Final Draft Blog

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Lessons from Coppola’s Character-Driven 'Priscilla'

November 7, 2023

From Muhammed Ali to Napoleon to Elvis Presley, most movies about historical or culturally significant people have that particular person at the center of the story. In Sofia Coppola’s latest film, Priscilla, the focus of the story is not on one of t...

Write On: 'Suitable Flesh' Writer Dennis Paoli

November 1, 2023

“I’m not happy with a script unless I can look through it and find at least five or six pages where there’s no dialogue – where the story tells itself through imagery,” says horror screenwriter Dennis Paoli. Feeling strongly that the screenwriter’s j...

Why You Should Write Dark Comedy

July 19, 2023

Dark comedy, also known as black comedy, is a style of comedy that finds humor in serious or taboo subjects. At its best, dark comedy can be cathartic, helping people confront the absurdities and injustices of existence while making them laugh.

Write On: Joy Ride's Screenwriters Teresa Hsiao and Cherry Chevapravatdumrong

July 14, 2023

When one woman's business trip turns into a quest to find her family, things get super funny in the new comedy Joy Ride, a raunchy road trip movie with a global spin. The film stars Oscar-nominee Stephanie Hsu, Ashley Park, Sherry Cola and Sabrina Wu...

How to Write Action According to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning

July 14, 2023

In a cinematic world where superheroes fly effortlessly through multiple universes and the tentpole summer films have been a staple for decades, how does a movie stand out for its action sequences? For screenwriters, the thought of creating an action...

What Does "Breaking the Fourth Wall" Mean?

July 11, 2023

What is "breaking the fourth wall?" You may not know what it means or where the phrase originated — but you've definitely seen plenty of examples of it in movies and TV shows.

Internal Conflict Vs. External Conflict

July 4, 2023

Over the years, I’ve read my share of scripts from aspiring screenwriters. If it’s a character-driven drama, there is plenty of internal conflict; if it’s an action/adventure, sci/fantasy or thriller/horror there’s a good deal of external conflict.

How To Make Genre-Bending Work in Your Screenplay

June 30, 2023

Sometimes you have an idea for a screenplay, but it’s not suited for just one film genre. In fact, it might contain tropes from two different genres or even multiple genres! If this is the case, you’ve just dreamed up a genre-bending screenplay.