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Representation and Endorsement

Every episode covering Representation and Endorsement.

"Noir is sympathetic to the victims."

— Mel Killingsworth  |  DZ-124: Making the Despicable Compelling

KEY IDEAS

Noir's Sympathy For Victims

"Noir is sympathetic to the victims."

— Mel Killingsworth (01:02:05) · DZ-124: Making the Despicable Compelling

Depicting Brutality: Classical vs. Neo-Noir

"A lot of classical noir is not direct about its depiction of brutality. And a lot of neo-noir is. And I think this film walks a really fascinating line where you know exactly how brutal and horrible it is."

— Mel Killingsworth (00:34:38) · DZ-124: Making the Despicable Compelling

Declaring Wrongdoing Without Endorsing It

"This film somewhat amazingly tells you coming in that they're murderers and then you're sitting around watching how they commit murder and then you're stressed wanting them to get away with murder and ultimately you're like oh kill again because that's the only way you're going to keep getting away with murder this film yeah makes you feel that way as an audience member absolutely without ever endorsing this is good this is right."

— Chas Fisher (00:52:27) · DZ-123: Flawed Characters in Noir

DZ-123: Flawed Characters in Noir

What can Film Noir teach us about character arcs and audience engagement?
AI✦The shownotes explicitly ask ‘How can you ensure representation isn’t endorsement?’ as Mel and Chas examine whether depicting morally compromised characters constitutes an endorsement of their actions.✦
⏱ 1h 22m
31 DEC 2025
Listen if you want to write morally compromised characters without endorsing their choices.
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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… →

DZ-48: One-Shot - Blade Runner 2049 - Agency vs Choice

Can your characters be given choices and yet still be deprived of agency?
AI✦Chas, Stu, and CS connect the film’s lack of agency--particularly the absence of choices with different outcomes--to troubling depictions of women and minorities in the narrative.✦
⏱ 1h 53m
28 FEB 2018
Listen to discover how characters can be dramatised through binary choices (and understand the difference between choice and agency).
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To kick off 2018, Chas and Stu take a deep dive into one of their favourite movies of 2017: Blade Runner 2049. However, they abstained from “Fox News-ing this shit” by being joined by the most accomplished screenwriter they know, C.S. McMullen (Blood List 2017, Black List 2017, also a lover of Blade Runner 2049)… →

DZ-124: Making the Despicable Compelling

How does Film Noir show us terrible people doing terrible things without endorsing it?
AI✦Devil in a Blue Dress and Woman of the Hour both interrogate how systems fail marginalized people--Black men in postwar LA, vulnerable women preyed on because society won’t believe them--and noir’s sympathy for victims means centering their experience alongside the perpetrators.✦
⏱ 1h 10m
30 JAN 2026
Listen if you need audiences to root for characters who do terrible things
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DZ-20: Writing Strong Secondary Characters - Trinity, Bechdel and a Bamboo Killer

How can the Trinity Syndrome help you write better secondary characters?
AI✦The episode applies critical lenses--the Bechdel Test and Trinity Syndrome--to interrogate how mainstream cinema represents and fails to represent female secondary characters with substantive narrative roles.✦
⏱ 1h 18m
2 APR 2015
Listen when you're writing secondary female characters and need them to have more depth.
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Chas & Stu are joined by Bamboo Killer (aka Emily Blake) - one of the co-hosts of the Chicks Who Script podcast. They take a critical look at secondary female characters in mainstream movies through the lens of the oft-cited Bechdel test and the new, less-cited, Trinity Syndrome. The Trinity Syndrome berates movies for creating a “Strong Female Character With Nothing To Do” (like Trinity in the Matrix sequels) and raises a list of questions for filmmakers to ask themselves about their (female) characters… →

DZ-27: Competing views on Screenplay Competitions

Can screenplay competitions be worth it?
AI✦The episode gathers voices from judges, repeat competition attendees, and winners to present multiple perspectives on whether competitions accurately represent a writer’s work and potential to industry gatekeepers.✦
⏱ 1h 42m
15 NOV 2015
Listen if you're considering entering a screenplay competition and want to hear from writers and industry professionals about whether it's a worthwhile investment!
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After being repeatedly asked by listeners for thoughts on screenplay competitions, Stu and Chas go full back matter for this special episode. They tackle the question - do comps just feeding the hope machine or are they a valid investment? - in their typical detailed (i.e. long) style. With their differing perspectives, Stu (a director looking for material) and Chas (a writer keen for exposure), talk to an impressive roster of guests. We start with Gordy Hoffman, founder and judge of the Bluecat Screenplay Competition; repeat Austin Film Festival attendees - first for the screenplay and now for the finished web series of EX BEST - Diana Gettinger & Monica Hewes; Launchpad 2014 finalist Tony Pitman; and Insite Competition winner Blake Ashford, whose winning script CUT SNAKE hit cinemas in 2015... ten years after winning the competition… →