Listen 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 listen, the video of the episode can be found here:

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

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Thanks to our Patrons, especially Theis, Jesse, Jack, Chris, Khrob, Sandra, Nick and Matteo.

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CHAPTERS

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RELATED EPISODES

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More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.

If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.

We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2020/dz-68/

Listen 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 paradigm to the Hero’s Journey.

They delve into how Melodramas centre on characters that don’t have agency; where the plot happens to characters (as opposed to being driven by them); how Melodramas don’t end so much as close; and how all of the above delves into character questions more deeply than the Hero’s Journey. And to wrap it all up, the kind of techniques you use on the page to write effective melodramas.

Content Warning : There is a lot of discussion in this episode about melodrama being associated with "women’s stories" vs "the hero’s journey" - which is biased towards a "masculine" mode of storytelling - and we fully acknowledge in the show and here that we are three cismen talking about these things.

This episode was edited by Christopher Walker.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

LIKE THIS EPISODE?

Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.

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CHAPTERS

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More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.

If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.

We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2020/dz-67/

How 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 questions, prompting for clarification, and making observations that come part of the discussion. You'll also be able to see video of our us (👎) while also seeing video of the scripts and scenes we are discussing (👍). After they're streamed, recordings of the livestreams (including the chat!) will be on our YouTube channel for later viewing.

LiVEsolation episodes that we particularly like will also be cleaned up and put out through the traditional podcast feed… but not always. Because our priority is doing these regularly, they'll be looser - like a great live gig. We are aiming for once-a-week and at the same time… but that won't always be possible due to… well…life. We are also having special guests and will need to work around their schedules and timezones.

So how do you keep up wth our shifting schedule?

We recommend you like our page on Facebook. Our livestreams will be created as events so you know what streams we will be doing and when… in your timezone!

We are also making PUBLIC posts on our Patreon page (i.e. ones you don't have to pay for if you don't have the coin during these trying times), so if you follow us there you'll get something like an email newsletter with announcements about what's forthcoming. Oh, and if you are a Patreon you'll get priority access to the online chat (when appropriate) and also get to vote on forthcoming topics.

Meanwhile, Draft Zero Classic™ episodes will continue as scheduled. All of the above is in addition to what we already had planned, driven entirely by isolation and a need for community right now.

We hope to see you on the livestream soon!

— Stu and Chas.

Listen 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 Poe, Rey, Kylo, and Palpatine in depth. We also discuss the Watchmen TV Show, Mindhunter, Jojo Rabbit, Snowtown and Zodiac.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

LIKE THIS EPISODE?

Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.

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CHAPTERS

FILMS

LINKS

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More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.

If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.

We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2020/dz-66/

Listen 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: https://youtu.be/_iBdDFKqqbs

Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

LIKE THIS EPISODE?

Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.

———

CHAPTERS

LINKS

———

More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.

If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.

We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2020/dz-65/

Listen 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 on spec as against work for hire.

We also unexpectedly have a guest: David Wappel kindly joins us to share his thoughts on anchoring nouns.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

LIKE THIS EPISODE?

Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.

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CHAPTERS

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EPISODES IN THE BACKMATTER SERIES

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More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.

If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.

We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2020/dz-64/

Listen 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 TV shows famous for their dialogue, namely FLEABAG (Season 2, Episode 5), JUNO and DEADWOOD (The Pilot). The biggest tools we explore are: the hook and eye; how dialogue can reveal status and empathy; rhythm; contrast and affinity; and pacing.

And just to help us all out, Stephen rounds out the episode with some quick fire examples - FIVE EASY PIECES, JERRY MAGUIRE, GROSSE POINTE BLANK, and NOTTING HILL (again) - and further dialogue tips.

Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode during the holiday season.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

LIKE THIS EPISODE?

Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.

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CHAPTERS

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LINKS

EPISODES IN THE BETTER DIALOGUE SERIES

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More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.

If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.

We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2019/dz-63/

Listen 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 actor on the scripts we’ve been reading; and they answer listener questions about unfilmables.

And, lastly, in backmatter Carissa reads the entire script to Stu’s award-nominated script, DUST BUNNY.

Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode, and Carissa Lee for performing the big print.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

LIKE THIS EPISODE?

Thanks to our Patrons, especially Theis, Jesse, Daniel, Jack, Chris, Khrob, Sandra, Nick, Matteo and Carrie.

———

FILMS

LINKS

EPISODES IN THE UNFILMABLES SERIES

———

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/2019/dz-62/

Listen 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 talk writing cinematically, performance beats, breaking (and maintaining) "the spell", limited palettes of language, self-contextualising writing, and instructables.

Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode, and Carissa Lee for performing the big print.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

LIKE THIS EPISODE?

Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.

———

CHAPTERS

FILMS

SCRIPTS

LINKS

EPISODES IN THE UNFILMABLES SERIES

RELATED EPISODES

———

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/2019/dz-61/

Listen 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, bring performances to life, and communicate certain types of humour. To that end, they breakdown into examples from LETHAL WEAPON, MY BRIDESMAID IS A BITCH, HEREDITARY, FLEABAG, KILLING EVE, A QUIET PLACE, KILLING THEM SOFTLY, SHARP OBJECTS, SPARTAN, THE NICE GUYS, DRIVE, THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI, TREE OF LIFE, and MICHAEL CLAYTON.

Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode, and Carissa Lee for performing the big print.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

LIKE THIS EPISODE?

Thanks to our Patrons, especially Devin, Jack, Paul, Chris, Khrob, Sandra, Nick, Rob, Matteo, Daniel and Carrie.

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CHAPTERS

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SHOT ZERO DEEP DIVES

LINKS

EPISODES IN THE UNFILMABLES SERIES

RELATED EPISODES

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More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.

If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.

We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2019/dz-60/