Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast
Chas Fisher and Stuart Willis
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Top 10 Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
DZ-91: Raising (different kinds of) Stakes
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast
08/31/22 • 139 min
How can you keep your audience hooked when they know the end of the story?
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 John Keats). We unpack the ideas around internal, external and philosophical /moral stakes and propose some new terminology that may help us write stakes more effectively.
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.
This episode brought to you by (drum roll):
ScriptUp: https://www.scriptupstudio.com – use promo code DZ10 to get 10% off; and
ArcStudio: https://www.arcstudiopro.com - go to www.draft-zero.com/arcstudio for $30 off a subscription!
And how can we forget our awesome Patreons?, Especially Malay, Casimir, Eduardo, Jennifer, Leigh, Garrett, Bjorn, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, Alex and Khrob. You rule!
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.
BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH via TeePublic
CHAPTERS - 00:00:00 - Intro - 00:04:41 - What even are stakes? - 00:24:26 - Hidden Figures - 01:00:46 - Downfall - 01:33:38 - Bright Star - 02:10:33 - Key Learnings - 02:18:57 - Thanks Patreons!
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DZ-92: Insightful recognition in powerful endings
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast
09/29/22 • 86 min
How can endings prompt an audience to reflect on your story?
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 characters experience insightful recognition in others, or in the world, or - perhaps most powerfully - when the anagnorisis is aimed at the audience. In other words, are there craft tools for your ending to prompt an audience to ask itself the question “What was that all about?”? Turns out, we think there are.
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.
CHAPTERS
- 00:00:00 - Intro
- 00:00:48 - Insightful recognition in endings
- 00:03:39 - What the hell is “anagnorisis”?
- 00:12:04 - LA LA LAND
- 00:30:45 - INCEPTION
- 00:35:14 - NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
- 01:00:04 - TURNING RED
- 01:18:18 - Wrap up & Key Learnings
- 01:24:26 - Thanks patreons!
LINKS
RELATED EPISODES
This episode brought to you by (drum roll):
ScriptUp: https://www.scriptupstudio.com – use promo code DZ10 to get 10% off; and
ArcStudio: go to https://www.arcstudiopro.com/draftzero for $30 off a subscription!
And how can we forget our awesome Patreons?, Especially Malay, Casimir, Eduardo, Jennifer, Garrett, Bjorn, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, Alex and Khrob. You rule!
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.
BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH via TeePublic
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DZ-75: Fury Road & Visual Storytelling
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast
12/31/20 • 69 min
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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DZ-96: Ensembles 1 - What do we mean by an ensemble?
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast
01/31/23 • 76 min
DZ-96: Ensembles 1 - What do we mean by an ensemble?
How can the same story feel different when you have more characters?
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 this distinction even matter? What challenges What genres inherently are ensembles? And what do we hope to learn from the series?
We ice-skate over myriad films including JURASSIC PARK, ALIEN, TOP GUN vs TOP GUN: MAVERICK, DEATH AT A FUNERAL, WAR OF THE WORLDS vs INDEPENDENCE DAY, LORD OF THE RINGS vs WILLOW, OCEAN’S 11 vs OUT OF SIGHT, THIEF vs HEAT, AWAY FROM HER, DIRTY DOZEN, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, SE7EN, READY OR NOT. Look, there’s heaps. We talk a lot of movies.
We also talk through our lens for breaking down group dynamics: collaborative vs competitive vs combative.
As always: SPOILERS ABOUND
Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode. <3 Chris!
CHAPTERS
- 00:00:00 - Intro
- 00:04:17 - What is an ensemble?
- 00:26:51 - Taxonomy of Ensembles
- 00:47:25 - ArcStudio Sponsorship
- 00:48:32 - Group Dynamics
- 01:08:39 - Wrap Up & Hopeful Learnings
- 01:15:15 - Patreon Thanks
This episode brought to you by (drum roll):
ScriptUp: https://www.scriptupstudio.com – use promo code DZ10 to get 10% off; and
ArcStudio: go to https://www.arcstudiopro.com/draftzero for $30 off a subscription!
And how can we forget our awesome Patreons?, Especially Casimir, Eduardo, Jennifer, Garrett, Bjorn, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, Alex and Khrob. You rule!
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.
BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH via TeePublic
DZ-62: Unfilmables and Unscriptables 3 - As Ifs & Emotional context
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast
12/02/19 • 137 min
How do you know if your unfilmable is good... or if you’re just being a wanker?
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 withoutresorting 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.
RUNNING ORDER- Introduction / Discussion
- UNCONDITIONAL (Pilot) by Chas Fisher (@ 09:10)
- PAYLOAD by Matthew Clayfield & Stuart Willis (@ 38:48)
- DUST BUNNY by Stuart Willis (@ 59:50)
- THE ACTOR’S PERSPECTIVE with Carissa Lee (@ 01:15:59)
- LISTENER QUESTIONS & KEY LEARNINGS (@ 01:41:56)
- Backmatter: DUST BUNNY - full script read by Carissa Lee (@ 01:59:13)
- LISTEN: DZ-60: Unfilmables and Unscriptables (Part 1) – Engaging imagination
- LISTEN:DZ-61: Unfilmables and Unscriptables (Part 2) - Moments of Awe
- READ: DZ-62 Unfilmables (Part 3) - Collated Scripts
- WATCH: PAYLOADwritten & directed by Stuart Willis
- WATCH: RESTORATIONwritten by Matthew Clayfield & Stuart Willis
- LISTEN: PAYLOAD Original Soundtrackcomposed by David Barber
- LISTEN: RESTORATION Original Soundtrackcomposed by David Barber
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.
Many thanks to all our patrons but particularly to Theis, Jesse, Daniel, Jack, Chris, Khrob, Sandra, Nick, Matteo, and Carrie. They’re good humans.
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DZ-00: Welcome to Draft Zero
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast
02/01/14 • 9 min
What, exactly, is Draft Zero?
Welcome to Draft Zero. A message from 2019 to those starting with our first episodes dating from 2014. We’ve learned a lot in five years. So where do you begin?
Read: The Beginner’s Guide to Draft Zero: http://draft-zero.com/beginners-guide/
Please considering rating or subscribing to us on Apple Podcasts! or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners.
Many thanks to all our patrons but particularly to Chris, Khrob, Sandra, Nick, Rob, Matteo, Daniel and Carrie. They’re good humans.
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DZ-41: Theme and Worldview
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast
03/24/17 • 152 min
How can your characters' worldview dramatise your theme?
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.
Audio quotations used for educational purposes only. Timestamps indicated below. Chapter markers included in the mp3.
It should go without saying but - SPOILERS AHEAD.
- DRAFT ZERO - Related Episodes
- BACKGROUND MATERIAL
- /r/screenwriting: [QUESTION] How do I find my theme/moral/the point I want to make with my story?
- Game Maker's Toolkit: Morality in the Mechanics
- Game Maker's Toolkit: Telling Stories with Systems
- YouTube: SpecOps the Line - White Phosphorus Scenes
- PopMatters: Morality and Karma Systems
- HOUSE OF CARDS [@ 24m 33s]
- Script: HOUSE OF CARDS by Beau Williamson
- YouTube: Francis Underwood's first monologue
- YouTube: Tyrion and Varys Discuss Power
- Find it on JustWatch
- CRAZY EX GIRLFRIEND [@ 42m 23s]
- Script: CRAZY EX GIRLFRIEND "West Covina" Written by Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna
- YouTube: "West Covina"
- YouTube: Bojack Horseman
- Find it on JustWatch
- TRUE DETECTIVE [@ 01hr 07m 27s]
- Script: TRUE DETECTIVE "The Long Bright Dark" by Nic Pizzolatto
- YouTube: Rust & Martin Car Conversation
- YouTube: Six Feet Under - Elephant Art vs Termite Art
- Find it on JustWatch
- FARGO [@ 1h1 35m 40s]
- Script: FARGO script by Noah Hawley
- YouTube: Lester Nygaard talks to Lorne Malvo about Sam Hess
- Find it on JustWatch
- TRANSPARENT [@ 1hr 52m 46s]
- Script: TRANSPARENT by Jill Soloway
- YouTube: A Big Change
- Find it on
DZ-95: Backmatter - Building and Maintenance
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast
12/31/22 • 76 min
How do you maintain hope in the face of, er, screenwriting?
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.
SPOILERS ABOUND for Andor and Obi-Wan.
FYI we recorded this episode with both of us in the same room (for a more casual atmosphere )but that means there’s more technical gremlins like crosstalk. Our apologies in advance!
Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode. <3 Chris!
CHAPTERS
- 00:00:00 - Intro: Backmatter
- 00:02:44 - Housekeeping
- 00:05:49 - Future Episode Ideas
- 00:25:52 - Are first acts getting shorter?
- 00:40:16 - New projects vs current projects
- 00:48:59 - Maintaining Hope or Avoiding Despair
- 00:54:21 - The Big Lessons of 2022
- 00:55:19 - Andor vs Keobi
- 01:14:37 - Key Lessons & Wrap Up
- 01:16:06 - Many thanks
LINKS
- LISTEN: Starship Q Star - https://starshipqstar.com/links
And how can we forget our awesome Patreons? Especially Casimir, Eduardo, Jennifer, Garrett, Bjorn, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, Alex and Khrob. You rule!
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.
BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH via TeePublic
DZ-10: Midpoint Reversals and The Ride
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast
07/08/14 • 79 min
How can the middle of your film pivot so much that it pulls the rug out of your audience?
Stu and Chas embark on the first of a series of explorations into the dreaded Second Act. Their first stop is midpoint reversals or shifts, a plot point bang in the middle of ACT II that changes the protagonist's goal, raises the stakes and potentially leaves your audience leaning forward and asking "How the hell is this going to end?".
To get to the bottom of what makes a good midpoint shift (and whether your story needs one or not), Stu and Chas ride through DEATH AT A FUNERAL, PRISONERS, SHORT TERM 12, ALIEN, ALIENS and UP. We also drift across FULL METAL JACKET, PHILOMENA, HOW I LIVE NOW, ELYSIUM, DIE HARD and STAR WARS. Of course. Stu couldn't resist. It's not even funny anymore, is it?
LINKS
- The Story Department by Karel Segers: That Mid Point Thing
- Scriptshadow: GSU!!!
- Broken Projector Podcast: Amazing movies you have to wait a year to see
- Draft Zero: DZ-07: How much Bull is left in the Hustle?
- Youtube: Midpoint from HOW I LIVE NOW
- Youtube: DEATH AT A FUNERAL trailer
- PHILOMENA by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
- Draft Zero: DZ-01: Do Screenplay Gurus win you Oscars?
- PRISONERS by Aaron Gusikowski
- Youtube: UP Official Trailer #3
- ALIEN by Walter Hill and David Giler
- TV Tropes: Genre Blindness
- ALIENS by James Cameron
- Mike Jones: Star Wars is NOT Science Fiction. Mad Max is NOT a Road Movie.
- UP by Bob Peterson and Pete Doctor
- SHORT TERM 12 by Destin Daniel Crettin
- Youtube: Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio featuring L.V. (with appearance by Michelle Pfeiffer)
- Youtube: Star Wars - That's no moon...
- Amazon (non-affiliated link): Bruce Block's The Visual Story: Creating the Visual Structure of Film, TV and Digital Media
- Restoration: http://www.restorationseries.com/
- Kickstarter: RESTORATION - An online sci-fi mini-series by Stuart Willis
- TRUE GRIT page excerpt:
Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or RSS.
Please send feedback to ask at draft-zero.com. Please considering rating us on iTunes!
DZ-87: Keeping Genre fresh
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast
03/28/22 • 133 min
How do you deliver on the emotional contract of a genre while surprising the audience?
In tackling this enormous topic, Stu and Chads enlist professional TV writer and director for 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 on, without writing something stale.
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 episode.
CHAPTERS
- 00:00:57 - Intro: Keeping Genre Fresh
- 00:03:10 - What is Genre?
- 00:16:30 - Get Out
- 00:45:10 - Promising Young Woman
- 01:25:08 - The Invisible Man
- 01:59:18 - Wrap Up
- 02:11:44 - Thanks to our Patreons!
LINKS
- Freshening Up Genre - Stu's Notes: https://www.patreon.com/posts/64358617
- Kodie Bedford: https://twitter.com/ms_kodie
- Authentic Storytelling – Kodie Bedford: Breaking Down Characters And Worlds
RELATED EPISODES
- DZ-68: Using POV to structure KNIVES OUT: http://draft-zero.com/2020/dz-68/
- DZ-69: PARASITE & Audience Questions: http://draft-zero.com/2020/dz-69/
- DZ-54: Thematic Sequences: http://draft-zero.com/2018/dz-54/
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 Jennifer, Leigh, Thomas, Garrett, Bjorn, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, Alex, 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.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast have?
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast currently has 115 episodes available.
What topics does Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast cover?
The podcast is about Discussion, Films, Writing, Movie, Film, Movies, Podcasts, Performing Arts, Tv & Film, Arts and Screenwriting.
What is the most popular episode on Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast?
The episode title 'DZ-91: Raising (different kinds of) Stakes' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast?
The average episode length on Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast is 103 minutes.
How often are episodes of Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast released?
Episodes of Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast are typically released every 30 days, 22 hours.
When was the first episode of Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast?
The first episode of Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast was released on Feb 1, 2014.
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