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...

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...

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 ...

The Screenwriter's Toolbox Part I: Loglines and pitches

July 28, 2021

Every scriptwriter’s first job is to finish their script. Nothing can be critiqued, edited, promoted, or sold until it’s real. But film is somewhat unique in that during certain periods of any selling cycle, a pitch, written or verbal, can sometimes ...

Writer-director Wyatt Rockefeller on setting, structure and story in 'Settlers'

July 22, 2021

Writer-director Wyatt Rockefeller set his debut feature film Settlers on the lawless, desolate edges of Mars. An excellent vantage point for the film to explore the lives of a nuclear family struggling to survive.

Posies' and 499 more help LA Shorts International Film Festival celebrate 25 years

July 22, 2021

The LA Shorts International Film Festival is in full swing, showcasing 500 films from 55 countries via their On Demand portal through July 31. The festival is accredited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the British Academy of Film ...