• 1 hour 51 minutes
    DZ-127: Secrets and Clues 2 - The Cost of Revelation

    Listen to learn the emotional impact of revealing secrets vs discovering them.

    In this episode Stu, Chas and Mel apply the Landmark–Hidden–Secret framework (from DZ-126) across two very different genres: the thriller SIDE EFFECTS (2013) and the tragicomic pilot of SHRINKING.

    SIDE EFFECTS is a film of two genres. The first half plays as a drama about depression and over-medication; the second half is a 90s thriller. We talk about how every time Dr Jonathan Banks uncovers a new piece of information, it puts him in danger — and that danger motivates him to uncover more.

    In SHRINKING, we see a different use of the framework. "What are psychologists but detectives of the mind?" Rather than the cost of finding secrets, it's about the cost of sharing them. Chas also comes out of this with a paradigm he's been building toward (but we're keeping what that is secret until you listen!)

    And inevitably we go on some tangents: whether SIDE EFFECTS should even have been an erotic thriller!

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

    LIKE THIS EPISODE?

    Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.

    → Read the transcript for this episode.

    ———

    "Every time Dr Jonathan Banks uncovers a new piece of information, it puts him in danger -- and that danger motivates him to uncover more." — Chas Fisher @ 00:26:04

    ———

    CHAPTERS

    • 00:00:00 – Cold Open
    • 00:00:16 – Intro: Secrets and Clues 2 - the Cost of Revelation
    • 00:01:03 – Previously on Secrets and Clues (Recap of Part 1)
    • 00:04:24 – Flashforward Insights
    • 00:09:29 – SIDE EFFECTS
    • 00:20:18 – › The First Half: Push and Misdirection
    • 00:28:41 – › Genre Shift: Banks Becomes the Detective
    • 00:48:06 – SHRINKING
    • 01:00:02 – › The Inverted Paradigm: When Everyone Knows
    • 01:07:47 – › The Cost of Sharing
    • 01:22:02 – › Power Through Honest Acknowledgement
    • 01:35:37 – The Key Tool Chas Learned
    • 01:39:28 – Key Learnings & Wrap Up
    • 01:50:48 – Many Thanks to our Patrons!

    FILMS

    SHOWS

    SCRIPTS

    LINKS

    EPISODES IN THE SECRETS AND CLUES SERIES

    RELATED EPISODES

    ———

    More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.

    If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.

    We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

    Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2026/dz-127/

    Download episode: DZ-127.mp3

    27 May 2026, 6:22 am
  • 1 hour 28 minutes
    DZ-126: Secrets and Clues

    Listen if you want to understand how hidden information drives character motivation and plot structure!

    “Getting information puts your character in danger. And danger rewards your character with information." — One of three ideas we steal from game design in this episode. In this two part series, we talk about how secrets, clues and hidden information motivate characters and may (or may not) help you plot from a character perspective. Part One (this episode) looks at WAKE UP DEAD MAN; while Part Two looks at SIDE EFFECTS, and the pilot episode of SHRINKING.

    The other two (related) ideas are:

    • Landmark information (characters just have it), Secret (they know it's there, need to unlock it), and Hidden (invisible until they pay the cost)
    • Narrative velocity — are characters pushed forward or are they pulled forward?

    To that end, in this episode Stu, Chas and Mel start with the murder mystery (ostensibly the easier deep-dive): Rian Johnson’s WAKE UP DEAD MAN. But this is a complex film made even more complex by being a dual-protagonist film. Uhuh. Benoit Blanc is pulled through the story by his need to solve the case; Father Judd pushed through, against his will, to prove his innocence. Breaking down how that plays out — and why it matters for the kind of escalation each character can sustain — is the heart of the episode.

    And inevitably we go on some tangents: pointers, plants, and underpinnings (from our Everything Everywhere All At Once episode) fair play in locked-room mysteries, Narrative POV (as always) and node-based plotting and what dungeon-crawl game design has to do with writing a web of clues.

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

    LIKE THIS EPISODE?

    Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.

    → Read the transcript for this episode.

    ———

    "Information puts players in danger and danger rewards characters with information, right? That's kind of the loop with like thriller game design." — Stu Willis @ 00:05:40

    ———

    CHAPTERS

    • 00:00:00 – Cold Open
    • 00:00:18 – What do we mean by Secrets and Clues?
    • 00:04:17 – › Landmark, hidden, and secret information defined
    • 00:08:10 – › Narrative velocity as push and pull for characters
    • 00:13:22 – WAKE UP DEAD MAN
    • 00:17:56 – › Key learnings preview: push-pull and narrative velocity
    • 00:32:33 – › Mapping character awareness of secrets through WAKE UP DEAD MAN
    • 00:58:21 – › Distinguishing secrets, clues, and hidden information
    • 01:13:17 – › Benoit Blanc's character arc and the choice of grace
    • 01:22:50 – KEY LEARNINGS & WRAP UP
    • 01:24:22 – › Character drives how secrets are hidden and revealed
    • 01:25:34 – › Narrative velocity and escalating stakes reveal character

    FILMS

    SCRIPTS

    LINKS

    EPISODES IN THE SECRETS AND CLUES SERIES

    RELATED EPISODES

    ———

    More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.

    If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.

    We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

    Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2026/dz-126/

    5 May 2026, 2:17 am
  • 1 hour 18 minutes
    DZ-125: Oscars One-shot - BLUE MOON

    Listen if you want to understand how narrative POV, screenplay format, and dialogue craft can elevate a contained biopic into an Oscar-nominated film

    BLUE MOON is a talky, period-drama that film about an obscure songer-writer in the 1940s. Yet, it attracted world-class talent AND Academy Award nominations, including for it's script. Join Chas & Mel as they explore how narrative POV, interweaving relationships, hooky dialogue, and even the screenplay format itself make the script for BLUE MOON so great.

    While Stu is still on show and we are between the 2026 Oscar nominations and the actual ceremony, our patreons selected BLUE MOON for this one-shot and boy are Mel and Chas glad they did. They dive into many lessons learned in previous episodes, like our character-driven episode… or analysis of French scenes in Adolescence… or the story-telling power that comes from the audience knowing the ending from biopics.

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

    LIKE THIS EPISODE?

    Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.

    → Read the transcript for this episode.

    ———

    "When I say rules, I mean the prescriptive rules of when someone posts something on screenwriting and everyone goes *Oh, you broke all the rules*. I'm saying this is good. I'm saying most of those rules are suggestions or most of those rules are given to you when you are learning how to write for a reason." — Mel Killingsworth @ 00:38:42

    ———

    CHAPTERS

    • 00:00:00 – Cold Open
    • 00:00:32 – What Makes a Contained Biopic Compelling?
    • 00:02:19 – Flashforward Insights: POV, French scenes, dialogue craft, and structure
    • 00:04:32 – BLUE MOON: Plot Summary and Structural Overview
    • 00:08:00 – › How script format signals emotional breaks in a real-time story
    • 00:13:34 – Controlling narrative POV
    • 00:17:13 – › Tragedy versus the life he would have chosen
    • 00:24:09 – › Narrative POV as the film's core structural tool
    • 00:27:49 – Using screenplay FORMAT to reflect the emotional story
    • 00:31:56 – › French scenes and real-time spatial staging
    • 00:35:40 – › How rule-breaking formatting signals emotional truth
    • 00:39:27 – Interweaving relationships: Hart's Relationships as the A, B and C Stories
    • 00:44:50 – › Hart and Rogers: the collision of artistic integrity and commercial success
    • 00:49:14 – › Hart and Elizabeth: desire, repetition, and the just-not-that-way callback
    • 00:53:08 – › The bar regulars as audience surrogates and mirror to Hart's self-awareness
    • 00:56:46 – Repetition and pop culture references in dialogue
    • 00:59:48 – › Repetition as lyrical structure in dialogue craft
    • 01:03:49 – › Tonal variety and mixing registers in witty scripts
    • 01:07:54 – Key Learnings
    • 01:09:48 – › The hidden craft beneath real-time, single-location scripts
    • 01:13:42 – › How cultural touchstones establish stakes without exposition
    • 01:16:02 – Thanks patreons and Oscar-nominated listener!

    FILMS

    LINKS

    RELATED EPISODES

    ———

    More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.

    If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.

    We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

    Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2026/dz-125/

    26 February 2026, 8:41 am
  • 1 hour 10 minutes
    DZ-124: Making the Despicable Compelling

    Listen if you need audiences to root for characters who do terrible things

    Mel and Chas continue to explore what Noir (the genre) can teach writers of all other genres. In particular:

    • How to keep the audience on side of characters doing reprehensible things;
    • How to control your audience understanding of those reprehensible actions; and
    • Distinguishing between characters undergoing transformative arcs against discovering their true natures

    In finding the common craft tools of Noir over 100 years, this Part 2 looks at two modern noirs – DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS (1995) and WOMAN OF THE HOUR (2024) – after Part 1 looked at the classic DOUBLE INDEMNITY and THE LONG GOODBYE.

    Despite Chas claiming to have edited this episode it was, in fact, Chris Walker who saved the day and got this done. Thanks Chris.

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

    LIKE THIS EPISODE?

    Thanks to our Patrons, especially Khrob, Theis, Sandra, Jesse, Randy, Paulo, Thomas, Jennifer, Malay, Alexandre and Lily.

    → Read the transcript for this episode.

    ———

    "I think these films have got really strong control over the questions and that's how they get us to follow, compelling us to follow characters who are doing terrible things." — Chas Fisher @ 01:06:08

    ———

    CHAPTERS

    • 00:00:00 – Using noir as a lens
    • 00:01:56 – DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS
    • 00:07:06 – › Period setting, race, and noir's embedded worldview
    • 00:10:30 – › Voiceover as access to morally compromised decisions
    • 00:22:02 – › How the film justifies rooting for Easy's transgressions
    • 00:29:09 – › Character worldview versus film worldview in noir
    • 00:31:33 – WOMAN OF THE HOUR
    • 00:37:15 – › Why WOMAN OF THE HOUR qualifies as noir
    • 00:43:25 – › The system as collective villain enabling the killer
    • 00:53:12 – › Depiction without endorsement, empathy without sympathy
    • 01:04:30 – Key Learnings
    • 01:08:50 – Thank you Patreons!

    FILMS

    LINKS

    EPISODES IN THE NOIR SERIES

    RELATED EPISODES

    ———

    More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.

    If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.

    We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

    Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2026/dz-124/

    30 January 2026, 1:58 am
  • 1 hour 22 minutes
    DZ-123: Flawed Characters in Noir

    Listen if you want to write morally compromised characters without endorsing their choices.

    In this two part series, Mel and Chas use Noir (the genre) as a lens to interrogate flawed characters. How can characters doing reprehensible things still engage audiences? How can you ensure representation isn’t endorsement? And whether these characters undergo transformative arcs, or simply reveal their true natures?

    Part 1 (DZ-123) focuses on two (now classic) noirs: DOUBLE INDEMNITY and THE LONG GOODBYE.

    While Part 2 (DZ-124) looks at two more contemporary examples DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS and WOMAN OF THE HOUR.

    Despite Chas claiming to have edited this episode it was, in fact, Chris Walker who saved the day and got this done by the end of 2025. Thanks Chris.

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

    LIKE THIS EPISODE?

    Thanks to our Patrons, especially Lily, Paulo, Alexandre, Malay, Jennifer, Thomas, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis and Khrob.

    → Read the transcript for this episode.

    ———

    "This is the philosophical question, right? When you get drunk, do you change what you do or do you simply allow your inhibitions to fall and do what you would normally want to do?" — Mel Killingsworth @ 00:42:04

    ———

    CHAPTERS

    • 00:00:00 – Cold Open
    • 00:00:17 – Flawed Characters and Noir
    • 00:03:06 – › Writing morally compromised characters without endorsing their worldview
    • 00:08:41 – › Defining film noir as genre, style, and worldview
    • 00:14:27 – › Noir's reach across decades of screenwriting
    • 00:16:40 – DOUBLE INDEMNITY
    • 00:21:41 – › Diegetic confession and its structural function
    • 00:27:17 – › Telling the audience the crime upfront removes justification burden
    • 00:32:24 – › How everyman framing sustains complicity in a morally bankrupt protagonist
    • 00:41:43 – › Whether morally compromised characters genuinely change or self-reveal
    • 00:49:17 – › Film worldview versus character desire: crime without endorsement
    • 00:53:38 – THE LONG GOODBYE
    • 01:00:17 – › Save the cat: establishing a morally complex protagonist
    • 01:06:26 – › Transgression, personal code, and the inevitability of noir failure
    • 01:14:13 – › Character change versus worldview shift at the ending
    • 01:21:15 – Wrap Up and Key Learnings

    FILMS

    SCRIPTS

    SHOT ZERO DEEP DIVES

    LINKS

    EPISODES IN THE NOIR SERIES

    ———

    More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.

    If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.

    We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

    Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2025/dz-123/

    31 December 2025, 1:41 am
  • 2 hours 8 minutes
    1dZ-01: Arkyvrs - A Mansion Most Vile - Ep1

    What happens when a group of filmmakers play a ragtag group of filmmakers in a gritty sci-fi horror?


    "Ignite the fire within and explore unknown territory" - Werner Herzog.


    This episode is unusual, even by Draft Zero standards. It's an "Actual Play Podcast" where Chas, Stu, & Mel are joined by Kim Ho and Luke Clark to play MOTHERSHIP, the sci-fi horror game we talked about in episodes DZ-121 and DZ-122. Stu is the GM while everyone else is a ragtag crew of freelance filmmakers. We debrief the experience (so far) at the end of the episode)


    Mel plays Zara, the glamorous face of the operation. Chas plays Winston, the cynical and egoistical "photojournalist". Kim is Cal, the scrappy scrounger and sound recordists, while Luke is Tarsos the steadfast producer of the group. The crew are enlisted to record a sensationalist report on a missing corporate president before the mercenary retrieval team arrives.


    And yeah, this means we're soft-launching yet another project that's called 1dZ, which looks at how we can use tools from ttrpgs in screenwriting… and vice versa.

    To get future episodes go to: http://www.1d-zero.com/


    CHAPTERS

    • 00:00:11 - Intro for DZ Listeners
    • 00:01:51 - Meet the Snortin' Betsy
    • 00:06:22 - A Mansion Most Vile (Ep 1)
    • 01:52:32 - Debrief through TOMBS

    RELATED EPISODES

    LINKS

    More Draft Zero is brought to you more often by our awesome Patreons. Especially Lily, Paulo, 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, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

    SUBSCRIBE TO SHOT ZERO via Substack

    SUBSCRIBE TO 1DZERO via Substack

    ACKNOWLEDGES via our website: https://draft-zero.com/2025/1dz-01/


    26 October 2025, 2:20 am
  • 1 hour 44 minutes
    DZ-122: Escalating Antagonism Across Genres

    Listen to learn how thinking of your hero as the horror (for your villains) makes your script dynamic.

    In this episode Chas, Stu and guest Kim Ho continue their exploration into the power(s) of antagonism and how focusing on them can develop story.

    While Part 1 looked at the horror film SINNERS, in Part 2 we venture into genres beyond horror with the action-thriller REBEL RIDGE, and the comedy classic MEET THE PARENTS.

    To both these films we apply the generative story framework TOMBS (Transgression – Omens – Manifestation – Banishment – Slumber) and are surprised at just how well it maps. TOMBS comes from the MOTHERSHIP sci-fi horror table-top role-playing game. Which we love.

    We explore how TOMBS, and thinking about antagonism in general, allows writers to deepen their understanding of their characters, their relationship of the heroes with the antagonists, and generate story fuel in a way that escalates the story.

    We discuss how thinking of your hero as the horror for your villains helps everything become more dynamic.

    Oh, and we talk about launching an actual play podcast. Which is happening. Stay tuned!

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

    LIKE THIS EPISODE?

    Thanks to our Patrons, especially Lily, Paulo, Alexandre, Malay, Jennifer, Thomas, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis and Khrob.

    → Read the transcript for this episode.

    ———

    "There's a great line from Don Johnson later where he says, the deal was fair. The issue is that you felt that you were allowed to offer it. He tells him that he has transgressed against the rules of the laws or the rules of this system of this world." — Chas Fisher @ 00:12:09

    ———

    CHAPTERS

    • 00:00:00 – Cold Open
    • 00:00:12 – Escalating Antagonism Part 2
    • 00:03:29 – REBEL RIDGE
    • 00:09:30 – › Writing loglines from the antagonist's perspective
    • 00:14:36 – › Tombs cycle maps onto hero and villain escalation
    • 00:25:07 – › Solve, survive, save structure in action films
    • 00:33:16 – › Self-restraint as survival within systemic corruption
    • 00:45:30 – MEET THE PARENTS
    • 00:51:55 – › Greg's lying as the true transgression engine
    • 00:57:41 – › Structural turning points and escalating disaster beats
    • 01:01:28 – › Jack versus Greg's insecurity as twin sources of antagonism
    • 01:19:33 – › Applying TOMBS structure to map omens and manifestation
    • 01:30:29 – Key Learnings & Wrap Up
    • 01:34:38 – › Mapping antagonism sources to escalate story conflict
    • 01:38:53 – › Expanding beyond Western storytelling structures
    • 01:41:38 – Thanks to our Patreons

    FILMS

    LINKS

    EPISODES IN THE ESCALATING ANTAGONISM SERIES

    RELATED EPISODES

    ———

    More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.

    If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.

    We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

    Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2025/dz-122/

    1 October 2025, 8:51 am
  • 1 hour 24 minutes
    DZ-121: Escalating Antagonism in SINNERS

    Listen to strengthen your story by focusing on the antagonistic forces in your script.

    We often struggle to develop the middle stages of a story. Could this be because we focus on our protagonists’ journeys and plot structure more than on how the antagonistic powers are awakened, wronged, discovered, gathering strength and revealing themselves?

    In this episode, Chas and Stu are joined by professional screenwriter and playwright Kim Ho to explore how a generative story cycle (from tabletop role-playing game MOTHERSHIP) can be used to develop stories, not just write them better. This cycle is TOMBS: Transgression – Omens – Manifestation – Banishment – Slumber. Kim also contrasts this cycle with the Onset, Discovery, Confirmation, Confrontation cycle identified by horror philosopher Noel Carroll, as well as the philosophy of the FINAL DESTINATION franchise as analysed by The Morbid Zoo.

    By applying the TOMBS cycle to Ryan Coogler’s amazing 2025 original feature SINNERS, we discover how focusing on the rising power of the various sources of antagonism can generate narrative fuel (and make your second Act sing); force your protagonists to Survive, Solve or Save (pick one); and how this escalation in antagonism can be mapped quite separately from your protagonists’ character arcs.

    To prove that TOMBS does not just work for horror stories, we polled our patreons for which other genres to explore. Stay turned for the next episode (DZ-122) where we apply the TOMBS cycle to thriller REBEL RIDGE and comedy classic MEET THE PARENTS.

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

    LIKE THIS EPISODE?

    Thanks to our Patrons, especially Lily, Paulo, Alexandre, Malay, Jennifer, Thomas, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis and Khrob.

    → Read the transcript for this episode.

    ———

    "when you use those structures that are out there, they tend to be around plot and they tend to think primarily from the protagonist's point of view. And using this system, we can actually look at the forces of antagonism in a story." — Chas Fisher @ 00:06:31

    ———

    CHAPTERS

    • 00:00:00 – Cold open
    • 00:00:18 – What is T.O.M.B.S?
    • 00:06:31 – › How TOMBS shifts focus to antagonistic forces
    • 00:15:22 – › Reading the five stages of the TOMBS cycle
    • 00:24:12 – › Transgression as thematic and social boundary violation
    • 00:31:04 – SINNERS
    • 00:36:01 – › Delayed horror manifestation and the TOMBS framework
    • 00:45:31 – › Mapping transgression and omens across dual antagonists
    • 00:57:48 – › Confirmation, confrontation, and the stages of horror
    • 01:08:09 – › Survive, solve, save as competing character objectives
    • 01:17:51 – Key Learnings & Wrap Up
    • 01:23:51 – Thank you patreons!

    FILMS

    SCRIPTS

    LINKS

    EPISODES IN THE ESCALATING ANTAGONISM SERIES

    RELATED EPISODES

    ———

    More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.

    If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.

    We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

    Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2025/dz-121/

    29 August 2025, 2:01 am
  • 1 hour 54 minutes
    DZ-120: Subtext is Overrated!

    Listen if you're struggling to write subtext without it feeling forced!

    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, and your focus should be on creating that good drama. But how?

    In this episode, Chas Fisher and Stu Willis are joined by screenwriter and teacher Tom Vaughn (Winchester) to delve into the world of subtext.

    We kick off the discussion by talking through Tom's article "Why Subtext is Overrated" and break down his core idea that subtext is a byproduct of character goals, tactics and fears.

    We explore this further through close examination of "the other way" scene from MICHAEL CLAYTON, "the strudel" scene from INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (both known for their subtext) and the "new years" sequence from THE SUBSTANCE.

    Inevitably discussion also turns to the relationship of subtext to emotional truth, theme, symbolism, dramatic irony and filmmaker's subtext.

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

    LIKE THIS EPISODE?

    Thanks to our Patrons, especially Lily, Paulo, Alexandre, Malay, Jennifer, Thomas, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis and Khrob.

    → Read the transcript for this episode.

    ———

    "You can't market subtext, man." — Tom Vaughn @ 00:36:51

    ———

    CHAPTERS

    • 00:00:20 – Intro: What is Subtext?
    • 00:00:21 – Cold Open
    • 00:18:59 – MICHAEL CLAYTON
    • 00:23:18 – › How character tactics generate subtext organically
    • 00:27:26 – › Scene structure breaks down three beats of deniability
    • 00:35:25 – › Subtext requires narrative groundwork to land
    • 00:42:59 – INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
    • 00:46:34 – › French scene structure and dramatic setup
    • 00:53:38 – › Filmmaker subtext versus character-driven tension
    • 01:08:35 – › Writing the score: action lines as emotional music
    • 01:13:48 – THE SUBSTANCE
    • 01:17:41 – › Originality vs. universality in thematic storytelling
    • 01:23:42 – › Reading the script's literal big print as filmmaker subtext
    • 01:35:46 – › Irony and denial as competing interpretations of the ending
    • 01:42:23 – › Subtext through fear: the date scene as contrast
    • 01:46:13 – Wrap up & Key Learnings
    • 01:48:00 – › Two layers of subtext: character awareness vs. filmmaker control
    • 01:49:18 – › Subtext as spectrum between explicit and implicit meaning

    FILMS

    SCRIPTS

    LINKS

    RELATED EPISODES

    ———

    More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.

    If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.

    We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

    Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2025/dz-120/

    1 August 2025, 12:14 am
  • 1 hour 52 minutes
    DZ-119: Final Character Choices & Great Endings

    Listen if you want to understand how to better dramatise a character's internal journey

    In this episode, Stu and Chas focus solely on the final choices made by protagonists and how that reflects their character journey and successfully, or not, dramatises the internal.

    We compare and contrast different uses of narrative POV in respect to these final choices. And in particular whether and when the audience is made aware of the options available to the character, the act of making the choice, and the consequences of the choice.

    We breakdown examples from DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES, FINDING NEMO, MICHAEL CLAYTON, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN and TALK TO ME.

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

    LIKE THIS EPISODE?

    Thanks to our Patrons, especially Lily, Paulo, Alexandre, Malay, Jennifer, Thomas, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis and and Khrob.

    → Read the transcript for this episode.

    ———

    "A character has to make the most difficult decision of their life, and it becomes the crisis because each alternative poses a loss as well as a gain. And so, therefore, characters have to weigh what really matters most to them." — Stu Willis @ 00:23:48

    ———

    CHAPTERS

    • 00:00:00 – Opening
    • 00:00:18 – Why Final Choices?
    • 00:03:49 – › Narrative point of view shapes how choices land
    • 00:07:03 – › Absence of decision-making weakens character agency
    • 00:10:45 – DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
    • 00:15:57 – › Reframing the hero's selfish wound as the real choice
    • 00:19:09 – FINDING NEMO
    • 00:23:30 – › Will Dunn's crisis decision and catharsis beats framework
    • 00:28:45 – MICHAEL CLAYTON
    • 00:33:26 – › The hero's choice deliberately delayed and decoupled
    • 00:40:57 – › Concealing the choice to amplify the climactic reveal
    • 00:48:36 – › Character arc resolution as thematic argument
    • 00:53:11 – PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
    • 00:58:40 – › Withholding the plan to generate dramatic tension
    • 01:05:52 – › Posthumous choices and the hero's agency after death
    • 01:12:53 – › Crisis decisions, point of view, and thematic payoff
    • 01:16:38 – TALK TO ME
    • 01:19:39 – › Summary of TALK TO ME's premise and structure
    • 01:27:36 – › Analysing the withheld decisive act at the climax
    • 01:37:26 – › Cool over clarity: what ambiguity costs the theme
    • 01:41:45 – Key Learnings
    • 01:43:41 – › Setup work earlier in the film earns climactic power
    • 01:47:29 – › Forcing conflict-avoidant characters into direct confrontation
    • 01:50:13 – Thanks awesome patreons!

    FILMS

    SCRIPTS

    SHOT ZERO DEEP DIVES

    LINKS

    RELATED EPISODES

    ———

    More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.

    If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.

    We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

    Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2025/dz-119/

    18 June 2025, 1:35 am
  • 2 hours 18 seconds
    DZ-118: ADOLESCENCE -- How Questions Create Dramatic Tension

    Listen when you need tension without external stakes--subtext, stillness, and thematic weight do the work.

    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 such a catalyst for conversation.

    In particular, we breakdown how the show’s emphasis on questions creates tension: not just tension through plot, but tension through character, and ultimately tension through theme.

    We analsyse the show episode-by-episode, and discuss how the overall structure skilfully shifts from a plot-heavy police procedural towards a thematic-heavy melodrama and the impact that has on our experience.

    We discuss how the decision to shoot the show in a series of “oners” affects the writing and what tools we can take from that to apply to our own writing (even if we’re not writing it to be a one-shot): POV characters, handovers, French scenes, emotional events, and more.

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

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

    LIKE THIS EPISODE?

    Thanks to our Patrons, especially Lily, Paulo, Alexandre, Malay, Jennifer, Thomas, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis and Khrob.

    → Read the transcript for this episode.

    ———

    "The absence of plot does not mean the absence of tension." — Chas Fisher @ 00:00:00

    ———

    CHAPTERS

    • 00:00:00 – Cold Open
    • 00:00:13 – Why ADOLESCENCE? Craft tools behind a cultural phenomenon
    • 00:03:35 – › Melodrama, stillness, and the emotional contract with audiences
    • 00:07:28 – › Unity of time as a narrative constraint and creative tool
    • 00:09:38 – EPISODE ONE: Did Jamie do it, the audience question vs character objectives
    • 00:13:10 – › Every procedure scene tracks impact, not investigation
    • 00:19:29 – › POV strategy withholds Jamie to centre Eddie's emotional event
    • 00:27:35 – › Who is the protagonist when plot belongs to the detectives
    • 00:32:18 – EPISODE TWO: School as world, motivation as a character question
    • 00:36:03 – › Luke's emotional event with his son unlocks the plot
    • 00:39:24 – › Melodrama broadens the world through shallow but purposeful characters
    • 00:44:35 – › A dialogue scene resolves character questions and opens thematic ones
    • 00:46:47 – EPISODE THREE: Briony and the forensic interview as character excavation
    • 00:51:12 – › Win conditions are hidden when the goal is understanding, not confession
    • 00:55:07 – › Jamie's rage, restricted access, and what we project onto him
    • 00:57:49 – EPISODE FOUR: Social realism melodrama and a light plot engine
    • 01:00:19 – › The van incident as a vehicle for Eddie's sense of agency
    • 01:04:13 – › Responsibility, inherited anger, and the thematic endgame
    • 01:09:05 – › Incomplete questions invite the audience to finish the argument
    • 01:19:05 – Melodrama: Ordinary People, Big Emotion, and Genre as Emotional Contract
    • 01:23:32 – Scene-Level Tools: POV, French Scenes, Handovers, and Tension Through Questions
    • 01:30:51 – › Introducing characters before they appear controls audience questions
    • 01:36:59 – › Handovers and French scenes solve pacing inside a continuous take
    • 01:44:22 – › The point of view character of a scene is whoever is most impacted
    • 01:51:12 – › Using a character question to resolve a plot problem
    • 01:52:56 – Key Learnings & Wrap Up
    • 01:58:27 – Patreon Thanks

    SHOWS

    LINKS

    RELATED EPISODES

    ———

    More Draft Zero is brought to you by our awesome Patreons.

    If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts, a rating on Spotify, or a review on Podchaser.

    We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

    Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2025/dz-118/

    1 May 2025, 3:00 am
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