Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast

Chas Fisher and Stuart Willis
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  • TV & FILM
  • MONTHLY
Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast

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.

  1. 22 SEPT

    DZ-113: Tools for filmmakers to talk to the audience

    What tools help ensure that you as the filmmaker are not misunderstood? In our final (ha!) episode looking at Talking Directly to the Audience, we turn away from character-and-text based craft tools to look at other ways that filmmakers - whether they be directors, writers, editors, or anyone else - can make the audience feel their 'hand' more. To that end, Mel, Stu and Chas dive into ADAPTATION, STORIES WE TELL and THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION.  We discuss structure (in particular how to structure more “meta” stories), the influence of TikTok and YouTube in portraying character authenticity, how to set up scenes where your characters can actually debate what your story is really about., and get into the gritty of how “in the story world” the communication from the filmmakers is. Ultimately, in exploring these three power films through this lens, we discover that these tools give filmmakers more control in conveying their theme. Quelle surprise. As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes. Thanks to Chris Walker for his excellent editing this episode. CHAPTERS 00:00:00 - Cold Open 00:00:28 - The Meta of Meta 00:11:01 - Adaptation 00:36:43 - Sponsor: Arc Studio Pro 00:39:40 - Adaption (Part 2) 00:42:23 - Stories We Tell 01:12:13 - The Forty Year Old Version 01:48:14 - Wrap Up & Key Learnings 02:01:24 - Many thanks to our Patreons RELATED EPISODES DZ-53: Antagonists! 5 - vs Audience DZ-109: Talking DIRECTLY to your audience DZ-110: Voiceover DZ-111: Unreliable Narrators and Fight Club  DZ-112: Breaking the Fourth Wall This episode brought to you by (drum roll) ArcStudio: go to https://www.arcstudiopro.com/draftzero for $30 off a pro subscription! And how can we forget our awesome Patreons? Especially Lily, Paulo, Alexandre, Malay, Jennifer, Thomas, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, 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, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter. BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH via TeePublic SUBSCRIBE TO SHOT ZERO via Substack

    2h 3m
  2. DZ-112: Breaking the 4th wall

    31 JUL

    DZ-112: Breaking the 4th wall

    DZ-112: Breaking the 4th wall How is the effect of breaking the 4th wall different to VoiceOver? As part of our series on how filmmakers can directly communicate to the audience, we finally examine the most blatant tool of them all: when character look directly down the barrel of the camera… and thus look directly at us, the viewer. Chas, Stu and Mel take the craft tools/levers they identified in previous episodes and use them to examine HIGH FIDELITY, ABBOTT ELEMENTARY and - of course - FLEABAG. By examining how “in-world” the camera is, who is talking, and whom the character is talking to (i.e. who we are in the relationship), we end up discovering how breaking the 4th wall can involve the audience in the emotional present of the character and also grants the character a degree of narrative control (a craft lever that can be dialled in and out). Separately, in a Backmatter to this episode to be found on our Patreon page, Mel and Chas answer a listener question and take a deep dive into how breaking the 4th wall changes the RELATIONSHIP between you - the viewer - and character. As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes. Thanks to Chris Walker for his excellent editing this episode.   CHAPTERS 00:00:00 - Cold Open 00:00:17 - What is “barrelling”? 00:13:45 - HIGH FIDELITY 00:39:46 - ABBOTT ELEMENTARY 01:04:09 - FLEABAG 01:40:54 - Key Learnings 01:50:48 - Patreon thanks RELATED EPISODES Backmatter on Breaking the 4th Wall DZ-109: Talking DIRECTLY to your audience DZ-110: Voiceover DZ-111: Unreliable Narrators and Fight Club This episode brought to you by (drum roll) ArcStudio: go to https://www.arcstudiopro.com/draftzero for $30 off a pro subscription! And how can we forget our awesome Patreons, especially Lily, Paulo, Alexandre, Malay, Jennifer, Thomas, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, 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, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter. BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH via TeePublic SUBSCRIBE TO SHOT ZERO via Substack

    1h 52m
  3. DZ-111: Unreliable Narrators and Fight Club

    2 JUL

    DZ-111: Unreliable Narrators and Fight Club

    How does the unreliability of a narrator impact the way a story is told? In this episode, Stu and Mel (sans Chas!) take a deep dive into FIGHT CLUB and its use of the unreliable narrator. This is a bridging episode between our previous episode on VOICEOVER and our forthcoming episode on TALKING TO CAMERA as Fight Club does both. We dissect the film’s disconnected sequence-driven structure and how the voiceover ’stitches’ the film together.  And then we look at what makes ‘Jack’ an unreliable narrator and how his control over the storytelling impacts us.  As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes. Thanks to Chris Walker for his excellent editing this episode. CHAPTERS: 00:00:01 – Cold Open 00:00:20 – Fight Club 00:24:57 – Unreliable Narrators 00:49:09 – Key Learnings & Wrap Up 00:54:07 – Many thanks to our Patrons! RELATED EPISODES: DZ-110: Voiceover DZ-109: Talking DIRECTLY to your audience DZ-53: Antagonists! 5 – vs Audience How can we forget our awesome Patreons, especially Lily, Alexandre, Malay, Jennifer, Thomas, Paulo, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, 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. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter. BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH via TeePublic SUBSCRIBE TO SHOT ZERO via Substack

    55 min
  4. DZ-110: Voiceover

    31 MAY

    DZ-110: Voiceover

    How can you use Voiceover without it feeling like a cheat? In this episode, we finally delve into the world of VOICEOVERS (as part of our larger series exploring craft tools that allow characters & storytellers to talk directly to the audience). Chas, Stu and Mel deep dive into the VERONICA MARS pilot, Disney’s THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE, and the Michael Bay epic PAIN & GAIN. In exploring what makes these particular examples of Voiceover great (and not feel like a cheat or a well-worn trope), we apply the four levers identified in our Part 1 (in particular ‘when in time is the Voiceover coming from’). In this episode we discover how Voiceover can set tone, reveal character motivations, enhance viewer empathy, or even create tension. Don’t forget to check out the Backmatter (https://www.patreon.com/posts/backmatter-for-105083575) to this episode answering Patreon Abigail’s question. As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes. Thanks to Chris Walker for his excellent editing this episode. CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 - Cold open 00:00:23 - Voiceover craft levers to pull 00:03:48 - Veronica Mars (pilot) 00:32:43 - The Emperor’s New Groove 00:54:11 - Pain & Gain 01:31:30 - Key Learnings & Wrap Up 01:39:34 - Thanks Patreons!   RELATED EPISODES: DZ-109: Talking DIRECTLY to your audience DZ-18: Michael Bay – F*ing the Frame and P*ing the Page How can we forget our awesome Patreons, especially Lily, Alexandre, Malay, Jennifer, Thomas, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, 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. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter. BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH via TeePublic SUBSCRIBE TO SHOT ZERO via Substack

    1h 41m
  5. DZ-109: Talking DIRECTLY to your audience

    1 MAY

    DZ-109: Talking DIRECTLY to your audience

    What are the different ways a filmmaker can ask something of the audience? Chas and Stu are joined by recurring guest Mel in this prelude episode to upcoming episodes on Voice Over and Breaking the Fourth Wall. In this episode, we attempt to taxonomise the different ways filmmakers can ask something directly of their audience. To this end, we identify 4 levers that can be pulled: Diagetic to non-diagetic (in story world to outside story world) Who is talking? From story-teller to a character Whom are they talking to? Themselves or directly to the audience? From when in time is the communication coming? They then take these levers and ask a series of questions, including: What does the communication want from the audience? Does the audience know who’s talking? How reliable is the information? How aware is who is communicating of the audience? They then apply these questions and levers to… deep breath… STAR WARS, ROBOCOP, STARSHIP TROOPERS, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, MINORITY REPORT, CHILDREN OF MEN, NEVER HAVE I EVER, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, STRANGER THAN FICTION, DUNE, OPPENHEIMER, YELLOWJACKETS, HUSTLERS, THE OFFICE, MASTERCHEF, ZOMBIELAND, FLEABAG, PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, THE BIG LEBOWSKI, SPONTANEOUS, BLACKKKLANSMAN, AMERICAN FICTION, AMERICAN SPLENDOR, THE KILLER, VERONICA MARS, FIGHT CLUB, SHUTTER ISLAND, SIXTH SENSE, HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR. FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, GOODFELLAS, EMPERORS NEW GROOVE, THE TRUMAN SHOW, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, DIE HARD, THE BIG SHORT, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, DERRY GIRLS, THE LAST JEDI, THE LAST DUEL, RASHOMON, BONES AND ALL, ARCHIVE 81, SANS SOLEIL, F IS FOR FAKE, THE PRINCESS BRIDE, THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS, JULIUS CAESAR, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Vol. 1 As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes. Thanks to Chris Walker for his excellent editing this episode. CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 - Cold Open 00:00:49 - Distinguishing communicating directly to the audience 00:04:32 - Different levers in how to communicate to the audience 00:09:20 - Who is communicating? 00:26:13 - Does the audience know who’s talking? 00:40:00 - From what time is the communication coming from? 00:40:50 - How reliable is the communication? 00:46:08 - How aware are the characters of the communication? 00:58:35 - Analysing edge cases 01:07:37 - What effects do all these have on the audience? 01:16:00 - Key Learnings and Wrap Up 01:19:00 - Patreon thanks RELATED EPISODES: DZ-108: The Emotional Event with Judith Weston DZ-15: World-building Rules DZ-54: Thematic Sequences How can we forget our awesome Patreons, especially Lily,  Alexandre, Malay, Jennifer, Thomas, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, 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. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter. BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH via TeePublic SUBSCRIBE TO SHOT ZERO via Substack

    1h 20m
  6. DZ-108: The Emotional Event with Judith Weston

    31 MAR

    DZ-108: The Emotional Event with Judith Weston

    How and why should every scene have an emotional event? For the first episode of our tenth anniversary year, we are joined by Judith Weston to talk about Emotional Events.  What is an emotional event? Well, it’s a way of thinking about scenes through relationships rather than plot. Instead of asking how a scene moves the plot forward, ask how the scene alters the relationship between characters. While emotional events are ostensibly a tool for directors to interpret scenes, we believe that the emotional event starts with the writer(s). But it is an idea better illustrated through examples and discussion rather than sound bites. To that end, we breakdown scene from OPPENHEIMER, CASINO ROYALE (the Daniel Craig one), and PAST LIVES and explore how the emotional event is written (and not written) on the page.  Through a close reading of each scene, we talk about subtext, power dynamics, status transactions, tactics, beats and much much more. Because Chas, Stu and Judith are also reading the scripts there  lot of discussion about table reads and how to get the most out of them. For those unfamiliar with Judith, she is a famed teacher of writers, directors and actors with a focus on the directing or actors. Her books Directing Actors and The Film Director’s Intuition are basically industry standards.  You can find Judith Weston (and her books!) at her website: https://judithweston.com/web/ As always: SPOILERS ABOUND. Thanks to Chris Walker for his excellent editing this episode. As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes. CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 – Cold Open 00:00:30 – What is an emotional event? 00:13:48 – Oppenheimer 00:46:16 – Casino Royale 00:59:35 – Past Lives 01:30:20 – Key Learnings & Wrap Up 01:36:05 – Thanks to our Patreons RELATED EPISODES: DZ-08: Status Transactions – https://draft-zero.com/2014/dz-08/ DZ-40: Tactics and Scenes – https://draft-zero.com/2017/dz-40/ How can we forget our awesome Patreons, especially Lily,  Alexandre, Malay, Jennifer, Thomas, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, 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. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter. BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH via TeePublic SUBSCRIBE TO SHOT ZERO via Substack

    1h 37m
  7. DZ-107: Establishing Tone Through Character

    29 FEB

    DZ-107: Establishing Tone Through Character

    How can we use dramatisation to create tone? In this episode, Chas and Stu continue their deep dive into how to write tone by examining films with “light” (we use the phrase loosely) tones: LADY BIRD, EMILY THE CRIMINAL, THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS, and SPONTANEOUS. We also talk a surprising amount about DUNE and CRAZY STUPID LOVE. We focus on the relationship between character & tone and how the writers of these films use dramatisation to create their unique tones. We talk minimalism vs maximalism, dialogue, character actions & reactions, emotional dynamic range, and rules of the world vs given circumstances. Stu proposes a new triangle to help us understand the dials we as writers have to affect tone: the given circumstances of the story, how that effects character actions & reactions, and how the audience are told about those elements. Thanks to Chris Walker for his excellent editing this episode. As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes. CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 - Cold Open 00:00:23 - Tone & Character 00:15:26 - Ladybird 00:33:20 - Emily The Criminal 00:57:43 - The Ballad of Buster Scruggs 01:17:28 - Spontaneous 01:39:38 - Key Learnings & Wrap Up 01:51:58 - Many thanks to our Patreons RELATED EPISODES: DZ-105: Establishing Tone - Dark DZ-82: Dramatising Given Circumstances in Watchmen RELATED LINKS: Tom Vaughan / Story and Plot: Controlling the tone in your screenwriting How can we forget our awesome Patreons, especially Lily,  Alexandre, Malay, Jennifer, Thomas, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, 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. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter. BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH via TeePublic

    1h 54m
  8. DZ-106: How do you know if you have enough story?

    31/12/2023

    DZ-106: How do you know if you have enough story?

    How do you know if you have enough narrative fuel to write a script? In this episode, Chas, Stu and Mel attempt to answer a listener question:  “In your own pre-writing process, how do you know you have enough for a feature? And do you have a specific pre-writing method you're going to?” Thus we launch into a discussion on our writing processes and the varying usefulness of tools such as log lines, turning points, beat sheets, synopsis, treatments, and scene breakdowns. We also tackle the challenges encountered while developing an idea to first draft, such as balancing the pace of the story, developing distinct character voices, character choices, plot changes, pacing, and thematic clarity. Is this backmatter? Or is it development tools? You decide! Hahaha. Thanks so much to Chris Walker for his excellent editing on this episode! CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 - Cold Open 00:00:30 - Introduction: Falling Short 00:02:38 - Our Development Processes 00:33:06 - Developing from concept 00:45:26 - Sponsor: Arc Studio Pro 00:48:12 - Expanding your Idea 01:15:29 - Long Short Documents 01:27:22 - Consistent problems with first drafts 01:34:28 - Many thanks to our Patreons! This episode brought to you by (drum roll): ArcStudio: go to https://www.arcstudiopro.com/draftzero for $30 off a pro subscription! And how can we forget our awesome Patreons, especially Lily,  Alexandre, Malay, Casimir, Jennifer, Thomas, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, 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, @chasffisher and @mehlsbells on twitter. You can also find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter. BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH via TeePublic SUBSCRIBE TO SHOT ZERO via Substack

    1h 36m
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Chas Fisher and Stuart Willis
  • Years Active
    2014 - 2024
  • Episodes
    99
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Presented by Chas Fisher & Stuart Willis. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
  • Show Website
    Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast

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