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Oners

Every episode covering Oners.

"You’re meant to be swept along with this action. In Children of Men, the script’s... just bang, bang, bang. You can almost tell that it’s happening simultaneously because of the mini slugs, you know, in the road, in the car, outside, inside. It’s all felt as one."

— Mel Killingsworth  |  DZ-101: Oners - Creating Immediacy & Anchoring Action on the Page

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DZ-101: Oners - Creating Immediacy & Anchoring Action on the Page

What can we learn by analysing how 'oners' are written on the page?
AI✦The entire episode is built around understanding how screenwriters write oners on the page--using the Copacabana shot, the Tintin chase, and the Children of Men attack to show how continuous takes are constructed through word choice and action description.✦
⏱ 1h 23m
3 JUL 2023
Listen to understand how screenwriters direct the camera without calling shots.
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Chas, Stu and Mel reunite to talk about writing the feel of camerawork in screenplays. We use “oners” — a long-playing continuous take — as a lens to talk about how some writers have “directed” from the page. We talk immediacy, camera positions, handovers, and anchoring action and more… →

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DZ-118: ADOLESCENCE -- How Questions Create Dramatic Tension

How do dramatic questions create tension?
AI✦Chas and Stu analyze how the decision to shoot in a oner constrains and clarifies the writing: it forces real-time character experience, demands careful handovers between POV characters, and prevents the spectacle-driven distractions that would undermine emotional discovery.✦
⏱ 2h 0m
1 MAY 2025
Listen when you need tension without external stakes--subtext, stillness, and thematic weight do the work.
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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… →