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.

5 Screenwriting Takeaways: How Soderbergh's ‘No Sudden Move’ revitalizes the noir thriller

July 9, 2021

Two criminals are hired to work alongside each other for an easy "babysitting" job. All they have to do is watch the family of an automotive executive, who must retrieve a document from his boss' safe. Sounds simple, until the plan goes awry.

Afro Horror: Writing from the headlines

July 9, 2021

A global pandemic, a turbulent election season, and numerous celebrity scandals; oh my! Being a living human being in 2021 has been a roller coaster of shock and awe. If you're reading this, you’ve survived a deadly contagious virus, only to have ano...

History of TV: Composing the space opera ‘Battlestar Galactica’

July 8, 2021

A space odyssey of epic proportions, Battlestar Galactica in all of its incarnations examines political and religious arenas through intergalactic war, love, and everything in between. While the Star Trek crews occasionally battle the Romulans, they ...

Making history with 'Rebel Hearts'

July 7, 2021

Rebel Hearts follows the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Los Angeles; a group of revolutionary nuns who defied the Catholic Church to defend their rights. They were deeply devoted to a life of service and formed a community that empowered ...

Write On with 'No Sudden Move' writer Ed Solomon

July 6, 2021

The famed Bill & Ted writer talks working with director Steven Soderbergh on the HBO Max crime thriller No Sudden Move: "I was asking Steven [Soderbergh] what style of film I should watch, because a lot of times when he and I work together on stu...

‘The Mysterious Benedict Society’: Finding the moments of truth in middle-grade fiction

July 6, 2021

A global crisis known as "The Emergency" is causing chaos. People are filled with anxiety and panic, and misinformation is rampant. It’s up to the four gifted orphans at the Mysterious Benedict Society to discover the truth and save the world.

Writer-director Heidi Ewing combines documentary, scripted film to tell real-life love story in 'I Carry You with Me'

July 6, 2021

Caught between his memory and dreams, Iván (Armando Espitia) looks out the train window in a flurry of thought. In an instant, I Carry You with Me (Te Llevo Conmigo) flashes to a time years before; he is 25 years old and caught in the rush of New Yor...

Season 2 of 'The Devil's Candy' podcast invites us to revisit 'The Bonfire of the Vanities'

July 6, 2021

In 1990, the dawn of a new decade did not offer a cautionary tale of the century to come, but it did give time to reflect on a decade of excess. Writer-reporter Julie Salamon had a unique, front-row seat to truly examine a time of Reaganomics, rapid ...

5 Screenwriting Takeaways: 'The Birdcage' flocks back to theaters to celebrate 25th anniversary of release

July 2, 2021

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, The Birdcage (1996) was re-released as part of TCM Big Screen Classics in June. When that year's biggest blockbusters came out during the holiday season and summer, this unlikely classic, which was released in March...