How do you keep contained movies engaging?

Contained Thrillers seem to be a genre that never goes out of fashion. But being contained is not just limited to thrillers. It's a way of telling stories on a lower budget, regardless of genre. So - while allegedly easier to make / get made - limiting a story to a single location also limits the tools that maintain an audience's interest. Changing audience or character point of view, intercutting between locations or characters are all much harder (if not impossible) in contained films. So how do good contained films hook their audience and keep them?

In unravelling this locked room mystery, Stu & Chas look at three scripts form different genres: LOCKE - a drama; THE ONE I LOVE - a romcom or psychological thriller depending if you're Chas or Stu; and EVERLY - an exploitation action movie. They also discuss films including BURIED, PHONE BOOTH, THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED, CUBE & CUBE 2, INFINITE MAN and BOXING DAY.

EPISODE LINKS

Locke by Steven Knight (Script)
- YouTube: Locke - Trailer
- The Q&A Podcast: Steven Knight - Pawn Sacrifice Q&A
The One I Love by Justin Lader (IMDB)
- Watch on Netflix (US) and on Stan (Australia)
Everly screenplay by Yalo Hannon, story by Joe Lynch & Yale Hannon (IMDB)
- YouTube: Everly - Official Trailer #1
- The Movie Crypt with Adam Green & Joe Lynch
- Chicks Who Script: Ep 25 - Brett Hedblom and the Skinny on Producing
Boxing Day (IMDB)
- YouTube: Boxing Day - Trailer
- Boxing Day - Watch on iTunes
The Infinte Man (IMDB)
- YouTube: The Infinite Man - Trailer
- The Infinite Man - Watch on iTunes
YouTube: Buried - Trailer
YouTube: Phone Booth - Trailer
YouTube: the Disappearance of Alice Creed - Trailer
YouTube: Cube - Trailer & Cube 2: Hypercube - Trailer
ScriptShadow - GSU!!! (Goal, Stakes, Ugency)
Wikipedia: Pathetic Fallacy & LiteraryDevices.Net: Pathetic Fallacy
The Guardian: Covenhithe (short story) by China Miéville
Draft Zero: DZ-05: Shifting audience point of view and heightened emotions

BACKMATTER

Grant Nebel on Story Intensity Over Time & Forms of Storytelling on Television
Pete's Blog: A Thousand Men : TV for Writers
The Screen Director Podcast produced by Ben Mizzi
- Writing Predestination - The Spierig Brothers
- Corrie Chen on Bloomers
- Julietta Boscolo on Love Child
- Tommy Schlamme (The West Wing, Manhattan) interviewed by DZ's very own Stu Willis
Patreon.com : Recurring funding for artists and creators

Please send feedback to ask at draft-zero.com, via our web form or twitter @draft_zero We are @chasffisher and @stuwillis on twitter.

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DZ-28: Containing Your Script

Draft Zero: a screenwriting podcast