Shows
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-127: Secrets and Clues 2 - The Cost of RevelationListen to learn the emotional impact of revealing secrets vs discovering them.
In this episode Stu, Chas and Mel apply the Landmark–Hidden–Secret framework (from DZ-126) across two very different genres: the thriller SIDE EFFECTS (2013) and the tragicomic pilot of SHRINKING.
SIDE EFFECTS is a film of two genres. The first half plays as a drama about depression and over-medication; the second half is a 90s thriller. We talk about how every time Dr Jonathan Banks uncovers a new piece of information, it puts him in danger — and that danger motivates him to uncover more.
2026-05-271h 51
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-126: Secrets and CluesListen if you want to understand how hidden information drives character motivation and plot structure!
“Getting information puts your character in danger. And danger rewards your character with information." — One of three ideas we steal from game design in this episode. In this two part series, we talk about how secrets, clues and hidden information motivate characters and may (or may not) help you plot from a character perspective. Part One (this episode) looks at WAKE UP DEAD MAN; while Part Two looks at SIDE EFFECTS, and the pilot episode of SHRINKING.
The other two (rela...
2026-05-051h 28
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-120: Subtext is Overrated!Listen if you're struggling to write subtext without it feeling forced!
Or, how focusing on good drama will result in good subtext. We often hear how subtext is important for good screenwriting. We're here to tell you it isn't. Good subtext is a result of good drama, and your focus should be on creating that good drama. But how?
In this episode, Chas Fisher and Stu Willis are joined by screenwriter and teacher Tom Vaughn (Winchester) to delve into the world of subtext.
We kick off the discussion by talking through Tom's article "...
2025-08-011h 54
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-119: Final Character Choices & Great EndingsListen if you want to understand how to better dramatise a character's internal journey
In this episode, Stu and Chas focus solely on the final choices made by protagonists and how that reflects their character journey and successfully, or not, dramatises the internal.
We compare and contrast different uses of narrative POV in respect to these final choices. And in particular whether and when the audience is made aware of the options available to the character, the act of making the choice, and the consequences of the choice.
We breakdown examples from DUNGEONS...
2025-06-181h 52
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-113: Tools For Filmmakers To Talk To The AudienceListen if you want to explore how you can make your creative hand visible through meta-storytelling and structural choices!?!
In our final (ha!) episode looking at Talking Directly to the Audience, we turn away from character-and-text based craft tools to look at other ways that filmmakers - whether they be directors, writers, editors, or anyone else - can make the audience feel their 'hand' more. To that end, Mel, Stu and Chas dive into ADAPTATION, STORIES WE TELL and THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION.
We discuss structure (in particular how to structure more meta stories), the influence...
2024-09-222h 03
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-111: Unreliable Narrators and FIGHT CLUBListen to learn how unreliable narrators shape storytelling through voiceover, structure, and control.
In this episode, Stu and Mel (sans Chas!) take a deep dive into FIGHT CLUB and its use of the unreliable narrator. This is a bridging episode between our previous episode on VOICEOVER and our forthcoming episode on TALKING TO CAMERA as Fight Club does both.
We dissect the film's disconnected sequence-driven structure and how the voiceover ’stitches’ the film together. And then we look at what makes ‘Jack’ an unreliable narrator and how his control over the storytelling impacts us.
Thanks...
2024-07-0255 min
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-109: Talking DIRECTLY to your audienceListen if you've wondered what a character actually wants when they're talking directly to the audience!?
What are the different ways a filmmaker can ask something of the audience?
Chas and Stu are joined by Mel in this prelude episode to upcoming episodes on Voiceover (DZ-110, DZ-111) and Breaking the 4th Wall (DZ-112). In this episode, we attempt to taxonomise the different ways filmmakers can ask something directly of their audience.
To this end, we identify 4 levers that can be pulled:
1. Diagetic to non-diagetic (in story world to outside story world) 2...
2024-05-011h 20
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-107: Establishing Tone through CharacterListen if you want to understand how character actions and reactions shape a film's tone
In this episode, Chas and Stu continue their deep dive into how to write tone by examining films with “light” (we use the phrase loosely) tones: LADY BIRD, EMILY THE CRIMINAL, THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS, and SPONTANEOUS. We also talk a surprising amount about DUNE and CRAZY STUPID LOVE.
We focus on the relationship between character & tone and how the writers of these films use dramatisation to create their unique tones. We talk minimalism vs maximalism, dialogue, character actions & reac...
2024-02-291h 54
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-103: Game of the Scene 2 - Triangle of Sadness, The FavouriteListen to understand how games force characters to interact and reveal themselves (through competency, decisions, and rule-breaking)
In part two of this two parter, Stu and Chas go further into the game (of the scene) and look at how games force characters other than the protagonist to interact. We deep dive into the wonderful social satires of TRIANGLE OF SADNESS and THE FAVOURITE.
We discuss how games reveal character through competency and decisions, how resources and skills impact the tactics that characters employ, and the difference between referees, rule lawyers, rule makers and rule breakers.
2023-10-011h 42
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-102: Game of the Scene - Bluey, John Wick 4Listen to make your scene writing more dynamic (by looking at the underlying game)
Stu and Chas turn their attention to a topic that has long eluded them: the game of the scene. We look at how considering the game that characters are playing — its rules, arenas, players, referees, and win conditions — can help you write more dynamic scenes.
This will be a two-parter, and for this half, we talk BLUEY, “The Quiet Game” (from Season 2) and “Phones” (from Season 3), and JOHN WICK 4. We also touch on GAME NIGHT and LIFE OF BRIAN.
Thanks to Ch...
2023-08-311h 23
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-96: Ensembles 1 - What do we mean by an ensemble?Listen if you're working on a story with multiple protagonists and want to understand what makes an ensemble different from a single-protagonist narrative
In the first part of our series on ensembles, Chas, Stu and Mel start by laying the groundwork for our future episodes. And we begin by asking the seemingly innocuous question: What do we mean by calling a story an ensemble?
As we unpack our own assumptions, biases and thoughts, we ask (and attempt to answer) more questions: How does an ensemble differ from a single protagonist or two hander? Why does...
2023-01-311h 16
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-95: Backmatter - Building and MaintenanceListen listen to hear why first acts keep shrinking--and whether yours should too
Time for our annual backmatter episode, where we drop any ruse of any objectivity, and fully embrace our subjective opinions!
In this episode we discuss: potential topics for 2023; the ostensible shortening of first acts; balancing new projects vs current projects; how to maintain hope in the face of an industry as fickle as ours; and end with a discussion of Andor vs Obi-Wan. Yup, Star Wars is the new Die Hard. Get over it.
FYI we recorded this episode with...
2022-12-311h 16
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-94: Talismans (Part 2)Listen to write objects that accumulate powerful meanings across your story and create unspoken emotional payoffs.
In part two of our two-part series on TALISMANS, we break down the beats used to turn objects (in a broad sense) into talismans; how talismans can track character journeys and transitions; and how they can be used to create powerful moments without words.
While Part 1 looked a range of talismans in a bunch of different movies, in this episode we deep dive into just three examples. We look at how Thor’s crisis of masculinity is articulated through hi...
2022-11-302h 07Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-93: Talismans (Part 1)Listen to so you can write talismans that are powerful tools for accessing character!
In this series, Chas and Stu discuss TALISMANS. Physical objects that are imbued with meaning by a character or characters. They’re a powerful tool to access inner character.
In this first part, we lay the groundwork to discuss talismans and present something of a taxonomy. What makes talismans powerful? What makes them different from MacGuffins or characters? What types of Talismans are there? In the second part, we will breakdown THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, and an...
2022-10-311h 37
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-92: Insightful Recognition in Powerful EndingsListen if you want to write endings that make audiences pause and ponder (in a good way, obvs)
Stu & Chas set out to explore what makes certain endings powerful, in particular those of LA LA LAND, INCEPTION, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN and TURNING RED. The lens they bring to those endings is Aristotle’s moment of “anagnorisis” (don’t worry - we can’t pronounce it either), traditionally when a character moves from ignorance to knowledge (particularly of self).
But in analysing these films, Chas and Stu discover that endings can be particularly powerful when the c...
2022-09-291h 26
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-91: Raising (different kinds of) StakesListen listen if you're writing a biopic or any story where the audience already knows how it ends.
Chas, Stu and Mel take a deep dive into stakes, using then lens of biopics to help us think about them. If an audience already knows the “plot” outcome of a story, then how do you create stakes to make a story tense for the audience?
To explore this, we deep dive into HIDDEN FIGURES (about the NASA Friendship 7 mission), DOWNFALL (the final days of Berlin in WW2), and BRIGHT STAR (the life and death of romantic poet...
2022-08-312h 19Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-90: Setups & Payoffs in EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCEListen to understand how setups, payoffs, and reversals create narrative cohesion even when your story is fkn bonkers.
In this one-shot, Chas and Stu jump into the utter chaos of EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. Y'know, nultiverses, butt-plug action sequences, hot-dog fingers, a raccoon chef, a nihilist bagel. All the good stuff. And yet it lands emotionally in a way that feels inevitable.
So of-course we break it down in a masterclass in setups and payoffs — specifically, how payoffs do two jobs at once: they reward the audience for paying attention, and they stitch what wo...
2022-07-271h 30
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-89: Opening SequencesListen if you want to understand how great opening sequences establish character, genre, and theme while defying genre conventions
Inspired by her tweet on how subversive an opening OCEAN’S ELEVEN has, Chas and Stu invited amazing writer/director Jessica Ellis onto the show to deep dive into opening sequences. How does a good opening setup character, genre, and theme?
In exploring how best to open your story - instead of looking at the almost mandatory studio note of “dropping you in the action” - Stu, Chas and Jess look at the inventive openings of OCEAN’...
2022-05-311h 48
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-88: Drama in Genre clothingListen if you're writing a genre film but sense your story wants to become something else entirely.
Stu and Chas reunite with TV writer & director Kodie Bedford to look at how some films start out as genre but gradually become character dramas. Or, as Stu never said on the episode "Genre in the streets, Drama in the sheets".
Together, they break down HUSTLERS, PIG and POWER OF THE DOG, to see how these films use their genre trappings to hook their audience while ultimately delivering something else entirely. We discuss chapter breaks, inciting incidents, character...
2022-05-012h 06
Stuart Sax: Someone You Should KnowSomeone You Should Know with Host Stuart Sax and Guest Nic WIllisToday on “Someone You Should Know,” Stuart talks with Nic Willis, founder of Father for the Distance, a nonprofit fatherhood leadership initiative between fathers and their kids. They believe "At the core of every social problem is a fatherhood issue, we exist to restore the bond between father and child to strengthen individuals, and communities"
Check out their website at www.LoveLinkLead.org and consider in participating or supporting their upcoming Remote Control Car event. Find out more details at https://www.facebook.com/LoveLinkLead/
Join us every Wednesday on kvgimedia.com, our mobile app, Faceb...
2022-03-3042 min
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-87: Keeping Genre FreshListen when you're writing within a genre but terrified you'll deliver something your audience has already seen.
In tackling this enormous topic, Stu and Chads enlist professional TV writer and director Kodie Bedford, someone who has somehow managed to defy genre pigeon-holing by writing mystery, comedy and vampire shows.
The three of them look at GET OUT, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN and THE INVISIBLE MAN (with reference to PARASITE, JOHN WICK, TAKEN, KNIVES OUT and more) to see what tools the writers have used to deliver on the expectations of a genre while moving that genre...
2022-03-282h 13
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-86: Backmatter - Minimum Viable ProductListen for screenwriting lessons from 2021, strategies for pitching projects, and insights on running a writers workshop
In their annual full backwater episode, Stu and Chas let out their pandemic hair, drop the ruse of objectivity, and allow themselves to have even more options about writing and the business of writing.
In this Backmatter entry, they go deep on: future episode topics; their screenwriting lessons from 2021 (especially on control); pitching projects; the minimum viable product & minimum loveable thing; and share their exper iences with running a writers workshop/group.
There are no Star Wars...
2022-02-011h 29
If These Walls Could TalkWendy Stuart & Tym Moss Dance Again With The Legendary Felipe RoseIf These Walls Could Talk with Wendy Stuart & Tym MossHosts: WENDY STUART & TYM MOSSSpecial guest: FELIPE ROSEWednesday, November 10thLIVE from PANGEA Restaurant, NYCWatch LIVE on YouTube at Wendy Stuart TVFelipe is a native New Yorker, having been raised and brought up in Brooklyn. His Puerto Rican and Native American heritage (Lakota Sioux) is reflected in the clothing that he dons to perform. This is not just a costume but also a signifier of where he comes from and his long association with Native American groups across...
2022-01-061h 08
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-85: Choices & Decisions 2 - The Farewell & Wrath of ManListen when you want to show a character refusing to change despite every opportunity to do so.
In our second part of our “series” on Choices & Decisions, we take a deep dive into THE FAREWELL and WRATH OF MAN, with a sidebar on NOMADLAND.
In THE FAREWELL, we consider how the choice/decision to lie underpins every sene of the film (to great effect).
In NOMADLAND, we consider how using choice and decision is a great way to show how a character doesn’t change.
And in WRATH OF MAN, we look a...
2021-11-171h 49
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-84: Choices & Decisions 1 - BooksmartListen how the separation of choice, decision, and consequence (for a character) creates emotional impact.
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...
2021-10-301h 12
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-83: A Very Thematic Stand-up Special!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)!
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...
2021-09-082h 31
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-82: Dramatising Given Circumstances in WATCHMENListen if you're drowning your readers in world-building and can't figure out how to make it awesome!
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 use...
2021-08-182h 06Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-81: Pitch Decks & Look Books - Development Tools 4Listen if you're preparing to pitch a project and want to understand how to create compelling visual materials
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...
2021-06-301h 13
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-80: Interweaving Timelines 3 - Little WomenListen to explore non-chronological structures can make work thematically resonant.
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 Gill...
2021-05-312h 11
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-79: Interweaving Timelines 2 - The Social NetworkListen to understand how manage stakes when you're using flashforwards.
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...
2021-04-301h 37Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-78: Interweaving Timelines 1 - DestroyerListen when you're writting multiple timelines and struggling to anchor your reader to one timeline's perspective.
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 in...
2021-04-011h 42
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-77: Backmatter - Prioritising and choosing projectsListen if you're starting a new co-writing relationship, managing multiple projects, or wondering how to prioritize your next screenplay.
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)
2021-02-281h 36
The Perfform PodOverheard in the Gym w/Stuart WillisI caught up with good friend and fellow personal trainer Stuart Willis to chat about some of the wildest rumours, fads and myths we’ve heard in the gym.We also shed some light on whether PTing’s all it’s cracked up to be (swinging water bottles around an apartment in Dubai and sipping cocktails in Ocean Beach) 👀, and generally have a good old moan about some of the things that piss us off.Thanks and enjoy the episode!Rhysinstagram.com/_perfformfitnesshttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxjgISqyb8n_rUeE6wm...
2021-02-121h 07
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-76: Spotlight on Sofia CoppolaListen to discover how Sofia Coppola crafts character performance on the page and uses whitespace to create her distinctive cinematic voice
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...
2021-02-011h 54
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-75: Fury Road & Visual StorytellingListen to hear how visual storytelling can carry an entire narrative with minimal dialogue.
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 YouTub...
2020-12-311h 09
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-74: Midsommar & Folk HorrorListen if you want to understand how folk horror works as a genre and how Ari Aster uses it to explore grief and toxic relationships
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...
2020-12-012h 01
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-73: Selling documents - Development Tools 3Listen if you're preparing treatments, loglines, or outlines to pitch to producers or agencies.
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 wo...
2020-10-2139 min
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-72: Theme & The Story Synopsis - Development Tools 2Listen tolearn concrete tools for developing theme in the early stages of your writing.
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...
2020-09-281h 00
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-71: Treatments & Loglines - Development Tools 1Listen to understand why a treatment isn't something to dread, but the plot-development tool that saves you months of writing.
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.
2020-09-011h 26
The Live with Audacity™ Podcast - Women Overcoming SocietyEp. 44 | How to break out from stable misery to experience more joy and less drama with Dr. Lynyetta WillisHey all! Welcome back to the live with audacity podcast. Today's episode is so fun!! Dr. Lynyetta Willis, psychologist and family empowerment coach, is here and we discuss so much. We talk about how our past experiences can jade us into assuming what our spouse is thinking, healing ourselves so we can show up for our kids as understanding, loving parents that we are, and really learning to question our automatic thoughts that are damaging to us and the ones around us that we love. UGH this episode is EPIC!! We have the absolute best time ever together! Just...
2020-08-0358 min
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-70: Joker & MelodramaListen if you're writing a character whose trauma becomes the engine of your entire narrative.
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.
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2020-07-231h 36
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-69: PARASITE & Audience QuestionsListen to understand how refusing to give your audience moral clarity can deepen their investment in character fates.
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.
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Watch and comment...
2020-06-101h 22
Stuart Sax: Someone You Should KnowSomeone You Should Know with Stuart Sax and Guests SGT Evan Mattei and Officer Gene Willis, police officers from Frisco TexasOn this week's show of Someone You Should Know, Stuart talks with Guests SGT Evan Mattei and Officer Gene Willis, police officers from Frisco Texas.
Each week, Stuart Sax interviews Someone You Should Know. Get to know people who have incredible stories to tell. It's their back stories that make the conversations come to life. From government officials, artists, writers, service providers, creators and dreamers; I share their stories in a casual way. Maybe your story will be the next one we share! Episode 5 June 2020
Follow Stuart Sax on social media and tune in to h...
2020-06-0754 min
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-68: Using POV to structure KNIVES OUTListen to help you master the gap between what your audience knows and what your characters know.
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...
2020-05-171h 32
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-67: Writing Passive Protagonists & MelodramaListen if you want to write powerful stories centred on characters without much agency.
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 paradi...
2020-04-302h 58
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ LiVEsolation AnnoucementHow does Draft Zero cope with lockdown? 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 qu...
2020-04-0705 min
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-66: The Mandalorian and The Rise of Skywalker - Audience Knowledge vs Character MotivationListen to understand how fan service weaponizes external knowledge against character logic.
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 Po...
2020-03-171h 45
SFFaudioThe SFFaudio Podcast #565 - READALONG: Last Days Of Thronas by Stuart J. Byrne
The SFFaudio Podcast #525 – Jesse and Paul Weimer talk about Last Days Of Thronas by Stuart J. Byrne
Talked about on today’s show:
and today we’re reading…, John Bloodstone, an old science fiction novel, why wouldn’t I read this book?, public domain, never heard of this guy, Science Stories, February 1954, house names or pseudonyms, tiers of science fiction magazines, armchair fiction, digging into the issue, the cover has nothing to do with the contents of the story, a brilliant 45,000 word novel, a singular spaceship, J. Allen St. John, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan, Warlord Of...
2020-02-171h 21
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-65: Collaborating with a Director - The SnipListen if you are thinking of producing your own short film!
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...
2020-02-141h 03
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-64: Backmatter - Controlling your Work, Treatments, and Writing StylesListen to understand what you can control in your career--and what you absolutely cannot.
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...
2020-01-301h 42
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-63: Tools for Better Dialogue 2 - Hook and EyeListen when you're rewriting dialogue and want to create connection between characters.
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...
2019-12-311h 58
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-62: Unfilmables 3 - As Ifs & Emotional ContextListen if you want to learn how to write tone and emotional context on the page.
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 ac...
2019-12-022h 17
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-61: Unfilmables 2 - Moments of AweListen if you're writing a moment that feels too big for the page (but you need it on the page).
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 tal...
2019-09-252h 05
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-60: Unfilmables 1 - Engaging imaginationListen to discover how *produced* screenplays use unfilmables to shape tone, performance, and humour on the page.
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...
2019-08-072h 25
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-59: Avengers Endgame - Ending Character JourneysListen 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
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...
2019-07-011h 14
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-58: Game of Thrones - Character ExpositionListen to understand why what a character *doesn't* say reveals more than exposition ever could.
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...
2019-05-161h 47
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-57: Backmatter - Aesthetics and Forgiveness in WritingListen if you need to forgive yourself (for not writing)
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...
2019-05-011h 29
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-56: Character Motivations 2Listen if you want to understand how character decisions can break a screenplay and how to fix them
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...
2019-03-302h 16
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-55: Character Motivations 1Listen if you're writing a scene where your character does something 'out of character' and your readers to buy it.
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...
2019-01-152h 18
Overheard In The GymEp. 11 - New Year's Resolutions & Goal Setting"My New Year's Resolution is..."
Happy New Year! For the first episode of 2019, this week I'm talking all about New Year's Resolutions, and how to get the most out of them this year.
We all do it, every year we proclaim that this is the year where we will finally lose that weight, or run that marathon, or fit into that outfit, but invariably, we get bored, or distracted, or disheartened and our resolution kicks the bucket before January has even finished.
In this episode I look at how you can set yourself s...
2019-01-0210 minOverheard In The GymEp. 10 - 10 Reasons You're Not Losing Body Fat"Why aren't I losing any body fat?"
As the show hits its 10th episode, I decided to put together my top 10 reason why you're not losing body fat, and what you can do about it. Including whether you're eating too many calories, if you're just not into it right now, if your tired or stressed, or simply making life too complicated for yourself.
There are loads of reasons why you might not be losing body fat, but as a Personal Trainer, there are a number of recurring themes I come across in conversations with clients that everyone struggles with (including...
2018-10-1516 min
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-54: Thematic SequencesListen if you want to make theme your primary driver (for a sequence)
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 me...
2018-10-102h 49Overheard In The GymEp. 9 - No Carbs After 6pm & Meal Timing"I can't eat carbs after 6pm, because I'll get fat."
Should we be avoiding carbs after 6pm because the body will automatically turn them into fat? (Hint: no) Do we need to ensure that we are eating within a certain time-frame pre or post-workout to ensure the best gains? And is skipping breakfast the best route to weight loss, or should we be eating the majority of our calories earlier in the day?
If you've enjoyed this episode, or any of the other episodes so far, please feel free to like and share, leave a rating, or give the show...
2018-09-3010 minOverheard In The GymEp. 8 - Are All Calories Equal?"Are all calories created equal, or are some better than others?"
In this episode of Overheard In The Gym I talk calories, and specifically I discuss the British Nutrition Foundation's 'Quality Calorie' concept.
Are all calories equal, or do some calories offer more benefits than others? Should we be more concerned with the quality of the calories we are consuming than the overall amount of calories we take in on a daily basis? How does the quality of a calorie impact on our fat-loss goals and is the restriction of a particular type of calorie, or food group, beneficial or...
2018-09-2314 minOverheard In The GymEp. 7 - HIIT Vs. LISS Training"What's best for fat loss? HIIT training or LISS training?"
In this episode of Overheard In The Gym I compare HIIT training and LISS training, and consider which might be best for our training and fat loss goals.
Should you go hard at it every session and work to a high intensity? Or ease it back a little and take a bit of time to do some lower intensity work instead? How does this change your calorie burning potential while in the gym, and what effect does each style of training have on your body? Should both actually comprise part...
2018-09-1614 minOverheard In The GymEp. 6 - The Stretch Factor"Fact or Fiction? Stretching helps prevent muscle soreness after training."
In this episode of Overheard In The Gym I talk stretching, and whether stretching out pre or post-exercise helps prevent us feeling stiff and sore after the gym.
Should you be stretching before or after training? Can stretching help prevent getting injured, and does it improve performance while we're in the gym? Is there any benefit in warming up and cooling down, and if so, what type of warm-up should you be doing? Plus, what you should do once you can touch your toes.
If you've enjoyed this episode, or...
2018-09-0912 minOverheard In The GymEp. 5 - Stop Cheating Yourself!"Can I eat too little calories to loose weight?"
In this episode of Overheard In The Gym I talk about cheating yourself, honesty, intensity and accountability when it comes to your training and diet.
We learn why we might be sabotaging our own efforts to loose weight, despite believing that we're in a calorie deficit and are doing loads of exercise throughout the week. We talk about being more responsible for our actions, and how being held accountable can help keep us moving towards our goals.
If you've enjoyed this episode, or any of the other episodes so far, please...
2018-09-0211 minOverheard In The GymEp. 4 - Cardio Vs. Weights"I don't think I want to do any weights, they'll make me bulky."
In episode 4 of Overheard In The Gym we pit cardio training against weight training and find out which is best, and which you should be doing while you're in the gym. Is cardio training the only way to loose weight, or can weight training be just as effective?
We learn why weight training won't suddenly turn you into a body builder, and may actually burn more calories in less time than traditional cardio training. We learn why ensuring adequate protein intake is key whether trying to gain...
2018-08-2712 min
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-53: Antagonists! 5 - vs AudienceListen to turn narrative uncertainty itself into the engine that keeps viewers compelled.
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 au...
2018-08-262h 26Overheard In The GymEp. 3 - The World's Best Diet"What's the best diet I should follow to loose weight?"
In episode 3 of Overheard In The Gym I talk diets. Specifically, I talk about the world's best diet, the diet that will guarantee results every time, whether you're trying to loose body fat, or gain muscle.
We learn why the type of diet you choose, whether it's keto, paleo, vegan, high-carb, high-fat, low carb or even the potato diet, isn't always as important as you might think, and that adherence is key to achieving your goals.
If you've overheard something in the gym, get in touch and let me know...
2018-08-1913 min
Overheard In The GymEp. 2 - Stop Doing Sit Ups To Get A Six-Pack"Can you show me the best exercise for my belly?"
In episode 2 of Overheard In The Gym I look at why doing endless sit ups isn't going to get you a six pack, no matter how many you do.
We learn why there isn't one specific exercise to beat belly fat, why you should be managing your calorie intake and that resistance and weight training should be part of your training routine.
If you've overheard something in the gym, get in touch and let me know, and it might feature in future episodes!
#keepmoving
2018-08-1210 min
Overheard In The GymEp. 1 - The No Meat, Low Carb Diet"I've been on the no meat, low carb diet for 3 days, and I'm feeling ok." In the opening show of Overheard In The Gym I talk about fad diets, and why they're probably not doing you any favours when it comes to weight loss, training in the gym, or enjoying your food. We learn why our weight loss may stall and struggle when following a restrictive dieting routing, how our body looses out nutritionally, why our training may suffer, and why you might actually end up gaining weight. If you've overheard something in the gym, get in touch and let...
2018-08-0512 min
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-52: Antagonists! 4 - vs SystemsListen if you want to use how societal, governmental, or environmental forces as villains.
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...
2018-06-282h 16
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-51: Antagonists! 3 - vs NatureListen to understand why pressure--not obstacles--is what transforms a protagonist when they face an unstoppable force.
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...
2018-05-311h 52
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-50: Antagonists! 2 - vs SelfListen if you want to understand how protagonists can serve as their own antagonist and how antagonistic forces shape a character's journey
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....
2018-04-191h 47
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-49: Antagonists! 1 - vs HumansListen if you want to understand how to craft compelling antagonists who oppose your protagonist through direct human conflict
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 speci...
2018-03-311h 20
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-48: One-Shot - Blade Runner 2049 - Agency vs ChoiceListen to discover how characters can be dramatised through binary choices (and understand the difference between choice and agency).
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 bina...
2018-02-281h 53Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-47: Backmatter - A Lost Jedi, White Knighting, and Writers-On-SetListen to understand how consequences (not intentions) impact whether an audience roots for or against your protagonist.
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...
2018-01-112h 21Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-46: Structure & Point of ViewWhat questions do you want your audience asking at any given time? 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...
2017-12-192h 25Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-45: Arguments of the SceneListen to discover how a character's worldview becomes the engine of conflict inside a single scene.
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 sc...
2017-10-272h 21Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-44: Marvel - First Acts and Establishing CharactersListen if your first act exposition feels clunky--the MCU has a schema for burying backstory inside character introductions.
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...
2017-09-172h 07
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-43: Driving Sequences - Character and Plot IntensityListen to understand how dramatic questions shape audience engagement and pacing through sequences.
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...
2017-07-083h 17Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-42: One-Shot - Character Worldview & Macro POV in SPLTListen when you're writing a twist and need to earn it through point-of-view rather than surprise alone.
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...
2017-04-261h 52Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-41: Theme and WorldviewListen if theme feels abstract - we talk how how to make it visible through what characters believe.
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...
2017-03-242h 32Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-40: Tactics and ScenesListen to learn how a character's tactics reveal who they are under pressure--and how their changing tactics reveals their growth.
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...
2017-02-042h 15Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-39: Backmatter - Hitting LA, Receiving Feedback, and a Roguish OneListen if you're about to network at a festival and have no idea what writers actually do with their time there.
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.
...
2017-01-151h 29Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-38: Excelling at Exposition (Part 2)Listen to learn how to use exposition as dramatic revelation rather than mere information delivery.
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...
2016-12-061h 52Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-37: Excelling at Exposition (Part 1)Listen if your exposition scenes feel like information dumps disguised as dialogue.
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...
2016-11-231h 46Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-36: Backmatter - Time Risk and Fixing MoviesListen if you're juggling multiple projects and can't figure out which one deserves your attention right now.
In this "special", backmatter-only episode, Stu & Chas take inspiration from Terry Rossio's excellent article on TIME RISK and ice skate over a range of topics. We talk about time investment in projects, Stuart's project Restoration, doing you down work first, managing feedback, thinking positive being a negative, and we open the listener mail bag for critiques, praise and suggestions. We also explore how we could do Draft Zero episodes exploring tone and theme.
We welcome any listener feedback...
2016-10-301h 07Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-35: Driving Characters or Character Driven?Listen if you're writing a character study and unsure how to build momentum without external conflict.
Continuing their focus on "character", Stuart and Chas take a close look at films that may be considered character-driven... or rather character studies... or just plot-lite films? Whatever you call them, these films — CHEF, HAPPY-GO-LUCKY, and AMOUR — let their plots take a back seat to a closer examination of their characters. Stuart and Chas dive in to investigate how, without plot driving the story forward, do these films maintain our interest? We talk Mike Leigh's idea of the 'Running Condition', Character Choi...
2016-10-061h 20Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-34: Game of Choices - Decision Making and Character ImplicationsAfter a spectacular end to Season 6 of GAME OF THRONES, Chas and Stu were struck by the very different portrayals of Sansa in Episode 9 - Battle of the Bastards and Cersei in Episode 10 - The Winds of Winter. Despite both characters having an enormous impact on the narrative, the audience's experience of those characters is very different -- largely because Sansa is absent from 98% of Battle of the Bastards.
And thus: Stu and Chas embark on an exploration of how a writer's use of point of view - particularly in relation to how you show characters making...
2016-08-141h 26Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-33: Protagonist vs Hero - Dawn of Character FunctionListen to see how splitting character functions across your cast sharpens what your story actually means.
We are often told that our 'protagonist' needs to be a active. That they need to be compelling. That they need to change. And - old faithful - that they need to be likeable. But after looking at MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, STAR TREK (2009), THE FIGHTER, and SICARIO, Chas and Stu learn that your primary character does not need to do all these things. In fact, they learn that splitting these functions between your primary characters can reinforce theme and create...
2016-07-151h 58Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-32: High-Tension SequencesListen if you want to evoke fear and tension using only the written word (without relying on camera, lighting, music, or sound).
Chas & Stu take a close look at sequences of high-tension - the ones that make you lean forward in fear, or jump backwards in terror. Without camera angles, lighting, music or sound, how can screenwriters can evoke those emotions in readers using only the page? These sequences can be found in any genre of film, not just thriller or horror. To that end, Stu and Chas dive into high tension scenes from NO COUNTRY FOR...
2016-06-122h 23
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastDZ-31: Tools for Better Dialogue 1Listen if your want your dialogue to individualizes characters, reveal characterization, and shift status!
Chas & Stu are joined once again by the renowned script developer and producer, Stephen Cleary. In the first part of our series on writing better dialogue (there will be more!), we take a close look at how dialogue serves character: individuating characters, revealing characterisation, shifting status, and much more.
Together, they (well, mostly Stephen) break down scenes from ANALYSE THIS, NOTTING HILL, REMAINS OF THE DAY and THE AVENGERS. In a first for Draft Zero, we include audio excerpts to make...
2016-04-102h 05