Draft Zero Podcast

A podcast where @chasffisher and @stuwillis try to work out what makes great screenplays work || Quantity has a quality of its very own. || Est. 2014

[Shot Zero @_shotzero]

Kicking off another week of #TexasSwitches, this #HowIMetYourFather stunt which swaps a rag doll for a real human!

We've got the whole scene breakdown, as well as why it's important to give three different setup shots, on the Substack.

1/2

[Draft Zero Podcast @draft_zero]

Our last two episodes of DRAFT ZERO break down the use of secrets-and-clues in WAKE UP DEAD MAN, SIDE EFFECTS, and SHRINKING. Listen if you want to learn how you can use secrets - discovering and revealing them - to create emotional impact on your characters and your audience!

[Stu Willis @stuwillis]

Are you a fan of sci-fi horror and rpgs? We've launched a mothership actual play podcast called 1dZero! It's a spin off from @draft_zero and @_shotzero so expect lots of analysis alongside attempts at jokes. And accents. https://t.co/bJAKJnITwk

[Draft Zero Podcast @draft_zero]

Shamelessly re-plugging this episode on how ADOLESCENCE maintains tension despite not cutting following its many deserved Emmy wins:

https://t.co/TbJxiJgDpy

[Shot Zero @_shotzero]

A live lighting change, camera movement which the score sweeps along with, very precise actor blocking, and a lil cigarette smoke as the cherry on top all come together to make this gorgeous, dreamy shot from Out of the Fog (1941).

[Tom Vaughan @storyandplot]

I was a guest on the fine screenwriting podcast @draft_zero where we talk about subtext.

Both Stu and Chas are smart, observant, and love film. I was honored when they asked me to join them, so I was surprised when it turned out to be an ambush.*

https://t.co/bpdIWncp4X

[John Zaozirny @johnzaozirny]

Gotta say that I really do miss the community feeling of old Screenwriting Twitter.

Nowadays often feels like the loudest voices on here are the petty & the embarrassing, rather than the kind & the illuminating.

[Draft Zero Podcast @draft_zero]

DZ-119 drops! We examine how the final choice of your protagonist can create a great ending by successfully wrapping up the character arc and theme in one go. We look at DUNGEONS&DRAGONS, FINDING NEMO, MICHAEL CLAYTON, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN and TALK TO ME! https://t.co/G15PjexEm3

[Franklin Leonard @franklinleonard]

A tale of two movies:

Similar deal structures. Similar budgets.

One made $45M from 3300 screens, post pandemic, and won the weekend.

The other made $41M from 3600 screens pre-pandemic, and placed second.

And yet this is the coverage.

[Mel Killingsworth @mehlsbells]

if you listened to the latest @draft_zero episde, you heard @chasffisher and I talked about how this scene establishes tone

if you haven't, get on it!

and/or

have this (much shorter!) handy dandy visual guide

[Draft Zero Podcast @draft_zero]

Want to know what we have planned in 2025? Check it out and feel free to add your own suggestions.
https://t.co/WPFgUoNck9

[Draft Zero Podcast @draft_zero]

Arrested Development narrator:

It did.

[Mel Killingsworth @mehlsbells]

be back in 2-3 hours

off to record a @draft_zero podcast on whether a minor deviation from a script's action lines on page 128 changed the entire meaning of the film

[Draft Zero Podcast @draft_zero]

@olilewington Absolutely fair. It depends what element of the story telling we are focussing on.

[Draft Zero Podcast @draft_zero]

https://t.co/FNLsUr1LUn

[Tom Vaughan @storyandplot]

I could not possibly convey the extent of my affection for GAME NIGHT.

It was the last movie I watched with my mom before she passed away in March.

She was ill and didn’t have much time left, so we watched a lot of movies.

We wanted a comedy that night, and as soon as she told me she had not seen GAME NIGHT, it was an easy choice.

The screenwriting, timing, visuals, and performances are impeccable. She laughed the whole way through.

This scene, in particular, had her howling. It is just perfection from everyone.

When it was over, she said, “I needed that. Good choice.”

She passed the next week.

For the rest of my life, this will be that movie for me, and I am so grateful for that experience and that memory.

The joy, shared experiences, and memories that stories create are a treasure.

Don’t let anyone ever tell you what we do isn’t important.

I love this movie.

[Draft Zero Podcast @draft_zero]

In Draft Zero Ep111, we deep dive into FIGHT CLUB and unreliable narrators, and breakdown how the VOICEOVER reflects how much control "Jack" (#EdwardNorton) has over the telling of his story. https://t.co/NTVU3j1a3i #screenwriting #filmmaking #fightclub

[Mel Killingsworth @mehlsbells]

In which we tackle important questions such as "does God break the fourth wall?" and "what does it mean if you have an 'unbreakable date with Xena?'"

[Draft Zero Podcast @draft_zero]

Featuring the incredible @mehlsbells once again!

[Draft Zero Podcast @draft_zero]

New episode drops! We continue our exploration of craft tools that communicate directly to the audience with a deep dive into the most blatant tool of all: breaking the 4th wall in HIGH FIDELITY, ABBOTT ELEMENTARY & FLEABAG! https://t.co/fO7jg4sXpj #scriptchat #screenwriting

[Draft Zero Podcast @draft_zero]

This episode - as are most these days - was edited by the inestimable and super generous @yetanotherchris! Thanks so much!

[Draft Zero Podcast @draft_zero]

New episode drops! We continue our exploration of craft tools that communicate directly to the audience with a deep dive into the most blatant tool of all: breaking the 4th wall in HIGH FIDELITY, ABBOTT ELEMENTARY & FLEABAG! https://t.co/fO7jg4sXpj #scriptchat #screenwriting

[Draft Zero Podcast @draft_zero]

And if you want to hear our Backmatter episode, it is hosted on our patreon page but with free access for all: https://t.co/MoRmqx9KJH