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.
How breaking the fourth wall in ‘The Good House’ brings out character
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...
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There Isn’t a Perfect Screenplay
There isn’t a perfect screenplay.
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Write On with 'Send Help' Co-Creators Jean Elie & Mike Gauyo
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...
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Advice on Using Voiceover in Your TV Pilot from 'Physical' Showrunner
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...
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Lessons on Creating an Effective B Story in Your Script from 'NOPE'
Jordan Peele’s latest sci-fi/horror installment NOPE aka Not Of Planet Earth centers around brother and sister OJ Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald Haywood (Keke Palmer). After the mysterious death of their beloved father, Otis Haywood Sr. (Keith ...
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Spin Me Round' writer-director subverts expectations while embracing fan favorite tropes
Spin Me Round sets up a rom-com world: its poster looks like the cover of a romance novel, and the premise has that rom-com-y wish fulfillment element. Alison Brie’s Amber is being dipped dramatically by Nick Martucci (Alessandro Nivola), who found s...
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5 Tips to Writing a Great Opening
In my article 5 Clichés to Avoid in the Opening of Your Script, I stressed the importance of grabbing industry professionals in the first couple pages of your spec script. Whether it’s a feature screenplay or a television pilot, most managers, agents...
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Right Story, Right Character
In my article about National Lampoon's Vacation, I wrote that one of the reasons for the film’s success was it paired the right character with the right story. Sometimes there is a tendency for screenwriters to focus more on plot and less on the prot...
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Write On with 'Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.' Filmmakers Adamma and Adanne Ebo
Based on writer-director Adamma Ebo's 2018 short film of the same name, Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. follows Trinitie Childs (Regina Hall), the first lady of a prominent Southern Baptist Mega Church, as she attempts to help her pastor-husband, Lee...
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What’s new in Final Draft 13?
WRITING GOALS &
PRODUCTIVITY STATS
Set goals and get valuable insights to take your work to the next level
TYPEWRITER
A new typewriter-like view option improves your focus
EMOJI
Craft more realistic onscreen text exchanges and make your notes more emotive
And so much more, thoughtfully designed to help unleash your creativity.
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