Final Draft Blog

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Take 5: ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ scares off nostalgia for a new generation

October 7, 2022

Nostalgia is big business. The biggest movie of 2022 continues to be Top Gun: Maverick, which swims in nostalgia. Some of the most highly anticipated TV series to stream this year have been A League of Their Own and Cobra Kai, so it's no wonder that ...

A Big Break Success Story: Otter Space by Benj Thall and Andrew Levine

October 7, 2022

In 2020, screenwriting team Andrew Levine and Benj Thall’s Family/Animated feature Otter Space placed in the Top 5 of their category, thus beginning their journey to making Otter Space the podcast a reality. The writing duo credits Big Break as essen...

How To Avoid a Second Act Slump in Your Screenplay

October 4, 2022

Over the years, if it’s one thing I’ve heard screenwriters struggle with the most, it’s the second act of their script. Even if they think they have a great concept and strong first act, they suddenly get to the second act and they find their creativ...

‘Thirteen Lives’ writer on turning true stories into emotional narratives

October 3, 2022

For over 40 years, William Nicholson has been writing screenplays, two of which garnered Oscar® nominations. His latest film Thirteen Lives matches him up with Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard in a film delivering an emotional adventure as E...

How breaking the fourth wall in ‘The Good House’ brings out character

September 30, 2022

There’s nothing traditional about The Good House. It’s a story with a protagonist who has her AARP card. It’s a story about a drunk who often has her act together. It’s also a story in which protagonist Hildy Good (Sigourney Weaver) breaks the fourth...

There Isn’t a Perfect Screenplay

September 28, 2022

There isn’t a perfect screenplay.

Write On with 'Send Help' Co-Creators Jean Elie & Mike Gauyo

September 21, 2022

From Insecure alumni Jean Elie and Mike Gauyo, Send Help follows a first-generation Haitian American (Elie) struggling to overcome the challenges in Hollywood while coming to terms with a recent family tragedy. Gauyo shares his thoughts on how partne...

Davinci International Film Festival hosts first live event in two years

September 20, 2022

After an inconsistent two years, fall film festivals are back in full swing, including the DaVinci International Film Festival (DIFF). Established in 2017, founder and CEO Chadwick Pelletier says it’s the birth child of nearly three decades of entert...

Advice on Using Voiceover in Your TV Pilot from 'Physical' Showrunner

September 13, 2022

Creator and showrunner Annie Weisman (The Path, Desperate Housewives) pulled from her own decades-long struggle with an eating disorder to create an unflinching exploration of the dark inner life of Sheila Rubin (Rose Byrne), a perfectly put-together...