DZ-69: PARASITE & Audience Questions — Transcript

Hey draft zero, listeners Stewart here. The following episode is another one of our drive zero lives. Elation episodes, which means it was originally a live stream and has now been edited into a podcast. So what you may hear is a little bit more conversational, a little bit looser than usual. If you believe that's actually possible on the sound quality, we may be a little bit Mohr inconsistent. There may be some back and forth and interactivity with the listeners who tuned into us live, and there may also be referenced to a vision, which you can't actually see because it's a podcast. But if you'd like to watch the video, there will be links in the show notes. Still, we think it's a fun ride, which is why we released is a podcast on We Hope You Enjoy it Now we're no longer doing our live streams weekly anymore, as Australia's being very lucky and we've been able to lift our restrictions around the country. But we are still planning on releasing live streams. You've had a great response to the ones that we've done so far, and we're going to continue doing them erratically, so if you'd like to keep across what we're planning. Please follow us on social media or on our patri on, because that's the best way to learn about what our schedule and plans are. We hope to see you in a live chat soon and please stay safe. The General Craig character, What's his name?

You know I blanc.

Yeah.

Excerpts

Hi, I'm chas fisher on. Welcome to draft zero Podcast. Where to? Ozzy? Filmmakers try toe work out what makes great screenplays work.

And I'm stu willis. And on this episode we are doing parasite, which was voted for by our patrons, who for these live like patrons patrons for these live episodes are kind of able to have a input into what we're breaking down. And so why did we want to do, like, why would were we interested in doing parasite and guess it's a good good a place to start chairs before we're going down into the specifics.

For sure. I mean, you and I watched it together in theatres last year, back when we could do such things on DH. Look, just to let people know who had perhaps new to the drives. Your experience. Our podcast is normally somewhere between an hour and 1/2 to up to three hours long, where we pick a particular theme, and study lots and lots of different films and example calls to elaborate and take a really deep dive into a craft topic on DH one off. The one of the reasons we Khun, do these live broadcast weekly as opposed to like six weekly however long it takes us to get our classic podcast out is we're just doing one film, so it allows us to get the homework done and pump out the episodes. So why parasite? I mean, look, we just trucked up films that we thought had good fodder in them. I didn't come into this particular excited with a particular Kraft topic to analyse. I was just like this film is exquisitely crafted from both the narrative and a visual point of view, and so, I'm glad our patrons voted for it went into it watch and have come out with the thesis, which I can elaborate on in a second, but used to what called youto parasite.

For similar reasons. I mean, I think there might be some moments where we get to talk about the directing because the directing is exquisite and on secondary. What the way the directing integrates with kind of its narrative structure is really, really tight. And obviously there's this great midpoint turning point. Look, it goes without saying, but spoilers about so that little point when you're going down the stairs. It was such a moment of I literally feel the rug being pulled out of my feet, or I am literally feeling that there is a stairway leading to a basement. You know, you feel like you're going into another film. And so there was originally it was like, What's the interest in that pivot? But then you structure it. When we put it to our patrons, you wanted to look at the flooding in particular.

Oh, yeah, that's right. There was one particular.

That was like You look, let's just keep it really tight And yeah, because draft zero is known for its very economical regions.

Yes, but I remember when we watched it the first time together in cinemas that the flooding sequence stood out to me so much because the film had just been ratcheting up the tension and escalating and escalating and escalating. And then that flooding sequence just seemed to kind of come out of nowhere. And it's one of the things that set the film apart. It felt very not part of the traditional three act structure Western storytelling narrative, and so that's why I wanted to look into that particular sequence. But upon revisiting the film, I've kind of realised that the power of that sequence is the question that Burn Giang Hu on DH. What was the other writers name before we.

Jin Won Hun. Obviously, we're going to be butchering these names. Mohr than usual, like charge might sink to my very low.

Yeah.

Well, it's not even standards my basement dwelling, my sub basement dwelling, you know?

That apologies to anyone who actually speaks Korean and to the entire Korean people because we are really going to butcher the names. But what I would like to do in this episode is actually break down the sequences off the film from the perspective of what questions the filmmakers are asking or prompting the audience to ask.

Yes. So I guess what that means is that it's kind of building on what we were talking about last week. That where it's something that we keep going back to his narrative point of view that we keep going back to this idea of questions. Sequence questions seem questions, right? We've done multiple podcast on this, and I think we're kind of deepening our understanding off that kind of craft on how fundamental it is. And even though we say this feels like it's not get a clean Western, the fact is, it's very sequence heavy that they are kind of divided in chapters. And there's tools that the writers and the filmmakers usedto make it feel not episodic. But when you actually start breaking down into clear sequences, you're like, Oh, OK, from a construction point of you. How do you write something? Breaking it down into sequences is a way to make it approachable, right? Obviously writing 120 page script feels can feel daunting to me when you're first starting out. But thinking I will have to do is write, you know, eight 10 sequences that I'm not sure that lonely, but it makes it Mohr. That makes the task manageable. But it's also part of the kind of ebb and flow off watching a film. You know, there's. As I mentioned last week. There's this idea of contrast infinity, that I've bean teaching my motion design students about that I think applies to narrative that you want thie. The sequences all have a kind of a different tone to them, a kind of different feeling, and it makes it more watchable, like this idea of Real's going back to the Steven Cleary episode. We spent a lot of time talking about realise that there's this idea of the storytelling that people can kind of follow. Being like 20 minutes is kind of our concentration. I'm completely unscientific. I'm just pulling in number. If I wanted to make it sound more accurately, like so it's been shown that the average constantly length of concentration and film is like 21 a half minutes, and it's going to make it sound more. I don't know what I'm talking about, but by moving them and moving them into locking them and there's like overlap between these sequences, you can kind of keep the audience engaged and then you escalate into like, the going down the stairs. And it's kind of makes the audience who's just been kind of like our cool I'm in a way waiting for this storey to be over and then you're like, Boom! Hit them with this kind of rial revelation. So this is the moment that I think we're jumping ahead. But this is the moment where it feels like you've seen his shelf multiple times. They planted it really well, and then you see it open and you're like Holy crap and then they play. It is a classic horror follows shot about cutting, and you literally feel your that sinking feeling in your stomach. This's great, and this makes the film gives the film a Minton to carry into the second half.

Yeah, yeah, well, just clarify what I'm trying Teo get to is So we previously with wonderful friend and multiple guests of the podcast. Even clearly, we've done a whole episode, I think, to actually on different kinds of sequences. So whether the sequence is driven by a plot question, whether it's got multiple, like plot and character questions, whether it's just got character questions and, if you don't even pose any part question or any character question to be answered in the vacuum of a question that the audience is asking, what then happens, is that the audience starts interacting directly with the filmmaker and asking themselves, What is this all about? Why am I watching this? And we also did this in films. We did a series on antagonists, and the final one was versus the audience where the filmmakers are directly antagonising, the audience said, directly communicating with the audience. And I think.

Almost our expectation of the genre and the narrative structure is the opposition T audience. So being the force of opposition that it uses our understanding against Simon, it's more complicated. It's really worth listening to our episode.

Yes. You know. But my broader point is I'm just trying to sow some seeds about what we're discussing later. But I think what elevates this film is that they are in such mastery ofthe when they want the audience leaning forward and asking plot questions. And when they just let the audience sit back and go, Why? Why have I just seen all of that? What is coming and I don't know and the filmmakers down to the moment by moment. Control of those questions is something that really elevates this film. So sure we go back.

Some write exactly the stuff and summarise the film so you can summarise the film.

Yeah, yeah. So, So the film parasite about a poor family. The kids con their way into becoming the servants of a rich family. The parks, but they're easy. Life gets complicated when their deception is threatened with exposure. So.

But what's interesting about that long line is it's literally giving you the mid points there like they're easy life.

Mmm.

That is where the storey changes. So it's like he is the first half of the film and he is the second half, which is a really interesting what I thinking about a love line.

Yeah, yeah. Let's introduce our cast of characters whose names were going to butcher spectacularly. I mean, one of the things that will also tackle in a CZ we break it down is different. Characters drive different sequences, they're in charge, and that has a different effect on the audience. Ahs well, in terms of their experience on the characters. So it's hard to say who's the protagonist of this movie, because it really seems to be this whole family, the Kim family so.

I mean back just to the rule of thumb. Yeah, I would say that it sze kind of like a collective protagonist, but I think in terms of the person who's decision drives it the seeming events. It's Kiwi, you know, it's Kevin makes the It's the recruitment saying which we've talked about the Hey, I've got a mission, You accept the mission. So he is kind of ostensibly the protagonist. But as we've talked about on other episodes, you can have secrets. Protagonists, you can have seen protagonists and this feels like very much they function as a unit and really, it's the Kims is the protagonist, and the parts is the anti Agnes, the force of opposition. But that will change.

Yes. Oh yes, We've got Kiuru slash Kevin, which is his English name given to him by the parks in a wonderful little sort of show of status like, Oh, we should call you Kevin. That will be your name. Ki Tak, who is referred to as Mr Kim by the park's chance, took the mother on KYUNG or Jessica as Thie sister slash daughter of the Kim family. And then the park family dog is thie patriarch. Yeah, young Keogh is the Mother Day and a song are the kids. So hopefully Stew's dad, if you're watching this has been sufficient visual cues Tau, aren't you as we start diving into the actual storey.

It was his request when he sent me a message saying, Well, what's your live stream in the 1st 15 minutes was pretty boring. That's me. Power, Friends, visuals. I've seen you, son a lot. I don't need to see you, Mike, shoot a screen.

Because there was no visuals. Okay, so the opening sequence is a lot of it's establishing and in any kind of film, really, the opening sequence questions are pretty fundamentally the same. You're trying to orient the audience in the storey. So who are we watching and like, what do they want? The opening sequence, an introduction to the Kims, is a wonderful bit of them. They've been cut off from their WiFi because they've been stealing the neighbor's WiFi and they finally been password protected. They're trying to find WiFi so they could get a job folding pizza boxes. It's establishing. There's so much incredible establishing off there basement apartment that becomes really important later.

Are the the directing in terms of teaching you the geography of these environments is amazing. Like I'm like, Ah, hallway through like it's just just give me that.

Yeah. Well, and establishes things like the fact that the mother was like a new Olympic gold medal, a silver medalists or something in hammer throw or something. But yet they find themselves in this position. They're clearly struggling financially. They've got a stink bug infestation in their apartment. And I think one of the amazing sort of visuals is them folding pizza boxes while letting ST Fumigation come into the apartment to kill the stink bugs. And they're also choking while they're doing it. So Sue, what questions do you think? The audience heir asking themselves, What do you.

Well, I think what? You start with any Storey, it's going back, Teo. And again this is a clear e thing. It's the who are we watching? Who are these people? What world? We in what time aware? You know, we're trying to learn who these characters are. That's the audience question. The plot question that they execute this through is it's kind of two hearts. Can they find a WiFi signal? That's the plot question that it's set up right? And then it becomes What are they shipped us a little bit behind? Why a vase folding these boxes? And then the question is, will these boxes Bea excepted? I guess. But do we know?

Is that even a question? We don't even know that they're going to be accepted or rejected until that happens. Like the pizza says, we're going to dock your pay because one and four failed this.

Yeah. Yes. So it's this idea, But I guess that's the question is like, What are they doing? Why these folding boxes? They say they're going to pay. It kind of is just teaching us who The family. So it's if the audience question is, who are these people on what air? Their circumstances, what they're given circumstances turn. We haven't talked about for a while. That's up here a ll this opening like five minutes. But it is really a mini. It's a mini sequence until we get to the get and then you can actually feel the chapter break right.

Friends. Men? Yeah. Yeah. Basically what it says that they want is money, right? They are poor and they want money. That face?

Well, they need. It's not that they want money. I would say it, Sze what appears to be the need and there's something that are planting now that I think is very clever about the world building in This is that, given that this film in some ways is about class. But what some ways.

Yes. In

A lot of ways is about class. It's about that, like it's weaving and not just their Storey, about how it relates to the overall circumstances. In Korea, there is a version of this film. If they remake this, which they are a bit like having you here, there's like an American miniseries remake.

I don't know. Oh dear. I had there was a TV Siri's, but I thought it was just going to still be in career. I didn't realise they're setting in America.

No, I'm pretty sure it's America, but they would be, like, open with, like, unemployment statistics, right? Because what you're going on that there, Paul, Why is the whole family out of work? Blah, blah? And that is about our relationship to the characters because we're not sure. Is this something that they found themselves in? Your we've got culturally and I'm looking at this is a as a Westerner, I don't know the circumstances in career. But there is this kind of weed. You know, that Protestant, you know, that prosperity, principle, prosperity, principle that seems to be dominating kind of Anglo American prosper politics at the moment, that idea that they're Paul, because I kind of deserve it right and that their comment and shady because there's something in the who they are as people. But over time they shift the world view around the characters to change it. The back is related to the pipeline is that he's actually lead to the audience question because I think when we come into any fellow where we start is who am I watching? What I'm watching. Who am I watching? What what are the given circumstances of these character? Because that's what the first act is. It's the given circumstances, the inciting incident that changes them out of the circumstances. You need to establish what they did. So I think like on a instinctive one, Instinctive is the wrong word. Like because we've heard storeys so long, it's insured ID or it's constructed. Our expectation is that the 1st 20 minutes of film is giving us the given circumstances.

This film does it so quickly, and there's so much set up for what pays off later in the film that we mentioned it last week. We love to do an episode just on how to do set up. Some payoffs on this film is a master class in that. But yes, as you said men, a college friend of Key was, Well, he hasn't gone to college, but I guess high school friend But who's gone to college? He is tutoring a girl in English is about to go overseas, and he wants keyword to tutor the girl in English. And he's chosen Ki Woo specifically because he does not feel threatened by Kiwi as a potential romantic threat because he wants Teo. I'm going to use the word grooming, and that's possibly the wrong kind of word. But he's men wants to date, this girl that his tutoring English once she's in college once she's finished high school and so he's using Key would kind of be a protective Tudor who won't get in the way of his aspirations.

There's a subtle status thing there. It's that he doesn't see Kevin keep you as a threat, right on what's interesting, Because it actually you talked about the foreshadowing of the pizza box in the slack chat just because I found the image. But it's this great moment here with this is directorial, But you can write This would probably be written on the page, and you're the one who's looked. Script should be interesting to see what their, but literally it starts off with Key were around the pizza box. Go and then the one by one, the family start surrounding her. Until she gives it. We're actually seeing the dynamic of the family. Is that a kind off Attackers have heard, If you know what I mean, Like it's they're pack hunters in a in a horrible way, but we're seeing that them literally crowd the frame I love. Like all the men, this is just a directorial thing. But given that we've got filing visuals and draft zero Aiken talk, you know, directing like the fact that they're cropping the frame, keeping her.

Yeah. Yeah.

In the middle, it kind of you can really feel her getting trapped.

Yeah.

You play this wider or you just a little bit wider or moved to Australia. You want to have that same feeling. So this is the This is writing about the directing, working hand in hand with a narrative purpose that they're going after, like, this is it's not just about being slick, you know?

Yeah. Can I? I'll open up the moment in the script and we can talk briefly about the script.

Yeah.

Now this is the four your consideration script. And unlike last week with Knives Out, I'm not entirely sure we will dive into the script as much as, well, dive into the actual film. And there's a few reasons for this. Obviously, the script would have been written in Korean on DH. This is It was interesting. I read through it, and it's definitely not a transcription off the finished film in English, right? It's clearly been written as a script, and I think you told me they had a translator working with them Tio as they develop the script because.

That's about the script. She just hung out with the director, Sharon Choi. She kind of like a human tor. The award ceremonies, etcetera. And he was really using. It's cool. It's a cool storey. He was really using his position to go. She is an amazing filmmaker. Everyone should be interesting what she's doing. She's helping me because she speaks English. So I wonder if it was just purely speculation that maybe she helped with the translation because I can imagine in a like a a mentor e ship. It's like, Hey, you know, you translate my script. That's a really good opportunity if you understand what I'm doing structurally and that if she is someone that is a writer and a filmmaker in herself, she's going to feel a responsibility, to kind of communicate the intent rather than literally just putting it through Google translate because, hey, Oscar voters don't read script.

Yeah, yeah. Okay, so let's go back to the script for a second. So just what made me feel like I was actually reading a script was that there was some subtle differences, like scenes. There was more to them that would have been cut off in the edit. So clearly it had been written not on the basis of the finished film, which was really nice on then. I'm in the semi basement during the fumigation seen, and if you see here, they've introduced the world. The YouTube video of the world's fastest pizza box folder after the fog has come into the room. So this is just making me feel like this was a genuine script before the film got produced. But if we're looking at the moment that you're talking about, so it does in for the order and the blocking. But no one year is precisely as you were talking about in the direction. So he was helping load the boxes into the van. Ky Tech. The father looks out from the apartment window watching Cheung Suk squabble with the pizza shop owner now.

Yeah. This doesn't read like a direct like someone's put some love into this.

Oh yeah, this is a good script, like as it's written and then he were quickly steps in defusing the situation with an easy smile right on it. Then has Ki Jeong, the sister. They're in the conversation, but she hasn't been introduced in big print, and we don't have any line around how trapped there, feeling we've got the owner just as the smiling siblings. What the hell are these people in italics? Although sue, Here you go. The owner senses a trap and tries to get out of it. She takes out a few bills from a fanny pack and starts counting one by one. The family all stare. It's been a while since they've seen money.

It is interesting because I think it just goes from them from the money being counted out of the fanny pack to them, sell up, celebrating with, like eating chip packets and stuff. But that's a great It's been a while since I've seen money. What a beautiful piece of action description.

Yeah, okay, So anyway, we've got an amazing established thing. Then men has come through like that's the inciting incident he's offered the the opportunity to keep you Kiwi, then goes to the house, right? And the question that kind of gets posed because is a Sze Yu said. We've got another beautiful tracking shot, introducing us to the geography of the house on how startling like the green and the colours are the wood colo us of how different they are toe thie Kim's life in the semi basement, Ah nde, their mother.

Young kill.

So young Theo then says, I want to sit in on the lesson two. See whether you're good enough. Teo, Measure up to your friend men standards on it becomes the plot. Question is Wilkie would get this job very simple and very dramatise a ble as well. He really does get the job on DH. Then young Kia is talking about her son, Dasan, and how he goes through art teachers like There's no tomorrow on there's this beautiful shot off key Woo Kevin, getting the idea that he could get his sister hired is the art teacher you Khun, See it occurring to him?

What was really interesting about the directing. We came back. We talked about this, um, unfilmable. How do you dramatise characters making decisions, Right? Choices that are internalised and you can do it on the page because you can write things considers? Then, you know, we talked about ways to do that. But they also The question is, how do you do it with camera? And there's obviously the classic kind of pushing right. But they do mohr than that. In this film, there's lots of Dali's little little moments where they literally twist the lot like Change the line It's done in blocking. It's done in camera. He literally looked like the time that so he literally takes a step.

Yeah, and he smiled like he has a thinking. He's thinking an idea comes to him. He smiles.

It's tilted the and it's like it's just over its classic kind of over the shoulder, turning around like it Za two shot. But you get the power difference. Him being on lower. But it's that combination of performance and riding and acting. But what was interesting about this and it's worth saying, because this builds this's this whole sequence. It's something that we talked about last week in the context off, Gentlemen Sleuth, The General Craig character, What's his name.

You know I blanc.

Yet, that the character that he feels this is moment behind him and then we're ahead of him and it changes our relationship. To what? Whether we think he's smart, essentially boiling down that last week is we think detectives a smart or characters in general when we're catching up to them when they seem ahead of what's interesting about parasite is, we don't realise, that this is really just think he's being opportunistic, that he's just seizing the moment, and it feels so in the moment. But as we'll come out on this sequence, it's a plan we are learning, and that makes them The Kims seem really smart. And it makes the madam a CZ, the friend said. Seem kind of dumb.

Yes, but also, what it does is so that the beginning of the sequence we are with Kevin and we are with Jessica in that from a narrative point of view and that the audience knows no more than the character does. And we are experiencing things in time with them, right?

No, we don't think we know more.

Yeah, right. Exactly. Okay. But it is putting us in empathy with the characters. We want them to succeed. We're on their side, right? It doesn't feel like they're conning their parks. It feels like they are taking advantage of opportunities, right? And then when we realise it's a plant, when the filmmakers choose to tell us that we're actually behind these guys, we are kind of on board and liking them and wanting them to succeed anyway. And now we think that they're really smart because they're ahead of us.

Yes. So I think it does. Two things. One. We've already been told that Kevin is good at what he does. So it's more like he hasn't got into college, possibly because he doesn't have money right to afford college. So his down on his luck. But he's otherwise. It deserved coming back to these, our perception ofthe class in these characters, right? And that we've seen that Jessica, we've had that whole sequence where she fakes the diploma and then, like, Oh, wow would be great if you go to art school and you're like, Oh, maybe she she is actually a really good artist and knows what she's talking about. She just hasn't had opportunity. And then it turns out, what they specifically point out is that she just kind of made it up.

Yeah, she Googled and archaic. Let's go through it. Just a couple of beats before we get to that point where it shifts. OK, so we've got the sequence. The dramatic question has been answered. Will Kevin get the job? Yes. Kevin has got the job, and at the end of that sequence, he gets the idea. Oh, I can get my sister a job, right? And then the next sequence question is, will Jessica get the job right on DH, Jessica gets the job on. Then there is this amazing again. An amazing moment in the car when she gets the idea and it feels like again that it's occurring. Tow her in the moment that she can set up the driver by leaving her panties in the car and that the driver can get fired and her dad can get hired as the driver, right?

And we already get and they do a great job of. We're kind of like the driver's been slightly insistent about driving our home, and I think they've done a good job with, like, Is he being generally nice or is he being a quote unquote nice guy? You know? Is he being a bit of a shit? And they do a really nice job where you're not quite sure I think he is being. It's believable that he's being slightly sleazy, right? And that she feels like I think that's because she's a woman as well that I naturally go there that, like her having to mention the boyfriend, then him, insisting there's kind of a threatening aspect to it, that makes her planting a trap for him, validated.

It doesn't put us off side on the character, right? So that's the key thing They made the decision to keep us in. The same narrative point of view is the characters feel like we're in the same narrative point of you as the characters up until this point on. It's the very scene after this one, where she's laid the trap that she they're having lunch in a cafe, the whole family. And as you pointed out, it's this recurring motif of the plan, right? So the family are all together and suddenly, you know, I think Kara has a line like we're accelerating with the plan. We're moving forward, and that is exactly the point. As you say, we've shifted the narrow point of view. Suddenly we realised that they are ahead of us on. They're not doing this opportunistically as it occurs to them. They have a plan to get the whole family involved.

Because where have they chosen to show it? Right? We already got a little bit of sympathy to them. They might be eroding that sympathy. But it's not like we're starting with negative. We've got sympathy, and they've stepped us back, right?

No, no. Yes.

And even this, like, crazy bitch. I couldn't believe it were like, Okay, maybe they're not super likeable, but we've got more sympathy than we would otherwise right.

Yeah. Okay, so it's exactly this point in the film where I was watching with my wife. She hadn't seen it before and she said out loud. I wonder how they're going to get the mother employed. Will she replaced the housekeeper, right? And so it was wonderful having my wife next to me because she was saying out loud the questions that the director exactly wants us to ask. So it's been so well set up is a Siri's of episodic dominoes that suddenly it's like what we know what is going to happen, right? The film is teaching us to know what is going to happen on. So the question we start asking isn't what is going to happen. But how are they going to pull this off?

Right, And then you can feel during the directing of the sequence that it moves out of more of a realtor time. It becomes Mohr abstract. There's a better terminology. It definitely starts like you've got the slow motion of her picking out the Peach. It's not a montage, but it's certainly not a straw Matic moment by moment retelling of how they do this. It's a fighting.

Well, they're also in the voice over. The plan is being told to us in voiceover as we're watching it being enacted.

Yes, so it's because they and this is how they keep the audience interest right, coming back to that principle that they know that if they just repeat the same thing where it's like them, just playing it beat by beat, probably job, it's kinda gonna lose interest.

No.

They have to find a narrative and visual, a directorial way of making this exciting.

It's a wonderful sequence. The setups, um payoffs are amazing. Like you said, the sequence starts with them eating pizza and putting hot sauce in the pizza and then culminates with the hot source being the way that they get the the housekeeper fired by pretending she has tuberculosis.

So it's the joy is the fun of gas and the games like we've basically being told in this beginning. This sequence kind of what ends the previous sequence and starts this one. So this is what we will break it down more thoroughly in our proper draft zero classic episode, um, set off some papers. For me, a reversal is a pay off that becomes a new setup, right So the pay off to that pulse like this is the overlapping chapters. End Jessica's Storey with setting up the panties, which is how the driver and men and also then we sit down and have them talking about what happened, but then sets up the question. This is an overlap. How are they going to get the mother instals right? And then it's It's the fun and games now that we know they're a family of cooks, how are they going to work together? It's that them surrounding like the pizza driver, and it's the joy, and it doesn't have to sustain for a long time. But there is. It's not like there needs to be like The dramatic question is, are you going to succeed? And the answer we're going to assume is yes, right.

Yeah, they just.

But it doesn't mean doesn't take away. It's like Ocean's 11.

Exactly yes. But so far we've gotta. Siri's of plot questions we've got initially. What do you know? It's just introducing the characters and their needs. Then it's Will Kevin get the job? Yes. No, right. Simple, easy dramatise herbal answer. Will Jessica get the job? Yes. No. Well, Mr Kim, get the job. Yes. No, on. Then it's like, How will they get installed? The mother. So it's not like a CZ, you say. It's not a question that's driving us. It's sitting back and enjoying how it plays out, all right?

So there's probably like a rule of thumb about how maybe it's like 7.5 minutes of how you long you can sustain a question that you know the answer to. But there's the mystery of how the how, as you say, how they're going to do it. That's what does it.

No. But then you've got to the end of that. They're all installed and the film does not. Then, for quite like it's got a number of scenes. It's got a chunk in there where there's no plot question posed, but all right, like.

E. I disagree with that, Chazz.

Okay, because I think like the plot question is generally well. Now what happens.

No way. Definitely not the fun and games of them getting them installed right once they're all in there. Okay, we're beginning to see it in the car. When he's like eyes on the road. Mr. Kim is beginning to crack, and this comes back to your idea that the pizza scene with them fall in the pizza is a bit of a foreshadowing. We know that 25% of those pizza boxes went folded correctly, someone or maybe then, collectively, they weren't 100%. There are flaws and their ability. So when Mr Kimonos going toe.

Well in in the script in the actual script with This didn't play in the movie. But in this script it's very clear that Mr Kim was responsible for the 25 minutes 25% failures entirely like it was all.

All right, that's good, because it is definitely that is the idea that he is the one that is the most his desire to win, which is he wants his wife installed.

I'm talking. So I'm talking about the plot. Question stops after the wife is installed, so you're still in.

You know that. I'm saying it's set up because Mr Kim has given almost giving the game away. He's like eyes on the road, and you can see the way I interpret this scene is the farmer. Mr. Park is beginning to go. Hang on. Why you so invested in this to Mr Kim turns around and goes, It's not tree. If you play the good husband, it's definitely a status play, right, like coming back to our status episode, that thiss idea that he's trying to make the dad look good, and that makes him a better driver. But it's definitely like Mr Kim is beginning to look over his shoulder a lot. And so I think this set sequence here they're too comfortable. So it starts with here, and it's like 12 yellow. She, particularly parents, passes them here, squeezes thie, clear that they haven't been noticed. And then when she comes down, Mr Quinn, Mr Quinn is to Kim squeezes her butt, and they're too comfortable in their success.

Okay, So what do you think? The plot questions being posed by this little sequence?

When and how are they going to get caught? We know, just based on the length of the movie where 50 minutes in, even if we're not looking at our watches, dure ing the cinema, we know that the film has just have somewhere else to go, and we're going to assume at this point the active question becomes not the midpoint. But the active question becomes whether they're gonna get caught almost specifically, how are they going to get undone? They're grifters, right? Like has there been many movies where the group does succeed?

To me, it's much less like It's definitely a question because he goes up, does song smells them? And the introduction of the idea that there's a smell of poverty is introduced on the very next scene. Is them at home talking about the smell like in the basement that it's the semi basement smell on? What are they going to have to do? So I think you're right. I think it's posing the question like, How long are they going to get away with this? Like, how are they going to get court? Perhaps, But it's certainly no is clear or driving or tense a moment as a question, as the previous sequences have Ben and it also because that question is imposed or is not as overriding, it actually becomes. There are more character questions being raised. They've now installed themselves, and now you start going. Who are these people? What do they want now that they've gotten what they've set out to achieve.

All right, So talk. Paul asked us. Where do we see the break in the two? And I think these related questions and this is that's what Charles is saying that this doesn't feel so much as a three act film. But it's certainly a sequence based film because it feels like there's two ways you can think about. Whether act break into two is there's the when they decide, like when Kevin is open asked into the house. But that's like the inciting incident. I actually think that break into two is when the audience has caught up that this is a plan right then it's not. It's when Jessica plants the the undies, the cheap panties in the back of the car because that's an active choice by Jessica. And then it turns out the whole family to try and get them all in there, whereas before it just seems like Kevin is being lucky. It's not a choice he's been offered our hey, do you happen to know anyone? He's just like I just talking shit. And then what we learned is they actually are hatching a pat plan, right? Right, so this relates to tee this because the Act two leads us to this mid point, which is once they're in. When is the plan goingto get undone? Right? Therefore, that the sequence question changes and it escalates because we need to stuff about them like touching each other, etcetera, etcetera. That builds us into and it's beautifully directed. So when does Song is like you smell was saying we go, Oh, fuck. Because then realising the nation touch each other is something that people as covert is tortoise should look can learn how to do.

I think you're right. Okay, I'm not saying there's a complete absence of plot questions at this point, but it definitely takes its foot off the gas from in terms of setting very easily dramatic, plot driven questions and one of the scenes that I want to get, where they're at home, on the guy that keeps pissing through their window is back. And instead of them just sitting back and letting him piss in the window, they go out and, like, I cost him.

They've been in palace, it's been empowered.

Yes, right. And so it's not these two scenes. Yes, there is that, like it's starting to ask the question how these guys get caught but is nowhere near as prevalent that question as in the next sequence, when the, parks go camping, I think the filmmakers deliberately just take their foot off the brakes for a second and say they've got what they want. Now look at who these people are now that they've got what they want and it actually starts. Opposing character questions from the audience rather than then plot questions is like, Who are they.

There's a difference. Okay, Managed to stake you stop. And this actually prison point. There is a difference between taking your foot off the accelerator and hitting the brakes. They take the foot off the accelerator, so there isn't that driving forward momentum, but they're not hitting the brakes. They're not doing a U turn like they do with going down the basement. And they do that by making the question, just making sure that we can fixate on those moments off there my point year and grabbing the bomb and then the smell that were like Shit, they may come undone. We don't know when that is. No question to fight like Time Box. There's not a very specific urgency to it, but it's there. And, as Paul says, this also foreshadows the rain. Absolutely right, made like there is so much set up in power from this. It's exquisite and the foreshadowing is definitely part of it because, you know, I mean, that's the right, like that's the rock that brings them wealth, the landscape rock right, and there's a lot of symbolism around that. The point when he is thinking of using the rock to beat this guy, which adds that brutal, brutal violence but also makes us reminds us that the rock exists right, which is important. So the rock exists, and this is a culture in which I'm not as familiar with, like, Korean religion is an insult like Japanese. But I assume it's related to Shinto, right that it's not. It's a pantheistic religion. There's elements of kind of like and please correct me if I'm completely speaking out on my ass. But that idea that it sze not unusual to believe that rocks can imbue them with luck and wealth and all those things. So it's which is possibly way. That Korean and in general Asian horror films are so great is because we know that the characters take this seriously right in the same way that the reason that I think in the West The Exorcist worked is even if we're like people are non believers. Culturally, you know, a lot of the Western studio Christians were taking that shit really seriously, kind of makes it resonate in the way that this kind of the characters take the supernatural. Anyway. That means the foreshadowing has a certain kind of element to it.

Yeah, So the next sequence there's clearly a plot question gets proposed. So the next scene or large sequence, is the parks go away camping for Dar songs Birthday on DH. The entire Kim family comes to the house and starts like getting drunk and eating all the food on DH. We are watching that scene, and as an audience we are going when of the park's going to come home like just the expectation is this is they're going to get caught, right?

Yeah, it's great. You could see this cliche like it's very we know the beat. We know that they're going to come home and it actually makes that midpoint.

Yes.

Whether ex housekeeper turns up so unexpected because it's actually working against our understanding, we assume that this point when the rain starts coming down, it is literally going to obey that they're going to be really drunk. And the park and the park is going to come. No, but in terms of the interlocking of how these work, the walkie talkies are part of the earlier section when he bring walks in, carrying all the presence right on the walkie talkies Air in there.

No. Yep. Yes.

And he's like always but walkie talkies for a reason, and the answer is because they're going camping. But it's just like using the kind of set up as a way of stitching these episodes together feels more like a something that is flowing.

No. Yeah. But in that scene where they're getting drunk in the living room, the Kim family Because we've got the threat of the park's coming home because the audience I like ahead of the Kims were like the parks are going to come home. That's how this works, right? They are going to get caught. And so because the plot question is creating tension and dread. It actually gives the filmmakers the space to explore, the characters for awhile On that dialogue scene goes on for quite some time in the scene before the doorbell rings and it starts bubbling up like who they are as characters. Sochi Rue starts talking about marrying into the family. They actually explore the point that you were talking about in terms of Ky Tech with. It starts getting into class, but before it gets in or as it gets into class, it's also actually getting into character. Ky Tech feels sorry for the driver. They fired that. He asked himself, Did he get a job? And Ki Jeong says, Don't worry about him. Worry about us, right? So as the plot question is clearly established, this is a plot character sequence, right? It is allowing who the characters are to bubble up into to permeate the film, right? And then it starts becoming about class because they start talking about the mother Janki on DH. You know, he says, she's nice, even though she's rich. And then I think Chang Suk says she's nice because she's rich.

It's interesting, and then it's the generational thing. There are many picking that up now that Mr Kim is the one who is like asking where the driver is. And he's the one that earlier says We are lucky that everyone is employed when there are 500 university graduates going for a security guard job saying like Okay, these people are poor because it's just a really obviously maybe unemployment's really high. It's really competitive job market, etcetera, etcetera, right, And the kids have a different attitude. The parents, in the same way that the mum is then cut, as you say, specifically points out that there it's easier to be nice when you're rich.

Yeah, so? So we've got this long scene. Yeah.

You know, this is important, but this is really important because exactly it's just before the mid point and there confronted their values are being confronted their world, their separate world views have been confronted.

The only reason they have this space tow have this long, dialogue driven scene that starts out revealing character on DH, prompting the audience asked character questions and then actually becomes like it. Sze The scene goes on for so long that the audience might start going. What is this film about? Why are we watching this family? Right? But you know, it deliberately does that. It takes a breath because it's allowed to do so because you've got that threat on DH. Then the doorbell rings and the plot like slams back on, and all the theme and character questions disappear for a second is then, like Holy Fuck What? Who's at the door? And you assume it's the parks and it turns out, as you say, to be their housekeeper. And as you say, that's the midpoint on this sequence. It's like you said, it's a fucking horror movie. Like at my wife. Anna was like covering her eyes, not wanting to watch. There's this wonderful shot of the housekeeper wanting to go down into the basement off the house, and, she says, in an almost like mad cackle, want to see, And I was like, Oh, God, don't go down into the dark. I mean, the way that this this house is lit is amazing, because the basement is lipped perfectly normally when you're in there, but the to the door to get into the basement looks like it's a doorway down into hell. It's completely dark.

The fact that she's a horizontal kind of gives me mentioning the access. It kind of gives you that kind of like like that horror be any selling fear like this's the director of the host.

Yeah, yeah, So it's become a horror movie, and the question is, what the fuck is in the basement right on. Then they go down into the basement on DH. Then it becomes this wonderful game of Thrones e interaction of power, right? Like the housekeeper and her husband are initially like begging for the power and then the the Kim family fall down the stairs, and then the housekeeper's family is in power on. They end up once again in the living room, being held ransom by a missile launcher text message button with their arms up in the air, right. And the question is how the Kim's going to get out of this. These are all plot. Questions on the plot is happening to them. This is not as a result, off any rial character decisions that they've made other than to instal themselves in this household. Right? So suddenly they're the Kims are out of control. The audience is level. Everyone knows everything. Right. Way. We know what was down in the basement. We know what all the families motivations are on DH. Suddenly, you know, the question is, how will the Kims get out of this? And then the parks are coming home. They will pick up the phone, they ring. They've got eight minutes, Tio, come home. And.

Talk about, like, clear ticking clock way. We're going to be home in seven minutes, so you better get on it, and it's just great cigarette.

Yes. But then, suddenly the Kims are driven to violence. They attack the housekeeper and her husband to get the phone off them to tie them up and put them in the basement. And it starts out. Very comedic violence, right? Like they're all piled on top of each other. My wife was laughing when she watches it, and she doesn't have a dark sense of humour that Jessica runs to the fridge to get a prick. Arts to go on like rub that Sorry, not speeches to go and rub the peaches or over their housekeepers. It's very comedic up until there's this huge tonal shift, but it's also a plot shift, and it's a character shift when the housekeeper has escaped. The parks are back in the house on DH. The housekeeper is running up the basement steps screaming, Madam, Madam, and everything is about to be blown open until chunks of casually kicks her, down the stairs and she falls down the stairs and cracks the back of her head. And these are all like it's so well done that you know, this violence has escalated and the Kims are out of control, and they're doing horrible things but they're still giving us moments to be on their side. Were still wanting the Kims to succeed, Right? That is the complete mastery that bum Jeong Ho has over us as an audience at this point. And then there's a little tiny bit of breathing space. Like what follows is a Siri's of micro super tense sequences, which are all plot driven like will die. Hey, Park Park wth the daughter. Will she find out that Kevin is under her bed? Right? And the dog is sniffing under the bed. You will Mr Kim be able to tie up and like during this moment, that takes space? You know, there's a lot of character beats in here, so they take off some of the plot questions so that the husband of the housekeeper has been living in the dungeon. Khun reveal his love for Mr Park and how he does the motion sensor beat with his head. You've got the mother eating the noodles and telling the storey off her son, seeing the husband and getting scared by the ghosts again.

Yeah. The ghost here.

That it just takes, just takes a moment to breathe. And it's a very short moment. And then it will jump back in with the plot sequence like Will Kevin get caught under the bed on? Then there's that most amazing sequence where by confluence of events, thie entire Kim family ends up stuck under the living room table on DH. Mr and Mrs Park on the couch watching, yeah, having sex, having sex. But also again, it becomes a character and a theme thing.

Getting wiggy getting here.

Having sex will cause playing. Being poor right like that is the level and again, the dread the character questions right.

Yeah.

The plot question of Will they get? Court is so tense, so high, and you're like, Oh my God, will they get caught? That it allows them to pose character questions like, Oh my God, like we'll reveal Character is not even. They're not posing character questions. They're revealing character by again reinforcing the smell of poverty. The smell of the sub people in the subway.

Bringing out this thing that I noticed earlier about the line that Mr Mr Park has his thing about not crossing lines Very important. It's like you're allowed in my house, but don't cross. The line is an important thing to me. Yeah, I love it. Buying drugs. It's like talk during dirty to me drugs. Miami drug School That so and so dirty.

Yep, they get out. Right? The plot question results. Will The Kims escaped the house without the park's detecting them on DH. That plot question gets resolved and it's raining and the flood sequence happens. Right? And there are some plot questions still to resolve. Like what the hell are they going to do with the two people that they've tied up in the basement? But they resolve that plot question very early on by having a debate in front of trash a CZ. They're walking home. You know where Mr Kim says? Don't worry about it. I will deal with it. I have a plan before they get to that debate there walking downhill, there's a Siri's of shots of them going down, different stairwells on the water is flowing with them, and it's like the shit off. The rich is flowing down into the poor on DH then.

And also that literal that Strider like they're living in the sub basement. Like when stuff that happens, it's easy to be nice when you're rich when you're poor. That's when you kick someone downstairs because you don't have the iron of money.

And then when you get to the actual impact of the flooding on their home, that sewerage is vomiting out into their home, and they're trying to save what little things that they care about from their sub basement. That scene is intercut with the housekeeper and her husband down in the dungeon as the housekeeper is dying from concussion, right? So the this was actually there's ah kcr W's the business podcast they interviewed the editor of parasite and Kim Masters was asking the editor like, How much editing do you actually do when this is so, well, storyboard? And there's such long takes on DH, he's like, Well, one of the things I found in the end it was thie, intercutting of like the vomiting in the toilet in the basement versus the toilet in the, sub basement apartment, vomiting out surge on those kind of moments to reinforce, like the poverty off these different groups. Again, the plot question gets taken away and you start going like, What is this movie about like that? That flood sequence. You don't know what's going to happen next. There's no foreshadowing. There's no overarching tension with again. They're letting us off because we've just been through an incredibly tense sequence. But now that whole flooding sequence is prompting us to go. What is this film about? Why are we watching this.

And where do we go from here? Means that we're entering the third act with part of the audience. Question is, where do we go from year? There is an uncertainty. First part of it is the Kims getting themselves instal. Will they get caught? And then it becomes this 10 seconds, which is like, No, they've escaped. But you're feeling that it's on this knife's edge and we don't exactly sure where it's going to go like. Are they going to go back after this floating right? Can they go back and that's related to them and getting new clothes, Et cetera, et cetera, because they're going to have that stench of the flood. You know the idea that people in the subway have the smell, They can have the smell ofthe mill. Julie Close, right?

Wine and Serge? Yeah, And then the next sequence is the fucking planning of the birthday party.

And Serge, you know.

And again, there's no overriding plot question. Really?

Other than what the hell is going to happen, which is I'm actually going to flip back to the point because you wrote that three audience question and this is like you asked, What's the difference? We're always going plus questions. There's no plot question, that is what the hell is going to happen.

Yeah. Yeah, yes.

An audience question of what the fuck is going to happen is a pretty legitimate audience questions and you. But you can get a way with that in your third act. I don't think what the fuck is going to happen you could get away with in your first act.

Yeah. And you can get away with it when that's deliberately what you're doing. Like the filmmakers won the audience at this point to be going. What the fuck am I watching? Right. And, you know, they reinforce the smell they reinforced. There's all these shots off like them, like you said, picking out clothes in this gymnasium where they've slapped, right in contrast to Mrs Kim. Sorry, Mrs Park. Going through her beautiful wardrobe like the contrast is so deliberate and stark in this montage is they're preparing for the birthday party, you know? Then what is the what is the plot? Question is, how is this all going to resolve? Essentially. Like you said, you can get away with this at the third act. But what elevates this from what made this film resonate with so many people.

The there is a plot question, right, but it's not a specific one. But it's important because it adds that suspense is that we know that the subterranean Tewell it like I can remember his name. The ghost is still alive. He is the ticking bomb under the house that adds tension to everything. So it's when so the audience question is, when is this bomb going to go off? There's not plot question in that sense off. Here's the task that they need to do, and they either completed or not. What there is is when is the bomb gonna go off? That is an audience question again, coming to what the fuck now becomes. When is this bomb going toe?

Yeah, and before they let the bomb go off, what is really wonderful? Is they in the gymnasium before the party day like that at night? Mr. Kim is a monologue about plans and how don't have plans because life will fuck you like it's basically the espousal off what it's like to be poor from his point of view. Do you want to know how to make a fool proof plan? How don't plan it all have no plan. If you plan, something will always go wrong. That's life. Look around. Do you think these people got up this morning and said tonight I'm going to sleep on a dirty floor with hundreds of strangers? You know, this is very Corona virus relevant, but look where they are now. Look where we are. That's why you should never plan. If you don't have a plan, you can't fail. You can't do anything wrong. Doesn't matter if you kill someone or commit fucking treason. More foreshadowing. Nothing fucking matters, you understand on that is thie again is thematic because there's no plot question at this point in time. It allows the theme of the film to bubble up.

Obviously, it's a nice little payoff coming to settle powers with the fact that they are all because they've clearly set up that Da Jeong is a which relates to the lights. Does Long is a Boy Scout. He's really into this stuff, and it means that they're all dressed up as Indians. But it's just a great visual. It's like paying off this visual setup toe at this level off absurdity to what we're about to see its all in daylight right rather than it being is very dark. Dim the horror sequence. It's actually playing in daylight, which gives it more like a panicky feel. Like it almost feels like it's turning into an icky to the piano teacher, where she just walks up and stabs a guy.

Or hidden, which all happens in broad daylight as well. So the party builds and builds. And it's all about rubbing the Kims faces in the inequality. In that montage, that is all that it's about. It's like she comments on after the rain. There's no pollution and it's so lovely. It reinforces the smell aspect there, cooking this amazing food. They've got an opera singer.

I think for Mr Kim. Sorry, it's worth in pointing. It's Mr Kim, realising that the sequence of them lying on the house is like It's like we own the place, right? It's like them feeling like they're living this which life we have this conversation about Jessica feels actually fits in the fight. Is this reminder off? No, you fucking don't, Right? Just because they let you inside the house doesn't mean you're part of the family. And I think that's a really important character, a minor, particularly for Mr Kim, because that is what motivates him to do.

Yeah, s so it's all it's necessary character building So that you are with Mr Kim and you buy that moment, right? But it is character, not plot on. Then in that moment, where before the plot question of before they open the basement door again. Kevin Jessica on DH Mrs Kim Jeong Sook They all expressed concern about the people in the basement. I think she even Chang Suk even has a line of like, Oh my God, things got way out of hand last night. Take them some food on Then you've got the batshit bananas of it all unfolding And that's where the plot it becomes a horror movie again. Like Kevin opens the door, the deranged ghost bashes Kevin's head in with the fucking bland scape rock. He comes out Tio attack Cheung Suk and instead, like stabs Jessica on DH. What the blocking off that whole scene. If puts them in a situation, Cheung Suk stabs the ghost. Mr Park, the father, the patriarch has no idea what the fuck is going on. There's crazy people stabbing each other in his son's birthday party. His son has fainted, and he wants to get the car keys so he can take us under the hospital on DH. Mr. Kim throws the keys there under the body on DH. Mr. Park, as he's lifting up this dying man who loves him, who'd just screamed respect in Mr Barks face. He's complaining about the smell like his holding his nose. Does that reinforcement that drives Mr Kim to stab Mr Park?

Yeah, it's the rich. Do not give a fuck about you. But it's an important but also creates a character decision for Mr Kim, which is, Do they reveal their like? Is their loyalty to their fake identities more important than their family?

Well, no. Yeah, I guess that that question is posed, but it's answered immediately. Like Mr Park? No understanding that Jessica is Mr Kim's daughter is saying, Come and drive my son to the hospital while Mr Kim is trying to save his daughter's life is she's bleeding out. This catharsis scene is amazing. This film is amazing, but I'm actually in my analysis. I'm kind of scooting over the top of it because it is a perfect unfolding of everything that's set up on. What I'm actually interested about is what happens at the end of the film after that, saying, which is the double ending on the final frame frames off the scene. So the film fades out as Mr Kim escapes. There's this sequence off tells us that Jessica has died that Ki Woo and his mother, Chang Suk, tried for petty crimes because they didn't actually do much beyond forgery and fraud. Like in the scheme of things.

Largely they were actually sounds like the reason they got away with it is that we're good at their jobs, and I think that's an important thing. They got the jobs through fraud, but they were good at them. A ceased to the point where the family didn't notice.

And. Yeah, yeah, yeah, he would learns that his father is now stuck in the basement off the house, living out his kind of penance for murdering Mr Park on DH. Then Ki Woo engages. The film goes on Key was fantasy as he dreams of becoming wealthy and buying the house and letting his father out and hugging his father in the sunshine, right?

I dream of hugging my father now. Sorry, Dad, if you're watching.

Yeah, on dso we're watching this right and the film fades out and it kind of lends us to believe Well, maybe that is actually cause we've just seen it happen. Maybe that is actually what happens. But the film then fades back in on the same fucking socks in the windows shot that the film opened on. And it then tilts down to find Ki Woo looking sadly at us. And we know he's never going to fucking on the money to buy that house. So it's a very sort of bleak ending, right? But the fact that it matched that frame from the end of the beginning is something that I didn't do on the first watch. But on the re watching made me go because in the beginning the word parasite is written in the window frame. It made me go. What is the parasite? And so it's asking a thematic question with the end framing of the film.

Well, it is on. I think the idea is part of the basement moment. Is this idea that because they talk about the husband, the ghost, another word stealing food like taking food and that sheets for two and all that stuff, that they're also parasites, that they're parasites living off the host body, which is the rich, right? Which is there is Who was that? There was some billionaire that was like their favourite film that was the Elon Musk. Like their favourite film, 2019 was Parrot was parasite. Anyone's like Dude, like you realise this is about you. But he's like probably like home. No, it's about the working class being parasites that beat off the rich.

So, given them film ends with final frame. Looking at Kiwi, you could say he is the parasite, right? That's one way of looking at it. You could say that wealth inequality is the parasite on society. I know. The fact is the film is structured and then visually driven in a way that poses the question at the end. And it just made me I think I think, the whole thesis of this by going through these sequences and saying at each sequence, what is the question that the filmmakers are making the audience ask? It reveals two things. One is that the filmmakers air so in control that they know at each sequence what is the audience asking on Then it made me go. Is this what actually, you know, like Elevated generates such a wanke term? But is this what it means? Is it is it genre films where the filmmaker zahren so much control that they're making the audience, asked thematic questions.

Well, I might joke about elevated genre films from a cultural perspective was their genre films that you can talk about it, a party back in that I'm time and you could have dinner parties.

With.

But I think I think you probably right that there's a lot of genre films that have something to say. But they don't have a sequence that forces the audience to ask that question. A classic art house. What does this all mean?

Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Sequence right, whereas either in the style or something in the Baba took is an example of elevated jar and I can't live in the bubble look specifically having a sequence where you go, What does that still mean?

You know.

But it feels like that was kind of the opening and the closing. There's definitely that Connexion to kind of like postnatal depression. The film seems to give them the audience a moment to ask, right? So I think you're probably right.

Well, the dramatic choice in the Baba Duke is the Remember they're in the basement, the bubba duck being the father, and I'm posing the question like murder your son to get me back, and so they've done it differently.

Oh, yeah.

They haven't like had a sequence which is opposing What is this film will about? But they've made it the dramatic choice. At the end of the the film told Paul has asked, how many?

So

How many macro sequences do we feel the script has? So, I feel like does broadly correct me If I'm wrong history. I feel like there's the opening sequence, which is introducing the given circumstances of the family. There's then it's a Siri's of micro sequences, but one overarching sequence of how will the Kim family infiltrate the park family and has broken up into each character like Kevin Jessica, Ky. Tech on DH Chang Suk? And then there's a little break before the mid point, which is then a horror sequence of what is in the basement. I then think there's the sequence of the park's coming home, and will the Kim's escape undetected from the house? There's the flood sequence. Then there's a mini sequence with the birthday party before they've opened the basement, which is a non plot driven sequence. Then you've got from the opening of the basement, the horror catharsis of the birthday party and then the final.

It's a total 10 right, like I'm not one of those people that films that clearly eight sequences, all 10 secrets there. How many sequences makes sense, right? It may also give a sense of pacing because obviously, the longer that sequences, the slower film's going to feel, and there's been observations that, you know it kind of this film accelerates. A lot of films do accelerate, and that's because they've got the sequences or longer at the beginning. You know, you might have an act of two sequences, maybe three sequences, and then you get kind of more condensed att The end. So anywhere from 7 to 20 minutes, Khun B sequence. So I reckon we take Cem back matter questions. There's a 22nd delay. I don't really have any other observations directly about parasite. And we ask. I've already made the observation about us being ahead and behind the characters and that relating to how we feel for Kim. Question is, but I did use that during a writers room this week with a question about how to make character feel intelligent, and it's like, let's put the audience behind them when we see the plan unfolds and we're going to assume that they're really smart character. Because intelligence, I mean, one. That's just a whole bunch of culturally loaded questions about intelligence. But in terms of the question, eh? So how about we take some back many questions now?

Many, thanks to everyone who supports us just by sharing the word or or actually with money, as our patrons dio. If you want. Mohr draft zero Mohr often please Teo Goto Our Patron Page, which can be found at www dot draft zero dot com. Particular thanks to Chris Walker and Alexandra Brown dread who are in turns on DH, then to our Super Patriots. Chris Walker, Jack Smith, Jesse Laurie, Mattera Bernardini. Think MacArthur Sandra Willis Whose Birthday it is this week. Happy Birthday, Sandra. Their spokes from on Crab Edmonds, who is in the chat crab. Welcome. All right, so one of the thoughts that we had about our, things to tackle him back matter is, I guess, how did put a measure of accountability on ourselves as writers during this time? I mean what we found out recently, Friends of the podcast script Pipeline competition, a stew and I have a project that placed really well there last year, and they've been really supportive of our podcast. They've created a mix of drinks for like on Twitter for three hours, leading straight into this. So if there's any script, Pipeline says who've hung on throughout this livestream welcome. So, Sue, what have you done to sort of create accountability for yourself during this time.

Wow ability for myself. I mean, we mentioned this last week. We're doing the discord. What I think we've done to refine that this week, which came from Paul, is in the live chat at the moment is this idea We're talking about winds rather. What did you achieve? What did you what kind of win did you have? Because I think that's different because the Children sound like, you know, I said that sprinting gold record of whether it is on DH Thie answer is a women could be like, May I just I got out of bed, you know? I know I'm that sounds like it being facetious, But some days it feels like that is the biggest win of all. So I'm in a weird position. I've suddenly become quite busy. There's a lot of spec work at the moment for May, pitching on projects developing projects, but bay themselves create a degree of accountability because I have to hand in something like I got pitched. You are I've got an editor. I'm applying for funding applications, etcetera, etcetera. So those deadlines create a sense of focus because otherwise it's pretty easy to just to stare out the window for an hour and just go on, Sof, I may have not been paying attention. Did you talk about competitions?

No. So that's what I was going to drift into is, you know, even outside of like before Corona isolation there's something about deadlines that drives productivity on DH. Look, we're not here to try and shame you guys into writing more. I'm particularly reinforcing the point of view that it's OK at this time to be anxious and to just deal with your anxiety and to survive. But if you do want to, you know, somehow increase your writing productivity at this time, having deadlines is great and often those air self imposed deadlines, which are the ones that are easy to fly past on DH. That's where things like online screenplay competition's Not that I want to plug those. We have a whole episode where we dissect what we believe the value of online screenplay competitions to be in the podcast feed. But just that the idea that there is a deadline. So we've talked about friends of the podcast script pipeline a couple of times already, and they've got a deadline. Is it may 1st? Yeah, and actually, this is the time of year when there's a lot of deadlines, I think, Final draught Big break is around April May Austin Film Festival is around April May I believe the Nichols is around April May page Awards. I know there's a lot of scream on DH is there?

Yeah, there's definitely the G has made. They're always which just produce scripts free this year, which is awesome. But they also have that, like the Monte Miller, they just closed 2019 but they'll have to 2020 in the John Hind coming up, which is fun. Well, John hands for both producing unproduced on DH. Then obviously, there's Thie script Pipeline 2020 season. I think what's interesting about competitions is much of a deadline for such a hand in something there also a deadline to let go, right? As in this, a point.

Yeah, to finish a project or call it finished to stop working on it.

Oh, are at that point of time to stop giving a fuck because you know, perfectionism is the enemy of good. And, you know, I just handed into funding application. I've done three funding applications this year, and anyone is done like an Australian funding application is the Americans might. This might be a bit different, but Australia. It's fun. The way I describe it, it's somewhere between handing in attendance. 20,000 word essay like, I swear some of these applications electric 20,000 words all up between different documents we're talking about like a master's thesis.

And it's a fucking lottery ticket. Imagine to enter the lottery, you had to write 20,000 words to enter the lottery.

Yes, it's a lottery ticket. Work It could be really d motivating for that reason because it's like it's not even a lottery because you don't feel like it's random. It's not going to just be going to draw a name out of the hat. It's like four people are going to pass and they're probably the teacher's pets anyway. Reason to do them is one. They force you to do the work, particularly if you're in development, because development is hard as in, to motivate yourself to sit there and write character bios and stuff. The other thing is they force you to go. Okay, this is kind of good enough, you know, for this stage of the process. So I think competitions could be really useful. If you're developing a script to go, I'm going to get 120 pages and 115 pages and yeah, okay, they could cost money, but not thinking about them making a career. But I'm paying $50 to call this draught gun. You know, there is that I love It comes Teo screenplays, and this is true of all but screenplays and never finished films. Films never finished their only abandoned. I think that's true screenplay Sa's Well.

Absolutely.

So yes, Yeah, I think that's a good way to have accountability. And there's also a day to day accountability. So we mentioned that discord in that idea off, setting yourself really low goals. I'm going to do one page today. I wouldn't do three page today. And you take that off if that is what works for you. If this is not something that is a healthy thing for you to do in terms of mental health is just makes you more anxious. Don't do it.

Them. I mean, I've actually enjoyed hearing from some professional Hollywood writers on, you know, podcast like script notes or the business or whatever that I listened Teo follow on Twitter and they've been saying, We have paid work. We are still fully employed at this time, but we're struggling to deliver on it, given the circumstances. So it's just obviously that is the height of privilege. But it's also to say, like if people of that level are struggling, it's okay for people of our level to struggle. Even Mohr taking the classes view of parasite into a It's okay to feel like where subjects of floods.

That's what this is like. This is a I want to say it. So whoever saw this coming, you know? Well, I don't know, like, if you know anything about human history plagues. Wiping things out is pretty not what thinking's out kind of disrupting is pretty common. Is there any other comments we've got? Dubai Powers asking about whether knives out is elevated Jonah to the same reason that parasite is that it makes the audience more actively or quantum or consciously. I think it's the specific thing for May well, consciously engaged with theme.

Well, we in knives out. It was that scene that I've deliberately pulled up with knives out YSL fucking plot and set up. And there was one scene where there was zero plus zero set up. That was all about Children's engages. And what is America for? On DH, Rich versus poor and, yes, very much knives outgrew its audiences attention to the underlying issues that Brian Johnson wanted to explore. Get out famously does the same thing and I think, but they're different ways to do it like you raised in the bar. But I don't think there's a scene or a sequence that forces the audience go. What is this film about? And I think pull the Hovan does the same kind of thing. He doesn't have a sequence where he stops the plot to force you to ask, What is this formal about? He builds it through his work.

And off the style. And when we talk about watchman, next week s o similar time Next week we've got mail, Collingsworth Army and Talking About Watchman, which means not just the HBO TV, Syria's but The Sacks Night of Film and the comic book. Because I think they're the client specifically is it's elevated John, in that the comic wants you to be thinking, What is this about? What is the meaning of this? What is the thing about? And that the style, the narrative style, as well as the eject directorial style when we got to work out a way to do this without so we can show the directing without it being blocked can undercut some of that.

Yes, Absolutely. I'm looking forward to the watchman Episode. Crab has to brought up Star Wars yet on DH, the answer is no. We've had a star was free episode for once.

Coming, going backto elevator. Jonah. I definitely think there's moments in the last year I I speaking of Ryan Johnson, where it's specifically forcing you to go. What is this film about? And it's not just telling you. Like the rise of the sky off Skywalker is telling you, this is about like good people will fight if we lead them. That's it. In terms of complicated thematic questions that you're meant to engage with. Last debt is definitely a lot more about who? So what does star Wars mean? What does the force mean? What does the Jet I mean, like, that's a ll. The stuff on Act two feels like it's forcing you. It's slowing down the plot questions to force you to engage with Star Wars. And the thematic level for a lot of people is very challenging, which they hated because the whole point of, actually, Ryan, don't.

Which they hated. I mean the whole cantor by its sequins.

We talked about that briefing and knives at the counter by sequence. We're going about like war profiteering and all that stuff. It felt very answer was because when used to having a moment and then suddenly it makes us ask a whole lot of questions about the economy and style.

Yes. No, Now.

You know how economics and style was working, like who funds these wars and all that stuff like, which is exactly what's kind of happening with, like, how were we suddenly funding all this? Welfare's expenditure is like the government borrows money from banks with very low interest rates on behalf of the taxpayers, but slash inflation, which is do we just print more money and that we hope that time inflation kicks in? It's still keeping money flowing through the system way should just have my dad on to talk about like Kensi and economics. Given that he is an economist, in that. Is there any other questions? This's a very quiet back. Later.

Yeah. I mean, we've had the chat has been wonderful to see you guys there. But compared to last week, you have been deliberately not interrupting us and badgering us, which I think take some of the fun for you guys out of us.

I hope you all feel like arguing with either stu willis myself about anything on this episode off anything in general, and you can find many ways of getting in touch with us at our website at draft zero dot com at the website. You also find the show notes for this and all our other episodes, as well as links to support us and spread the word for free via rating and review on Apple podcast. Very important for spreading word. Or if you think that what we do here is worth a dollar or preferably more than a dollar, then you can also find links to our patron. Page two support us getting these episodes to you quicker. Thanks. And thanks for listening.

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