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What "Eddie the Eagle" Writers Teach Us About Perseverance

February 26, 2016

Eddie the Eagle, starring Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman, will no doubt be added to the list of best films about athletic underdogs. The film is inspired by Michael Edwards, who earned the nickname “Eddie the Eagle” when he competed in the 1988 Winte...

Through-lines and "The Empire Strikes Back"

February 23, 2016

I never heard the term “through-line” before I became a professional screenwriter. After I sold my first script, however, and started working with producers and studio execs on various projects, I started to hear it all the time.

Jason Dean Hall writes the controversial true story of Chris Kyle’s life in ‘American Sniper’

February 17, 2016

Jason Dean Hall discusses what it was like to tell the story of Chris Kyle in 'American Sniper', a polarizing figure whose controversial and disturbing story broke box-office records. The writer's deeply personal connection to the story is filling th...

‘Jim Gaffigan Show’ co-writer Jeannie Gaffigan talks collaboration, balance, and Jim’s appetite

February 17, 2016

Final Draft chats with Jeannie Gaffigan about The Jim Gaffigan Show, her latest series with comedian husband Jim. Jeannie and Jim Gaffigan’s writing/producing credits include such shows as Mr. Universe, Obsessed, King Baby, Beyond the Pale, and My Bo...

Truth’ writer-director James Vanderbilt talks film school, researching true stories, and landing Robert Redford

February 17, 2016

James Vanderbilt talks about researching 'Truth,' the controversial courtroom drama detailing the 2004 CBS '60 Minutes' report that cost anchor Dan Rather and producer Mary Mapes their careers.

Music Cues In Your Screenplay?

February 17, 2016

Conventional wisdom says don’t. But this same wisdom also tells you never to direct in your script, nor telegraph what a character is feeling, etc. I respectfully disagree with this.

‘Nightingale’ writer Frederick Mensch discusses the fast-paced ramp up into production

February 17, 2016

Frederick Mensch, founder of the online screenwriting database MovieBytes, can now add working screenwriter to his resume. His uncompromising screenplay, 'Nightingale', was recently made into a movie by HBO, starring Golden-Globe nominee David Oyelow...

How To Train Your Dragon 2' Writer/Director Dean DeBlois Discusses Animation

February 16, 2016

Dean DeBlois, writer/director of such animated classics as Lilo and Stitch and the How To Train Your Dragon series, talks about how he got his start in animation, how to approach fantasy/adventure screenplays, and what it's like to write for a dragon...

Anthony McCarten talks ‘The Theory of Everything’

February 16, 2016

Acclaimed novelist, playwright and screenwriter Anthony McCarten tells how it took him eight years to convince Stephen and Jane Hawking to give him the rights to their story, his "exaggerated desire" to express himself, and how "putting words into th...