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.

5 Screenwriting Takeaways: ‘Moonfall’ and 25+ years of Roland Emmerich disaster films

February 12, 2022

The moon has suddenly shifted off its orbit and is poised to crash into the earth. In a movie world where meteors and aliens are constantly trying to destroy the earth, why not create a story where the moon becomes the enemy?

‘Indemnity’ and the long road to becoming South Africa’s latest mainstream action blockbuster

February 11, 2022

Indemnity is one of the most ambitious action thrillers to come out of South Africa, offering stunning set pieces and a story that feels like a combination between The Manchurian Candidate and The Fugitive. It’s no surprise, as writer-director Travis...

History of TV: Live, in front of a studio audience 'The Jeffersons'

February 11, 2022

1975 signified the popularity of Betamax, VHS tapes and a turning point in American television: The Jeffersons. Its predecessor, Good Times (created by actor Mike Evans, writer Eric Monte and producer Norman Lear), featured a Black family from the pr...

I Want You Back' writing duo craft a sweetly unexpected rom-com

February 11, 2022

I Want You Back feels like a romantic comedy of days of yore while all at once fresh and new. It embraces the trope and universal feeling of not wanting to die alone, but few other rom-com tropes feel predictable or even evident in this screwball and...

How Adrien Brody creates the world of ‘Clean’ through performance, writing and music

February 10, 2022

Clean’s life is very regimented. After hours at work as a garbage man, he goes to the same spots and checks up on the same people. However, things change when his past catches up to him and returns him to a life of violence for the sake of protecting...

Tim Kirkby talks ‘Last Looks’, directing actors, and making the jump from TV to film

February 10, 2022

Charlie Waldo is a former superstar LAPD detective who now lives a life of solitude and minimalism. Three years after ghosting everyone, Waldo’s former flame and owner of a private investigation firm tries to recruit him to help solve the case of the...

Write On with 'Cyrano' Screenwriter Erica Schmidt

February 10, 2022

Cyrano is a musical drama starring Peter Dinklage based on screenwriter Erica Schmidt’s stage play of the same name. Erica talks to Write On about transitioning from writing for the theater to screenwriting: "It was challenging because I didn't know ...

Rising Through the Ranks: Tea Ho on perseverance and raising your voice in the room

February 9, 2022

“It is what I do full-time now, but I had never considered myself a storyteller, actually,” admits Tea Ho. The Viet-American refugee has some pretty cool credits to their name, considering. Their homepage bio states “getting inducted into a now-defun...

5 Screenwriting Takeaways: Hulu's 'Pam & Tommy'

February 7, 2022

It's 1995. Bill Clinton is in office (it's three years before the Lewinsky scandal). Hard Copy pulls great ratings, and Americans tolerate dial-up and chat rooms for the internet on home desktop computers. Meanwhile, Pamela Anderson had already grace...