§ PODCAST / PEOPLE
Catherine Smyth Mcmullen
Guest2020
DZ-74: Midsommar & Folk Horror
What can we learn from folk horror?
Listen if you want to understand how folk horror works as a genre and how Ari Aster uses it to explore grief and toxic relationships
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Draft Zero return with their next YouTube livestream! Stu and Chas are joined by previous guest (and successful screenwriter) C.S. McMullen for a deep dive into MIDSOMMAR! We analyse the film through the lens of Folk Horror, but tackle broader topics such as horror vs dread, rising tension, transgressions, unfilmables, and portraying toxic relationships… →
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AI✦The deep dive into toxic relationships and grief reveals how Dani's underlying psychological pain drives her choices throughout the film and makes her vulnerable to the cult's manipulation.✦
Films:
Midsommar (2019)
2018
DZ-48: One-Shot - Blade Runner 2049 - Agency vs Choice
Can your characters be given choices and yet still be deprived of agency?
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)… →
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AI✦CS McMullen reveals that Blade Runner 2049 dramatises characters through binary choices while systematically depriving them of agency--the distinction between being given a choice and having a choice that produces different outcomes.✦
Films:
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)