How can you successfully integrate exposition into your story? In Draft Zero's first two part episode, Stu & Chas take an in-depth look at one of screenwriting's most common challenges: EXPOSITION. For many stories there are pre-existing facts that need to be communicated to the audience — whether those facts be about the rules of the world, the nature of a location, character motivations, character backstories or just character names. So how have great writers made exposition move the story...
Nov 23, 2016•1 hr 47 min•Season 3Ep. 37
How can writers wisely invest their time in projects? In this "special", backmatter-only episode, Stu & Chas take inspiration from Terry Rossio's excellent article on TIME RISK and ice skate over a range of topics. We talk about time investment in projects, Stuart's project Restoration, doing you down work first, managing feedback, thinking positive being a negative, and we open the listener mail bag for critiques, praise and suggestions. We also explore how we could do Draft Zero episodes e...
Oct 30, 2016•1 hr 7 min•Season 3Ep. 36
How can films maintain audience interest without stakes or plot questions? Continuing their focus on "character", Stuart and Chas take a close look at films that may be considered character-driven... or rather character studies... or just plot-lite films? Whatever you call them, these films —CHEF, HAPPY-GO-LUCKY, and AMOUR — let their plots take a back seat to a closer examination of their characters. Stuart and Chas dive in to investigate how, without plot driving the story forward, do these fi...
Oct 06, 2016•1 hr 21 min•Season 3Ep. 35
How does the audience experience of a character's decision impact our feelings towards that character? After a spectacular end to Season 6 of GAME OF THRONES, Chas and Stu were struck by the very different portrayals of Sansa in Episode 9 - Battle of the Bastards and Cersei in Episode 10 - The Winds of Winter . Despite both characters having an enormous impact on the narrative, the audience's experience of those characters is very different -- largely because Sansa is absent from 98% of Battle o...
Aug 14, 2016•1 hr 26 min•Season 3Ep. 34
How does splitting 'character functions' enhance theme? We are often told that our 'protagonist' needs to be a active. That they need to be compelling. That they need to change. And - old faithful - that they need to be likeable. But after looking at MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, STAR TREK (2009), THE FIGHTER, and SICARIO, Chas and Stu learn that your primary character does not need to do all these things. In fact, they learn that splitting these functions between your primary characters can reinforce the...
Jul 15, 2016•1 hr 58 min•Season 3Ep. 33
How can you recreate the feeling of cinematic high-tension on the page? Chas & Stu take a close look at sequences of high-tension - the ones that make you lean forward in fear, or jump backwards in terror. Without camera angles, lighting, music or sound, how can screenwriters can evoke those emotions in readers using only the page? These sequences can be found in any genre of film, not just thriller or horror. To that end, Stu and Chas dive into high tension scenes from NO COUNTRY FOR OLD ME...
Jun 12, 2016•2 hr 23 min•Season 3Ep. 32
How does dialogue serve to reveal character? Chas & Stu are joined once again by the renowned script developer and producer, Stephen Cleary. In the first part of our series on writing better dialogue (there will be more!), we take a close look at how dialogue serves character: individuating characters, revealing characterisation, shifting status, and much more. Together, they (well, mostly Stephen) break down scenes from ANALYSE THIS, NOTTING HILL, REMAINS OF THE DAY and THE AVENGERS. In a f...
Apr 10, 2016•2 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 31
What makes a script so compelling that it ends up with an Oscar nod? This week, Stu and Chas return to their first ever episode by tackling two Oscar-nominated screenplays. But this time - instead of exploring the rigid structures laid down by gurus - they use it as an opportunity to explore what they've learned in the last three years and apply them to the phenomenal writing in SPOTLIGHT and CAROL (with slight digression towards THE EXPANSE* and GAME OF THRONES). And so this slightly meandering...
Feb 28, 2016•1 hr 44 min•Season 3Ep. 30
What can fight scenes - whether physical or verbal - teach us about structuring any scene? In exploring how to write good fight scenes, Stu and Chas compare how writers structure memorable showdowns - both verbal and physical. Fights vs arguments. Swords vs insults. Lightsabres vs passive aggressive subtext. To do this, they analyse the showdowns in EASTERN PROMISES, ROB ROY, THE FORCE AWAKENS (yes, yes, we finally let Stu officially discuss Star Wars), A FEW GOOD MEN, BREAKING BAD and BEFORE SU...
Jan 25, 2016•1 hr 41 min•Season 3Ep. 29
How do you keep contained movies engaging? Contained Thrillers seem to be a genre that never goes out of fashion. But being contained is not just limited to thrillers. It's a way of telling stories on a lower budget, regardless of genre. So - while allegedly easier to make / get made - limiting a story to a single location also limits the tools that maintain an audience's interest. Changing audience or character point of view, intercutting between locations or characters are all much harder (if ...
Dec 21, 2015•1 hr 56 min•Season 2Ep. 28
