Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast

DZ-22: Romantic Comedy, Actually

Listen Later

How can studying RomCom clichés teach us to subvert them?

With Stu busy working on Hollywood blockbusters, Chas is joined by Alli Parker (script department on Aussie TV series and former co-ordinator of European #scriptchat) to unpick successful romcoms to see if they can illuminate a path for writers working in this struggling genre. Cheap to produce and potentially highly lucrative, Chas and Alli look at romcom's conventions to see what it may take to reinvigorate this genre.

To that end, they look at *deep breath* WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, WHAT IF, THE PROPOSAL, 500 DAYS OF SUMMER, NOTTING HILL, FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS as well as special mentions to GOING THE DISTANCE, SEAN OF THE DEAD and ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND.

EPISODE LINKS

  • Vulture.com: 10 Most Over-Used Romantic Comedy Plot-Points
  • Draft Zero: DZ-13: True That – Tips from Tarantino
  • Goodreads: Writing the Romantic Comedy: From "Cute Meet" to "Joyous Defeat" by Billy Mernit
  • WHEN HARRY MET SALLY by Rob Reiner, Nora Ephron & Andrew Scheinman
    • Youtube: WHEN HARRY MET SALLY - Restaurant Orgasm Scene
    • Youtube: WHAT IF trailer
    • Youtube: THE PROPOSAL trailer
    • 500 DAYS OF SUMMER by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
      • Youtube: (500) DAYS OF SUMMER - Expectations vs Reality
      • The Atlantic: Love Actually is the least romantic film of all time
      • BAFTA: Richard Curtis Delivers his BAFTA Screenwriters' Lecture
      • Alli Parker: Twitter - @alli_and_that and website - http://www.alliparker.com

        • BACKMATTER LINKS

        • TV Tropes: Romantic Comedy
        • Aeon Magazine: There Is No Language Instinct
        • DZ-04: Catharsis and the Post-Coital Cigarette
        • YouTube: Girls (HBO) Season 2 Episode 10 " Together" Finale
        • NewStatesman: “Let's talk about genre” - Neil Gaiman and Kazuo Ishiguro in conversation
        • TheDailyDot.com: The Mako Mori Test: 'Pacific Rim' inspires a Bechdel Test alternative
        • The Guardian: Woman sues to stop Drive getting away with a 'misleading' trailer
        • Listener Project: EX-BEST
        • Wikipedia: Cosmic Encounter

          • Please send feedback to ask at draft-zero.com, via our web form or twitter @draft_zero  We are @chasffisher and @stuwillis on twitter.

          Please considering rating us on iTunes! or sharing us on the Social Medias!

          ...more
          View all episodesView all episodes
          Download on the App Store
          Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcastBy Chas Fisher and Stuart Willis
          • 4.8
          • 4.8
          • 4.8
          • 4.8
          • 4.8

          4.8

          114 ratings

          More shows like Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast

          View all
          The Business by KCRW

          The Business

          670 Listeners

          Scriptnotes Podcast by John August and Craig Mazin

          Scriptnotes Podcast

          2,435 Listeners

          The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast by Directors Guild of America

          The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast

          748 Listeners

          Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso by Higher Ground

          Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

          1,469 Listeners

          The Watch by The Ringer

          The Watch

          5,425 Listeners

          Blank Check with Griffin & David by Blank Check Productions

          Blank Check with Griffin & David

          6,190 Listeners

          The A24 Podcast by A24

          The A24 Podcast

          1,078 Listeners

          Unspooled by Paul Scheer & Amy Nicholson | Realm

          Unspooled

          4,763 Listeners

          The Big Picture by The Ringer

          The Big Picture

          5,748 Listeners

          The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna by Meg LeFauve & Lorien McKenna

          The Screenwriting Life with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna

          974 Listeners

          Team Deakins by James Ellis Deakins, Roger Deakins

          Team Deakins

          1,120 Listeners

          SmartLess by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett

          SmartLess

          58,365 Listeners

          The Prestige TV Podcast by The Ringer

          The Prestige TV Podcast

          1,701 Listeners

          The Town with Matthew Belloni by The Ringer

          The Town with Matthew Belloni

          1,132 Listeners

          Good Hang with Amy Poehler by The Ringer

          Good Hang with Amy Poehler

          12,559 Listeners