Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast

By Chas Fisher and Stuart WillisTV & Film Arts Performing Arts

Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast episodes

September 17, 2017DZ-44: Marvel - First Acts and Establishing Characters
Listen 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 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?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob and Nick.
———
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 MAN (2008) — Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway
RELATED EPISODES
DZ-09: Characterising Introductions
DZ-11: Adventure for the MacGuffin!
DZ-15: World Building Rules, Okay?
DZ-43: Driving Sequences - Character and Plot Intensity
———
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/2017/dz-44/
2 hr 8 min
July 08, 2017DZ-43: Driving Sequences - Character and Plot Intensity
Listen 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 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.
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.
———
"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
———
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 questions as the engine of sequence structure
00:17:10 – 3 Kinds of sequences
00:19:44 – Plot-Lite Revisted - AMOUR, CHEF AND HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
00:24:01 – High Intensity Plot Sequences - HEAT and FRENZY
00:27:09 – › Intensity as the constant across plot and character sequences
00:31:10 – › Three sequence types and the limits of pure character storytelling
00:36:07 – BOURNE IDENTITY - Homestead sequence
00:38:29 – › Converting plot sequences into plot-character sequences
00:47:01 – › When the hero refuses action, plot reasserts itself
00:51:27 – › Character resolution across the trilogy's arc
00:54:43 – NAKED - Maggie Sequence
00:58:11 – › How plot dissolves as a character loses meaning
01:02:47 – › Classical sequence structure beneath unconventional storytelling
01:06:35 – Road Movies and LIVING IS EASY WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED
01:09:26 – › LIVING IS EASY WITH EYES CLOSED as plot-to-character arc
01:13:00 – NAKED - Security Guard Sequence
01:17:40 – › Defining character questions versus plot questions
01:21:31 – Plot as The Hook
01:24:06 – › Using sequence types to provoke genre conventions in BOURNE
01:26:44 – THE KINGSMAN
01:29:41 – › How plot relaxation enables character intensity
01:32:43 – Character Sequences & Audience Introspection
01:34:52 – DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
01:38:54 – › Character question versus plot question in opening sequences
01:41:03 – › How plot and character questions interlock across story structure
01:44:35 – › Character-first structure as inversion of conventional story logic
01:51:32 – › Adaptation craft and writing the subjective experience on the page
01:55:41 – THERE WILL BE BLOOD
01:58:32 – › Plot overload versus character engagement as audience resource
02:03:25 – › Imagistic sequencing as an alternative story logic
02:05:28 – FARGO
02:09:29 – › How a detour scene reveals character without plot function
02:14:57 – › Marge's strategy: letting people reveal themselves
02:20:12 – CHILDREN OF MEN
02:23:33 – › Character question versus plot question in opening sequences
02:31:04 – › World as character and the faith-versus-chance thematic core
02:43:40 – › Pure character scenes and how they contrast with genre expectations
02:50:27 – › Sequences as a tool for writers to understand and control audience engagement
03:03:44 – Key Learnings
03:06:21 – › Sequence types as a structural palette for writers
03:09:44 – Final Words
FILMS
THE BOURNE IDENTITY (2002) — (w) William Blake Herron, Tony Gilroy, Robert Ludlum (d) Doug Liman
NAKED (1993) — (w) Mike Leigh
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (2007) — (w) Ronald Harwood (d) Julian Schnabel
THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007) — (w) Upton Sinclair, Paul Thomas Anderson (d) Paul Thomas Anderson
FARGO (1996) — (w) Ethan Coen, Joel Coen (d) Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
CHILDREN OF MEN (2006) — (w) Timothy J Sexton, David Arata, Alfonso Cuaron, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, P D James (d) Alfonso Cuaron
KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE (2015) — (w) Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn (d) Matthew Vaughn
SCRIPTS
Study the script: THE BOURNE IDENTITY (2002) — William Blake Herron, Tony Gilroy, Robert Ludlum
Study the script: THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (2007) — Ronald Harwood
Study the script: THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007) — Upton Sinclair, Paul Thomas Anderson
Study the script: FARGO (1996) — Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Study the script: CHILDREN OF MEN (2006) — Timothy J Sexton, David Arata, Alfonso Cuaron, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, P D James
SHOT ZERO DEEP DIVES
Staging the violence in TOTAL RECALL 1990 vs 2012
Time and space in staging "Oners"
LINKS
YouTube: HEAT - Bank Robbery
YouTube: FRENZY - Potato Truck Scene
YouTube: NAKED - Maggie! Scene from Mike Leigh's 1993 Drama
YouTube: NAKED - Jonny and the Secur...
3 hr 18 min
April 26, 2017DZ-42: One-Shot - Character Worldview & Macro POV in SPLT
Listen 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 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.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
———
CHAPTERS
00:06:36 – 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 Fashionpedia
RELATED EPISODES
DZ-05: Shifting audience point of view and heightened emotions
DZ-14: Writing For Actors with Succession's Sarah Snook
DZ-21: Scene Transitions and the Hook
DZ-25: Coincidences, Contrivances & Giant Eagles
DZ-28: Containing Your Script
DZ-31: Tools for Better Dialogue 1
DZ-38: Excelling at Exposition (Part 2)
DZ-40: Tactics and Scenes
DZ-41: Theme and Worldview
———
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/2017/dz-42/
1 hr 53 min
March 24, 2017DZ-41: Theme and Worldview
Listen 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 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.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
———
CHAPTERS
00:24:33 – 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 Moser (d), Raphael Bob Waksberg (w)
SIX FEET UNDER 1x1 "Pilot" — Alan Ball (d), Alan Ball (w)
LINKS
YouTube: Game Maker's Toolkit: Morality in the Mechanics
YouTube: Game Maker's Toolkit: Telling Stories with Systems
YouTube: SpecOps the Line - White Phosphorus Scenes
Read: Script: HOUSE OF CARDS by Beau Williamson
YouTube: Tyrion and Varys Discuss Power
YouTube: Rust & Martin Car Conversation
YouTube: Six Feet Under - Elephant Art vs Termite Art
YouTube: Lester Nygaard talks to Lorne Malvo about Sam Hess
Script: FARGO script by Noah Hawley
RELATED EPISODES
DZ-15: World Building Rules, Okay?
DZ-24: Forging story rules in TV pilots
DZ-34: Game of Choices - Decision Making and Character Implications
———
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/2017/dz-41/
2 hr 33 min
February 04, 2017DZ-40: Tactics and Scenes
Listen 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 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.
LIKE THIS EPISODE?
Send us feedback.
Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.
———
CHAPTERS
00:08:08 – 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: game of the scene
YouTube: Every Frame A Painting: Chuck Jones - Evolution of an Artist
YouTube: Training Day - Initial Scene
RELATED EPISODES
DZ-08: Status Transactions
DZ-14: Writing For Actors with Succession's Sarah Snook
DZ-29: Showdowns & Scene Structure
DZ-31: Tools for Better Dialogue 1
DZ-32: High-Tension Sequences
DZ-34: Game of Choices - Decision Making and Character Implications
———
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/2017/dz-40/
2 hr 16 min
January 15, 2017DZ-39: Backmatter - Hitting LA, Receiving Feedback, and a Roguish One
Listen 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.
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.
———
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 Character Implications
DZ-37: Excelling at Exposition (Part 1)
DZ-38: Excelling at Exposition (Part 2)
———
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/2017/dz-39/
1 hr 30 min
December 06, 2016DZ-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!. 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.
———
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 MATRIX RELOADED (2003) — Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski
LINKS
Read: Compiled PDF of all screenplay excerpts for Part 2
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)
RELATED EPISODES
DZ-37: Excelling at Exposition (Part 1)
———
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/2016/dz-38/
1 hr 53 min
November 23, 2016DZ-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 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.
———
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, Ted Elliott
Study the script: SHORT TERM 12 (2013) — Destin Daniel Cretton
Study the script: INSIDE OUT (2015) — Meg Lefauve, Josh Cooley, Pete Docter
Study the script: THE WORLD'S END (2013) — Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright
Study the script: THE BIG SHORT (2015) — Adam Mckay, Charles Randolph
Study the script: JURASSIC PARK (1993) — Michael Crichton, David Koepp, Michael Crichton
SHOT ZERO DEEP DIVES
Perp & Victim 2: Opening Kills in Horror (2000s+)
LINKS
Listen: On the Page: Ep 457. Terry Rossio
Read: Compiled PDF of all Screenplays Excerpts
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)
RELATED EPISODES
DZ-15: World Building Rules, Okay?
DZ-35: Driving Characters or Character Driven?
———
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/2016/dz-37/
1 hr 47 min
October 30, 2016DZ-36: Backmatter - Time Risk and Fixing Movies
Listen 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 as to whether we should do any backmatter-only episodes into the future.
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.
———
FILMS
RESTORATION (2016) — (w) Stuart Willis, Matthew Clayfield (d) Stuart Willis
LINKS
Read: The Solute: Could the Mirror Be Really You? RESTORATION (2016)
Read: Screen Director Podcast: Ben Mizzi talks to Stu Willis about directing Restoration
YouTube: #Stranger2015 - Metallica's St Anger (2003) Album Re-Recorded
Read: Aeon: Thinking positive is a surprisingly risky manoeuvre
Read: Medium: Why You Should Do Your Work First, Others' Work Second
YouTube: David Foster Wallace Commencement Speech (Audio Only)
Watch: Ira Glass on Storytelling
Watch: THE GAP by Ira Glass
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.
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/2016/dz-36/
1 hr 8 min
October 06, 2016DZ-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 Choice, SceneWork and the myriad other techniques the filmmakers use to keep us interested.
PS: Note that all these films are writer/directors. Hmm. PPS: There is no backmatter 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.
———
FILMS
CHEF (2014) — (w) Jon Favreau
HAPPY-GO-LUCKY (2008) — (w) Mike Leigh
AMOUR (2012) — (w) Michael Haneke
SCRIPTS
Study the script: AMOUR (2012) — Michael Haneke
LINKS
IMDB: CHEF by Jon Favreau
Listen: Watch it on iTunes or find it on JustWatch
Read: Watch it on iTunes or find it on JustWatch
IMDB: HAPPY-GO-LUCKY by Mike Leigh
Listen: Watch it on iTunes or find it on JustWatch
Read: Watch it on iTunes or find it on JustWatch
IMDB: AMOUR by Michael Henke
Listen: Watch it on on iTunes or find it on JustWatch
Read: Watch it on on iTunes or find it on JustWatch
Read: ScreenOnline: On Mike Leigh
———
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/2016/dz-35/
1 hr 21 min

About Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast

From the publisher's feed

Two emerging screenwriters – Chas Fisher and Stuart Willis – try to work out what makes great screenplays work. Discovering what it takes by analysing what successful writers put on the page.