Final Draft Blog
All the tips, tricks and information you need to inspire your writing!
Read interviews with the pros, catch up with industry news, and listen to Write On: A Screenwriting Podcast by Final Draft.
"Breaking into TV Writing" with Anton Schettini
Anton Schettini is a TV writer best known for writing sitcoms like Happy Together and Superior Donuts – and even a drama called Snap. But before he was an actual writer, he spent years working his way up the Hollywood ladder as a production assistant...
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SATURDAY NIGHT: Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan On Telling a Real-Time Story
Chaos. Genius. Drugs. Comedy. Revolution. These five words may not seem to go together at first glance, but they perfectly sum up the rollercoaster ride that is the new film Saturday Night. Told in real time, the film takes us back to 1975 when a det...
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What Francis Ford Coppola Can Teach Screenwriters
At the 79th Academy Awards, three directors stood on stage ready to reveal the Best Director Oscar. The three directors all came up in the 1970s, stretching the limits of what film could be and dazzling audiences. Those three directors were Steven Sp...
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Screenwriting Role Models: John Carpenter & Debra Hill
Many horror fans associate the name John Carpenter with the Halloween franchise and are well aware of his numerous duties on his classic films as a director, screenwriter, music composer and producer.
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Screenwriter Spotlight: Writing Horror with Peter Dukes
Being a successful screenwriter means working hard, and Peter Dukes is testament to this. The writer of several horror movies including The Memory of the Heart, Portal, Escape Room and Tales of Horror shares his advice for how to break through in you...
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Inspiring an Emotional Response Through Your Screenplay
It’s important to inspire an emotional response from people reading your screenplay for several reasons.
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The Bricks of Breaking In: 'Bob Hearts Abishola' Co-Showrunner Gina Yashere On Following Your Passion
There are many pathways in when it comes to making it as a writer. For Gina Yashere (Bob Hearts Abishola), that path was anything but direct. In fact, for the longest time she didn’t even think of being a writer. She was an engineer, but her love of ...
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Write On: 'Pachinko' Showrunner Soo Hugh
“Sometimes I think [the show Pachinko] is almost too personal. I feel like every show, you look at it and say, ‘How much of myself is in this show?’ I did a show [The Whispers] about children who were communicating with an invisible alien force and s...
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Using Film Tropes in Screenwriting
A film trope is a thematic storytelling device that conveys an idea to the audience. If a trope is utilized enough over time, avid filmgoers and critics will become aware of the device and will be able to spot it when it appears. For example, the Her...
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What’s new in Final Draft 13?
WRITING GOALS &
PRODUCTIVITY STATS
Set goals and get valuable insights to take your work to the next level
TYPEWRITER
A new typewriter-like view option improves your focus
EMOJI
Craft more realistic onscreen text exchanges and make your notes more emotive
And so much more, thoughtfully designed to help unleash your creativity.
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