA, Receiving Feedback, and a Roguish One
RELATED EPISODES
DZ-20: Writing Strong Secondary Characters - Trinity, Bechdel and a Bamboo Killer
DZ-34: Game of Choices - Decision Making and…
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DZ-38: Excelling at Exposition (Part 2)
6 december 2016 · 1 uur 53 min
Listen to learn how to use exposition as dramatic revelation rather than mere information delivery. Lees meer
In the second part of Draft Zero's two-part episode on "Exposition", Stu & Chas take an even deeper look at this notoriously challenging part of screenwriting. For many stories there are pre-existing facts (or given circumstances) that need to be communicated to an audience, and often we rely on dialogue to do it. But exposition can do more than just communicate, it can serve as dramatic revelation that twists a story into a new direction or provides an emotional payoff - or both!. So how do great writers make exposition work for the story, rather than just tell audience stuff they need to know? And how can writers go wrong?
To that end, we look at GONE GIRL, SHUTTER ISLAND, GHOSTBUSTERS: ANSWER THE CALL, THE MATRIX, THE MATRIX RELOADED, and CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER. Audio quotations are included for educational purposes.
It should go without saying but in case you missed it SPOILERS AHEAD.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
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FILMS
GONE GIRL (2014) — (w) Gillian Flynn, Gillian Flynn (d) David Fincher
SHUTTER ISLAND (2010) — (w) Dennis Lehane, Laeta Kalogridis (d) Martin Scorsese
GHOSTBUSTERS (2016) — (w) Katie Dippold, Paul Feig (d) Paul Feig
THE MATRIX (1999) — (w) Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski
THE MATRIX RELOADED (2003) — (w) Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (2014) — (w) Christopher Markus, Stephen Mcfeely (d) Joe Russo, Anthony Russo
SCRIPTS
Study the script: GONE GIRL (2014) — Gillian Flynn, Gillian Flynn
Study the script: SHUTTER ISLAND (2010) — Dennis Lehane, Laeta Kalogridis
Study the script: THE MATRIX (1999) — Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski
Study the script: THE MATRI…
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DZ-37: Excelling at Exposition (Part 1)
23 november 2016 · 1 uur 47 min
Listen if your exposition scenes feel like information dumps disguised as dialogue. Lees meer
In Draft Zero's first two part episode, Stu & Chas take an in-depth look at one of screenwriting's most common challenges: EXPOSITION. For many stories there are pre-existing facts that need to be communicated to the audience — whether those facts be about the rules of the world, the nature of a location, character motivations, character backstories or just character names. So how have great writers made exposition move the story forward, rather than stopping it to tell the audience stuff they need to know?
To that end, in Part 1 of Excelling At Exposition we break down scenes from PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, SHORT TERM 12, INSIDE OUT, THE WORLD'S END, THE BIG SHORT, IT FOLLOWS, JURASSIC PARK and JURASSIC WORLD. Audio quotations are included for educational purposes.
Many thanks to /r/screenwriting for suggesting so many examples.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
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FILMS
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (2003) — (w) Terry Rossio, Ted Elliott (d) Gore Verbinski
SHORT TERM 12 (2013) — (w) Destin Daniel Cretton
INSIDE OUT (2015) — (w) Meg Lefauve, Josh Cooley, Pete Docter (d) Pete Docter
THE WORLD'S END (2013) — (w) Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright (d) Edgar Wright
THE BIG SHORT (2015) — (w) Adam Mckay, Charles Randolph (d) Adam Mckay
IT FOLLOWS (2015) — (w) David Robert Mitchell
JURASSIC PARK (1993) — (w) Michael Crichton, David Koepp, Michael Crichton (d) Steven Spielberg
JURASSIC WORLD (2015) — (w) Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Amanda Silver, Rick Jaffa, Derek Connolly, Colin Trevorrow (d) Colin Trevorrow
SCRIPTS
Study the script: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (2003) — Terry Rossio…