Final Draft Blog

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Read interviews with the pros, catch up with industry news, and listen to Write On: A Screenwriting Podcast by Final Draft.

Let's Talk About Parentheticals

April 2, 2019

If there’s any element of screenplay format that seems to cause confusion most frequently, it’s the parenthetical. I’m talking specifically about the words that appear between parentheses in the middle of dialogue. First, let’s look at how they shoul...

All The Write Moves: 'Triple Frontier'

April 1, 2019

Seeing as how it tells the story of five characters enduring a deadly odyssey, it’s fitting that Triple Frontier took a circuitous route to the screen. Originally developed by director Kathryn Bigelow and her frequent collaborator, screenwriter Mark ...

Indie Filmmaker Alexandra Boylan On Taking Control of Your Career

March 29, 2019

Hollywood is a tough town to make it in—especially if you’re a woman. People from around the world flock to La La Land with the hopes of ‘making it big’ and living out their dreams. But for some, that dream never comes to fruition. That’s why Alexand...

Film School Spotlight: Linda Cogwill on Los Angeles Film School

March 28, 2019

What do Workaholics, Saturday Night Live’s Matt Villines and Osmany Rodriguez and Happy! have in common? The Los Angeles Film School (LAFS). Specifically, the school counts Kyle Newacheck, director/co-creator of Workaholics, directing team Matt &...

The Screenwriter's Coach: I'm Working Hard and Have the Talent! What Am I Doing Wrong?

March 27, 2019

It sucks to work hard, confident you have the talent, but not have any “proof” to back it up (a sale, a job, reps, your definition of success….) You know you’re working, you also know whatever you’re doing is NOT working, so you start questioning you...

Write On with The Mustang writer-director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre

March 27, 2019

The Mustang writer-director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre discusses her journey from actress to writer-director, shooting her latest film at Rikers Island, and the challenges of working with animals.

Weekend Movie Takeaway: 'Us'

March 25, 2019

Us, comedic actor-turned-writer-director Jordan Peele’s highly anticipated follow-up to his genre-redefining, Oscar®-winning 2017 horror Get Out, was released over the weekend to spectacular numbers: The film took in $71 million throughout its openin...

All the Write Moves: 'Us'

March 25, 2019

After using a wild sci-fi conspiracy storyline to explore American race relations in his acclaimed debut film Get Out, writer-director Jordan Peele conjures a different sort of nightmare with his new picture, Us. This film’s trippy narrative, which c...