Amazon.com Review

In a business that's all about buzz, the latest version of Final Draft should enjoy plenty of the good kind. Final Draft 6.0 has kept what works, and added new features that guarantee this scriptwriting software will retain its spot in the limelight. It still handles the myriad technical details of scriptwriting automatically--character names are indented properly, scene headings are capitalized, and the default font is the industry standard 12-point Courier, a holdover from typewriter days. The entertainment industry is surprisingly stuffy when it comes to screenplay formatting and, when properly used, Final Draft can at least ensure your script will look great.

The latest version of Final Draft is designed for Windows XP and carbonized for Mac OS X, but it worked fine on the Windows 98 system we tested it on. A new touch freelancers will appreciate is the ability to save in Adobe PDF format, so scripts can be sent to folks who don't own this software. New cosmetics include a more colorful toolbar, darker font that matches Mac and Windows systems and looks better in print, and bigger windows for the ScriptNotes feature. System enhancements include a smart drag and drop, which automatically adds formatting elements when you move bits of your script. Our favorite new addition is Ask the Expert, a blackboard that writers can visit to refresh themselves on basics like characterization and story arc. It's like a screenwriting class without the has-been teacher and the "I'm better than Spielberg" classmates.

A couple of annoyances: you must "authorize" your system to use Final Draft 6.0 without the CD-ROM. Fortunately there are two authorizations, so you can, for example, use the program on both a desktop and laptop. Also, the much-touted script templates are nearly impossible to find (go to "File," click "New"--we just saved you 15 minutes), and they are not copies of actual scripts but two- to three-page parodies of TV shows, done in what we assume is the specific format for the show. They're worth reading just for laughs, but since the X-Files template still had Mulder listed as a character, we don't think they're 100 percent up to date. --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Excellent Time-Saver
Writing a screenplay can be a very daunting task, especially for someone who is not familiar with the format. Before purchasing Final Draft, my previous screenplays were written in your basic, custom-formated Microsoft Word document.

Final Draft 6 does it all the formating for you. A function called "SmartType" finishes off character names for you, so you don't have to keep typing in names. This is wonderful when you have two or three characters talking to each other in a string, so you can quickly type the conversation, as if it were going on in front of you.

When I transferred my previous screenplays into Final Draft, it took about an hour or so to reformat a 106-page document correctly. Final Draft was able to interperate about 80% of the formatting correctly, getting confused on mostly transitions and telling the difference between some scene headings and actions. Although, it knew exactly what was dialogue just by where it was placed in the word document, which I thought was remarkable.

Some of the templates for actual T.V. shows are a little silly, but they serve their purpose: giving you the raw format for a certain show, which can vary greatly depending on the series. If you have your own show you've created, you can save a blank document with the initial beginings of the script as a template and be able to have a fresh document ready for your next episode.

Final Draft is a great purchase for the novice screen writer learning the format, and a wonderful time-saver for the somewhat-established to established veteran.

Final Draft 6 Needs Revision
Even though it remains the Hollywood standard, Final Draft 6 leaves a lot to be desired. For lack of a decent alternative, I've used this application for the better part of a decade, and it remains clumsy to use and well behind the curve of technology.

The big issue: Onscreen text looks atrocious. After a year on the market, Final Draft 6 still doesn't use Mac OS X's technology to render beautiful anti-aliased text. Third-party fixes, like Silk, work only halfway to solve Final Draft's shortcomings. But should an application that costs $ need fixing at all? Unacceptable.

And beware of WYSIWYDG, or "What You See Is What You Don't Get." You might find the perfect font in the Font Menu, but good luck applying it to your screenplay. Worse, there are occasional text hiccups, where the text-rendering is garbled and screen redrawing is skewed.

'Authorization' remains a nuisance, too. (Bet you didn't remember to 'deauthorize''before a system reinstall or upgrade.) I know of no other software that requires such an unwieldy process just to stay running smoothly.

Final Draft 6 is still better than a typewriter or a standard word processor for writing scripts, but not by much. Considering the steep price, maybe it's time to revisit the competition.

Quirky program made useless by copy protection
Buyer beware: Final Draft incorporates an archaic copy protection scheme that will drive you nuts. Every other category of computer software did away with this kind of user-unfriendly copy protection scheme in the mid-80s, but the screenwriting software vendors persist. You're probably better off using Microsoft Word (which is far more robust) and using a simple formatting utility when you're project is finished. If you have any hard drive crashes or hardware upgrades and you forget to de-install Final Draft you will lose your install keys. Tech support is scarce and the online help system is only good for the most basic information. While it should make your life simpler this product will make your life hell. Avoid it like the plague.

Best investment I've made for writing.
I purchased Final Draft a couple of years ago, and it was the best investment for writing I've made yet. I had loads of story ideas in my head, but had no idea how to write a screenplay or teleplay, and didn't have the patience to read a book about it.

I am a VERY basic computer user and feared formatting software would be nothing short of a nightmare, but within a month I formatted three one-hour teleplays, started on a screenplay, and knew how to navigate the software fairly well. The Smart-type feature is a lifesaver, and the various view, outline, and report features are incredibly helpful and save loads of time.

There are a few features that were more complicated to learn, and as an absolute novice I had some questions that I couldn't find answers for in the program, but overall - I'm thrilled with it and use it everyday.

I'd recommend this software to anyone, rank amateur or paid professional ,who's looking for a user-friendly, helpful, and reliable formatting system.

There's a reason the whole world uses it -- it's the best
Final Draft is simply the best there is. Screenwriter is buggy [I borrowed an install from a friend], Scriptware is a joke [based on the demo I tried] and Sophocles doesn't even run on my Mac. If you follow the directions it does exactly what it says it's going to do. It's a professional-grade tool [even though I'm not a professional-grade writer - YET], it's got 24/7 help [that I haven't even come close to needing] and everyone I know uses it [and I do work in the industry]. As far as I can tell the people who have problems with it aren't using it right or they have crappy computers.

Don't mess around with other programs. This one is the one to use. ... Read more

Features

• The Screenwriter's word processor
• Provides numerous features needed by screenwriters not found in standard word processors
• Page 2 Stage is the one word processor that can work in scenes, work as a continuous flow, or work in pages
• Page 2 Stage offers reports and graphs that provide you feedback on your script.
• Page 2 Stage is also available in 30 languages from Basque to Turkish including Japanese, Chinese, and Korean.

Amazon.com Review

Final Draft AV fills a niche that Final Draft's screenwritingsoftware ignored: creation of two-column audio-video scripts andaudio-only scripts for radio. Television news writers, segment producers, andad writers usually create scripts with video in the left column andaudio in the right column. Writers who don't have access to aprofessional scriptwriting system like Basys or Avstar usually inserttext into existing script templates, or patch something together usingtables and columns in a word processing program. As both of theseoptions scream "hack!" students and freelancers will welcome FinalDraft's venture into this format of scripting.

That said, Final Draft AV feels like a TV-writing program designed byscreenwriters. The two columns are there, it's easy and intuitive tomove between them, and the video column does stay aligned with thematching audio column. But there are also some glaring omissions. Theprogram doesn't provide estimated times for scripts, nor does itprovide a space to input actual running time once a script is produced.Some of the automatic functions are unnecessary: each time the writertabs from the video column to the audio column, the programautomatically underlines and adds a colon to whatever is written.Useful for screenwriters, who write dialog between characters that mustadhere to a strict punctuation format, it's useless for segmentproducers, who usually have one narrator reading their copy.

Also, though the user's manual says that importing and exportingscripts to and from Final Draft AV from other word processors is simplya matter of making sure they're saved in rich text format, we couldn'tsuccessfully manage it with a multipage script for a half-hour cookingshow without going back and forth between the scripts and thenperforming major surgery on the mashed together copy. We think theFrankenscript occurred because there isn't one "right" way to write ascript for TV: unfamiliar capitalization and spacing confused FinalDraft AV, so the program just crammed it all together. Scripts can betransitioned smoothly between computers if both were written in FinalDraft AV. And Final Draft AV scripts can go from PCs to Macs with nohang-ups.

Using Final Draft AV is still a lot better than building homemadescript templates with your word processor, but a template is really allthis program provides. It will probably work well for student projects,single segments, and ad scripts. But if you want to use this program todevelop and produce a multisegment half-hour show, you'll have to pullout your stopwatch and your calculator. --Anne Erickson ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Excellent!
This software is a professional's dream come true, yet beginners should have no problem with it. The fellow who only rated it a one is obviously clueless. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who needs to write copy for broadcasting.

Saved me from lots of headaches!
I've struggled for years (to say the least) attempting to write audio-visual scripts by using tables in Word. Final Draft AV solved all my problems and kept the Video and Audio columns aligned perfectly. It is very easy to use and I recommend it to anyone who needs to write scripts in a two-column format.

Could be better...
I've tried to use Word processors to set columns to write short commercials and scripts. I could never figure out how to keep the audio and video together without frequent adjustments. This was a dream come true...

I was willing to pay the bucks if it did what it said. And it did, without much difficulty...right out of the box. I wrote my first script within 10 minutes of installation and it looked like I wanted...a place for video that matched the audio.

My only negative is that this software is of little use for anything else...as far as I know, it's not doubling as a word processor. It does a script and if that's what you need, buy it! It makes life just bit easier...just forget the price.

Dreadfully poor!
After using Word and Pagemaker to do a/v scripts for years, I decided to "move up" to a product that's made specifically for the purpose: Final Draft A/V. It has too many shortcomings to list here, but try these three for starters: 1) You're stuck with Times New Roman, a deficiency that's admitted on page 45 of the User Guide. "A future version of Final Draft A/V will permit full font control. Make sure you register so that you will be notified when updates are available." Sure, you can change the font, but at the next new paragraph, it defaults back to Times, every time; 2) When the user inserts text in the midst of existing text, it jumps automatically WITH EACH KEYSTROKE to the end of that page. To get back to the insert point to type the next character, the user must press ENTER after each and every key stroke. The wild back and forth flipping is maddening; 3) one of the options is to offset-right the script to allow lefthand space when printing for 3-hole punching. Even though I have never activated this feature, and even though the live area appears centered on my computer screen, it ALWAYS prints out with the offset and I've tested it on the two ink jets and one laser printer that are attached to my computer. It's truly the worst software I've ever purchased, but the packaging looks very good in dim light.

Finally!
I have been waiting for a product like this for years. Writing dual-column scripts in Word using tables has been very painful (to say the least!) and Final Draft AV makes it quite easy. I have also been a very satisfied user of their screenplay software, Final Draft, for many years. I called the company and they are committed to improving the product substantially in the next few months...but right now I am extremely happy with what it does for me and all the time it has saved me. ... Read more

Features

• Includes both Final Draft 6 and Final Draft AV Version 2
• Automatic, industry-standard formatting for scriptwriters
• Powerful word processing for writers, producers, and directors
• 100% cross-platform compatibility for Windows and Mac
• Dual-column, audio-visual script format

Amazon.com Review

If you've ever struggled with the organizational part of writing ascreenplay, novel, or sitcom, StoryView might be just the tool you need to starton your masterpiece. With its easy-to-follow timeline format, this package helpsyou organize your thoughts without jeopardizing an ounce of your creativity.

We found the package a bit intimidating at first. Even after reviewing theprinted and online tutorials, the terminology and methodologies still seemedforeign and, to be blunt, oppressive. The screen tips that popped up didn't seemto explain what each of the numerous buttons did. A number of sample piecesoffered some insight--Romeo and Juliet, Run Lola Run, andHuckleberry Finn were most familiar to us--although the biggest hurdleremained awkward navigation in the interface. The most helpful component wasthankfully the Help menu, and after a quick review of the warmly writtenintroductory material, we felt much better prepared to delve into StoryView.

Once we started plugging in our own plot, the package really blossomed. A basicknowledge of data hierarchy helped us quickly grasp the parent-childrelationships that exist between acts, scenes, and beats, and, most importantly,how these can be manipulated. Color-coding of event blocks helped us quicklyvisualize where we had placed conflict, action, love scenes, etc.

The StoryView package seems most suited for commercial (or presentation) formsof writing--TV, commercials, movies, and the like that are time dependent. Forwriters of fiction, StoryView could best be applied in mapping out the storyline and developing the interrelationships of the piece as a whole.

After entering most of our screenplay into StoryView, we played with thetimeline, connections, and tracks. The timeline isn't only applicable tosecond-by-second commercial writing or movie layout, but can also be applied toany unit of time that you wish to use. The timeline lets the writer think beyondchronology and write beats in any order, be it plugging in a twisted ending or acar chase at the end of Act 2. Connections bind two (or more) units of a storytogether, ensuring that when you change or move one, the other is also affected.And tracks are the most enticing feature of StoryView: for authors looking totrack a specific theme, relationship, prop, location, idea, or characterthroughout the story, setting up a track function will show you all instanceswhere that element appears.

And if, like many writers, you like to see your work in hard copy for proofing,editing, and further reworking, you'll appreciate the reports available foroutput, which allow you to customize either the outline or timeline view onpaper to include watermarks, specialized notes, timeline, and anything elseyou've seen onscreen.

Overall, StoryView brings a sense of direction and structure to even the mostcreative of spirits. --Emilie Herbst ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Great Program
I use it all of the time for any type of outlining

An amazing outlining tool.
StoryView is an amazing outlining tool. I looked and read reviews of a lot of other software programs before deciding on this one. First off, let me say, it does look rather scary at first. But all you need to do is look at the examples they give you such as Pulp Fiction or Star Wars. It didn't take me long before I started outlining my first story with it. I am very lazy writer and I never get anything done with note cards. With StoryView I am always thinking about my story and writing. Its amazing. It has a brainstorming layout, outline layout, 4 act part, etc. There is a nice "track" feature that allows you to make connections between different characters and scenes and so forth. You can color coordinate different scenes to help you when you are done. Plus you can print out the whole time-line for pre-production use (if you are so lucky). So to sum up the program, it is simply the best software out there.

very very useful writing software
This software is very helpful in collecting one's thoughts in the writing process. I am not a linear thinker or writer, so it has been quite useful to have software that can capture my work the way I 'do' it, and then so easily eases it into proper storytelling order. It is fairly easy to learn, at least enough to get well underway, with the rest simple enoug to grow into as you get more experienced with the program. It is currently holding onto various stages of four works-in-progress for me -- THANK GOODNESS! :-)

Frustrating
Having been bitten with the writing bug I set out to become the next great American novelist. I decided I did not want to use 3X5 cards to outline the plot of my novel and given the fact I am often less than well organized I turned to software designers to assist me in writing. After reviewing a dozen or so writing programs I downloaded the "Storyview" Demo as it seemed well reviewed and offered brainstorming features and online help/tutorials.

My initial experience with the program was less than encouraging. I found the interface to be confining and more often than not confusing. The program's tool bars are stuffed with dozens of ill identified buttons. Believing I just was not prepared to tackle the project I took to reading all the features of "Storyview" after working through the online tutorial and reading the entire help index I tried the process again with similar results. Writing with "Storyview" is a frustrating process.

The examples provided were less than helpful. "Storyview" boasts being able to display ones entire story timeline, which is true but when you achieve any sort of detail the story elements become eye straining and text is presented in all different directions, inverted, If one wanted to insert a small scene somewhere two thirds of the way through the plot you would have to hunt for the place to put it scene by scene. I fail to see how this is an improvement over 3X5 cards. The problem being that the timeline is not an outline at all it is just a list of the narrative of the events in the story.

The largest insult is the fact that the brainstorming template is a largely a blank page with three areas for story points, character summaries and story events. Wow that was helpful.

In the end how did I plot out my story? With 3X5 cards.

Essential
I will spare you another discription of the features, they are numerous and easy enough to find. Instead, and given that there is some resistance, more on the part of novelists than film folk, to using software tools, I'll focus this on how my writing style meshed with the program and perhaps that will help you in your evaluation of whether the program will work with yours.

For starters, I dispise index cards and all the standard approaches to organizing. Found them too limiting, and not in synch with the way I think. I'm more comfortable having all of my book related materials on my computer than I am having the manuscript on the hardrive and everything else tacked to the wall or whatever. Because that stuff never worked for me I tried not to use it. The result was a poorly organized folder of Word docs and several bastardized Lotus applications that never really got the job done.

Storyview gets the job done. It presents in a way I'm comfortable with and the features are incredible. I've gone from not being able to keep up with stuff I needed to know, to exploring and structuring in greater depth b/c the tool box is so full that I can't pass it up.

I use Storyview in combination with the companion software Dramatica and a competitor's product named Power Structure. Might be a tad overkill, and certainly isn't because of any shortcoming with Storyview. If you're on the fence; comfortable with software tools for your creative projects, but hesitant to invest in something that might demand your writing become a slave to its programing. Or if you are weary of buying some poor improvement on the jokes that were first generation writing programs, Storyview is an excellant test-the-waters intro to a new realm of tools. ... Read more

Features

• Production budgeting software for greater ease and accuracy
• Over 70 current studio charts of accounts available in templates
• Export budget data to standard spreadsheet applications
• Integrate with accounting software packages
• Create subsets of budget to send to others for review