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.

Write On: Wednesday Creators Al Gough and Miles Millar

June 7, 2023

The surprise hit and breakout role for Jenna Ortega as the titular character in Netflix's spin off of the Addams Family, Wednesday, was just as exciting to create as it is to watch. "The writer's room started the first week of lockdown, so writing a ...

'The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster' Reinvents Frankenstein for a Modern Audience

June 6, 2023

Big Break Sci-Fi/Fantasy Winner Dustin Milligan Signs With Anonymous Content

May 23, 2023

If you’re a fan of quirky comedy, you most likely know Dustin Milligan as an actor on the Emmy-winning TV show Schitt’s Creek. Charming and handsome, he plays Ted Mullens, the love interest of the confounding Alexis Rose (Annie Murphy). What you prob...

The Great’s Tony McNamara on Making History Characters Feel Modern

May 23, 2023

Power. Sex. Identity. And comedy? Huzzah! Season 3 of The Great is finally streaming on Hulu and we’re heating up the borscht! If you haven’t seen the show, it’s about Catherine the Great’s (Elle Fanning) marriage to Peter III of Russia (Nicholas Hou...

History of the World, Part II Showrunner on Mel Brooks: ‘I Get Chills Every Time I Say His Name’

May 18, 2023

Editor's Note: This interview took place before the 2023 WGA strike. The year was 1981. Not sure if I should admit this, but I’m old enough to remember going to the movie theater, not the kind with stadium seating, but the kind with sticky floors and...

What is a Spec Script?

May 9, 2023

If you're a new screenwriter you might be wondering what a spec script is. Well, it's spelled S-P-E-C, it's pronounced "speck" and it stands for "speculation."

Andor Showrunner Tony Gilroy on the Importance of Finding a Hook in Action Scenes

April 6, 2023

Andor is a dark, sci-fi-thriller that follows the adventures of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a Rebel Alliance intelligence officer, as he searches for his missing sister while trying to evade the evil Empire. The show is set five years before the even...

What Genre Is My Screenplay?

March 27, 2023

Knowing what film genre you’re writing in is important for several reasons. Whether or not you’re playing into genre conventions or defying them, it’s useful to know what tropes have frequently appeared in certain kinds of films. Also when submitting...

Big Nate Writer Emily Brundige Shares What it Takes to Break into Animation

March 24, 2023

There is no single form of animation. Any parent can tell you about sitting through Cocomelon with their toddler then Big City Greens and Bluey with their kids before sending them to bed so they can watch South Park or Family Guy. That doesn’t even i...