DZ-40: Tactics and Scenes

Listen to learn how a character's tactics reveal who they are under pressure--and how their changing tactics reveals their growth.

In this episode, Stu and Chas turn their gaze to the "tactics" that characters use in scenes to get what they want. Tactics are how the characters try to achieve their goals and (we reckon) can be revealing of the essence of their character. The shifting and thwarting of tactics can make scenes more dynamic; while over the course of a story, the changing of tactics can reflect the growth of characters... even if their goal stays the same.

We take a close look at great single scenes from ZODIAC and TRAINING DAY. And then we look at a number of scenes over the course of HELL OR HIGH WATER, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and WINTER'S BONE. And we also skate over WILE E COYOTE, GAME OF THRONES, MACBETH, HAMLET, and EDGE OF SEVENTEEN.

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

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CHAPTERS

• 00:08:08 – ROADRUNNER
• 00:16:15 – ZODIAC
• 00:36:53 – TRAINING DAY
• 00:46:22 – HELL OR HIGH WATER
• 01:21:34 – SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
• 01:43:23 – WINTER'S BONE

FILMS

• ZODIAC (2007) — (w) James Vanderbilt (d) David Fincher
• TRAINING DAY (2001) — (w) David Ayer (d) Antoine Fuqua
• HELL OR HIGH WATER (2016) — (w) Taylor Sheridan (d) David Mackenzie
• THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991) — (w) Ted Tally, Thomas Harris (d) Jonathan Demme
• WINTER'S BONE (2010) — (w) Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, Daniel Woodrell (d) Debra Granik

SCRIPTS

• Study the script: ZODIAC (2007) — James Vanderbilt
• Study the script: TRAINING DAY (2001) — David Ayer
• Study the script: HELL OR HIGH WATER (2016) — Taylor Sheridan
• Study the script: THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991) — Ted Tally, Thomas Harris

SHOT ZERO DEEP DIVES

• ▶ The detached, indifferent camera of Zodiac

LINKS

• Read: game of the scene
• YouTube: Every Frame A Painting: Chuck Jones - Evolution of an Artist
• YouTube: Training Day - Initial Scene

RELATED EPISODES

• DZ-08: Status Transactions
• DZ-14: Writing For Actors with Succession's Sarah Snook
• DZ-29: Showdowns & Scene Structure
• DZ-31: Tools for Better Dialogue 1
• DZ-32: High-Tension Sequences
• DZ-34: Game of Choices - Decision Making and Character Implications

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We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2017/dz-40/