podcast

Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast

by Chas Fisher and Stuart Willis

DZ-125: Oscars one-shot - BLUE MOON

26.02.2026 • 01:18:12

What craft tools make a low-budget, contained, period drama riveting? Explore how narrative POV, interweaving relationships, hooky dialogue, and even ...

DZ-124: Making the despicable compelling

30.01.2026 • 01:10:35

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 teac...

DZ-123: Flawed Characters and Noir

31.12.2025 • 01:22:52

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 inte...

1dZ-01: Arkyvrs - A Mansion Most Vile - Ep1

26.10.2025 • 02:08:19

What happens when a group of filmmakers play a ragtag group of filmmakers in a gritty sci-fi horror? "Ignite the fire within and explore unknown t...

DZ-122: Escalating Antagonism 2

01.10.2025 • 01:44:51

How can you apply horror ideas to action and comedy? In this episode Chas, Stu and guest Kim Ho continue their exploration into the power(s) of antago...

DZ-121: Escalating Antagonism 1: SINNERS

29.08.2025 • 01:24:59

How do the antagonistic forces in your story escalate distinctly from the protagonists' journey? We often struggle to develop the middle stages of a s...

DZ-120: Subtext is overrated

01.08.2025 • 01:54:04

Or, how focusing on good drama will result in good subtext. We often hear how subtext is important for good screenwriting. We're here to tell yo...

DZ-119: Final Character Choices & Great Endings

18.06.2025 • 01:52:39

How does your protagonist's final choice resolve the plot, character arc and theme? In this episode, Stu and Chas focus solely on the final choices ma...

DZ-118: Adolescence and tension through questions

01.05.2025 • 02:00:18

How do dramatic questions create tension? In this episode, Stu and Chas delve into the cultural phenomenon of ADOLESCENCE. We try to find the c...

DZ-117: Tonal shifts

31.03.2025 • 02:08:13

How can we teach our audience new storytelling rules in the middle of our story? Following on from our episodes on establishing tone through action li...