Final Draft is what the big guys use in Hollywood. Many places will not even accept a script unless it is in the Final Draft format. Final Draft also has a lot of things built in to help you write the script.
It is worth the three hundred dollars...or has it come down in price?
I recently finished writing a script using Microsoft Word. I had created my own styles for the various elements (character, dialogue, action, etc) and they worked okay for me while I developed the story. I didn't spend the money on the script writing software because I didn't want to jinx myself...you know, spend $200 and then never finish the story and never use the application again.
While I was writing it in Word I asked around like you're doing, to figure out what I should use. I heard some folks who thought that perhaps Screenwriter was the way to go (it's discounted through projectgreenlight.com's website), others only knew Final Draft. I wavered and hemmed and hawed, but it was okay because I was still working on the script.
Well, I got the darned thing nearly finished and knew it was time to spend the money. I asked a couple of people then asked a director I worked with on a project earlier this year. He said that everybody he knew used Final Draft and that's what sealed the deal for me.
If you want to do your boards and such, maybe Screenwriter imports better into Movie Magic...but I doubt it. Most of the AD's I know use Final Draft combined with Movie Magic. It seems that Final Draft is so ingrained in the industry that it's simply the one to use. I'd go with the standard bearer for compatibility's sake. Still, maybe you should run a demo of each for a week to see which you like. I opted for compatibility with people that I know.
I look forward to writing future projects in Final Draft from the ground up; importing my script and reapplying formatting was a chore. In fact, come to think of it, it seems that a demo of Screenwriter that I tried had a pretty keen import feature....hmmm.
EDIT: Also, Final Draft claims to be the only format that is accepted for electronic registration with the Writers Guild of America. Registering my script was very painless and gratifying.
Well, good luck.
(PS: No, I can't talk about my script right now...thanks anyway!)
Comments
It is worth the three hundred dollars...or has it come down in price?
and movie magic has on the box a line by line comparison to final draft...
While I was writing it in Word I asked around like you're doing, to figure out what I should use. I heard some folks who thought that perhaps Screenwriter was the way to go (it's discounted through projectgreenlight.com's website), others only knew Final Draft. I wavered and hemmed and hawed, but it was okay because I was still working on the script.
Well, I got the darned thing nearly finished and knew it was time to spend the money. I asked a couple of people then asked a director I worked with on a project earlier this year. He said that everybody he knew used Final Draft and that's what sealed the deal for me.
If you want to do your boards and such, maybe Screenwriter imports better into Movie Magic...but I doubt it. Most of the AD's I know use Final Draft combined with Movie Magic. It seems that Final Draft is so ingrained in the industry that it's simply the one to use. I'd go with the standard bearer for compatibility's sake. Still, maybe you should run a demo of each for a week to see which you like. I opted for compatibility with people that I know.
I look forward to writing future projects in Final Draft from the ground up; importing my script and reapplying formatting was a chore. In fact, come to think of it, it seems that a demo of Screenwriter that I tried had a pretty keen import feature....hmmm.
EDIT: Also, Final Draft claims to be the only format that is accepted for electronic registration with the Writers Guild of America. Registering my script was very painless and gratifying.
Well, good luck.
(PS: No, I can't talk about my script right now...thanks anyway!)