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.

The Water Man' creates unique mythology with heart

May 6, 2021

Director David Oyelowo and screenwriter Emma Needell bring '80s-feeling nostalgia and childhood mythology to screen in the crowd-pleasing and family friendly, The Water Man. The film is a feel-good movie with enough twists and turns to keep kids and ...

Exploring strange new worlds with writer-actor Dustin Milligan

May 6, 2021

When you chat with a genuinely nice human who happens to be very obviously passionate about writing — your own chosen profession— and listens to Star Trek: The Next Generation on a regular basis (and if you’re not sure why that’s the best show ever, ...

The Outside Story' is more than another break-up movie

May 5, 2021

At first glance, The Outside Story feels like a break-up movie. Charles (played by empathetic Brian Tyree Henry) works as an editor, cutting together in memoriam videos for people who aren’t dead yet. He is feeling sad not just because of the job, bu...

Write On with Coach Carole Kirschner - Fellowship & Mentorship Season

May 4, 2021

Carole Kirschner talks to Write On about mentorships, fellowships, and training opportunities for writers and showrunners. “You cannot teach somebody how to be a showrunner in six Saturdays, but what you can do is… give an idea of what to expect."

Filmmaker Michael DiBiasio-Ornelas on humanizing mental health in ‘The Sleepless’

April 30, 2021

Once in a while a film comes along that invites the viewer to meander along with it, enjoying the view and the conversation for what it is. No crazy plot twists, no breathtaking set-pieces. Simply humanity for what it is — and can be — in one of its ...

Write On with The Black List's Kate Hagen

April 30, 2021

Since 2005, each December The Black List releases its annual list, a survey of the most liked unproduced screenplays of that year. The Black List also works to foster a large community of writers through screenwriting labs, online resources, and in-p...

The Virtuoso' looks into the paranoid world of an assassin for hire

April 30, 2021

Ideas come in a variety of ways. Sometimes it’s the lyrics of a song, an article you find online, or even a conversation you overhear. For director Nick Stagliano’s The Virtuoso, the idea came from an unlikely place — one of his previous films.

Native excellence with comedic revelation Jana Schmieding of ‘Rutherford Falls’

April 29, 2021

Jana Schmieding stars in and serves as a staff writer on the revolutionary new series, Rutherford Falls. Helmed by co-creators Sierra Teller Ornelas, Mike Schur, and Ed Helms, the new comedy is the very first Native sitcom. Schmieding stars as Reagan...

Write On with 'Selena' Creator Moisés Zamora

April 28, 2021

Moisés Zamora, creator of Netflix's Selena: The Series about the legendary singer, talks to guest host Lee Jessup about why it was important for this show to have a writers room primarily made up of Mexican American voices. "All of the writers I hire...