Skip to main content
DRAFT ZERO
§ RESOURCES / FILMMAKER INDEX

Daniel Kwan

Writer / Director

Films Discussed 2

Draft Zero Episodes 2

DZ-117: Pulling Off Tonal Shifts
How can we teach our audience new storytelling rules in the middle of our story?
Following on from our episodes on establishing tone through action lines and through character, this is what we have been building up to: how to pull off a tonal switch… that does NOT throw the audience out of the film. And, in particular, how to pull that off on the page when writers don’t have framing, lighting, music, editing, etc. at our disposal…
⏱ 2h 8m
Character · Words · Genre | 31 MAR 2025
Listen if you want to write tonal pivots that land on the page without a director's toolkit.
More Info
DZ-90: Setups & Payoffs in Everything Everywhere All At Once
How can you use setups and payoffs to stitch your film together?
In this one-shot, Chas and Stu dive into the awesomeness of EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. In particular, we focus on its use of setups, payoffs and reversals; breakdown the difference between Pointers and Plants and Stitches; deep dive into its Michael Arndt inspired ending. And, of course, we talk hotdog fingers and butt-plugs…
⏱ 1h 30m
Structure · Genre | 27 JUL 2022
Listen to understand how setups, payoffs, and reversals create narrative cohesion even when your story is fkn bonkers.
More Info

Referenced In

DZ-126
Secrets and Clues
⏱ 1h 28m
APR 2026

Also on Shot Zero