Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast

Two emerging screenwriters – Chas Fisher and Stuart Willis – try to work out what makes great screenplays work. Discovering what it takes by analysing what successful writers put on the page

DZ-118: Adolescence and tension through questions 05/01/2025

DZ-117: Tonal shifts 03/31/2025

DZ-116: Writing physical comedy 02/26/2025

DZ-115: A Christmas Special - Rewatching & Rituals 12/23/2024

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 so engaging and so re-watchable that they can become part of our rituals. To that end, we breakdown the charm of of Christmas films like KISS KISS BANG BANG, RIDERS OF JUSTICE, and IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE. We discuss what defines a holiday movie, the power of nostalgia, the importance of ensembles to a sense of family, and how voiceover, snappy dialogue and intricate plots can make something rewatchable. For each of us, we see these films as gateways to introspection and shared experiences during the holidays. And we are briefly joined by filmmaker (and friend of the podcast) Damien Cassar who talks us through the meaning of nostalgia and it’s relationship with the “pain of homecoming”, and how Christmas/Holiday films provide comfort and a sense of belonging amid ever-changing societal dynamics. Merry Christmas! As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes. Thanks to Chris Walker for his excellent editing this episode. CHAPTERS 00:00:00 – Cold Open 00:01:00 – What do we mean by Holiday Movies? 00:18:52 – Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 00:41:16 – Riders of Justice 01:03:45 – Sponsorship: Arc Studio Pro 01:06:30 – It’s A Wonderful Life 01:48:37 – Key Learnings & Wrap Up 01:51:03 – On Nostalgia 01:54:28 – Many thanks to our Patreons This episode brought to you by (drum roll) ArcStudio: go to for $30 off a pro subscription! And how can we forget our awesome ? Especially Lily, Paulo, Alexandre, Malay, Jennifer, Thomas, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, and Khrob. Please considering rating or subscribing to us on 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. BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH SUBSCRIBE TO SHOT ZERO /episode/index/show/draftzero/id/34576365

DZ-114: Climaxes in Challengers 11/29/2024

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 reading the script - the most impactful moment of the ending on screen (for Chas in particular) is not written on the page. Following on from episodes on filmmakers talking directly to the audience as well as previous exploration into choices and decisions (and hopefully serving as a prelude to our episode on Hero’s Choice), Mel and Chas explore the choices the characters make in that final moment, what happens when filmmakers obscure character motivation, and ultimately how that final moment in CHALLENGERS impacts theme. This conversation ends up being a deep exploration of what is the experience on the audience (and its impact on the perceived theme) when a story cuts out at the climax without further resolution. As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes. CHAPTERS 00:00:00 - Cold Open 00:00:24 - The ending of CHALLENGERS 00:14:51 - Can one action line change the entire meaning of a film? 00:39:41 - Arc Studio Pro 00:42:29 - The effect of giving characters decisions 00:52:10 - Meta subtext 00:53:53 - Choices, feelings and theme 01:06:03 - Ending on the climax 01:09:27 - Key Learnings 01:15:59 - Patreon thanks RELATED EPISODES LINKS This episode brought to you by (drum roll) ArcStudio: go to for $30 off a pro subscription! And how can we forget our awesome ? Especially Lily, Paulo, Alexandre, Malay, Jennifer, Thomas, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, and Khrob. Please considering rating or subscribing to us on 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. BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH SUBSCRIBE TO SHOT ZERO /episode/index/show/draftzero/id/34198060

DZ-113: Tools for filmmakers to talk to the audience 09/22/2024

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 to look at other ways that filmmakers - whether they be directors, writers, editors, or anyone else - can make the audience feel their 'hand' more. To that end, Mel, Stu and Chas dive into ADAPTATION, STORIES WE TELL and THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION. We discuss structure (in particular how to structure more “meta” stories), the influence of TikTok and YouTube in portraying character authenticity, how to set up scenes where your characters can actually debate what your story is really about., and get into the gritty of how “in the story world” the communication from the filmmakers is. Ultimately, in exploring these three power films through this lens, we discover that these tools give filmmakers more control in conveying their theme. Quelle surprise. As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes. Thanks to Chris Walker for his excellent editing this episode. CHAPTERS 00:00:00 - Cold Open 00:00:28 - The Meta of Meta 00:11:01 - Adaptation 00:36:43 - Sponsor: Arc Studio Pro 00:39:40 - Adaption (Part 2) 00:42:23 - Stories We Tell 01:12:13 - The Forty Year Old Version 01:48:14 - Wrap Up & Key Learnings 02:01:24 - Many thanks to our Patreons <3 RELATED EPISODES This episode brought to you by (drum roll) ArcStudio: go to for $30 off a pro subscription! And how can we forget our awesome ? Especially Lily, Paulo, Alexandre, Malay, Jennifer, Thomas, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, and Khrob. Please considering rating or subscribing to us on 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. BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH SUBSCRIBE TO SHOT ZERO /episode/index/show/draftzero/id/33155672

DZ-112: Breaking the 4th wall 07/31/2024

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 the most blatant tool of them all: when character look directly down the barrel of the camera… and thus look directly at us, the viewer. Chas, Stu and Mel take the craft tools/levers they identified in previous episodes and use them to examine HIGH FIDELITY, ABBOTT ELEMENTARY and - of course - FLEABAG. By examining how “in-world” the camera is, who is talking, and whom the character is talking to (i.e. who we are in the relationship), we end up discovering how breaking the 4th wall can involve the audience in the emotional present of the character and also grants the character a degree of narrative control (a craft lever that can be dialled in and out). Separately, in a to this episode to be found on our Patreon page, Mel and Chas answer a listener question and take a deep dive into how breaking the 4th wall changes the RELATIONSHIP between you - the viewer - and character. As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes. Thanks to Chris Walker for his excellent editing this episode. CHAPTERS 00:00:00 - Cold Open 00:00:17 - What is “barrelling”? 00:13:45 - HIGH FIDELITY 00:39:46 - ABBOTT ELEMENTARY 01:04:09 - FLEABAG 01:40:54 - Key Learnings 01:50:48 - Patreon thanks RELATED EPISODES This episode brought to you by (drum roll) ArcStudio: go to for $30 off a pro subscription! And how can we forget our awesome , especially Lily, Paulo, Alexandre, Malay, Jennifer, Thomas, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, and Khrob. Please considering rating or subscribing to us on 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. BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH SUBSCRIBE TO SHOT ZERO /episode/index/show/draftzero/id/32358422

DZ-111: Unreliable Narrators and Fight Club 07/02/2024

DZ-110: Voiceover 05/31/2024

DZ-109: Talking DIRECTLY to your audience 05/01/2024

DZ-109: Talking DIRECTLY to your audience What are the different ways a filmmaker can ask something of the audience? Chas and Stu are joined by recurring guest Mel in this prelude episode to upcoming episodes on Voice Over and Breaking the Fourth Wall. In this episode, we attempt to taxonomise the different ways filmmakers can ask something directly of their audience. To this end, we identify 4 levers that can be pulled: Diagetic to non-diagetic (in story world to outside story world) Who is talking? From story-teller to a character Whom are they talking to? Themselves or directly to the audience? From when in time is the communication coming? They then take these levers and ask a series of questions, including: What does the communication want from the audience? Does the audience know who’s talking? How reliable is the information? How aware is who is communicating of the audience? They then apply these questions and levers to… deep breath… STAR WARS, ROBOCOP, STARSHIP TROOPERS, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, MINORITY REPORT, CHILDREN OF MEN, NEVER HAVE I EVER, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, STRANGER THAN FICTION, DUNE, OPPENHEIMER, YELLOWJACKETS, HUSTLERS, THE OFFICE, MASTERCHEF, ZOMBIELAND, FLEABAG, PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, THE BIG LEBOWSKI, SPONTANEOUS, BLACKKKLANSMAN, AMERICAN FICTION, AMERICAN SPLENDOR, THE KILLER, VERONICA MARS, FIGHT CLUB, SHUTTER ISLAND, SIXTH SENSE, HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR. FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, GOODFELLAS, EMPERORS NEW GROOVE, THE TRUMAN SHOW, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, DIE HARD, THE BIG SHORT, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, DERRY GIRLS, THE LAST JEDI, THE LAST DUEL, RASHOMON, BONES AND ALL, ARCHIVE 81, SANS SOLEIL, F IS FOR FAKE, THE PRINCESS BRIDE, THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS, JULIUS CAESAR, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Vol. 1 As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes. Thanks to Chris Walker for his excellent editing this episode. CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 - Cold Open 00:00:49 - Distinguishing communicating directly to the audience 00:04:32 - Different levers in how to communicate to the audience 00:09:20 - Who is communicating? 00:26:13 - Does the audience know who’s talking? 00:40:00 - From what time is the communication coming from? 00:40:50 - How reliable is the communication? 00:46:08 - How aware are the characters of the communication? 00:58:35 - Analysing edge cases 01:07:37 - What effects do all these have on the audience? 01:16:00 - Key Learnings and Wrap Up 01:19:00 - Patreon thanks RELATED EPISODES: How can we forget our awesome , especially Lily, Alexandre, Malay, Jennifer, Thomas, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, and Khrob. Please considering rating or subscribing to us on 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 SUBSCRIBE TO SHOT ZERO /episode/index/show/draftzero/id/31064078

DZ-108: The Emotional Event with Judith Weston 03/31/2024

DZ-108: The Emotional Event with Judith Weston How and why should every scene have an emotional event? For the first episode of our tenth anniversary year, we are joined by Judith Weston to talk about Emotional Events. What is an emotional event? Well, it’s a way of thinking about scenes through relationships rather than plot. Instead of asking how a scene moves the plot forward, ask how the scene alters the relationship between characters. While emotional events are ostensibly a tool for directors to interpret scenes, we believe that the emotional event starts with the writer(s). But it is an idea better illustrated through examples and discussion rather than sound bites. To that end, we breakdown scene from OPPENHEIMER, CASINO ROYALE (the Daniel Craig one), and PAST LIVES and explore how the emotional event is written (and not written) on the page. Through a close reading of each scene, we talk about subtext, power dynamics, status transactions, tactics, beats and much much more. Because Chas, Stu and Judith are also reading the scripts there lot of discussion about table reads and how to get the most out of them. For those unfamiliar with Judith, she is a famed teacher of writers, directors and actors with a focus on the directing or actors. Her books Directing Actors and The Film Director’s Intuition are basically industry standards. You can find Judith Weston (and her books!) at her website: As always: SPOILERS ABOUND. 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 00:00:30 – What is an emotional event? 00:13:48 – Oppenheimer 00:46:16 – Casino Royale 00:59:35 – Past Lives 01:30:20 – Key Learnings & Wrap Up 01:36:05 – Thanks to our Patreons RELATED EPISODES: DZ-08: Status Transactions – DZ-40: Tactics and Scenes – How can we forget our awesome , especially Lily, Alexandre, Malay, Jennifer, Thomas, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, and Khrob. Please considering rating or subscribing to us on 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 SUBSCRIBE TO SHOT ZERO /episode/index/show/draftzero/id/30610003

DZ-107: Establishing Tone Through Character 02/29/2024

DZ-106: How do you know if you have enough story? 12/31/2023

DZ-105: Establishing Tone Through Big Print 11/30/2023

DZ-104: Characters Alone - Dramatizing the Internal 11/01/2023

DZ-103: Game of the Scene 2 - Triangle of Sadness, The Favourite 10/01/2023

DZ-102: Game of the Scene - Bluey, John Wick 4 08/31/2023

DZ-101: Oners - Creating Immediacy & Anchoring Action on the Page 07/03/2023

DZ-101: Oners - Creating Immediacy & Anchoring Action on the Page 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: DZ Instagram: SZ Instagram: DZ Twitter: SZ Twitter: LINKS WATCH: Goodfellas, The “Copacabana” shot - WATCH: The Adventures of TinTin, “Get that bird!” - WATCH: Children of Men, “Zed’s attack” - WATCH: The Bourne Identity, “Escaping The American Embassy” - WATCH: All The President’s Men, “The Dahlberg Scene” - WATCH: Every Frame A Painting - The Spielberg Oner: LISTEN: Starship Q Star: LINKS WATCH: Goodfellas, The“Copacabana” shot - WATCH: The Adventures of TinTin, “Get that bird!” - WATCH: Children of Men, “Zed’s attack” - WATCH: The Bourne Identity, “Escaping The American Embassy” - WATCH: All The President’s Men, “The Dahlberg Scene” - WATCH: Every Frame A Painting - The Spielberg Oner: LISTEN: Starship Q Star: RELATED EPISODES This episode brought to you by (drum roll): ScriptUp: – use promo code DZ10 to get 10% off And how can we forget our awesome , especially Lily, Alexandre, Casimir, Eduardo, Jennifer, Thomas, Garrett, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, Alex, and Khrob. Please considering rating or subscribing to us on 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 /episode/index/show/draftzero/id/27352794

DZ-100: Scenes through Swords 05/29/2023

DZ-99: Scene Questions 05/01/2023

DZ-98: Ensembles 3 - Character Function & Theme 03/31/2023

DZ-97: Ensembles 2 - Servicing Characters 02/28/2023

DZ-96: Ensembles 1 - What do we mean by an ensemble? 01/31/2023

DZ-96: Ensembles 1 - What do we mean by an ensemble? DZ-96: Ensembles 1 - What do we mean by an ensemble? How can the same story feel different when you have more characters? In the first part of our series on ensembles, Chas, Stu and Mel start by laying the groundwork for our future episodes. And we begin by asking the seemingly innocuous question: ‘what do we mean by calling a story an ensemble?’ As we unpack our own assumptions, biases and thoughts, we ask (and attempt to answer) more questions: How does an ensemble differ from a single protagonist or two hander? Why does this distinction even matter? What challenges What genres inherently are ensembles? And what do we hope to learn from the series? We ice-skate over myriad films including JURASSIC PARK, ALIEN, TOP GUN vs TOP GUN: MAVERICK, DEATH AT A FUNERAL, WAR OF THE WORLDS vs INDEPENDENCE DAY, LORD OF THE RINGS vs WILLOW, OCEAN’S 11 vs OUT OF SIGHT, THIEF vs HEAT, AWAY FROM HER, DIRTY DOZEN, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, SE7EN, READY OR NOT. Look, there’s heaps. We talk a lot of movies. We also talk through our lens for breaking down group dynamics: collaborative vs competitive vs combative. As always: SPOILERS ABOUND Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode. <3 Chris! CHAPTERS 00:00:00 - Intro 00:04:17 - What is an ensemble? 00:26:51 - Taxonomy of Ensembles 00:47:25 - ArcStudio Sponsorship 00:48:32 - Group Dynamics 01:08:39 - Wrap Up & Hopeful Learnings 01:15:15 - Patreon Thanks This episode brought to you by (drum roll): ScriptUp: – use promo code DZ10 to get 10% off; and ArcStudio: go to for $30 off a subscription! And how can we forget our awesome ?, Especially Casimir, Eduardo, Jennifer, Garrett, Bjorn, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, Alex and Khrob. You rule! Please considering rating or subscribing to us on or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners. We are @stuwillis and @chasffisher on twitter. And you can find @draft_zero on Instagram and Twitter. BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH /episode/index/show/draftzero/id/25781949

DZ-95: Backmatter - Building and Maintenance 12/31/2022

DZ-94: Talismans (Part 2) 11/30/2022

DZ-94: Talismans (Part 2) How can you use physical objects to track character change… wordlessly? In part two of our two-part series on TALISMANS, we break down the beats used to turn objects (in a broad sense) into talismans; how talismans can track character journeys and transitions; and how they can be used to create powerful moments without words. While Part 1 looked a range of talismans in a bunch of different movies, in this episode we deep dive into just three examples. We look at how Thor’s crisis of masculinity is articulated through his relationship with Mjolnir and Stormbreaker in THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER; how the yearning love in PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE is communicated through paintings and music; and how the impact of an emotional affair is charted through key locations in INTHE THE MOOD FOR LOVE. As always: SPOILERS ABOUND Audio quotations used for educational purposes only. Timestamps indicated below. Chapter markers included in the mp3. Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode. CHAPTERS 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:15 - Talismans (Part 1) Followup 00:08:37 - Forging a Talisman (The Beats) 00:23:22 - Thor: Love and Thunder 00:59:52 - Portrait of a Lady on Fire 01:32:39 - In the Mood for Love 01:59:39 - Key Learnings & Wrap Up 02:06:10 - Thanks to our Patreons LINKS Scott Myers / Go Into The Story: Talismans - Scott Myers / Go Into The Story: Story Talismans - RELATED EPISODES DZ-93: Talismans (Part 1) - DZ-92: Insightful recognition in powerful endings - This episode brought to you by (drum roll): ScriptUp: – use promo code DZ10 to get 10% off And how can we forget our awesome ? Especially Casimir, Eduardo, Jennifer, Garrett, Bjorn, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, Alex and Khrob. You rule! Please considering rating or subscribing to us on or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners. We are @stuwillis and @chasffisher on twitter. And you can find @draft_zero on Instagram and Twitter. BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH /episode/index/show/draftzero/id/25174830

DZ-93: Talismans (Part 1) 10/31/2022

DZ-93: Talismans (Part 1) How can you use physical objects to reveal inner character? In this series, Chas and Stu discuss TALISMANS. Physical objects that are imbued with meaning by a character or characters. They’re a powerful tool to access inner character. In this first part, we lay the groundwork to discuss talismans and present something of a taxonomy. What makes talismans powerful? What makes them different from MacGuffins or characters? What types of Talismans are there? In the second part, we will breakdown THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, and another film. Examples we cover here include: TOP GUN, SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER, BETTER CALL SAUL, LORD OF THE RINGS, CASTAWAY, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, THE DARK KNIGHT, THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER, RONIN, PULP FICTION, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, BREAKING BAD, BACK TO THE FUTURE, THE TERMINATOR, TITANIC, INCEPTION, STAR WARS (of course), THE MATRIX, ANDOR (spoilers!), LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, and PULP FICTION. As always: SPOILERS ABOUND Audio quotations used for educational purposes only. Timestamps indicated below. Chapter markers included in the mp3. Thanks to Chas Fisher & Chris Walker for editing this episode. CHAPTERS 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:15 - Talismans in our own lives 00:08:41 - Scott Myer's definition of Talismans 00:18:58 - What are not Talismans? 00:21:48 - Wardrobe 00:28:26 - Talismans vs Characters 00:43:18 - Talismans vs MacGuffins 00:49:33 - Photos 00:53:53 - Jewellery 01:02:22 - Weapons & Tools 01:10:02 - Vehicles 01:12:03 - Letters & Journals 01:14:19 - Andor (Spoilers) 01:16:20 - Talismans and Rituals 01:24:14 - Wrap Up & Key Learnings LINKS Scott Myers / Go Into The Story: Talismans - Scott Myers / Go Into The Story: Story Talismans - RELATED EPISODES DZ-11: Adventure for the MacGuffin! - DZ-87: Keeping Genre fresh - This episode brought to you by (drum roll): ScriptUp: – use promo code DZ10 to get 10% off; and ArcStudio: go to for $30 off a subscription! And how can we forget our awesome ?, Especially Casimir, Eduardo, Jennifer, Garrett, Bjorn, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, Alex and Khrob. You rule! Please considering rating or subscribing to us on or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners. We are @stuwillis and @chasffisher on twitter. And you can find @draft_zero on Instagram and Twitter. BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH /episode/index/show/draftzero/id/24850974

DZ-92: Insightful recognition in powerful endings 09/29/2022

DZ-92: Insightful recognition in powerful endings How can endings prompt an audience to reflect on your story? Stu & Chas set out to explore what makes certain endings powerful, in particular those of LA LA LAND, INCEPTION, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN and TURNING RED. The lens they bring to those endings is Aristotle’s moment of “anagnorisis” (don’t worry - we can’t pronounce it either), traditionally when a character moves from ignorance to knowledge (particularly of self). But in analysing these films, Chas and Stu discover that endings can be particularly powerful when the characters experience insightful recognition in others, or in the world, or - perhaps most powerfully - when the anagnorisis is aimed at the audience. In other words, are there craft tools for your ending to prompt an audience to ask itself the question “What was that all about?”? Turns out, we think there are. As always: SPOILERS ABOUND Audio quotations used for educational purposes only. Timestamps indicated below. Chapter markers included in the mp3. Thanks to Chris Walker for editing this episode. CHAPTERS 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:48 - Insightful recognition in endings 00:03:39 - What the hell is “anagnorisis”? 00:12:04 - LA LA LAND 00:30:45 - INCEPTION 00:35:14 - NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN 01:00:04 - TURNING RED 01:18:18 - Wrap up & Key Learnings 01:24:26 - Thanks patreons! LINKS RELATED EPISODES This episode brought to you by (drum roll): ScriptUp: – use promo code DZ10 to get 10% off; and ArcStudio: go to for $30 off a subscription! And how can we forget our awesome ?, Especially Malay, Casimir, Eduardo, Jennifer, Garrett, Bjorn, Randy, Jesse, Sandra, Theis, Alex and Khrob. You rule! Please considering rating or subscribing to us on or sharing us on the Social Medias! We like finding new listeners. We are @stuwillis and @chasffisher on twitter. And you can find @draft_zero on Instagram and Twitter. BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH /episode/index/show/draftzero/id/24530241

DZ-91: Raising (different kinds of) Stakes 08/31/2022

DZ-90: Setups & Payoffs in Everything Everywhere All At Once 07/27/2022

DZ-89: Opening Sequences 05/31/2022

Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast

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