Stu and Chas analyse two screenplays nominated for Academy Awards in 2014 – PHILOMENA and DALLAS BUYERS CLUB – to see whether they follow the structural theories espoused by Blake Snyder, Michael Hauge and Christopher Vogler.
DZ-01: Do Screenplay Gurus win you Oscars?
Do Oscar-Nominated screenwriters follow the structural formulas prescribed by the 'gurus' and books?
Legacy Episode — Migrated from our original site. Will take time to tidy up!
Show Notes
"there is a revelation probably every 10 to 15 pages. I haven’t looked at it in depth, but there is definitely that sense."
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As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.
Transcript
Chapters
- 00:00:05 – Welcome to Draft Zero
- 00:02:23 – Exploring the Gurus of Screenwriting
- 00:03:22 – The Structure Debate Begins
- 00:04:18 – Analyzing Award-Winning Screenplays
- 00:06:30 – Focus on Philomena and Dallas Buyers Club
- 00:09:29 – Insights from Blake Snyder
- 00:15:10 – Theme and Character Journeys
- 00:16:48 – The Catalyst and Dual Protagonists
- 00:25:22 – All Is Lost and Dark Nights
- 00:30:31 – Haig's Six Stages of Film
- 00:46:47 – Reflecting on Structure and Creativity
- 00:49:42 – New Opportunities and Situations
- 00:51:43 – Exploring the Hero's Journey
- 00:58:19 – Shifting Focus to Dallas Buyers Club
- 01:01:41 – Introduction to Dallas Buyers Club
- 01:03:37 – Themes of Mortality and Redemption
- 01:11:49 – The B Story: Battle for Ron's Soul
- 01:21:48 – Thrilling Elements in Biopics
- 01:28:49 – The Fight Against Big Pharma
- 01:32:51 – Lessons from Philomena and Dallas Buyers Club
Films
Scripts
- Study the script: PHILOMENA (2013) — Jeff Pope, Steve Coogan, Martin Sixsmith
- Study the script: DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (2013) — Craig Borten, Melisa Wallack
Links
- Read: The Q&A Podcast with Jeff Goldsmith - Philomena
- Read: The Q&A Podcast with Jeff Goldsmith - Dallas Buyers Club
- Read: THE FIVE KEY TURNING POINTS OF ALL SUCCESSFUL SCRIPTS by Michael Hauge
- YouTube: Michael Hauge on the High Concept Movie (YouTube)
- Read: SAVE THE CAT BEATSHEET by Blake Snyder
- Read: THE WRITER’S JOURNEY STRUCTURE by Christopher Vogler
- Read: Scrivener
- Read: Ingrid’s Notes on THE WRITER’S JOURNEY
- Read: SM Worth links to a few different Scrivener Templates including one for the Hero’s Journey
- Read: John Castle writes about using Scrivener and Save The Cat; and even offers his Save The Cat template for download
Episodes in the Screenplay Gurus series
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