Final Draft Blog

All the tips, tricks and information you need to inspire your writing!
Read interviews with the pros, catch up with industry news, and listen to Write On: A Screenwriting Podcast by Final Draft.

Never Gonna Snow Again' will melt your heart

August 4, 2021

Never Gonna Snow Again takes on big, existential questions (think climate change, the divide between rich and poor, the long-term effects of living under a communist regime). But it’s also funny, strange, hypnotic, and simple as oftentimes it might j...

Write On with Coach Carole Kirschner - The Four Pillars of Success

August 3, 2021

Carole talks to Write On about how to prepare for submission to a fellowship or mentorship, and how to use what she calls the “Four Pillars of Success” to your advantage.

Writer-actor Brea Grant on finding catharsis through her film 'Lucky'

August 3, 2021

There’s nothing scarier than being a woman. That’s the truth behind the murder-loop premise of Shudder’s latest horror installation, Lucky, written by and starring Brea Grant. A self-help book author needs to help herself when a violent and disturbin...

5 Screenwriting Takeaways: ‘The White Lotus’ is Mike White's musings on life at his best

August 2, 2021

The White Lotus is an uncomfortable watch. It feels like a much darker Wes Anderson meets the Safdie Brothers. Either way, it’s also distinctly Mike White. Much like Enlightened, which bore down on a mess of corporate whistleblowing in a pre #MeToo w...

Write On with 'Gossip Girl' Showrunner Joshua Safran

July 30, 2021

Joshua talks to Write On about being a writer on the original iconic series and how it has been updated to reflect current times. "We are looking at how social media has changed the landscape of who we say we are and how we put ourselves out in the w...

5 Screenwriting Takeaways: ‘Fear & Loathing in Aspen’ about Hunter Thompson's sheriff run

July 30, 2021

In 1970, Hunter S. Thompson ran for sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado. The same Thompson who wrote Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and was known for his drug use, new style of journalism and libertarian points of view put himself into an election tha...

History of TV: Why 'Community' is so important in every sense of the word

July 29, 2021

Community as the social unit. Community college. Community the comedy about a lawyer who’s been outed for his “Columbia” degree — turns out he needs an American one, if you catch that drift (and there’s a lot to catch in a very short amount of time i...

Write On with 'Black Widow' Writer Eric Pearson

July 28, 2021

Eric talks delving into the history of the elusive Black Widow: "We approached it with the lens of 'This is a Natasha Romanoff story.' I wanted to see what it's really like inside the most mysterious Avenger - the Avenger that intentionally closes he...

The Screenwriter's Toolbox Part II: Synopses and treatments

July 28, 2021

In part one of this series, we discussed loglines and pitches. A logline is a summary, in a few sentences, of your concept and a pitch is a verbal rendition of your script, given perhaps to a producer or film executive. I mentioned how both of these ...