DZ-01: Do Screenplay Gurus win you Oscars?

Listen if you want to know whether Blake Snyder, Michael Hauge and Christopher Vogler's structural theories actually apply to Academy Award-nominated screenplays

In this, our debut episode of Draft Zero, 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. We discuss character dynamics, structural challenges, and the complexities of narrative.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

They aren't the Bible. They aren't the holy grail of screenwriting. You need to do more than read these books to become a screenwriter.

— chas

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→ Read the transcript for this episode.

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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

• PHILOMENA (2013) — (w) Jeff Pope, Steve Coogan, Martin Sixsmith (d) Stephen Frears
• DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (2013) — (w) Craig Borten, Melisa Wallack (d) Jean Marc Vallee

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 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: Save The Cat Beatsheet by Blake Snyder
• Read: The Five Key Turning Points Of All Successful Scripts by Michael Hauge

EPISODES IN THE SCREENPLAY GURUS SERIES

• DZ-01: Do Screenplay Gurus win you Oscars?
• DZ-02: Do the Screenplay Gurus score big at the Box Office?

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Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2014/dz-01/