Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast

Chas Fisher and Stuart Willis
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. DZ-115: A Christmas Special - Rewatching & Rituals

    23/12/2024

    DZ-115: A Christmas Special - Rewatching & Rituals

    What magic do Christmas movies use to make them so rewatchable? In this “backmatter” episode of Draft Zero, Stu, Chas, and Mel Killingsworth embark on a festive exploration of what makes holiday films so engaging and so re-watchable that they can become part of our rituals. To that end, we breakdown the charm of of Christmas films like KISS KISS BANG BANG, RIDERS OF JUSTICE, and IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE.  We discuss what defines a holiday movie, the power of nostalgia, the importance of ensembles to a sense of family, and how voiceover, snappy dialogue and intricate plots can make something rewatchable. For each of us, we see these films as gateways to introspection and shared experiences during the holidays. And we are briefly joined by filmmaker (and friend of the podcast) Damien Cassar who talks us through the meaning of nostalgia and it’s relationship with the “pain of homecoming”, and how Christmas/Holiday films provide comfort and a sense of belonging amid ever-changing societal dynamics.  Merry Christmas! 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 00:01:00 – What do we mean by Holiday Movies? 00:18:52 – Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 00:41:16 – Riders of Justice 01:03:45 – Sponsorship: Arc Studio Pro 01:06:30 – It’s A Wonderful Life 01:48:37 – Key Learnings & Wrap Up 01:51:03 – On Nostalgia 01:54:28 – 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, 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 57m
  2. DZ-114: Climaxes in Challengers

    29/11/2024

    DZ-114: Climaxes in Challengers

    How does ending your story on the climax affect audience experience? While Stu is on show, Mel and Chas sit down to analyse the meaning behind the ending of 2024’s CHALLENGERS, especially when - upon reading the script - the most impactful moment of the ending on screen (for Chas in particular) is not written on the page. Following on from episodes on filmmakers talking directly to the audience as well as previous exploration into choices and decisions (and hopefully serving as a prelude to our episode on Hero’s Choice), Mel and Chas explore the choices the characters make in that final moment, what happens when filmmakers obscure character motivation, and ultimately how that final moment in CHALLENGERS impacts theme. This conversation ends up being a deep exploration of what is the experience on the audience (and its impact on the perceived theme) when a story cuts out at the climax without further resolution. As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes. CHAPTERS 00:00:00 - Cold Open 00:00:24 - The ending of CHALLENGERS 00:14:51 - Can one action line change the entire meaning of a film? 00:39:41 - Arc Studio Pro 00:42:29 - The effect of giving characters decisions 00:52:10 - Meta subtext 00:53:53 - Choices, feelings and theme 01:06:03 - Ending on the climax 01:09:27 - Key Learnings 01:15:59 - Patreon thanks RELATED EPISODES DZ-113: Tools for filmmakers to talk to the audience DZ-84: Choices & Decisions DZ-111: Unreliable Narrators and Fight Club LINKS CHALLENGERS screenplay How that crazy final tennis ball POV tumbling scene in CHALLENGERS was made Challengers ending explained: Screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes on that epic final scene 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 17m
  3. 22/09/2024 · VIDEO

    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
  4. DZ-112: Breaking the 4th wall

    31/07/2024

    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
  5. DZ-111: Unreliable Narrators and Fight Club

    02/07/2024

    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
  6. DZ-110: Voiceover

    31/05/2024

    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
  7. DZ-109: Talking DIRECTLY to your audience

    01/05/2024

    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
  8. DZ-108: The Emotional Event with Judith Weston

    31/03/2024

    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

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.

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