Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast

How can exposition twist your story in new directions? In the second part of Draft Zero's two-part episode on "Exposition", Stu & Chas take an even deeper look at this notoriously challenging part of screenwriting. For many stories there are pre-existing facts (or given circumstances) that need to be communicated to an audience, and often we rely on dialogue to do it. But exposition can do more than just communicate, it can serve as dramatic revelation that twists a story into a new direction or provides an emotional payoff - or both!. So how do great writers make exposition work for the story, rather than just tell audience stuff they need to know? And how can writers go wrong? To that end, we look at GONE GIRL, SHUTTER ISLAND, GHOSTBUSTERS: ANSWER THE CALL, THE MATRIX, THE MATRIX RELOADED, and CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER. Audio quotations are included for educational purposes. It should go without saying but in case you missed it SPOILERS AHEAD. EPISODE LINKS Draft Zero: DZ-37: Excelling at Exposition (Part 1) Compiled PDF of all screenplay excerpts for Part 2 GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn Find it on JustWatch SHUTTER ISLAND screenplay by Laeta Kalogridis Find it on JustWatch GHOSTBUSTERS (2016) by Katie Dippold & Paul Feig Find it on JustWatch THE MATRIX by Larry & Andy Wachowski Find it on JustWatch THE MATRIX RELOADED by Larry & Andy Wachowski Find it on JustWatch CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely Find it on JustWatch Please send feedback to ask at draft-zero.com, via our web form or twitter @draft_zero We are @chasffisher and @stuwillis on twitter. Please considering rating or subscribing to us on iTunes! or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners.

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 forward, rather than stopping it to tell the audience stuff they need to know? To that end, in Part 1 of Excelling At Exposition we break down scenes from PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, SHORT TERM 12, INSIDE OUT, THE WORLD'S END, THE BIG SHORT, IT FOLLOWS, JURASSIC PARK and JURASSIC WORLD. Audio quotations are included for educational purposes. Many thanks to /r/screenwriting for suggesting so many examples. EPISODE LINKS On the Page: Ep 457. Terry Rossio Compiled PDF of all Screenplays Excerpts PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL by Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio Find it on JustWatch SHORT TERM 12 by Destin Daniel Cretton Find it on JustWatch INSIDE OUT story by Pete Docter & Ronnie Del Carmen; Screenplay by Pete Docter & Meg LeFauve & Josh Cooley Find it on JustWatch THE WORLD'S END by Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright Find it on JustWatch THE BIG SHORT screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay Fandor: Who Deserves the 2016 for Best Picture by Kevin B. Lee Video Essayists - Nerd Writer & Every Frame A Painting IT FOLLOWS by David Robert Mitchell Find it on JustWatch JURASSIC PARK screenplay by David Koepp, based on the novel by Michael Crichton and on an adaptation by Michael Crichton and Malia Scotch Marmo Find it on JustWatch JURASSIC WORLD by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver and Colin Trevorrow & Derek Connolly, story by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver Find it on JustWatch Draft Zero: DZ-15: World Building Rules, Okay? Please send feedback to ask at draft-zero.com, via our web form or twitter @draft_zero We are @chasffisher and @stuwillis on twitter. Please considering rating or subscribing to us on iTunes! or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners.

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 exploring tone and theme. We welcome any listener feedback as to whether we should do any backmatter-only episodes into the future. EPISODE LINKS RESTORATION written by Matthew Clayfield & Stuart Willis Watch it on STAN (Australia) The Solute: Could the Mirror Be Really You? RESTORATION (2016) Screen Director Podcast: Ben Mizzi talks to Stu Willis about directing Restoration YouTube: #Stranger2015 - Metallica's St Anger (2003) Album Re-Recorded Wordplayer: "Time Risk" by Terry Rossio Aeon: Thinking positive is a surprisingly risky manoeuvre Medium: Why You Should Do Your Work First, Others' Work Second /r/screenwriting: Mortified at first professional feedback David Foster Wallace "This Is Water" YouTube: David Foster Wallace Commencement Speech (Audio Only) Metastatic.org: http://metastatic.org/text/This%20is%20Water.pdf Kenyon.edu: http://bulletin.kenyon.edu/x4280.html Ira Glass on Creativity, Taste and Our Work Writer Underground: Ira Glass On Creativity (or, The Gap Between Our Taste And Our Work…) Vimeo: Ira Glass on Storytelling Vimeo: THE GAP by Ira Glass MikeJones.tv Please send feedback to ask at draft-zero.com, via our web form or twitter @draft_zero We are @chasffisher and @stuwillis on twitter. Please considering rating or subscribing to us on iTunes! or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners.

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 films maintain our interest? We talk Mike Leigh's 'Running Condition', Character Choice, SceneWork and the myriad other techniques the filmmakers use to keep us interested. PS: There is no backmatter this episode. PPS: Note that all these films are writer/directors. Hmm. EPISODE LINKS CHEF by Jon Favreau Watch it on iTunes or find it on JustWatch HAPPY-GO-LUCKY by Mike Leigh Watch it on iTunes or find it on JustWatch AMOUR by Michael Henke Watch it on on iTunes or find it on JustWatch ScreenOnline: On Mike Leigh http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/461294/ Please send feedback to ask at draft-zero.com, via our web form or twitter @draft_zero We are @chasffisher and @stuwillis on twitter. Please considering rating or subscribing to us on iTunes! or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners.

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 of the Bastards. And thus: Stu and Chas embark on an exploration of how a writer's use of point of view - particularly in relation to how you show characters making decisions - can control how your audience perceives any given character (for good or ill). Whether you are a Game of Thrones fan or not, we recommend you watch these two episodes for their contrasting but fascinating control of point of view and character. Both episodes were written by showrunners David Benioff & D. B. Weiss. EPISODE LINKS HBO: The Official Website of Game of Thrones The AV Club: Thrones stages an epic battle, but to what end? Youtube: Jon and Sansa - "We need to trust each other" Youtube: Cersei [spoiler] DZ-05: Shifting audience point of view and heightened emotions DZ-20: Writing Strong Secondary Characters – Trinity, Bechdel and a Bamboo Killer DZ-33: Protagonist vs Hero – Dawn of Character Function BACK MATTER /r/Screenwriting: Protagonist vs Hero - Dawn of Character Function The Guardian: Words are losing their power. Not even Jason Bourne can save them now Please send feedback to ask at draft-zero.com, via our web form or twitter @draft_zero We are @chasffisher and @stuwillis on twitter. Please considering rating or subscribing to us on iTunes! or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners.

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 theme and create potential for different types of narratives. And stick around for backmatter if you want to hear Stu go on a rant. For a change. EPISODE LINKS John August: What's the difference between Hero, Main Character and Protagonist? Screen Anarchy: Destroy All Monsters: All We Have Are Our Bodies On FURY ROAD MAD MAX: FURY ROAD by George Miller, Brendan McCarthy & Nico Lathouris Watch it on iTunes and Stan (AU) STAR TREK (2009) by Roberto Orchi & Alex Kurtzman Watch it on iTunes and Netflix Bitter Script Reader: How STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS gave us the Kirk we deserve THE FIGHTER screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson; story by Paul Tamasay & Eric Johnson & Keith Dorringon Watch it on iTunes and Netflix SICARIO by Taylor Sheridan Watch it on iTunes and Stan (AU) DZ-03: Making Unlikeable Protagonists Compelling DZ-19: Car-Crash Characters DZ-20: Writing Strong Secondary Characters DZ-24: Forging Story Rules in TV Pilots BACKMATTER LINKS Done Deal Pro Forums: Podcast Recommendations Please send feedback to ask at draft-zero.com, via our web form or twitter @draft_zero We are @chasffisher and @stuwillis on twitter. Please considering rating or subscribing to us on iTunes! or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners.

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 MEN, ZODIAC, ROOM, and THE BABADOOK. We cover their use of shifting POV, Dramatic Irony, Status Transactions, White Space, Sound FX, and many more. And in backmatter we talk SICARIO and high tension, crack open the mail-bag, and look at how the so-called gurus rated the Oscar-nominated scripts. EPISODE LINKS Aeon: Neurothriller - Horror Films are scarier than they were in the past Film Crit Hulk - HULK EXPLAINS ACTION SCENES - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen - sequence starts page 60 YouTube: Hotel Showdown (excerpt) ZODIAC by Jamie Vanderbilt - sequence runs pages 125-129 YouTube: Zodiac Basement Scene (partial scene excerpt) YouTube: Zodiac Analysis - Inside the Basement ROOM by Emma Donoghue - sequence starts pdf page 56 (scene 35) YouTube: Jack's Escape (excerpt) THE BABADOOK by Jennifer Kent - excerpt for educational purposes only The Babadook Production Notes YouTube: The Possession Scene "You Can Bring Me The Boy" Watch THE BABADOOK on GooglePlay Watch THE BABADOOK on iTunes DZ-05: Shifting audience point of view and heightened emotions DZ-13: True That – Tips from Tarantino DZ-08: Status Transactions and the Power of Washing Machines DZ-16: Masters of Time and Whitespace DZ-29: Showdowns & Scene Structure Jane Espenson: The Grim Brothers BACKMATTER LINKS Youtube: SICARIO - border crossing DZ-30: Oscars revisited – Spotlight and Carol Truby Rates the Oscar Hopefuls Robert McKee's Work/Doesn't Work - ROOM Scriptshadow on Spotlight (via Twitter) and his screenplay review Please send feedback to ask at draft-zero.com, via our web form or twitter @draft_zero We are @chasffisher and @stuwillis on twitter. Please considering rating or subscribing to us on iTunes! or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like listeners.

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 first for Draft Zero, we include audio excerpts to make everything even clearer / stop Chas & Stu (mostly Stu) from butchering lines. That, and not everything is on YouTube. And, in back matter, we continue the discussion into more academic areas of the difference between theatrical, cinematic and television dialogue. EPISODE LINKS Stephen Cleary's Website: http://www.stephenclearyfilm.com Inglorious Bastards - "Strudel" ANALYSE THIS screenplay by Peter Tolan and Harold Ramis and Kenneth Lonergan YouTube: Analyze This - "Anxiety Disorder" YouTube: Remains of the Day - "Book" NOTTING HILL by Richard Curtis YouTube: Notting Hill - "Just A Girl" THE AVENGERS by Joss Whedon YouTube: The Avengers - "We're a Timebomb" Goodreads: Directing Actors by Judith Weston iView: Please Like Me Please send feedback to ask at draft-zero.com, via our web form or twitter @draft_zero We are @chasffisher and @stuwillis on twitter. Please considering rating or subscribing to us on iTunes! or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like listeners.

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 episodes revisits the excellent execution of catharsis, world-building, mid-points, dramatic point of view, status transactions and more. * Which has possibly replaced Star Wars as the de facto reference point for anything. EPISODE LINKS CAROL by Phyllis Nagy, based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith The Q&A Podcast with Jeff Goldsmith: Phyllis Nagy - CAROL SPOTLIGHT by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy The Q&A Podcast with Jeff Goldsmith: Tom McCarthy - SPOTLIGHT YouTube: OUR LITTLE SECRET directed by Monique Schafter, written by Monique Schafter & Chas Fisher, Produced by Lee Matthews (link available only outside of Australia) Every Frame a Painting: - Snowpiercer - Left or Right by Tony Zhou Reddit: Academy Award for Best Original & Adapted Screenplay Nomines AV Club: Stu on GOT vs The Expanse (with excellent followup by Motard) SyFy: The Expanse Birth. Movies. Death. : Film Crit Hulk Smash: NEVER HATE A MOVIE Draft Zero: DZ-04: Catharsis and the Post-Coital Cigarette Draft Zero: DZ-05: Shifting audience point of view and heightened emotions Draft Zero: DZ-08: Status Transactions and the Power of Washing Machines Draft Zero: DZ-10: Midpoint Reversals and the Ride Draft Zero: DZ-15: World Building Rules, OK? BACK MATTER TableRead Production App Netflix: Darkness on the Edge of Town (US & CA only) by Patrick Ireland Please send feedback to ask at draft-zero.com, via our web form or twitter @draft_zero We are @chasffisher and @stuwillis on twitter. Please considering rating or subscribing to us on iTunes! or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like listeners.

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 SUNSET. As a result, they discover how larger structural elements like mid-points, reversals and act breaks can play out in making individual scenes compelling and dynamic. Also, they learn that great screenwriters don't just write "They fight" when writing fight scenes. In Backmatter, we learn that Quentin Tarantino is a listener! PS: Please complete our listener poll. EPISODE LINKS EASTERN PROMISES by Steven Knight Vimeo: Eastern Promises fight in the bath house The Nerd Writer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgLoIasrz9Q (YouTube) Youtube: ROB ROY sword fight Reddit: [RESOURCE] Star Wars: THE FORCE AWAKENS by Lawrence Kasdan & J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt A FEW GOOD MEN by Aaron Sorkin Youtube: A FEW GOOD MEN courtroom scene Dailymotion.com: Saul Goodman kidnapped by the meth cooking duo BEFORE SUNSET by Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy No Film School: Simplest Way to Make Your Films More Interesting: Use 'Therefore' & 'But' Instead of 'And Then' The Movie Crypt Podcast: Episode 131 - Gareth Evans Draft Zero: DZ-08: Status Transactions and the Power of Washing Machines Draft Zero: DZ-10: Midpoint Reversals and the Ride BACKMATTER Brett Easton Ellis Podcast: Quentin Tarantino FULL Excerpt Link: https://overcast.fm/+BT14ACZVM/39:25 Draft Zero: DZ-13: True That - Tips from Tarantino Draft Zero: DZ-27: Competing Views on Screenplay Competitions Reddit.com/r/screenwriting: Can screenplay competitions be worth it? Thirteen Minutes: Why Backmatter Matters SKTCHD: Backmatter and the Golden Age of Comic Book Letters Columns Listener Poll: Draft Zero & Patreon? Please send feedback to ask at draft-zero.com, via our web form or twitter @draft_zero We are @chasffisher and @stuwillis on twitter. Please considering rating or subscribing to us on iTunes! or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like listeners.