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FilmSkool — a free film school

How to Write a Great Ending

Tyler Mowery digs into what actually makes an ending satisfying versus merely surprising, with a focus on payoff, theme and earned emotion. A good pairing with the Standard Story Company ending video for two distinct frameworks on the same problem.

Tyler Mowery · 14 min · Intermediate · SCR · Screenwriting · 2020

What you take away

An ending only lands if it pays off a promise the story made early — track what you promised before you write the finale.

Watch it

Filed under

Oscar winners for screenplay

Books on screenwriting

Making Short Films — Clifford Thurlow
The Screenwriter’s Bible — David Trottier
The Coffee Break Screenwriter — Pilar Alessandra
Wired for Story — Lisa Cron
Crafty Screenwriting — Alex Epstein
The Anatomy of Story — John Truby

Kit for this lesson

Panasonic LUMIX S5 IIX — The S5 II with raw out and ProRes internal
Sony a7 IV — The all-round full-frame hybrid
Canon EOS R6 Mark II — The affordable full-frame RF hybrid
Nikon Z6 III — Partially stacked sensor, N-RAW internal
Fujifilm X-H2S — Stacked APS-C, F-Log2, open gate 6.2K
Rode Boompole Pro — Carbon fibre, internal cable

More Screenwriting

Gone Girl — Don't Underestimate the Screenwriter — Lessons from the Screenplay · 12m · Intermediate
Screenwriting Plot Structure Masterclass - Michael Hauge [FULL INTERVIEW] — Film Courage · 68m · Intermediate
Anatomy Of Story - John Truby [FULL INTERVIEW] — Film Courage · 60m · Intermediate
THR Writer Roundtable: Chloe Domont, Andrew Haigh, Cord Jefferson, Tony McNamara, Eric Roth & More — The Hollywood Reporter · 40m · Advanced
12 Stages Of The Hero's Journey (Narrated By Christopher Vogler) — Film Courage · 23m · Beginner
Pedro Almodóvar | BAFTA Screenwriters’ Lecture Series — BAFTA Guru · 60m · Advanced
Céline Sciamma | BAFTA Screenwriters’ Lecture Series — BAFTA Guru · 55m · Advanced
Essential Skill Sets Screenwriters Need To Write Professionally - Corey Mandell [FULL INTERVIEW] — Film Courage · 75m · Intermediate
How to write amazing endings for your film. — Standard Story Company · 11m · Intermediate
Mike Leigh | BAFTA Screenwriters' Lecture Series — BAFTA · 62m · Advanced
Writing Subtext — The Secret to Writing What's Under the Surface — StudioBinder · 22m · Intermediate
Anatomy Of Story - Television Edition: The Complete Film Courage Interview with John Truby — Film Courage · 55m · Intermediate

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