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.

‘The Wild Robot’ Screenwriter Chris Sanders Tells How to Write for Animation

October 31, 2024

If you want to learn how to write for animated films, there is probably no better person to learn from than Chris Sanders. He’s a veritable titan in the industry, with story credits on Disney classics like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion ...

Five Lessons in Horror Writing from 'Smile 2' Filmmaker Parker Finn

October 30, 2024

Writer/director Parker Finn has mastered a specific brand of horror with 2022’s Smile and this year’s Halloween hit, Smile 2. It’s dour, it’s high-concept, it’s ghastly and gory and great. The story might lead viewers to ask certain questions. How do...

How to Write a True Crime Drama like ‘Monsters’

October 29, 2024

Warning - spoilers ahead for Monsters and Woman of the Hour.

Creating a Sympathetic Monster

October 28, 2024

A Sympathetic Monster is an archetype that can be found in various “monster movies.” In addition to scaring us, these monsters also tug at our heartstrings, and we find ourselves caring about them despite the carnage they cause. Over the decades, the...

What Are Static and Dynamic Characters in Screenwriting?

October 25, 2024

Characters are essential to storytelling. They drive conflict, provide a point of view for the story, and become the audience’s reason to stay rooted in the experience. But what kind of character are you writing to motivate your story?

Write On: Seth Sherwood Horror Masterclass

October 24, 2024

“Comedy and scares are so similar. I’ve found that in a lot of my scripts, it’s almost like you’re taking the peaks and valleys of humor, and the peaks and valleys of scares, and flipping them on each other. So, you have the scare that you come down ...

Writing Visceral Horror: Interview with 'Daddy's Head' Creator Benjamin Barfoot

October 23, 2024

Benjamin Barfoot, a screenwriter, director, editor, and composer, is a self-taught filmmaker and self-proclaimed jack-of-all-trades. After getting his start in shorts and animation, he’s moved on to bigger and more ambitious projects—which brings us ...

How long does it take to write a screenplay?

October 21, 2024

An aspiring screenwriter might wonder: how long does it take to write a screenplay?

Write On: 'Hysteria!' Creator and Showrunner Matthew Scott Kane

October 18, 2024

“We wanted the whole series, but specifically the pilot episode, to lure you in with the kind of comfort and coziness of the 80s nostalgia and the trappings of John Hughes movies, and all of that, while also giving it the 80s heavy metal flavor, and ...