Rob Reiner

Director

Films Discussed 4

Draft Zero Episodes 4

DZ-49: Antagonists! 1 - vs Humans

What makes a strong human antagonist?

Prompted by a listener (and patron of the podcast) question, Stu and Chas dive into antagonistic forces. And because Draft Zero does not do anything by halves, this is Part One of a Five Part Epic Exploration™ into antagonists; namely: vs humans, vs self, vs nature/supernatural, vs systems and “other”. aka the classic narrative conflicts… →

⏱ 1h 20m

31 MAR 2018

Character · Structure · Scenes

Listen if you want to understand how to craft compelling antagonists who oppose your protagonist through direct human conflict

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Films: Die Hard (1988) , Misery (1990) , Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

Character: Character Motivation , Character Depth , Character Function

Structure: Antagonism

Scenes: Conflict

DZ-29: Showdowns & Scene Structure

What can fight scenes - whether physical or verbal - teach us about structuring any scene?

In exploring how to write good fight scenes, Stu and Chas compare how writers structure memorable showdowns - both verbal and physical. Fights vs arguments. Swords vs insults. Lightsabres vs passive aggressive subtext. To do this, they analyse the showdowns in EASTERN PROMISES, ROB ROY, THE FORCE AWAKENS (yes, yes, we finally let Stu officially discuss Star Wars), A FEW GOOD MEN, BREAKING BAD and BEFORE SUNSET… →

⏱ 1h 41m

25 JAN 2016

Scenes · Structure · Character

Listen to discover how fight scenes can be great inspiration for writing any kind of showdown (verbal or otherwise)

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Films: Eastern Promises (2007) , Rob Roy (1995) , A Few Good Men (1992) , Before Sunset (2004) , Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Scenes: Scene Structure , Showdowns

Structure: Escalation

Character: Tactics

DZ-22: Romantic Comedy, Actually

How can studying RomCom clichés teach us to subvert them?

With Stu busy working on Hollywood blockbusters, Chas is joined by Alli Parker (script department on Aussie TV series and former co-ordinator of European #scriptchat) to unpick successful romcoms to see if they can illuminate a path for writers working in this struggling genre. Cheap to produce and potentially highly lucrative, Chas and Alli look at RomCom’s conventions to see what it may take to reinvigorate this genre… →

⏱ 1h 40m

11 JUN 2015

Genre · Character · Structure

Listen if you're writing a romcom and want to understand what makes this gentre tick.

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Films: When Harry Met Sally... (1989) , (500) Days of Summer (2009) , The Proposal (2009) , Notting Hill (1999)

Genre: Genre Conventions , Emotional Contract , Genre Shift

Character: Character Motivation

Structure: Setups & Payoffs

DZ-8: Status Transactions

How does a shift in status or power reveal character?

Stu and Chas explore an idea they both came across studying theatre: status and by extension (or juxtaposition) power. Is a story where a character changes status or experiences loss (or gains) in power more compelling… →

⏱ 1h 32m

10 JUN 2014

Character · Scenes

Listen to make your character relatinships more dynamic.

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Films: The King's Speech (2010) , The Princess Bride (1987) , The Social Network (2010) , True Grit (2010)

Character: Tactics , Relationships , Subtext , Character Depth

Scenes: Status , Scene Structure

Referenced In

DZ-56

Character Motivations 2

⏱ 2h 16m

MAR 2019

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