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DRAFT ZERO
§ PODCAST / EPISODES

Noir

2 episodes  ·  Dec 2025 – Jan 2026

"Often, gangsters are about the gang and the mob or the people within that. And noir is more interested, very broadly speaking, in... the system and the system being broader society, being the police, being, you know, culture at large and how you can or cannot necessarily win with it."

— Mel Killingsworth  |  DZ-123: Flawed Characters in Noir

DZ-123: Flawed Characters in Noir

What can Film Noir teach us about character arcs and audience engagement?
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…
⏱ 1h 22m
31 DEC 2025
Listen if you want to write morally compromised characters without endorsing their choices.
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DZ-124: Making the Despicable Compelling

How does Film Noir show us terrible people doing terrible things without endorsing it?
Mel and Chas continue to explore what Noir (the genre) can teach writers of all other genres. In particular:…
⏱ 1h 10m
30 JAN 2026
Listen if you need audiences to root for characters who do terrible things
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