Skip to main content
DRAFT ZERO
§ RESOURCES / TOPICS / Coincidences

Coincidences

Every episode covering Coincidences.


Start here

DZ-25: Coincidences, Contrivances & Giant Eagles

How do screenwriters get away with using coincidences in their stories?
AIThe episode centers on when and how coincidences actually work in screenwriting, and whether Pixar’s rule against using them to bail out characters is as absolute as it seems.
⏱ 1h 40m
15 SEP 2015
Listen when you need to know which coincidences earn trust and which ones feel like cheating.
More Info
Remember that time in THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS when Bruce suddenly - magically - returned to Gotham, and you were like “WTF?!” Well, it turns out that many of the best films have moments that are just as coincidental or contrived (or a flock of Giant Eagles) and yet get away with it. Does Pixar’s “rule” that it is ‘cheating to use coincidences to get your characters out of trouble’, always apply…