Episodes

Date Title Duration
February 29, 2024 11:30 PM DZ-107: Establishing Tone through Character
How can we use dramatisation to create tone?
1:54:18
December 31, 2023 4:45 PM DZ-106: How do you know if you have enough story?
How do you know if you have enough narrative fuel to write a script?
1:36:12
November 30, 2023 10:42 PM DZ-105: Establishing Tone - Dark
How can we teach the reader to find the humour in our darkness?
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November 1, 2023 3:49 PM DZ-104: Characters Alone - Dramatizing the internal
How can scenes where characters are alone increase our connection with them?
1:29:42
October 1, 2023 11:35 PM DZ-103: Game of the Scene 2 - Triangle of Sadness, The Favourite
How can games elevate dramatic scenes?
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August 31, 2023 3:28 PM DZ-102: Game of the Scene - Bluey, John Wick 4
How can ‘games’ help us write better scenes?
1:23:29
July 3, 2023 5:29 PM DZ-101 Creating Immediacy & Anchoring Action on the Page
What can we learn by analysing how ‘oners’ are written on the page?
1:23:00
May 29, 2023 9:02 PM DZ-100: Scenes through Swords
What scene work tools can be learned from martial arts?
1:00:34
May 1, 2023 12:33 PM DZ-99: Scene Questions
How do audience questions shape scenes?
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March 31, 2023 11:08 PM DZ-98: Ensembles 3 - Character Function & Theme
What effect does adding a ton of characters have on your story?
2:02:02
February 28, 2023 11:24 AM DZ-97: Ensembles 2 - Servicing Characters
How do you give your audience access to a lot of characters?
2:22:27
January 31, 2023 11:26 PM DZ-96: Ensembles 1 - What do we mean by an ensemble?
How can the same story feel different when you have more characters?
1:16:25
December 31, 2022 6:14 PM DZ-95: Backmatter - Building and Maintenance
How do you maintain hope in the face of, er, screenwriting?
1:16:49
November 30, 2022 11:23 PM DZ-94 Talismans (Part 2)
How can you use physical objects to track character change… wordlessly?
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October 31, 2022 7:22 PM DZ-93: Talismans (Part 1)
How can you use physical objects to reveal inner character?
1:37:44
September 29, 2022 10:38 PM DZ-92: Insightful recognition in powerful endings
How can endings prompt an audience to reflect on your story?
1:26:05
August 31, 2022 2:00 PM DZ-91: Raising (different kinds of) Stakes
How can you keep your audience hooked when they know the end of the story?
2:19:44
July 27, 2022 11:25 AM DZ-90: Setups & Payoffs in Everything Everywhere All At Once
How can you use setups and payoffs to stitch your film together?
1:30:53
May 31, 2022 2:08 PM DZ-89: Opening Sequences
How does your opening sequence set up your audience?
1:48:08
May 1, 2022 10:50 AM DZ-88: Drama in genre clothing - Hustlers, Pig, and The Power of the Dog
How can dramas use genre elements to hook their audiences?
2:06:32
March 28, 2022 1:27 PM DZ-87: Keeping genre fresh - Get Out, Promising Young Woman, and The Invisible Man
How do you deliver on the emotional contract of a genre while surprising the audience?
2:13:12
February 1, 2022 8:03 PM DZ-86: Backmatter – Minimum Viable Product
dz-86
1:29:46
November 17, 2021 11:10 PM DZ-85: Choices & Decision 2 - The Farewell & Wrath of Man
What is difference between choice and decision when it comes to audience experience?
1:49:22
October 30, 2021 6:33 PM DZ-84: Choices & Decision 1 - Booksmart
What is the difference between choice and decision when it comes to characters?
1:12:37
September 8, 2021 3:14 PM DZ-83: A Very Thematic Stand-up Special!
What can screenwriters learn from the storytelling techniques used by stand-up comedians?
2:31:36
August 18, 2021 6:30 PM DZ-82: Dramatising Given Circumstances in Watchmen
How can writers dramatise Given Circumstances?
2:06:10
June 30, 2021 11:39 PM DZ-81: Pitch Decks & Look Books - Development Tools 4
How do you make effective pitch decks and look books for your projects?
1:13:22
June 1, 2021 12:46 AM DZ-80: Interweaving Timelines 3 - Little Women
How can interweaving timelines elevate the emotional experience for the audience?
2:11:24
May 1, 2021 12:49 AM DZ-79: Interweaving Timelines 2 - The Social Network
How can interweaving two timelines change how we feel about a character?
1:37:28
April 1, 2021 11:49 PM DZ-78: Interweaving Timelines 1 - Destroyer
How does interweaving two timelines change how the audience feel?
1:42:37
February 28, 2021 8:10 PM DZ-77: Backmatter - Prioritising and choosing projects
How do you choose which project to start next?
1:36:40
February 1, 2021 6:05 PM DZ-76: Spotlight on Sofia Coppola
What can we learn from Sofia Coppola’s on-the-page skills over her career?
1:54:23
December 31, 2020 1:08 PM DZ-75: Fury Road & Visual Storytelling
How can you do powerful storytelling... without dialogue?
1:09:27
December 1, 2020 2:55 PM DZ-74: Midsommar & Folk Horror
What can we learn from folk horror?
2:01:42
October 21, 2020 9:41 PM DZ-73: Selling documents - Development Tools 3
How do I write selling documents differently to development documents?
0:39:09
September 28, 2020 6:49 PM DZ-72: Theme & The Story Synopsis – Development Tools 2
How can I develop my theme without writing script pages?
1:00:24
September 1, 2020 12:35 PM DZ-71: Treatments & Loglines - Development Tools
How can I develop my plot before writing the screenplay?
1:26:45
July 23, 2020 8:41 PM DZ-70: Joker & Melodrama
How does Joker use melodramatic techniques to elevate its storytelling?
1:36:16
June 10, 2020 8:04 PM DZ-69: Parasite & Audience Questions
How can you use audience questions to heighten emotional investment?
1:22:52
May 18, 2020 12:15 AM DZ-68: Using POV to structure KNIVES OUT
How can shifting narrative point of view drive your sequences?
1:32:41
April 30, 2020 8:55 PM DZ-67: Writing “Passive” Protagonists & Melodrama
How do I tell a powerful story where the protagonist cannot drive the plot?
2:58:25
April 7, 2020 9:04 PM DZ LiVEsolation Annoucement
How does Draft Zero cope with lockdown?
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March 17, 2020 6:00 PM DZ-66: The Mandalorian and The Rise of Skywalker - Audience Knowledge vs Character Motivation
How does audience knowledge affect your character’s motivations?
1:45:10
February 14, 2020 5:37 PM DZ-65: Collaborating with a Director - The Snip
What changes in your writing and development when collaborating with a director?
1:03:09
January 30, 2020 9:39 PM DZ-64: Backmatter - Controlling your Work, Treatments, and Writing Styles
What can and should you do next?
1:42:28
December 31, 2019 4:54 PM DZ-63: Tools for Better Dialogue (Part 2) - Hook and Eye
How can you create flow and contrast in your dialogue?
1:58:24
December 2, 2019 10:09 PM DZ-62: Unfilmables and Unscriptables (Part 3) - As Ifs & Emotional context
How do you know if your unfilmable is good... or if you’re just being a wanker?
2:17:13
September 25, 2019 7:12 PM DZ-61: Unfilmables and Unscriptables (Part 2) - Moments of Awe
How can unfilmables help you create those cinematic moments of awe?
2:05:45
August 7, 2019 1:42 PM DZ-60: Unfilmables and Unscriptables (Part 1) - Engaging imagination
How can unfilmables enhance the experience of your script? AKA Why your screenwriting guru is wrong
2:25:16
July 1, 2019 4:07 PM DZ-59: Short Shot - Avengers Endgame
Do you want your audience feeling with or for your characters?
1:14:32
May 16, 2019 2:59 PM DZ-58: Game of Thrones – Character Exposition
1:47:58
May 1, 2019 11:45 PM DZ-57: Backmatter - Aesthetics and Forgiveness in Writing
How can you best articulate your ideas?
1:29:00
March 30, 2019 6:37 PM DZ-56: Character Motivations (Part 2)
Workshopping ways to fix character motivations.
2:16:11
January 15, 2019 9:35 PM DZ-55: Character Motivations (Part 1)
What to do when a reader says “I don’t buy that he/she would do that”?
2:18:28
October 10, 2018 2:06 PM DZ-54: Thematic Sequences
How does removing character and plot question force your audience to engage with theme?
2:49:54
August 26, 2018 2:09 PM DZ-53: Antagonists! (Part 5) - vs Audience
What if there is no antagonist?
2:26:08
June 28, 2018 10:08 PM DZ-52: Antagonists! 4 – vs Systems
How do systems pressure your characters to change?
2:16:09
May 31, 2018 12:48 PM DZ-51: Antagonists! (Part 3) - vs Nature
What changes in your story if your antagonistic forces can’t be bargained with?
1:52:21
April 19, 2018 10:31 PM DZ-50: Antagonists! (Part 2) – vs Self
How can characters be their own antagonist?
1:47:54
March 31, 2018 12:08 PM DZ-49: Antagonists! (Part 1) - vs Humans
What makes a strong human antagonist?
1:20:58
February 28, 2018 5:59 PM DZ-48: One-Shot – Blade Runner 2049 – Agency vs Choice
Can your characters be given choices and yet still be deprived of agency?
1:53:34
January 11, 2018 6:49 PM DZ-47: Backmatter – A Lost Jedi, White Knighting, and Writers-On-Set
Will Director Stu allow Writer Chas on his set?
2:21:34
December 19, 2017 2:52 PM DZ-46: Structure & POV – Get Out, Dunkirk, & The Lives of Others
What questions do you want your audience asking at any given time?
2:25:10
October 27, 2017 4:13 PM DZ-45: Arguments of the Scene
How can you dramatise your theme on a scene level?
2:21:06
September 17, 2017 9:46 PM DZ-44: Marvel, First Acts and Establishing Characters
2:07:28
July 8, 2017 1:44 PM DZ-43: Driving Sequences – Character and Plot Intensity
What gives your sequences their intensity?
3:16:18
April 26, 2017 11:04 PM DZ-42: One-Shot -Split, Character Worldview & Macro POV
1:52:49
March 24, 2017 7:28 PM DZ-41: Theme and Worldview
2:32:39
February 4, 2017 3:26 PM DZ-40: Tactics and Scenes
How do tactics make your characters and scenes more dynamic?
2:15:50
January 15, 2017 4:18 PM DZ-39: Backmatter – Hitting LA, Receiving Feedback, and a Roguish One
1:29:40
December 6, 2016 1:58 PM DZ-38: Excelling at Exposition (Part 2)
1:52:47
November 23, 2016 2:53 PM DZ-37: Excelling at Exposition (Part 1)
How can you successfully integrate exposition into your story?
1:46:36
October 30, 2016 5:28 PM DZ-36: Backmatter – Time Risk and Fixing Movies
1:07:25
October 6, 2016 7:02 PM DZ-35: Driving Characters or Character Driven?
1:20:50
August 14, 2016 9:23 PM DZ-34: Game of Choices - Decision Making and Character Implications
How does the experience of a character's decision impact our feelings towards that character?
1:26:24
July 15, 2016 10:04 PM DZ-33: Protagonist vs Hero – Dawn of Character Function
1:58:19
June 12, 2016 4:06 PM DZ-32: High-Tension Sequences
2:23:13
April 10, 2016 1:24 PM DZ-31: Tools for Better Dialogue
How does dialogue serve to reveal character?
2:04:54
February 28, 2016 2:26 PM DZ-30: Oscars revisited – Spotlight and Carol
1:43:36
January 25, 2016 5:44 PM DZ-29: Showdowns & Scene Structure
1:41:29
December 21, 2015 5:52 PM DZ-28: Containing Your Script
1:55:34
November 15, 2015 9:39 PM DZ-27: Competing views on Screenplay Competitions
1:42:12
October 31, 2015 1:57 PM DZ-26: Horror and Collaboration- Wolf Creek 2
1:48:33
September 15, 2015 1:59 PM DZ-25: Coincidences, Contrivances & Giant Eagles
1:40:27
August 4, 2015 2:18 PM DZ-24: Forging story rules in TV pilots
2:05:36
July 6, 2015 3:27 PM DZ-23: LIVE – Starting A Career In Film And Television
1:46:00
June 11, 2015 3:37 PM Z-22: Romantic Comedy, Actually
How can studying RomCom clichés teach us to subvert them?
1:40:22
May 8, 2015 12:01 AM DZ-21: Scene Transitions and the Hook
How can scene transitions do more than just move from one location to another?
1:40:57
April 2, 2015 7:38 PM DZ-20: Writing Strong Secondary Characters - Trinity, Bechdel and a Bamboo Killer
How can the Trinity Syndrome help you write better secondary characters?
1:18:03
March 1, 2015 7:08 PM DZ-19: Car-Crash Characters
1:59:38
January 22, 2015 6:43 PM DZ-18: Michael Bay - F*ing the Frame and P*ing the Page
Are there screenwriting lessons to be taken from analysing the work of Michael f-ing Bay?
1:07:02
January 6, 2015 10:38 PM DZ-17: Where's my gold-plated ensuite?
When you're an emerging filmmaker, what are different ways to tackle a "career"?
1:14:29
December 16, 2014 7:07 PM DZ-16: Masters of Time and Whitespace
Does manipulating time on the page make your script feel more cinematic?
1:49:26
November 4, 2014 10:28 PM DZ-15: World Building Rules, Okay?
How does setting up rules help you build a world?
2:00:12
October 22, 2014 2:19 PM DZ-14: Writing For Actors with Succession's Sarah Snook
How can we make our screenwriting more appealing to Actors?
1:16:36
October 5, 2014 5:11 PM DZ-13: True That – Tips from Tarantino
1:25:13
September 16, 2014 6:00 PM DZ-12: Craft, Career and Coffins
1:01:58
July 31, 2014 1:47 AM DZ-11: Adventure for the MacGuffin!
Is the MacGuffin truly interchangable, and how does it impact on your character writing?
1:49:06
July 8, 2014 10:37 PM DZ-10: Midpoint Reversals and The Ride
How can the middle of your film pivot so much that it pulls the rug out of your audience?
1:19:56
June 23, 2014 8:47 PM DZ-09: Characterising Introductions
Can the introduction of a character be so good that the character doesn't need describing?
1:22:50
June 10, 2014 11:51 PM DZ-08: Status Transactions
How does a shift in status or power reveal character?
1:32:58
May 26, 2014 10:54 AM DZ-07: On Rewriting - How much Bull is left in the Hustle?
What can be gleamed from the substantial rewrite of a famed spec script?
0:55:30
May 12, 2014 10:29 AM DZ-06: Key Scenes and Unlocking the Story
Can one scene be the key to unlocking the whole story?
1:18:42
April 27, 2014 5:02 PM DZ-05: Shifting audience point of view and heightened emotions
Can forcing your audience to ask questions - and then answering them - trigger an emotional response?
1:29:15
April 14, 2014 12:58 PM DZ-04: Catharsis and the Post-Coital Cigarette
How does the end of certain films make your soul shudder?
1:25:26
March 31, 2014 10:53 AM DZ-03: Making unlikeable protagonists compelling
How do you make obnoxious a-holes compelling?
1:20:10
March 17, 2014 11:28 AM DZ-02: Do the Screenplay Gurus score big at the Box Office?
1:33:01
March 1, 2014 12:26 PM DZ-01: Do Screenplay Gurus win you Oscars?
1:40:38
February 1, 2014 12:00 PM DZ-00: Welcome to Draft Zero
What, exactly, is Draft Zero?
0:09:15