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.

Write On with 'Land' Co-Writer Jesse Chatham

February 23, 2021

Jesse Chatham talks to guest host Sade' Sellers about how his screenplay about a bereaved woman seeking out a new life off the grid went from placing in the Nicholl Fellowship to becoming a feature directed by and starring Robin Wright ( House of Car...

Real Tips for Screenwriting Educators Experiencing Zoom Fatigue

February 23, 2021

Whether you’re teaching synchronous or asynchronous classes on a virtual basis or some sort of mix (or even live), by now most of us have developed some systems to make it work in this pandemic environment. I’m sure you’re like most of the teachers o...

Thomas Clay's 'The Delivered' Explores the Concept Of a Puritan Western

February 23, 2021

Where does an idea come from? Maybe it’s a conversation you overhear at a party, or inspiration strikes while on a long walk.

5 Screenwriting Takeaways: The Uneasiness of 'Malcolm & Marie'

February 22, 2021

From the outset, Malcolm & Marie wants to make the audience feel uneasy. Malcolm walks in circles through a gorgeous Malibu home that he currently cohabitates with his equally gorgeous girlfriend Marie on what’s supposed to be the greatest night ...

Write On with 'Willy's Wonderland' Screenwriter G.O. Parsons

February 19, 2021

G.O. Parsons has written one of the wildest rides of the year with Wally’s Wonderland, a B-movie homage that pits Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage against a horde of demonic animatronics. “I went into writing Willy's Wonderland with the intention, t...

‘Crestone’ is the Cross-Section of Poetry and Rap and Isolation and Freedom

February 19, 2021

Filmmaker Marnie Hertzler’s documentary Crestone led her to follow some high school friends to the remote town of about 100 people. Her anti-consumerist high school cronies set out to live a utopian life to focus on music — mainly their SoundCloud ra...

Writer-Director Castille Landon On Her Film 'Fear of Rain'

February 19, 2021

This past week, I was lucky enough to speak with filmmaker Castille Landon about her horror feature, Fear of Rain. Landon, best known for her acting work in films such as Sex Ed and Apple of My Eye, makes her writer-director debut with this project. ...

A Strategy Primer for Writers: Part III

February 19, 2021

Welcome back to the strategy primer for writers! Your one stop shop for all things related to workflow and productivity.

Mona Fastvold’s 'The World to Come' Explores Forbidden Love in 1850s Rural America

February 19, 2021

Mona Fastvold has several writing credits under her belt as well as a film titled The Sleepwalker that she both wrote and directed. She never planned on directing a film she hadn’t written though.