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 https://www.arcstudiopro.com/draftzero for $30 off a pro subscription!

And how can we forget 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.

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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 https://www.arcstudiopro.com/draftzero for $30 off a pro subscription!

And how can we forget 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.

BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH via TeePublic
SUBSCRIBE TO SHOT ZERO via Substack

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 https://www.arcstudiopro.com/draftzero for $30 off a pro subscription!

And how can we forget 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.

BUY DRAFT ZERO MERCH via TeePublic
SUBSCRIBE TO SHOT ZERO via Substack