What is the difference between choice and decision when it comes to characters?

In order to better understand dramatising of character, Chas and Stu take a very draft zero look at very specific tool: choices and decisions. We analyse three films through the decisions made by their characters. In particular, how the audience understanding of: the choice available, the considered decision itself, and the consequence changes how we feel about these characters. And how separating those three things can create different emotional effects on your audience.

We debate this in the episode, but this is the terminology we settle on:

• CHOICE: Are the options presented to the character.
• DECISION: Is the knowing consideration of the choice and resulting action.
• CONSEQUENCE: is the resulting outcome from the choice.

Part 1 (this part) establishes what we mean by choice and decision, and then takes a deep dive into BOOKSMART, directed by Olivia Wilde, and written by Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins and Susanna Fogel. We all discuss FLEABAG, SEVEN, and old favourite, Star Wars.

Part 2 will turn our analytical eye on THE FAREWELL and WRATH OF MAN.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND

Audio quotations used for educational purposes only. Timestamps indicated below. Chapter markers included in the mp3.

Thanks to Chris for editing this episodes.

CHAPTERS

• 00:00:00 - Introduction
• 00:01:36 - Choices vs Decisions
• 00:19:51 - Booksmart
• 01:01:41 - Decisions & Structure
• 01:05:50 - Mills' decision in Se7en
• 01:07:50 - Key Learnings and Wrap Up

LINKS

• Damon Young: https://www.damonyoung.com.au/
• Stephen Cleary: https://www.stephencleary.org/

RELATED EPISODES

• DZ-34: Game of Choices - Decision Making and Character Implications
• DZ-48: One-Shot – Blade Runner 2049 – Agency vs Choice

This episode brought to you by ScriptUp – https://www.scriptupstudio.com – use promo code DZ10 to get 10% off.

Thanks to all our patrons, especially Thomas, Garrett, Bjorn, Randy, Jesse, Theis, Sandra, and Khrob.

Please considering rating or subscribing to us on Apple Podcasts or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners. We are @stuwillis and @chasffisher on twitter. And you can find @draft_zero on Instagram and Twitter.

What can screenwriters learn from the storytelling techniques used by stand-up comedians?

Standup comedians can keep audiences gripped to their every word for over an hour, and often bring them to emotional climaxes by the end. So how do they do it and what tools can apply to scripted narratives?

For this deep dive into standup, Stu and Chas are joined by the super-talented comic and podcaster Alice Fraser. Which is rather fortuitous. Because not only are we schooled on comedy techniques, but because Alice also has a Masters in Narrative Rhetoric.

So as we dive in to NANETTE by Hannah Gadsby, BABY COBRA by Ali Wong and IT'S THE FIREWORKS TALKING by Daniel Kitson (with more than a passing reference to Alice's own show SAVAGE and INSIDE by Bo Burnham), we analyse narrative structure, transitions, set-ups and pay-offs used by stand-ups…

But we end up focusing on exploring thematic tools - particularly the Aristotelean concepts of the rhetorical triangle: logos (how the story is told), ethos (who the storyteller is), and pathos (how the audience emotionally engages). With these powers combined, storytellers of all kinds can produce work of thematic power and resonance. Or just funny.

And in backmatter, we discuss adapting Savage for the recorded stage with Alice!

Enjoy!

Spoilers abound. Audio excerpts used for educational purposes.

CHAPTERS

• 00:00:00 - Introduction
• 00:03:25 - Alice Fraser on comedy
• 00:22:33 - Comedy tools to be explored
• 00:26:21 - Nanette by Hannah Gadsby
• 00:48:47 - Transitions in and out of theme
• 01:08:32 - Baby Cobra by Ali Wong
• 01:37:57 - It's the Fireworks Talking by Daniel Kitson
• 02:04:45 - Key Learnings
• 02:14:39 - Backmatter - Adapting SAVAGE from stage to screen and screen again

LINKS

Alice Fraser - http://www.alicecomedyfraser.com

• Listen: Savage Part 1 https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/alice-fraser-trilogy/alice-fraser-trilogy-savage-part-one/10070682
• Listen: Savage Part 2 https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/alice-fraser-trilogy/alice-fraser-trilogy-savage-part-two/10082916
• Watch: Savage: https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Fraser-Savage-Season-1/dp/B08BYZD952

Hannah Gadsby - Nanette:

• Watch: https://www.netflix.com/title/80233611
• Hannah on Working it Out podcast with Mike Birbiglia: http://workingitout.libsyn.com/5-hannah-gadsby

Alice Wong - Baby Cobra:

• Watch: https://www.netflix.com/title/80233611

Daniel Kitson - It's The Fireworks Talking:

• Listen: https://danielkitson.bandcamp.com/album/its-the-fireworks-talking-2007

Bo Burnham - Inside:

• Watch: https://www.netflix.com/title/81289483

This episode brought to you by ScriptUp – https://www.scriptupstudio.com – use promo code DZ10 to get 10% off. Thanks to all our patrons, especially Thomas, Garrett, Bjorn, Randy, Jesse, Theis, Sandra, and Khrob.

Please considering rating or subscribing to us on Apple Podcasts or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners. We are @stuwillis and @chasffisher on twitter. And you can find @draft_zero on Instagram and Twitter.

How can writers dramatise Given Circumstances?

In this final podcast release of last year's run of LiveSoLation episodes, Chas and Stu are joined by Uber-geek Mel Killingsworth (who else?) in an epic exploration of how Dave Gibbons' and Alan Moore's seminal graphic novel WATCHMEN is adapted differently in Zack Snyder's 2009 film and Damon Lindelof's 2019 HBO television show.

For this podcast release, we focus on a single craft tool: GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES. Traditionally an acting tool, we look at how it is also a useful writing tool: how is your story world different to your audience's lived world and how best to communicate that?

In terms of WATCHMEN (as you will hear), there is so much given circumstances to convey — in terms of alternate history, superhero rules, political rules, character backstory, character worldview — that is done excellently in both the movie and the TV show that this becomes a masterclass in exposition.

We also touch on narrative structure and tone: how presenting the exact same information in a different order or through a different tonal lens can change how it lands for an audience. ie this diagram --

But this is explored much more fully in the very-visual companion YouTube videos:

• Adapting the Watchmen - Comic to Movie, or: how changing the tone changes the theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KKLhpDj10Q
• Narrative Structure and Given Circumstances in Watchmen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ByPIqI2WzY&t

While this episode may not be for the feint of heart, we feel it is one of our best. Hope you do too. Quantity has a quality of its very own.

Spoilers abound. Audio excerpts used for educational purposes. Thanks to Chris for wrangling this into shape!

CHAPTERS

• 00:00:00 - Introduction
• 00:01:02 - Watching the Watchmen
• 00:06:13 - Summaries
• 00:17:07 - Given Circumstances
• 00:38:39 - The Characters
• 00:51:07 - Theme & Characters
• 01:02:13 - Narrative Structure & Theme
• 01:27:07 - Worldview
• 01:33:47 - Dr Manhattan
• 01:51:50 - Wrap Up

LINKS

• Watch: Watchmen (2009) screenplay by David Hayter & Alex Tse
• Watch: Watchmen (2019) created by Damon Lindelof
• Read: Watchmen illustrated by Dave Gibbson and written by Alan Moore

RELATED EPISODES

• DZ-37: Excelling at Exposition (Part 1)
• DZ-38: Excelling at Exposition (Part 2)

Thanks to all our patrons, especially Thomas, Garrett, Bjorn, Randy, Jesse, Theis, Sandra, and Khrob.

Please considering rating or subscribing to us on Apple Podcasts or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners. We are @stuwillis and @chasffisher on twitter. And you can find @draft_zero on Instagram and Twitter.

How do you make effective pitch decks and look books for your projects?

Chas and Stu are joined by writer/director/producer/multi-hyphenate Marc Furmie of Rezistor Studios to talk all things pitch decks and look books. Coming from an advertising and music video background, Marc shares his experience in putting together visual materials to pitch a project. We discuss the difference between pitch decks and lookbooks, how they help you sell your projects, what buyers are looking for, television vs features, and how do we make yours better?

This is a podcast cutdown of the live stream that was done with Marc. So if you'd like to *see* what we are discussing, including a critique of a listener's pitch deck, then check out our YouTube recording.

Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode.

LINKS:

• Full Video: https://youtu.be/T5u1uzKNVQs
• Rezistor Studios: https://www.rezistorstudios.com
• Shot Deck: https://shotdeck.com
• Eagle Image Library: https://en.eagle.cool
• Adobe Fonts: https://fonts.adobe.com
• Da Font: http://dafont.com

RELATED EPISODES:

• Listen: DZ-71: Treatments & Loglines - Development Tools
• Listen: DZ-72: Theme & the Story Synopsis - Development Tools 2
• Listen: DZ-73: Selling documents – Development Tools 3

Please considering rating or subscribing to us on Apple Podcasts or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners. We are @stuwillis and @chasffisher on twitter. And you can find @draft_zero on Instagram and Twitter.

How can interweaving timelines elevate the emotional experience for the audience?

In our final part, part 3, of our Interweaving Timelines series, we — Chas, Stu & Mel — take a deep dive into Greta Gerwig's 2019 adaptation of Little Women. In her adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's iconic novels, Greta chose to interweave the seperate timelines of Little Women and it's sequel, Good Wives, to create a thematically and emotionally potent work. This differs from all the other adaptations, which have chosen to keep the chronological storytelling of the source material.

We compare Gerwig's choices and their resulting effects with Gilliam Armstrong & Robin Swicord's more faithful (and chronological) 1994 version. It's almost like a scientific experiment!

Stay tuned! SPOILERS ABOUND!

Audio quotations used for educational purposes only. Timestamps indicated below. Chapter markers included in the mp3.

Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode.

RUNNING ORDER

• 00:00:00 - Introduction
• 00:00:37 - ScriptUp Sponsorship
• 00:02:00 - Little Women - 2019 vs 1994
• 00:06:35 - 2019's Interweaving Timelines
• 00:15:29 - Summarising the plot points
• 00:31:39 - Initial contrasts with chronological telling
• 00:35:32 - Laurie's Proposal
• 00:54:10 - Amy and Laurie's courtship
• 01:03:34 - Beth's Death
• 01:26:44 - Book burning and ice skating
• 01:36:51 - How the structure expresses theme
• 01:44:06 - Key Learnings and Wrap Up
• 01:59:02 - Backmatter

LINKS

• Watch: Little Women (2019) screenplay by and directed by Greta Gerwig
• Watch: Little Women (1994) screenplay by Robin Swicord and directed by Gilliam Armstrong
• Read/Listen: Scriptnotes, Ep 433: The One with Greta Gerwig

RELATED EPISODES

• DZ-78: Interweaving Timelines 1 - Destroyer
• DZ-79: Interweaving Timelines 2 – The Social Network

This episode brought to you by ScriptUp – https://www.scriptupstudio.com – use promo code DZ10 to get 10% off.

Many thanks to all our patrons but particularly to Randy, Garrett, Bjorn, Jessie, Khrob, and Sandra. They're good humans.

Please considering rating or subscribing to us on Apple Podcasts or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners. We are @stuwillis and @chasffisher on twitter. And you can find @draft_zero on Instagram and Twitter.

How can interweaving two timelines change how we feel about a character?

In this Part 2 of Interweaving Timelines (aka The Stu Monologue Episode), Mel, Chas and Stu tackle Sorkin/Fincher's The Social Network. As you'll hear, it is clearly Stu's favourite of the examples we cover and, ah, *not* Mel's favourite. While all three bring their own biases and opinions on the reality of Facebook as it has become, we do manage to put the destruction of democracy to one side to actually analyse the meticulous craft that this film displays.

We analyse Sorkin's on-the-page skill with time jumps, managing intercutting and introducing characters - as well as explore how the flash-forward technique manages the absence of stakes (i.e. we know Facebook exists) and creates a different emotional experience to the flashbacks of Destroyer. Finally, and most importantly, we look at how the interweaving timelines change how the audience feel about Mark Zuckerberg (as portrayed in this film).

Stay tuned! SPOILERS ABOUND!

Audio quotations used for educational purposes only. Timestamps indicated below. Chapter markers included in the mp3.

Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode.

RUNNING ORDER

• 00:00:00 - Introduction
• 00:01:48 - The Social Network
• 00:07:36 - The flash forward structure
• 00:18:46 - Why did we pick this film?
• 00:29:41 - What are the stakes?
• 00:42:45 - Time jumps & transitions
• 00:52:59 - Audience's perception of Mark
• 01:00:45 - Storyteller cuts
• 01:09:20 - Sorkin vs Fincher
• 01:16:07 - Wrap up & key learnings
• 01:23:15 - Backmatter

LINKS

• Watch: The Social Network written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by David Fincher
• Read: Wordplayer - The Storyteller Cut

RELATED EPISODES

• DZ-78: Interweaving Timelines 1 - Destroyer
• DZ-43: Driving Sequences – Character and Plot Intensity

This episode brought to you by ScriptUp – https://www.scriptupstudio.com – use promo code DZ10 to get 10% off.

Many thanks to all our patrons but particularly to Randy, Garrett, Bjorn, Joakim, Khrob, and Sandra. They're good humans.

Please considering rating or subscribing to us on Apple Podcasts or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners. We are @stuwillis and @chasffisher on twitter. And you can find @draft_zero on Instagram and Twitter.

How does interweaving two timelines change how the audience feel?

Stu and Chas are joined by Mel Killingsworth to dissect interweaving timelines. Not anthology films. Not Cloud Atlas. But films where two plot lines featuring the same characters, but from different timelines, are woven together.

How do you manage stakes when you know a character's future? What questions does this prompt in the viewer? And how the hell do you orient the reader?

To answer these questions, it will take three episodes. In this Part 1, our intrepid team (and Mel's 42 pages of homework) tackle the 2018 film DESTROYER directed by Karen Kusama, written by Hay & Manfredi and starring Nicole Kidman.

Meanwhile, Part 2 will cover THE SOCIAL NETWORK and Part 3 will compare the 1994 Gillian Armstrong version with 2019 Greta Gerwig version of LITTLE WOMEN. Whew.

Stay tuned! SPOILERS ABOUND!

Audio quotations used for educational purposes only. Timestamps indicated below. Chapter markers included in the mp3.

Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode.

RUNNING ORDER

• 00:00:10 Intro
• 00:01:46 Interweaving Timelines?
• 00:14:54 Destroyer & Timelines
• 00:35:28 Indicating Timelines
• 00:39:21 Ordering the Key Events
• 00:51:50 Theme & Timelines
• 01:06:44 Questions prompted by the ending
• 01:20:58 Key Learnings & Wrap Up
• 01:37:37 Backmatter

EPISODE LINKS

• WATCH: Destroyer (2018)
• FOLLOW: Melanie Killingsworth – @mehlsbells on twitter
• READ: "A Game Designer's Analysis Of QAnon"

RELATED EPISODES

• DZ-05: Shifting audience point of view and heightened emotions
• DZ-46: Structure & Point of View

This episode brought to you by ScriptUp - https://www.scriptupstudio.com - use promo code DZ10 to get 10% off.

Many thanks to all our patrons but particularly to Randy, Garrett, Bjorn, Jack, Khrob, and Sandra. They're good humans.

Please considering rating or subscribing to us on Apple Podcasts or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners. We are @stuwillis and @chasffisher on twitter. And you can find @draft_zero on Instagram and Twitter.

How do you choose which project to start next?

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.

SPOILERS ABOUND, particularly for The Mandalorian Season 2 and Ready or Not.

Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode.

RUNNING ORDER

• 00:00:00 - Intro
• 00:02:55 - DZ update
• 00:11:18 - Mooting future topics
• 00:39:51 - Questions to ask of a new co-writing relationship
• 00:49:56 - Why is pressure different to stakes and obstacles?
• 00:55:22 - How to manage multiple projects?
• 01:07:08 - How to pick your next project?
• 01:19:54 - The Mandalorian Season 2

EPISODE LINKS

• READ: Brandon Sanderson "My Work Life Balance As A Writer"

But the system using folders is actually from Anthony Johnston

• READ: Anthony Johnston - "The Organized Writer"

Many thanks to all our patrons but particularly to Randy, Bjorn, Garrett, Joakim, Khrob, and Sandra. They're good humans.

Please considering rating or subscribing to us on Apple Podcasts or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners. We are @stuwillis and @chasffisher on twitter. And you can find @draft_zero on Instagram and Twitter.

What can we learn from Sofia Coppola's on-the-page skills over her career?

Following the success of the Tips from Tarantino episode, we have again decided to look at three different scripts from over the course of a long screenwriting career from a single writer to see what we can learn. Our beloved patreons not only selected Sofia Coppola as said writer, but also selected the scripts to analyse: LOST IN TRANSLATION, THE BLING RING and THE BEGUILED.

Stu and Chas are joined by repeat Draft Zero offender Melanie Killingsworth and are surprised to find that Coppola does not often write the tone or experience of her films into her scripts (given how specific her tone is and how unique the experiences of her films are). Instead, we are treated to a masterclass in writing character performance on the page - actor catnip, if you will - as well as Coppola's insightful use of white space.

You can also watch the complete live stream on YouTube.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND.

Audio quotations used for educational purposes only. Timestamps indicated below. Chapter markers included in the mp3. Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode, and to Carissa Lee for reading the script excerpts.

RUNNING ORDER

• 00:00:00 - Intro
• 00:02:12 - Sofia Coppola & Writing to Direct
• 00:13:49 - Lost in Translation
• 00:54:07 - The Bling Ring
• 01:18:24 - The Beguiled
• 01:34:53 - Wrap Up & Key Learnings
• 01:45:28 - Backmatter: Cultural Portray in Lost in Translation

EPISODE LINKS

• FOLLOW: Melanie Killingsworth – @mehlsbells on twitter
• WATCH: Lost In Translation
• READ: http://dailyscript.com/scripts/lost_in_translation.pdf
• WATCH: The Bling Ring
• READ: https://raindance.org/scripts/The%20Bling%20Ring.pdf
• WATCH: The Beguiled
• READ: https://www.scriptslug.com/assets/uploads/scripts/the-beguiled-2017.pdf
• READ: DZ-76 Sofia Coppola Collated Scripts
• READ: Hit film gets lost in racism row
• READ: Latent racism 'Lost in Translation'

RELATED EPISODES

• DZ-13: True that - Tips from Tarantino
• DZ-60: Unfilmables 1 - Engaging imagination
• DZ-16: Masters of Whitespace

This episode brought to you by ScriptUp - https://www.scriptupstudio.com - use promo code DZ10 to get 10% off.

Many thanks to all our patrons but particularly to Randy, Bjorn, Jack, Khrob, and Sandra. They're good humans.

Please considering rating or subscribing to us on Apple Podcasts or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners. We are @stuwillis and @chasffisher on twitter. And you can find @draft_zero on Instagram and Twitter.

How can you do powerful storytelling... without dialogue?

Stu and Chas are joined by filmmaker, podcaster and writer Matthew Brown to deep dive into FURY ROAD and its astounding visual storytelling, both on the page and on screen. We talk about setups and payoffs, given circumstances, image systems, environmental storytelling, and how the relationship between Furiosa and Max is built over the course of the story with very little dialogue (besides Tom Hardy's grunts and the odd bellow of "MEDIOCRE!").

You can also watch the complete live stream on YouTube or just the breakdown of the Furiosa/Max fight (which isn't in the podcast) here.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND

Audio quotations used for educational purposes only. Timestamps indicated below. Chapter markers included in the mp3.

RUNNING ORDER

• 00:00:00 Intro: Fury Road & Visual Storytelling
• 00:01:07 Why Fury Road?
• 00:06:17 World Building & Given Circumstances
• 00:23:19 World Building & Plot Points
• 00:30:50 Setups & Payoffs
• 00:35:03 Who is the Protagonist?
• 00:35:08 Max & Furiosa's Arc
• 01:00:44 Stray Observations
• 01:05:28 Wrap Up

EPISODE LINKS

• FOLLOW: Matt Brown - @tederick on twitter, or buy his book at tederick.com/furyroad
• READ: Cinephillia and Beyond - In Search of Our Better Selves: The Rebirth, Redemption and Road Warriors of George Miller's 'Mad Max: Fury Road'
• WATCH: Mad Max: Fury Road
• READ: The Art of Mad Max Max Fury Road

RELATED EPISODES

• DZ-33: Protagonist vs Hero – Dawn of Character Function
• DZ LiVE Ep3 - Watchmen - The Comic, The Movie & The Show

Many thanks to all our patrons but particularly to Stuart, Jack, Chris, Khrob, and Sandra. They're good humans.

Please considering rating or subscribing to us on Apple Podcasts or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners. We are @stuwillis and @chasffisher on twitter. And you can find @draft_zero on Instagram and Twitter.

LINKS @ http://linktr.ee/draftzero

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