Final Draft Blog

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History of TV: ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Beams Us To a Whole New World of Understanding

November 5, 2020

Star Trek: The Next Generation is the first show I remember watching weekly. I also distinctly remember being in grade four and a boy named Michael telling me that I wasn’t allowed to like Star Trek because I was a girl. How I wish I’d responded? Tha...

Writer-Director-Star Juliet Landau On Narcissism and 'A Place Among the Dead'

November 4, 2020

Juliet Landau’s directorial debut, A Place Among the Dead, isn’t your typical vampire movie. Dubbed a “revealing and terrifying meld of fact, fiction and the fantastical,” the film stars Landau as Jules, a woman who embarks on a journey at the potent...

Write On with Emmy® Nominated Writer and Director Leslye Headland

November 3, 2020

Emmy® nominated writer-director-producer Leslye Headland joins our host Phil Galasso to discuss her transition from playwright to screenwriter, her time working on the cult-classic The Terriers, the unique challenges of writing Russian Doll, and much...

Q&A with Emmy® Nominated Writer and Director Leslye Headland

November 3, 2020

5 Screenwriting Takeaways: 'The Queen’s Gambit' Makes Chess Sexy, Compelling, and Addicting

November 2, 2020

The Queen’s Gambit has the master challenge of making chess a visually watchable game, and it has largely succeeded. How did the screenwriters do it? An infinitely watchable character, the themes of addiction and obsession, and embracing the visual l...

Write On with 'The Wolf of Snow Hollow' Writer-Director-Star Jim Cummings

October 30, 2020

The Wolf of Snow Hollow writer-director-star Jim Cummings discusses his unique writing process, what inspired him to become a filmmaker, scary movies, and much more. Set in a small, quiet, and snowy town, a werewolf starts killing people. Cummings st...

Afro Horror: 3 Tips on Writing a Balanced "Final Girl"

October 30, 2020

What makes the ultimate final girl? As you sit down to outline your horror, you may be asking yourself this same question and the answer is actually really simple. But before we deep dive into the makings of the next Sidney Prescott, let’s take a qui...

Rising Through the Ranks: Lisa Jay

October 29, 2020

Aspiring Hollywood screenwriter Lisa Jay isn't just sitting around, patiently waiting to hear back on whether the options have gone through for her multiple scripts. Jay kept busy through the pandemic writing a new horror feature her manager, Scott F...

History of TV: ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and High Stakes Teenage Angst

October 29, 2020

The first time I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer was at a Halloween party in high school. Appropriate — and I was appropriately terrified. Vampires?! Werewolves?! A Hellmouth under the city just waiting to unleash another Monster of the Week?! Nuh-u...