Final Draft Blog

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Networking For The Introvert (and The Ambivert): How to “Put Yourself Out There”

August 25, 2016

Networking is a must. You have to “put yourself out there” to further your screenwriting career, but it’s not always that easy. Cue cold sweats.

The Art of Action: Tips on Writing Elegant Action Sequences from “Run Lola Run”

August 22, 2016

Action sequences can be tricky to write. Screenwriters often struggle to strike a balance between orienting the reader/viewer and directing the scene. So how do you hit that perfect middle ground? How do you find the art in writing action sequences?

Breaking History Part II: Finding Faults in Historical Figures

August 18, 2016

In our previous post on this topic, "Breaking History: How to Achieve Truth in Historical Storytelling" we covered one of the most common mistakes made in historical scripts: an unwillingness to change the details of an event to create a strong sense...

Spec Spotlight: Cassie Daniels and Mark Bartosic Talk “Besties”

August 17, 2016

How did you two meet and begin writing together?

Shake Up Your Research Routine

August 16, 2016

It’s no secret that research can give your script a leg up. Maybe two legs. Potentially an arm too. Research into your subject matter can flesh out your story making it feel even more realistic and grounded. Your script’s world will seem fuller, your...

Breaking History: How to Achieve Truth in Historical Storytelling

August 11, 2016

"We all know that Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth..." - Picasso The temptation to write historically based scripts is a strong one for many writers, and with good reason. The setting, the plot, the characters... even some o...

Writing Exercise: Improve Your Story Mapping

August 9, 2016

As you know, mastering structure and having the ability to map out and plot a story is an essential part of screenwriting, which can be significantly improved through the following practical exercise.

How to Capture the Essence of Summer in your Script

August 8, 2016

Ahh summertime. For many people summer means vacations, trips to the beach, and some much deserved time off. For others, it means everything stays the same except now it’s really hot and sticky. Whether or not summer means leisure time for you in you...

The Art of Pacing: How to Improve Your Dialogue

August 3, 2016

Dialogue can highlight your screenwriting skills in a unique fashion. You might be a whiz at structure or writing action scenes, but those abilities tend to stand out on the page when you’re pitching a script, not necessarily in the final product. Di...