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.

From Green to Greenlit: The Steps an Idea Takes to The Screen

October 9, 2019

Most beginning screenwriters believe this is the career of a screenwriter: Write script, get paid, repeat.

#BeTheChange - Write On with Kelli McNeil & Alexander Yellen of 'Daruma'

October 8, 2019

Writer Kelli McNeil and director Alexander Yellen discuss the Seed & Spark campaign for their new film Daruma, the personal origins of the story, why casting actors with disabilities was important to Kelli and Alex, and much more.

All The Write Moves: 'Ad Astra'

October 7, 2019

Deliberate, meditative and quiet, Ad Astra joins a noble group of cerebral sci-fi films, many of which are indebted to Stanley Kubrick’s groundbreaking 1968 epic 2001: A Space Odyssey. At their best, films of this type juxtapose questions about human...

The Weekend Movie Takeaway: 'Joker' is No Joke, Narratively Speaking

October 7, 2019

It was the most talked-about movie of the year before anyone had even seen it. Many commentators suggested that perhaps it shouldn't be seen at all. But after an extremely dramatic build-up, Joker finally hit theaters over the weekend.

The Fast Five: 'Friends' and Jordan Peele Prove Well-Written Stories Never Die

October 7, 2019

A classic sitcom finds new life as a box office attraction, professional wrestling competes for television viewers, and the next ten years of technology is predicted by whoever it is that predicts the next ten years of technology. Welcome to this wee...

The Computer and The Screenplay: Why Screenwriters Should Care About VFX

October 4, 2019

Photo courtesy of Joseph J. Lawson, Portals of Wonder Media* In movie lingo, visual FX (VFX) and special effects (SFX) are not interchangeable. Visual FX are digital and created in post-production while special effects are created on a set during pro...

The Triumphant Return of LALIFF

October 3, 2019

Last year, the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) returned after a five-year hiatus. Back again this past summer, LALIFF “doubled in audience, sponsors and excitement,” says Rafael Agustín, LALIFF’s Executive Director. “We weren’...

5 Screenwriting Contest Tips from Professional Readers

October 2, 2019

Ah the dream of being discovered through a screenplay contest; plucked from obscurity and showered with accolades and praise. Maybe some cash for your troubles. But the truth is, most scripts don’t even make it past that first round of cuts, never to...

Write On with Emergence Creators Tara Butters & Michele Fazekas

October 1, 2019

Emergence creators & showrunners Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas discuss their approach to writing the show, their influences while developing it, their work on previous shows and more.