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.

5 Screenplay Takeaways from 'The Dig'

February 12, 2021

How do mounds of dirt in Suffolk, England become a compelling historical drama set in the late 1930s? Only if those mounds of dirt contain some of the most significant finds in archaeological history. This is the loose thought behind The Dig. Based o...

History of TV: No Objections To the Zaniness of Legal Dramedy 'Ally McBeal'

February 11, 2021

There was The Practice and then there was Ally McBeal. The story is that Fox originally conceived the whimsical legal dramedy as a way to keep female viewership firmly planted on the couch after that other ‘90s schmaltz-fest (and I say that with love...

Jessica Goldberg and Angela Russo-Otstot on co-writing the Russo Brothers' 'Cherry'

February 10, 2021

Apple TV+'s new crime drama Cherry is a film directed by Anthony and Joe Russo (best known for their directorial work on multiple films within the Marvel universe) and from a screenplay written by Angela Russo-Otstot and Jessica Goldberg, adapted fro...

Write On with 'Judas and the Black Messiah' Co-Writer Will Berson

February 9, 2021

Will Berson had been haunted by the story of the murder of Black Panthers leader Fred Hampton by police since his hippy parents told it to him as a child. As Will watched events like the Ferguson riots unfold he realized Fred Hampton's story had to b...

‘What Would Sophia Loren Do?’ Examines How Two Very Different Women Are Actually Very Closely Connected

February 9, 2021

The short documentary What Would Sophia Loren Do? is a lovely look at two women’s lives well-lived. There's Sophia Loren, the well-known actress who has lived life more than once over, and then there's Nancy “Vincenza” Kulik, a mom from New Jersey. T...

5 Screenwriting Takeaways: ‘Another Round’ Toasts Existential Crisis

February 8, 2021

Another Round follows four men who set out to see if remaining a little drunk (only throughout their work day) can make their lives a little better. It’s a simple premise that packs a large emotional punch and is garnering Oscar® buzz for lead Mads M...

Javier Grillo-Marxuach: Award-Winning Producer and #Startwith8Hollywood Mentor

February 5, 2021

TV writer and producer Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Lost, The 100, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) was a perfect fit as a mentor for the #Startwith8Hollywood initiative. In 2019, Grillo-Marxuach spearheaded an initiative called the WGA Solidarity Cha...

‘Beginning’ Touches On a Sense of Spiritual and Uniquely Feminine Isolation

February 5, 2021

Georgian filmmaker Déa Kulumbegashvili's debut film thematically connects to current life for many: The feeling of isolation in your own home. The movie follows a Jehovah’s Witness whose faith is brought into question after a remote church is attacke...

Afro Horror: Turning Fear into Stories

February 5, 2021

Google dictionary defines fear as "an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat." For me, my greatest fear is heights. Except…I love rollercoasters. How? Because it’s not actuall...