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.

The Weekend Movie Takeaway: January 28, 2019

January 29, 2019

The first weekend since Oscar® nominations were announced didn’t see notable action on the box office front; but plenty of interesting, film-related developments happened elsewhere.

All the Write Moves: Green Book

January 28, 2019

In critical circles, certain words have toxic connotations. “Conventional.” “Old-fashioned.” “Sentimental.” There are good reasons why these words have gained dubious reputations; the history of cinema is full of condescending movies that subject aud...

Weekend Writing Inspiration: Can You Release Familial Fears Getting In The Way of Your Writing?

January 26, 2019

"How can I rid myself of the fears around writing and being an artist that my family project onto me?" As many myths and misconceptions about art and writing abound as real challenges facing the artist, it’s easy to get fearful — parents and family m...

The Hero's Journey: Aquaman

January 25, 2019

Within the first fifteen minutes, we realize Aquaman is a superhero genre script, an origin story, and a buddy movie all rolled into two hours and 30 minutes. That is a hefty haul for most writers, but David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall h...

The Weekend Movie Takeaway: January 22, 2019

January 23, 2019

Although early tracking suggested it would earn close to $60 million, M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass took in around $47 million over the long weekend; an impressive haul for a film that cost less than half of that to make, but not quite a triumphant retu...

Screenwriter Michael Werwie On the Decade It Took To Get His Ted Bundy Biopic Made

January 22, 2019

Michael Werwie never intended to write a script about Ted Bundy. As he recalls, he was busy writing another screenplay when he decided to procrastinate by picking up a book about the famed American serial killer. Werwie couldn’t put it down. He began...

All the Write Moves: If Beale Street Could Talk

January 21, 2019

Like his previous film, the Oscar-winning drama Moonlight (2016), Barry Jenkins’ new picture, If Beale Street Could Talk, might seem like a difficult artifact from which to extract screenwriting lessons. While both films have received considerable ac...

Weekend Writing Inspiration: Surviving “No” With the Inner Game of Writing

January 19, 2019

“How can I stay motivated in a new year of writing, when last year all I faced was rejection?” If (so far) the screenwriting world has been telling you “no,” how do you stay motivated to keep writing, without losing heart? All the goal setting, inspi...

Write On with Cleve Landsberg

January 16, 2019

Cleve Landsberg has led a long career, working on films such as 'Weekend at Bernie's', 'BASEketball' and 'Bruce Almighty'. Cleve has also previously been honored with the DGA's Frank Capra Achievement Award, given to an Assistant Director or Unit Pro...