Final Draft Blog

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2013 Big Break Winner Mike Scannell Sells “Scarecrow” to Screen Gems

October 29, 2014

Sony's Screen Gems has bought Mike Scannell's horror-thriller "Scarecrow" with Unbroken Pictures producing. Scannell’s spec script, set at a remote lake house, revolves around a mother and her two young daughters who must fight for survival after fal...

Creating Character

October 23, 2014

Creating character is a process that will be with you from the beginning to the end, from fade in to fade out. It is an ongoing educational progression, an experience that continues expanding as you go deeper and deeper into your characters’ lives.

How to Write Great Dialogue

October 8, 2014

Writing movie dialogue is like dancing: Some people are born with a knack for it, and others do it as awkwardly as your physics teacher attempting the funky chicken at the high school dance. But just like dancing, writing dialogue is a skill that can...

The Whistlers: A Film With A Language All Its Own

January 1, 1970

Have you heard sweet bird songs recently? How was the chirping? Are you sure it was birds? It could’ve been grifters transmitting secret messages to each other, as in the case of The Whistlers.

The Biological Clock of ‘Together Together’ Ticks Right Into A Forever Friendship

January 1, 1970

Together Together is an unexpected film on fertility because like any film on humanity, it’s not really just about that. At the center of the movie is Matt played by the always likeable Ed Helms, and Anna played by the bitingly funny Patti Harrison. ...

The Fast Five: Networks Are Risking Less During Pilot Season as Cost of Television Skyrockets

January 1, 1970

Here’s hoping everyone enjoyed their Labor Day weekend, and watched Jason Reitman’s Labor Day, which is—in my humble opinion—a legally mandated long weekend tradition. Now that we’re back to the grind, here’s the TV news everyone will be buzzing abou...

The Weekend Movie Takeaway: Horror Hits a High With 'It: Chapter Two'

January 1, 1970

When It, which partially adapted Stephen King's iconic 1986 novel, was released in September 2017, it wasn't simply a smash hit, it became the most commercially successful R-rated horror film of all time. It eventually earned more than $700 million w...

The Weekend Movie Takeaway: ‘Bad Boys for Life’ Proves Evolving Characters Is Key To Franchise Success

January 1, 1970

The last year or so has seen several dormant franchises roar back to life on the strength of perceived nostalgia, only to fall flat at the box office. An important lesson for storytellers, it exemplifies the limits of relying upon long-standing intel...

Writer-director David Weil on his upcoming sci-fi anthology 'Solos'

January 1, 1970

It’s been my luck while working in this industry to have met some truly incredible artists who are also remarkable human-beings. When it comes to writer/director, David Weil, of the upcoming sci-fi anthology “Solos”--this couldn't be more true.