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DRAFT ZERO

Audience

Every episode tagged Audience, newest first.

2025

"It's a social realism melodrama, which for Emma was like, how does that work? Right? But the melodramatic elements don't actually truly emerge until the second episode. But I think they're established in the first episode."

— Stu Willis  |  DZ-118: ADOLESCENCE and Tension Through Questions

DZ-118: ADOLESCENCE and Tension Through Questions
How do dramatic questions create tension?
AI✦The episode’s central argument is that ’the absence of plot does not mean the absence of tension,’ and Stu and Chas show how the writers achieve urgency and immediacy through unity of time and POV architecture rather than external stakes.✦
⏱ 2h 0m
Structure · Audience · Scenes | 1 MAY 2025
Listen if you think tension only comes from plot.
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In this episode, Stu and Chas delve into the cultural phenomenon of ADOLESCENCE. We try to find the craft tools that have made the show so compelling and such a catalyst for conversation… →

2024

"When in time the voiceover is coming from appears to be really crucial."

— Chas Fisher  |  DZ-110: Voiceover

DZ-110: Voiceover
How can you use voiceover without it feeling like a cheat?
AI✦Stu shows how voiceover, when timed from the right moment in the character’s timeline, becomes a direct pipeline to viewer empathy and investment.✦
⏱ 1h 41m
Character · Audience · Words | 31 MAY 2024
Listen to explore how voiceover can set tone, reveal character, enhance empathy, and create tension.
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2021

"What a lot of what makes all these specials to me special is their transitions, right?"

— Chas Fisher  |  DZ-83: A Very Thematic Stand-up Special!

DZ-83: A Very Thematic Stand-up Special!
What can screenwriters learn from the storytelling techniques used by stand-up comedians?
AI✦The rhetorical concept of pathos–how the audience emotionally engages–becomes the key tool for understanding why stand-ups can move viewers to both laughter and catharsis.✦
⏱ 2h 31m
Character · Theme · Audience | 8 SEP 2021
Listen you want to understand how stand-up comedians grip audiences and build emotional arcs (and what narrative tools screenwriters can borrow from comedy)!
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Standup comedians can keep audiences gripped to their every word for over an hour, and often bring them to emotional climaxes by the end. So how do they do it and what tools can apply to scripted narratives… →