Draft Zero: a screenwriting Podcast
1) DZ-121: Escalating antagonism
How do the antagonistic forces in your story escalate distinctly from the protagonists’ journey? We often struggle to develop the middle stages of a story. Could this be because we focus on our prota...Show More
2) DZ-120: Subtext is overrated
Or, how focusing on good drama will result in good subtext. We often hear how subtext is important for good screenwriting. We’re here to tell you it isn’t. Good subtext is a result of good drama, an...Show More
3) DZ-119: Final Character Choices & Great Endings
How does your protagonist’s final choice resolve the plot, character arc and theme? In this episode, Stu and Chas focus solely on the final choices made by protagonists and how that reflects their cha...Show More
4) DZ-118: Adolescence and tension through questions
How do dramatic questions create tension? In this episode, Stu and Chas delve into the cultural phenomenon of ADOLESCENCE. We try to find the craft tools that have made the show so compelling and s...Show More
5) DZ-117: Tonal shifts
How can we teach our audience new storytelling rules in the middle of our story? Following on from our episodes on establishing tone through action lines and through character, this is what we have be...Show More
6) DZ-116: Writing physical comedy
How do you make extended technical scenes funny on the page? Mel joins Chas to tackle physical comedy. We limited our homework selection to extended scenes (as opposed to moments and sight gags) in li...Show More
7) 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...Show More
8) 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 ...Show More
9) 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...Show More
10) 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 th...Show More