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.

Writer-Director Abe Forsythe Serves Up Big Fun in 'Little Monsters'

October 11, 2019

Is it weird to say a zombie movie is cute? Well, Little Monsters is cute. And gory, funny, full of F-bombs and laced with a little romance—just about everything you want in a zom-com.

Weekend Writing Inspiration: 5 Ways to Bounce Back From Writing Burnout

October 11, 2019

When you’ve been burning the midnight oil to meet a writing deadline (or multiple back-to-back deadlines), burnout won’t be far behind. Hopefully after submitting you’ll have some time to recover. And if you don’t, make sure to build more padding int...

Teaching From the Trenches: Screenwriter Ian Shorr Hits Pause to Pay It Forward

October 10, 2019

Many screenwriters teach a screenwriting class after their cache has dried up in Hollywood; long after they have any relevance or connection to the industry, they finally decide to share their experiences.

From Green to Greenlit: The Steps an Idea Takes to The Screen

October 9, 2019

Most beginning screenwriters believe this is the career of a screenwriter: Write script, get paid, repeat.

#BeTheChange - Write On with Kelli McNeil & Alexander Yellen of 'Daruma'

October 8, 2019

Writer Kelli McNeil and director Alexander Yellen discuss the Seed & Spark campaign for their new film Daruma, the personal origins of the story, why casting actors with disabilities was important to Kelli and Alex, and much more.

All The Write Moves: 'Ad Astra'

October 7, 2019

Deliberate, meditative and quiet, Ad Astra joins a noble group of cerebral sci-fi films, many of which are indebted to Stanley Kubrick’s groundbreaking 1968 epic 2001: A Space Odyssey. At their best, films of this type juxtapose questions about human...

The Weekend Movie Takeaway: 'Joker' is No Joke, Narratively Speaking

October 7, 2019

It was the most talked-about movie of the year before anyone had even seen it. Many commentators suggested that perhaps it shouldn't be seen at all. But after an extremely dramatic build-up, Joker finally hit theaters over the weekend.

The Fast Five: 'Friends' and Jordan Peele Prove Well-Written Stories Never Die

October 7, 2019

A classic sitcom finds new life as a box office attraction, professional wrestling competes for television viewers, and the next ten years of technology is predicted by whoever it is that predicts the next ten years of technology. Welcome to this wee...

The Computer and The Screenplay: Why Screenwriters Should Care About VFX

October 4, 2019

Photo courtesy of Joseph J. Lawson, Portals of Wonder Media* In movie lingo, visual FX (VFX) and special effects (SFX) are not interchangeable. Visual FX are digital and created in post-production while special effects are created on a set during pro...