Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast

The Epic Deep Dive(TM) into Antagonists has reached its shuddering conclusion. And for this Part V - by choosing films that have no obvious singular antagonist (and in some cases no obvious narrative either) - Stu and Chas realised there was indeed a final category of antagonists: the films themselves. Where the film (and the filmmaker) are engaging directly with the audience. Where the films are... VERSUS AUDIENCE We look at OCEAN’S 8, THE SECOND, F FOR FAKE, SANS SOLEIL and FORREST GUMP.

How do systems pressure your characters to change? This is Part Four (!!) of our Five Part Epic Exploration into antagonists forces and sources of conflict. In this episode we explore "system/world/society" antagonists. While stereotypically associated with science-fiction, these sources of conflict are found across genres. To that end, we talk MINORITY REPORT, DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, MUDBOUND, and THE LOBSTER - with a special mention of high school movies.

In this episode, Chas & Stu explore “nature” antagonists and sources of conflict, including some supernatural ones And so we embarked upon ALL IS LOST, THE GREY and CONTAGION — with special mentions of THE VVITCH, WORLD WAR Z, ZOMBIELAND, ANNIHILATION, ALIEN, and ALIENS.

Chas & Stu take a look at “vs self” stories. Stories where the protagonist (or main character) serves as their own antagonist as well as the antagonist for those around them. It took us a long time to settle on our homework, but we ended up exploring LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, SHAME, and MONSTER. Our discussion continues in backmatter with MINDHUNTER and STEVE JOBS. SPOILERS ABOUND!

Part One of a Five Part Epic Exploration™ into antagonistic forces; namely: vs humans, vs self, vs nature/supernatural, vs systems and “other”. aka the classic narrative conflicts. For this “vs humans” part, we chose to look at DIE HARD, MISERY and THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE OF EBBING, MISSOURI (with special mentions to THE DARK KNIGHT, LA LA LAND and - of course - STAR WARS).

Can your characters be given choices and yet still be deprived of agency? Chas and Stu take a deep dive into one of their favourite movies of 2017: Blade Runner 2049. They are joined by accomplished screenwriter, C.S. McMullen. For a film that is thematically about choice, Stu and Chas thought it would be an excellent opportunity to explore how characters can be dramatised through binary choices.  And yet, CS opened their eyes to the idea that characters can be given choices without having agency.

Will Director Stu allow Writer Chas on his set? Following our annual wrap up in 2017, we’ve decided to once again explore what craft issues/lessons we can garner from the latest Stars, namely Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, focusing on how consequences of character actions can do a lot of heavy lifting as to how the audience perceives that character (as well as looking at worldview and overall story structure).

How can deciding what the audience knows and when in relation to the characters organise your story? Are whole sequences or even acts driven by the a

How can you dramatise your theme on a scene level? As part of their ongoing exploration of scene-work, Stu and Chas apply their earlier thinking on theme and character worldview to individual scenes. Can examining a scene from a thematic perspective impact the drama, conflict or stakes? To this end, Stu and Chas examine particular scenes from works that have particularly apparent, strong and consistent themes; namely: FINDING NEMO, EX MACHINA, MANCHESTER BY THE SEA and the Netflix TV series GLOW.

How can your first act effectively establish your character journey? First Acts are hard. They have to set so much in motion, especially setting up characters. To help them understand how to write effect first acts better, Stu and Chas turn their analytical gaze to a franchise that has been refining and reiterating its first act "schema" for over a decade... THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE.

DZ-43: Driving Sequences - Character and Plot Intensity

DZ-42: One-Shot - Split, Character Worldview & Macro POV

DZ-41: Theme and Worldview

DZ-40: Tactics and Scenes

DZ-39: Backmatter - Hitting LA, Receiving Feedback, and a Roguish One