DZ-99: Scene Questions

Listen if learn how to structure individual scenes through the questions you pose to your audience!

Inspired by our earlier episodes on sequences, Chas and Stu narrow their focus to look at the atomic unit of screen storytelling: the scene. In particular, we breakdown how question and answers prompted in the audience structure individual scenes.

We talk plot, character, and theme questions (and their hybrids) by analysing scenes from LOKI, THE LAST CRUSADE, THE BOURNE SUPREMACY, QUEEN AND SLIM, and DO THE RIGHT THING. We also briefly discuss SUCCESSION, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOUR AMONG THIEVES, and ANDOR.

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

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→ Read the transcript for this episode.

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CHAPTERS

• 00:00:00 – Cold Open
• 00:00:17 – ScriptUp Sponsorship
• 00:01:56 – What are Scene Questions?
• 00:16:30 – LOKI
• 00:23:24 – THE LAST CRUSADE
• 00:29:51 – › How filmmakers control audience attention by suppressing plot questions
• 00:33:03 – THE BOURNE SUPREMACY
• 00:38:40 – › Removing plot questions to surface character questions
• 00:43:21 – › Where character scenes appear in plot-driven structures
• 00:45:50 – QUEEN AND SLIM
• 00:49:19 – › How plot intervenes to escalate a character scene
• 00:56:31 – › Character revelation under pressure and the midpoint gun-draw turn
• 01:03:03 – DO THE RIGHT THING
• 01:06:15 – › Classifying scene questions: character, plot, or thematic
• 01:09:15 – › How directing and cinematography shape audience questions
• 01:12:09 – › Scene modulation: shifting from thematic to plot-driven tension
• 01:15:03 – Key Learnings & Wrap Up
• 01:20:23 – › Applying scene questions to pacing in a rewrite
• 01:28:23 – › Point of view shapes which questions a scene raises
• 01:29:09 – › When narrative cinema steps outside dramatic questioning
• 01:33:02 – Many thanks to our Patreons

FILMS

• LOKI (2021) — (w) Michael Waldron
• INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989) — (w) Jeffrey Boam, Menno Meyjes, George Lucas (d) Steven Spielberg
• THE BOURNE SUPREMACY (2004) — (w) Robert Ludlum, Tony Gilroy (d) Paul Greengrass
• QUEEN & SLIM (2019) — (w) Lena Waithe, Lena Waithe, James Frey (d) Melina Matsoukas
• DO THE RIGHT THING (1989) — (w) Spike Lee

SCRIPTS

• Study the script: INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989) — Jeffrey Boam, Menno Meyjes, George Lucas
• Study the script: THE BOURNE SUPREMACY (2004) — Robert Ludlum, Tony Gilroy
• Study the script: QUEEN & SLIM (2019) — Lena Waithe, Lena Waithe, James Frey
• Study the script: DO THE RIGHT THING (1989) — Spike Lee

SHOT ZERO DEEP DIVES

• Five Shots: DO THE RIGHT THING
• Love/Hate in DO THE RIGHT THING

RELATED EPISODES

• DZ-43: Driving Sequences - Character and Plot Intensity
• DZ-45: Arguments of the Scene
• DZ-54: Thematic Sequences

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Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2023/dz-99/