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.

How These 7 Films Led Sean Baker and 'Anora' to the Oscars

March 3, 2025

At this year’s Oscars, Anora filmmaker Sean Baker made history by personally receiving 4 Academy Award wins for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing. Only Warren Beatty, Alan Menken, Alfonso Cuaron and Chloe Zhao had...

‘The Monkey’ and the Art of Adapting a Short Story

February 27, 2025

When it comes to short stories being turned into movies, there is one master that comes to mind: Stephen King. His short stories have been the source material that created such films as The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, 1408, The Mist and Chi...

How Coralie Fargeat Stayed True to Her Vision for 'The Substance'

February 26, 2025

When the 97th Academy Awards announced the nominees on January 23, it was a shock to see writer/director Coralie Fargeat’s body horror thriller The Substance receive five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.

How ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ is more than an Action Film

February 25, 2025

When Iron Man was released in 2008 there was no Marvel Cinematic Universe. Seventeen years and 34 films later, Captain America: Brave New World hits theaters with a template of how to make a superhero film and the importance of being a part of a larg...

Holiday Slashers: How ‘Heart Eyes’ Scares Up a Killer Concept

February 13, 2025

Roses are red / Violets are blue / Heart Eyes is the new holiday slasher / At a theater near you

Write On: Comedy Writing with Brent Forrester

February 13, 2025

“My recommendation to anybody who is writing animation is to take advantage of the things you can do in animation that you can’t do in live action, which is to spend an infinite amount of money, right? If you and I are going to write a scene and you ...

Meera Menon on Breaking Zombie Genre Rules in ‘Didn't Die’

February 12, 2025

As screenwriters, we probably all have some variation of this dream—to make a film, and get accepted into a prestigious festival like Sundance or SXSW, and stand on the stage afterward to face an applauding crowd. It’s a great dream. But how do you c...

Multi-Cam TV Writing Tips from a Top Showrunner

February 11, 2025

Michelle Nader is one of the most accomplished multi-cam and comedy writers working today.

Filmmaker Cooper Raiff Talks Screenwriting Process of Hal & Harper

February 3, 2025

If there’s one writer/director whose work I’ve been consistently excited by and whose name at festivals promises a project both heartbreakingly raw and funny, it’s Cooper Raiff. He was a SXSW breakout in 2020 with college comedy Shithouse, which snag...