DZ-91: Raising (different kinds of) Stakes

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

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.

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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.

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How can we teach the reader to find the humour in our darkness?

Chas and Stu finally start their long-mooted exploration of tone with a series that examines films and shows with unusual tones and dives into how the writers establish those tones in the first 5 pages.

How does your script want your reader to experience violence in your story? Humour? Sex? Prejudice?

To answer these questions, this episode look at how films with “darker” or “sadder” tones teach the reader what they can laugh at, namely: THE NICE GUYS, THE BANSHEES OF INISHIRIN and the pilot for YELLOWJACKETS.

Together they learn how to better talk about tone, how to frame tone for a scene or sequence, and what levers writers can use on the page to compensate for cinematic tools like music, performance, composition, lighting, design, editing, etc etc etc.

Future episodes plan to explore establishing lighter or quirkier tones, as well as tools in shifting or changing tone on the page.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

CHAPTERS:

• 00:00:00 - Cold Open
• 00:00:32 - What is tone?
• 00:25:00 - The Nice Guys
• 00:55:07 - Sponsor: Arc Studio Pro
• 00:57:23 - The Banshees of Inisherin
• 01:25:06 - Yellowjackets
• 01:53:30 - Key Learnings & Wrap Up
• 02:04:40 - Many thanks to our Patreons!

RELATED EPISODES

• DZ-60: Unfilmables and Unscriptables (Part 1) - Engaging imagination
• DZ-61: Unfilmables 2 – Moments of Awe

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, and @chasffisher on twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

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SUBSCRIBE TO SHOT ZERO via Substack

How can scenes where characters are alone increase our connection with them?

In this episode, we explore the audience's connection with characters through the lens of characters being alone.

Chas and Stu breakdown scenes (and their scripts) from AFTERSUN, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY and THE EQUALIZER to discuss the significance of solitude in giving the audience insight into a character’s interiority. We talk how big print can reflect character; how finding moments for vulnerability allows characters to drop their masks; and how staging can help these moments occur organically.

Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

CHAPTERS

• 00:00:02 - Cold Open
• 00:00:24 - Intro: Character's Alone
• 00:13:04 - Aftersun
• 00:31:55 - Sponsor: Arc Studio Pro
• 00:34:16 - Sense and Sensibility
• 00:59:59 - The Equalizer
• 01:25:02 - Wrap Up & Key Learnings
• 01:28:34 - Many thanks to our Patreons!

RELATED EPISODES

• DZ-99: Scene Questions
• DZ-93: Talismans (Part 1)
• DZ-94 Talismans (Part 2)
• DZ-60: Unfilmables and Unscriptables (Part 1) - Engaging imagination

RELATED LINKS

• Shot Zero: www.shot-zero.com
• Restoration: www.restorationseries.com

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, and @chasffisher on twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

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SUBSCRIBE TO SHOT ZERO via Substack

How can games elevate dramatic scenes?

In part two of this two parter, Stu and Chas go further into the game (of the scene) and look at how games force characters *other* than the protagonist to interact. We deep dive into the wonderful social satires of TRIANGLE OF SADNESS and THE FAVOURITE.

We discuss how games reveal character through competency and decisions, how resources and skills impact the tactics that characters employ, and the difference between referees, rule lawyers, rule makers and rule breakers.

Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

CHAPTERS

• 00:00:00 - Cold Open
• 00:00:19 - Sponsor: ScriptUp
• 00:01:45 - Intro: Follow up
• 00:10:50 - Triangle of Sadness (Parts 1 and 2)
• 00:35:37 - Sponsor: Arc Studio Pro
• 00:38:25 - Triangle of Sadness (Part 3)
• 00:52:51 - The Favourite
• 01:30:34 - Wrap Up & Key Learnings
• 01:40:30 - Thanks to our Patreons!

RELATED EPISODES

• DZ-102: Game of the Scene 1 - Bluey, John Wick 4
• DZ-99: Scene Questions
• DZ-40: Tactics and Scenes

RELATED LINKS

• IMDB: Molli and Max in the Future
• Letterboxd: Molli and Max in the Future

This episode brought to you by (drum roll):

• ScriptUp: https://www.scriptupstudio.com – use promo code DZ10 to get 10% off
• 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, Casimir, Jennifer, Thomas, Garrett, 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 our many social medias!

How can ‘games’ help us write better scenes?

Stu and Chas turn their attention to a topic that has long eluded them: the game of the scene. We look at how considering the game that characters are playing — its rules, arenas, players, referees, and win conditions — can help you write more dynamic scenes.

This will be a two-parter, and for this half, we talk BLUEY, “The Quiet Game” (from Season 2) and “Phones” (from Season 3), and JOHN WICK 4. We also touch on GAME NIGHT and LIFE OF BRIAN.

Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

CHAPTERS

• 00:00:00 - Cold Open
• 00:00:18 - Sponsor: ScriptUp
• 00:01:52 - Intro: What do we mean by Game of the Scene?
• 00:15:06 - The Life of Brian: "What have the Romans ever done for us?"
• 00:20:03 - Bluey
• 00:35:08 - Sponsor: Arc Studio Pro
• 00:37:56 - John Wick 4
• 01:14:34 - Wrap Up & Key Learnings
• 01:22:17 - Many thanks to our Patreons

RELATED EPISODES

• DZ-100: Scenes through Swords
• DZ-99: Science Questions
• DZ-40: Tactics and Scenes

RELATED LINKS

• Shot Zero on Game Night's Hot Potato Sequence

This episode brought to you by (drum roll):

• ScriptUp: https://www.scriptupstudio.com – use promo code DZ10 to get 10% off
• 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, Casimir, Jennifer, Thomas, Garrett, 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

What can we learn by analysing how ‘oners’ are written on the page?

Chas, Stu and Mel reunite to talk about writing the *feel* of camerawork in screenplays. We use “oners” — a long-playing continuous take — as a lens to talk about how some writers have “directed” from the page. We talk immediacy, camera positions, handovers, and anchoring action and more.

We breakdown the famous Copacabana shot from GOODFELLAS, the awe-inspiring chase sequence from THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN, and the heart pounding ‘Zed attack’ from CHILDREN OF MEN. We also briefly discuss THE BOURNE IDENTITY, HEREDITARY, THE BEAR, ALL THE PRESIDENTS MEN and TOUCH OF EVIL.

And we do this breakdown by closely reading the actual words on the page. So thanks to Meegan May (of Starship Q Star) for performing the big print / action lines. Script Pages available on our Patreon.

Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

CHAPTERS

• 00:00:13 - Cold Open
• 00:00:23 - ScriptUp Sponsorship
• 00:00:33 - New Chapter
• 00:01:58 - Intro: Camerwork on the page
• 00:09:50 - Contrary Examples: The Bourne Identity and Hereditary
• 00:13:15 - Narrative Purpose and Oners
• 00:16:30 - Goodfellas (intro)
• 00:16:57 - Goodfellas (excerpt)
• 00:18:22 - Goodfellas (discussion)
• 00:32:48 - The Adventures of Tintin (intro)
• 00:34:14 - The Adventures of Tintin (excerpt)
• 00:37:23 - The Adventures of Tintin (discussion)
• 00:49:34 - Children of Men (intro)
• 00:53:38 - Children of Men (excerpt)
• 01:00:32 - Children of Men (discussion)
• 01:12:24 - Key Learnings and Wrap Up

SCENE EXCERPTS via

• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/dz-101-script-85503252
• DZ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/draft_zero/
• SZ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_shotzero/
• DZ Twitter: https://twitter.com/draft_zero
• SZ Twitter: https://twitter.com/_shotzero

LINKS

• WATCH: Goodfellas, The “Copacabana” shot - https://youtube.com/watch?v=OJEEVtqXdK8
• WATCH: The Adventures of TinTin, “Get that bird!” - https://youtube.com/watch?v=ryB-3BRdd64
• WATCH: Children of Men, “Zed’s attack” - https://youtube.com/watch?v=YMM8XrZe1R8
• WATCH: The Bourne Identity, “Escaping The American Embassy” - https://youtube.com/watch?v=tqsUt9n13Gg
• WATCH: All The President’s Men, “The Dahlberg Scene” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qeemjaosp-E
• WATCH: Every Frame A Painting - The Spielberg Oner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q4X2vDRfR
• LISTEN: Starship Q Star: https://starshipqstar.com

LINKS

• WATCH: Goodfellas, The“Copacabana” shot - https://youtube.com/watch?v=OJEEVtqXdK8
• WATCH: The Adventures of TinTin, “Get that bird!” - https://youtube.com/watch?v=ryB-3BRdd64
• WATCH: Children of Men, “Zed’s attack” - https://youtube.com/watch?v=YMM8XrZe1R8
• WATCH: The Bourne Identity, “Escaping The American Embassy” - https://youtube.com/watch?v=tqsUt9n13Gg
• WATCH: All The President’s Men, “The Dahlberg Scene” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qeemjaosp-E
• WATCH: Every Frame A Painting - The Spielberg Oner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q4X2vDRfR
• LISTEN: Starship Q Star: https://starshipqstar.com

RELATED EPISODES

• DZ-60: Unfilmables and Unscriptables (Part 1) - Engaging imagination
• DZ-61: Unfilmables and Unscriptables (Part 2) - Moments of Awe
• DZ-62: Unfilmables 3 – As Ifs & Emotional context
• DZ-16: Masters of Time and Whitespace

This episode brought to you by (drum roll):

• ScriptUp: https://www.scriptupstudio.com – use promo code DZ10 to get 10% off

And how can we forget our awesome Patreons, especially Lily,  Alexandre, Casimir, Eduardo, Jennifer, Thomas, Garrett, 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. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

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What scene work tools can be learned from martial arts?

In this slightly unusual episode of Draft Zero (but also incredibly on brand), Stu and philosopher swordsperson Damon Young discuss how the lessons they have learned from martial arts can be applied to scenes. In particular, they discuss how approaching an opponent in a sword fight can be analogous to how characters approach conflict, such as: the distance between the characters, who chooses to engage first, how to feint, how to lure an attack by leaving yourself vulnerable, etc. 

They reference classic conflicts such as Clarice interviewing Dr. Lecter in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, when Miranda puts down Andrea in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, and the final showdown between Obi-Wan and Darth Maul in the animated series THE CLONE WARS. 

You can find Damon Young here:

• Website: https://www.damonyoung.com.au/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/damonayoung/
• Mastodon: https://mas.to/@damonyoung

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND.

RELATED EPISODES

• DZ-29: Showdowns & Scene Structure: draft-zero.com/2016/dz-29/
• DZ-84: Choices & Decisions 1: http://draft-zero.com/2021/dz-84/ 
• DZ-84: Choices & Decisions 2: http://draft-zero.com/2021/dz-85/ 

This episode is brought to you by our awesome Patreons, especially Alexandre, Casimir, Eduardo, Jennifer, Thomas, Garrett, 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. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

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How do audience questions shape scenes?

nspired by our earlier episodes on sequences, Chas and Stu narrow their focus to look at the atomic unit of screen storytelling: the scene. In particular, we breakdown how question and answers prompted in the audience structure individual scenes.

We talk plot, character, and theme questions (and their hybrids) by analysing scenes from LOKI, THE LAST CRUSADE, THE BOURNE SUPREMACY, QUEEN AND SLIM,  and DO THE RIGHT THING. We also briefly discuss SUCCESSION, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOUR AMONG THIEVES, and ANDOR.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND

CHAPTERS

• 00:00:00 - Cold Open
• 00:01:56 - Intro: Scene Questions
• 00:16:30 - Loki
• 00:23:24 - The Last Crusade
• 00:33:03 - The Bourne Supremacy
• 00:45:50 - Queen and Slim
• 01:03:03 - Do The Right Thing
• 01:15:03 - Key Learnings & Wrap Up
• 01:33:02 - Many thanks to our Patreons

SCENE EXCERPTS via:

• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/dz-99-scene-82312058
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/draft_zero/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/draft_zero

RELATED EPISODES

• DZ-54: Thematic Sequences: https://draft-zero.com/2018/dz-54/
• DZ-43: Driving Sequences – Character and Plot Intensity: https://draft-zero.com/2017/dz-43/
• DZ-45: Arguments of the Scene: https://draft-zero.com/2017/dz-45/

This episode brought to you by (drum roll):

• ScriptUp: https://www.scriptupstudio.com – use promo code DZ10 to get 10% off

And how can we forget our awesome Patreons, especially Alexandre, Casimir, Eduardo, Jennifer, Thomas, Garrett, 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. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

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What effect does adding a ton of characters have on your story?

In Part 3 (the final part? Ha!) of our exploration into ensemble stories, Stu, Chas & Mel examine films whose genres do not conventionally require a ton of character or that use those ensembles in unconventional ways - in particular, adding whole storylines that are separate from the main character’s story. To that end, we dive into three films that were horrifically snubbed by the Oscars: THE WOMAN KING, RIDERS OF JUSTICE and NOPE.

We breakdown the effects of choosing to use an ensemble on the narrative function of characters, their skills, the webs they exist within, and, ultimately, the story’s theme. Plus we re-apply and re-contextualise the tools uncovered in previous episodes in how to service all these characters.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND

Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode.

CHAPTERS

• 00:00:00 - Cold Open
• 00:01:35 - Intro: Character Function
• 00:08:43 - The Woman King
• 00:50:00 - Riders of Justice
• 01:20:36 - Nope
• 01:47:00 - Key Learnings & Wrap Up
• 01:59:06 - Many thanks to our Patreons

RELATED EPISODES

• DZ-96: Ensembles 1 – What do we mean by an ensemble?
• DZ-97: Ensembles 2 – Servicing Characters

EPISODE LINKS

• Mel Killingsworth on The Möbius Strip Storytelling of NOPE
• Mel Killingsworth on Riders of Justice: Tidings of Trauma and Joy

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 pro subscription!

And how can we forget our awesome Patreons, especially Alexandre, Casimir, Eduardo, Thomas, Jennifer, Garrett, 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, @chasffisher and @mehlsbells on twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH via TeePublic