Final Draft 8, briefly
VIDEO: A look at Final Draft 8 from John August on Vimeo.
Final Draft 8 is largely identical to FD7, with some better chrome. If you’re happy with FD7, the addition of a fairly useful navigator and a new XML file format may or may not be enough reason to upgrade.
I’ve been using it for a week, and so far, no crashes. There are a few quirks — awkward colorization during drag-and-drop, click-lag when editing summaries — but nothing approaching the bugginess of early FD7. It feels stable and looks like a 2009 application.
I’m not endorsing Final Draft or any of its competitors; each has its strengths and weaknesses. I’ve ping-ponged between Final Draft and Screenwriter over the years, but given its interface improvements, I’ll probably stick with Final Draft for a bit. Some of that is familiarity, frankly, particularly with how it handles production drafts.
There’s a demo version available at the company site, which is worth checking out.
If you’re upgrading ($79), the mechanism for checking your current license is a bit slow. If you’re buying it new, note that it’s $50 cheaper on Amazon
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May 11th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Glad to hear it’s less buggy than FD7. As an amateur starting out I tried the demos of Final Draft 7 and Movie Magic and FD7 was unusable to me. It crashed and crashed and crashed. Since then I’ve grown to really like Movie Magic’s thousands of tiny, hidden features but I consider the programs pretty evenly matched for the day to day of writing.
May 11th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
John, I happened upon your review tonight… just an FYI and no need to post this as we’re not looking to have you act as our mouthpiece but I wanted to correct you on several things. The Scene View is new and both it and the index cards take on the color that you select in the Scene Properties Inspector.
We also have added some new logic for revisions so that pages automatically update to reflect the specific revision color name in the header (only really useful if you’re saving a master file rather than saving off each individual draft as it’s own file).
Lastly, I wanted to mention that the Format Assistant actually has been around for a while. We can’t take credit for that in version 8. Our primary focus was on making sure that we had a very stable architecture for things we have planned for the future. That meant going back and fixing things that the software development team wasn’t allowed to finish correctly the last time around.
We also spent a lot of time working with other tools used by the industry so that out of the gate, other products can read and write to our file (we support the ability to add 3rd party content to our file). Look for companies like Avid to take advantage of this. In the meantime, we focused on story development tools like Scrivener, Storyist, Save the Cat and StoryO (coming out soom from Jungle software).
Anyhow… if you find you have a problem or question, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I know you’ve started offering video tutorials so you may want to pass along to others about the new video tutorials we’ve added specifically about how to use the production features. They can be found on our website as well as on YouTube.
Kind regards,
Kirsten Thayer Product Manager, Final Draft
May 11th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
In terms of production drafts, does it finally have functionality for adding a cast list and set list without having to make separate documents in Word and then merge them with the script in Acrobat?
And also, does it really handle the colored revisions and their headers, etc. as well as it says it does on the website?
If so, consider me sold.
May 12th, 2009 at 12:06 am
Macintosh-y. Ha. I like the reports just because I like looking at my “stats,” if you could call them that.
May 12th, 2009 at 1:45 am
Great and informative stuff. I’ll be able to afford a new version of FD one day but I’m still stuck in FD 5 for the moment, which is ok. The video posts are great and I look forward to more. For someone wandering in unpaid 3rd draft purgatory, your posts keep my head above the water of morale. Thanks.
May 12th, 2009 at 3:14 am
Can you imagine the days when they used typewriters? Back then, screenwriting software was called secretaries.
May 12th, 2009 at 4:12 am
Having used FD for years, I now only use Celtx. Free, functional, and can convert to any format. I hate to be the guy that comes in and goes, ‘This is better than what you’re all asking questions about, &c.’ and it isn’t better. It’s about the same. And free.
May 12th, 2009 at 6:45 am
Thanks for the brief look, John. The XML thing is a good leap forward for FD. One question, though…
Have you noticed any improvements in overall stability? I know that’s been an ongoing issue for some FD7 users, but not me.
Macintoshy. Heh.
May 12th, 2009 at 6:47 am
Nevermind my previous comment. I totally skipped over the “It feels stable” part.
Note to self: Coffee first, THEN read blogs.
May 12th, 2009 at 7:32 am
$249 for FD8, or $0 for Celtx? No brainer.
http://celtx.com/download.html
May 12th, 2009 at 8:05 am
Still not enough reason to leave my V6. FD is a business and in order to maintain growth they need “upgrades”, so if you have the extra cash put it towards your WGA dues. V6 works great! As for Celtx, nice free program for beginners but FD is the industry standard and should be used when you decide to get serious about the craft.
May 12th, 2009 at 8:14 am
If you’re serious… the central tool for your craft is PROOOOOOBABLY not where you’re going to worry about trimming your budget. You just told me you’re a surgeon. The fact that the other scalpel’s cheaper had better be irrelevant. But… W-w-w-w-wait! Did you just say they CONFISCATED my highlighter!? — I can’t highlight the “come back to” words and sentences anymore? – No. Sorry. – That’s not a passive sluff-off. – That’s a deal-breaker. – I’ve always thought of FD vs MM as a Mac vs PC question in the past. – FD highlights on a Mac. Fails to highlight on a PC. MM highlights on a PC. So while FD files claim to open on a Mac or PC, that’s BS, because if I’m on FD, I can only fluidly WORK on a Mac. Period. I highlight. That’s what I do. I’ll just work in Word and paste into format when I’m done thanks. – Thanks John. (pounds on desk) – Pumpernickels!
May 12th, 2009 at 8:34 am
The whole “this other thing is about the same and free” thing is valid, I suppose, except for the fact that I already know how to use Final Draft. I’ve been using it for years, and it’s reached the point where I can write in FD without having to think about it. It’s all muscle memory now.
Besides, back when I first tried Celtix about a year ago, it took me all of ten minutes to find a show-stopping bug. I’m not exactly proud to say that I simply haven’t even considered giving it a second look since.
May 12th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Thanks for the review.
The feature I’m most excited about is the new FDX format. Literature and Latte announced recently that Scrivener now supports Final Draft’s FDX format.
May 12th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Kristen – Can I just say, I think its awesome of you to come down and get into the discussion. Permanently appreciated. Bonus class points.
May 12th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Don’t agree with this, really. You’d wonder how anyone managed to write a script with just a typewriter!
“Serious” isn’t spending crazy money on a program. It won’t make you a better writer.
May 12th, 2009 at 10:05 am
Great review video John. Final Draft looks a lot more appealing to me now that it looks like a proper Mac app.
May 12th, 2009 at 10:52 am
I used Final Draft for 10 years before switching to CeltX. It’s not about the money; I just think CeltX is a better program. It has features that the FD programmers should have implemented years ago (such as Linux compatibility and a remote hosting/publishing platform). I haven’t looked back. Maybe FD will catch up eventually, but based on what i’ve heard about version 8, it won’t be any time soon.
May 12th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Hi, John, thank you for answering my question. I appreciate your thoughts.
May 12th, 2009 at 11:36 am
SYNTHIAN —
I’m on a pc. You mean to tell me, the only feature I’ve ever wanted FINAL DRAFT to implement A HIGHLIGHT function works on a MAC but not on my PC? I’ve been using and recommending FD to years… and each time a new version comes out, the only feature I want is to see a HIGHLIGHT function — and I’ve never received it — I too have to use WORD when I want highlights… exporting/importing… seems so silly to me… and in that time, a HIGHLIGHT was available to Mac’s but not to PC’s?
I was even naive enough to believe I was the only one who wanted that feature… No one had requested it, made enough of a stink to get it… AND HERE WE ARE WITH A NEW VERSION and the one thing we all want is MISSING? Seriously?!?
If this is the case… I will absolutely uninstall TODAY. And BUY something else… Please tell me this is not the case.
Kristen, I realize this may not be your forum here, but as a product manager — can you please explain the disparity, so many of us do not lose faith in a product we’ve used extensively.
MRC
May 12th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
What are your opinions on writing software like Scrivener, or Montage? I’m not a screenwriter, so I really don’t have a need for Final Draft, but for a while as I was working on my novel, I was developing a screenplay for the story simultaneously just because it helped me work out visuals in my mind that I’d then transfer into my writing. I use Scrivener now solely for my novel writing, but I know it has screenwriting tools built in as well.
I imagine it’s probably like how a graphic designer would never, ever trade Photoshop for Iris or Acorn, but I was curious. Scrivener sure is a gorgeous, entirely Cocoa-built experience with tons of customizable features.
So, can any of these small players compete with Final Draft?
Scrivener: http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.html
Montage: http://www.marinersoftware.com/sitepage.php?page=104
May 12th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
I love Montage. I was FD user since FD5 and honestly they haven’t done much to update the product, fix bugs, etc for ages. Montage is everything that FD has plus more. In addition it doesn’t suffer from the lame copy protection that FD has. Plus it’s way cheaper. I can’t say enough positive things about Montage and honestly don’t have anything nice to say about FD.
May 12th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Kurt Munro -
Part of the problem with Celtx is the discrepancy with pagination. It may tell you in your script view that you wrote 65 pages, but the actual PDF output is significantly different – I’ve had both more or less by as many as 10 pages. (I just opened up an old script in the latest edition of Celtx – it says I’m at 80 in script view, 85 in TypeSet, not including title page)
This is a MAJOR issue. A program that is stable and works as advertised is still important for a writer (if you want to write on a typewriter, then enjoy your next eight months) to keep track of how much s/he has left to do. The difference between 115 and 125 pages can be the difference between a reader actually reading it or simply tossing it after the minimum reading. (http://johnaugust.com/archives/2008/how-to-cut-pages)
Celtx has a lot of good ideas – but they don’t do any of them justice. They’ve already gone into working on graphic novel writing, scheduling for production, etc. before they’ve put any sort of polish on their screenwriting feature. And God help you if you want to write a sitcom – they don’t give you the ability to write in that format. (Yes, it’s similar, but the distinctions are very important. Final Draft makes these distinctions.)
It COULD be great. But throwing in a bunch of convenient features while overlooking the pretty big issue of page count discrepancies (and really, we have to be connected to the Internet to get it to output to PDF? What is that nonsense?) does not make me want to go back to it.
Until Celtx has Page View Editing, or at least a simple accurate count of pages, it doesn’t hold up to Final Draft. It could. But don’t fool yourselves – it’s not there, yet.
May 12th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
“Speech Control” is my favorite feature in FD. I love having my scripts read back to me in a warm, human-sounding voice. It makes my dialog better, and it’s the only way I can catch all my typos. I like it so much that I now copy and paste all my MS Word documents into Final Draft to have them read to me as well before I send any documents out (making the changes to the original MS Word document and then throwing away the new FD document afterwards).
May 12th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Thanks a ton for the great info, John. Since I really started to dig into screenwriting “seriously” over the past year, I’ve only used Final Draft, figuring it to be the industry standard.
Generally I prefer more simplicity in word processing software over more bells and whistles–I wish Microsoft would have stopped messing with Word at least a decade ago–so I wasn’t planning to upgrade from FD 7 after already shelling a couple of bills on it.
Your review, however, changed my mind. I love that split-screen feature with the index cards–I have a tough time keeping my focus on details when switching between windows, so having both up simultaneously and being able to alternate between the two is huge. For the way I work, this makes it a valuable resource.
Thanks again for the great information.
May 12th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
@Logan
That’s funny because the problem you’re describing is the exact one I’ve had with Final Draft. Finish script, save, it’s 92 pages. Open it up the next day, it’s 88.
I’ve never had this problem with CeltX though, as far as I can remember.
May 12th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
I’ll leave it to John as to whether he wants this to be a public forum for my response but I’m sure that some of you have interpreted John’s comment about missing a highlight toolbar button to mean that we’ve removed functionality. Please be aware that we haven’t taken anything out of either platform related to highlighting. You can access the existing highlight functionality on Mac from Format>Highlight and Format>Font>Highlight on Windows. Trust me that we hear you that this is not the same as a highlight toolbar button.
Since I can’t disclose specifics of what we’re working on for our next free update, suffice it to say, I am reading this blog and paying attention to what you all are saying. It is important for us to serve the needs of the writing community, so your comments are not falling on deaf ears.
What I recommend is that you download the demo and test-drive it as John August suggested. You can decide for yourselves rather than just getting second hand information.
Kirsten Thayer Product Manager, Final Draft
May 12th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Nick — Never had that problem with FD.
On another note, I just thought of something… Since we KNOW FD is probably going to read this… How about we all use this forum as a place to kindly ask for the aspects we would like addressed in future versions of FD. Sure, we can send them an e-mail, which we should do, but here we can get a sense of what we are all interested in…
I’ll start. Obviously a HIGHLIGHTER for on the PC version. Also, how about a BACK TO button… like on a television remote, when you want to JUMP BACK to the station you were on. So, we have our cursor on a scene… we’d look something up in our script… and then, by pressing this button… we’d JUMP back to. I guess its similar to a bookmark… but I don’t want to create a bookmark every time…
What’s everyone else want on their wish list? John, how about yours?
Unite everyone. A forum like this is a perfect place to be heard.
May 12th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
I like to use the Speech Control when I’m re-reading, particularly when I’m looking for grammatical errors, typos, etc. I find it useful when I’ve been working on something for a while and I tend to skip over simple mistakes, even when I’m reading it aloud to myself because I know what I mean for it to say. Having someone else read it back to me helps me find those mistakes and if someone else isn’t available I just use the Speech Control. As far as getting a feel for the flow of dialogue and such, it’s not entirely useful because even with all the different voices it offers, it still sounds like a robot. However, it helps you pick up those weird lines sometimes, like when you unintentionally use homonyms and a line ends up kind of ambiguous. So, it’s not entirely worthless.
May 12th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Used to use FD until their Mussolini-like serialization process and lack of _real__ updates drove me to abandon it. I moved on to Celtx and found it intriguing but not very intuitive (not surprising – you get what you pay for these days, right?). About a year ago I settled on Montage and though it has its quirks, at least I know it’s solid and is moving forward on innovation, not because of their name.
May 12th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
Have been using FD6 for years, and have been pretty happy with its stability. On my most recent script, working with a writing partner who is remotely participating, we looked for a screenwriting software that we could both remotely log into simultaneously.
We ended up working in Zhura (www.zhura.com), a free web-based software that allows us both to log in, edit, and text chat (although we do better to both be on the phone while working).
I’ve found plenty of niggly little bugs, not the least of which is the page count issue mentioned re CeltX above… page count in edit, view and printed modes all vary slightly.
I posted a pretty thorough rundown on my experience on my blog, and have had some interaction with the Zhura people there as well.
http://chipstreet.wordpress.com/2009/04/28/why-zhura-isnt-perfect/
Anyone have any recommendations on another product that allows simultaneous remote collaboration?
May 12th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
Been using Final Draft for years and the changes in version 8 are welcome and useful. I’m particularly enjoying the Scene View and the ability to title scenes through Scene Properties. The color-coding is also helpful. However, I have an ongoing quibble with Final Draft that goes back to version 5 and continues through 6,7, and now 8. Why does Final Draft change the top margin on a page that begins with continuing dialogue? It makes the top margin on those pages one line space higher than the top margin of other pages. Why? Is it to signal that the dialogue is continued? That’s pointless. And it’s not standard screenplay format. No other screenplay formatting program does that. It’s annoying. And there’s no way to override it. That makes it doubly annoying. Hey, Final Draft people, please fix that. The top margin of a screenplay should always be the same. That’s my quibble. Apart from that weird top margin issue — that seems to have always been there — I love Final Draft 8.
May 12th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
I skipped straight from FD6 to 8 and I think the upgrade was money well spent. I LOVE the new Scene Properties and Navigator functions and they’ve already helped me cut superfluous story beats quickly and easily. (When you’re fried and working to a deadline, the navigation is a godsend, as is the color-coding.) BUT… FD6 used to have a pull-down menu up in the toolbar for the Reformat function. This was far more elegant than what’s in FD8 – clicking on a button to bring it up and then having to click on the option. Hopefully I’ll acclimatize – or learn some keyboard shortcuts – (sigh) but in the meantime it is really irksome.
May 13th, 2009 at 3:41 am
Celtx seems to be really good for the writer-director-production mgr, in terms of pre-production planning. FD’s scene reports are ehhh. Regular FD doesnt quite have all the planning tools for it. Maybe the AV version does, but I aint shellin out more for something that really should have been included in regular FD package.
The only thing lacking is to change the background color for the page in Celtx. [I like a gray background instead of a eye-imploding white) Otherwise, bye-bye FD, you were nice to use but some other Dev's came up with niftier tools.
FD needs to make substantial upgrades better than this [do a focus group FD Devs], and this new 8 version doesnt seem to have anything super innovative to make me upgrade. Although I like the bit about a master script instead of saving multiple versions of a revision. [something I do a lot.]
Although, importing script files to Celtx, the formatting was a bit off. [exported the FD file to straight .txt, still came out wonky in Celtx]. So, some minor flaws there. But Celtx is a great pre-pro software tool.
John, you should prolly check out Celtx and do a brief review of that. I’m sure readers here would be interested.
I’m just a regular consumer and not getting/giving any endorsements. Seeing as how a FD employee commented, I’m sure they really really want you not to recommend/use other software.
Maybe your post will give em a wake up call.
May 13th, 2009 at 7:15 am
No updates on Collabowriter? I was hoping they would invest in that feature and make it more gooder! For example, a sandbox in the cloud for FD users to drop a document for version control between writing partners…the ability to provide feedback, dole out scene assignments, etc. would be killer.
May 13th, 2009 at 8:37 am
I’m kinda offended that someone would assume that since I don’t use Final Draft (any longer) that I am not serious about the craft. With no knowledge of my screenwriting history or anything. Wild. I have not had any particular page count problems with Celtx, but some of my students have had difficulties with this. So, it does happen, and is likely something that will be fixed in future releases.
May 13th, 2009 at 11:00 am
Firstly, a big thank you to John for the vimeo and this whole discussion. Personally, I adore, venerate and worship FD7 and I would only upgrade if FD8 wasn’t so darn expensive.
Secondly, MRC asks:
Here’s what I do. With my cursor active in page (say) 28, I scroll back or forwards to check the relevant bit of script in page 5 or 31. When I’m ready to go back to page 28, I hit the space bar once et voila. Of course, this won’t work if you want to copy or cut from the page you scrolled back to.
Hope this of some help.
May 13th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
@Kirsten
Please bring back the “Save as PDF” under the file menu in FD8. I know I can get a PDF from the print menu in Mac, but it was really nice to have the one stop option under file menu. Under print menu, I have to make sure the title page is on, etc. Just extra hassle.
Otherwise I really like FD8! The navigator, and the overall font appearance was worth the upgrade fee for me.
@John
Thanks for your review. I use the reports feature and find it useful. Getting a report on what a particular character is saying helps with refining dialog. And let’s not forget the “profanity count”. That’s always a f%^#)*g eye opener for me.
May 13th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
John, thanks for this review.
I personally wouldn’t spend a dime on an upgrade to FD8 especially after reading all the bad reviews that are out there. When Mariner Software released Montage, I tried a demo and immediately fell in love. Need-less-to-say, I’ve been on board with Mariner Software’s Montage for quite some time now, and haven’t looked back. http://www.marinersoftware.com/sitepage.php?page=104
May 13th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
I’m just glad they added a function to print the title page along with the script rather than having to print it out as a separate document. Seems like a small thing for a $79 upgrade, but I’m happy.
RE: Scriptnotes. Actually, I’ve found this function very helpful when emailing drafts around for review, but even more so, I use it to keep reference material on file. I’ve pasted urls into scriptnotes just to save for later, kind of like using a newspaper article for a bookmark with pertinent info for the scene (Like a quote from a speech, or a map of a particular city park, or a short biography). That way, during a re-write, I can find my source material easily.
May 13th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
@MRC – Yup. That’s exactly what I’m saying.
I’ve been on FD since Godiva went streaking and in 6 you could always highlight on Mac… not PC.
Kristen says do it… – So I will now perform my duty as the 100th monkey, and boot each version sequentially for Jedi Academy purposes:
FD7 – Mac – Highlighter easily accessible. – 2 tier drop down & release. Perfect PDF output. – (Including the solved “Dual-Dialog-to-PDF” problem from 6.)
FD7 – PC – Highlighter accessible via… 2 tier drop down –> Font pop-out window –> one tier drop down –> select color –> OK button… (In basement, beneath underground waterfall, on mars, behind triple-locked door, with a prominent sign reading: BEWARE OF TIGER.) Perfect PDF output.
FD8 – Mac – Highlighter easily accessible. – 2 tier drop down & release. Perfect PDF output.
FD8 – PC – Tiger-guarded basement. Perfect PDF output.
May 13th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
If it isn’t clear what just happened…
The Highlighters still there.
And my receipt number is 140650.
It SHOULD keep up with the basic Special Olympics software standard of being smoother than Microsoft by having a highlight selector right on the control bar… but we’re not there yet.
And if you’re on a PC… :) well… Your highlighter is safe… living happily in the candy forest with Charlie the Unicorn. :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFCSXr6qnv4
May 13th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Synth,
While irreverent, I myself fell into stitches… And as good comedy, it sheds light on a need. I wonder, are you now more or less likely to be offered a beta test…
May 13th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
@Nick -
That’s never once happened in the five years I’ve used Final Draft in any form. But it’s a daily occurrence on Celtx, who’ve even acknowledged that problem.
May 14th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
@Logan
It happens when saving a document on the PC version and then opening it in the Mac version (and vice versa).
CeltX is much smoother cross-platform. I worked on the same script on the PC version, the Mac version, and the Linux version — all totally seamless.
May 15th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Thanks for this review John. I like that note card feature & the new tool bar pull down. I may have to upgrade this round. Will try read a few of the bad reviews now…
May 15th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Does FD8 have zoom above 150%? Is the zoom on a continuous scale? That would make it worth buying.
May 15th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
The zoom tops at 300%. incremental. non-continuous.
May 16th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Thanks for the review! A word on FD’s voices/read aloud thing. I don’t use it to craft scenes, but for the typo prone such as myself, having the computer read the script back to me is great for proofreading.
May 16th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
What about FD7’s problem with mistyping character names and then not being able to delete them? Has that problem been resolved with FD8?
May 17th, 2009 at 5:14 am
If the Final Draft people are still reading this thread… in FD8 it’s incredibly obnoxious that when you save or Auto Save it always prompts you to save as a .fdx, even if you’ve already saved a document as an .fdr. A majority of people won’t have FD8 for a long time, so why program version 8 without the ability to set the default extension as .fdr? (Like in Word ‘08) If you’re sending back and forth to people to read and get/give notes, it’s bothersome to save in both formats. It may just be a minor inconvenience, but a minor inconvenience that you deal with every fifteen minutes turns into major pain in the ass.
May 17th, 2009 at 9:00 am
Where has the Save-As-PDF gone from the file menu????
May 18th, 2009 at 2:22 am
I’m digging it. Although, a really big thing for me is not converting to PDF in version 8. Almost all of my scripts have to be emailed as such. Then it’s back to Print as PDF and then have to edit in the title page by myself. And I bet that’s gonna be inconvenient for everyone else–especially for some that don’t have an Adobe Pro program.
May 18th, 2009 at 10:14 am
@Phil
You don’t have to edit in the title page. You just have to make sure the title page is selected to print before you save the pdf. “File — Print — ‘Final Draft’ settings — ‘Include Title Page — Pdf — Save” so you can get pdf’s saved — and in OS 10.5, you actually have the option to password protect your pdf without having Adobe pro.
But yeah, I do with they brought back the Save as Pdf option under “File” for convenience.
May 18th, 2009 at 10:17 am
@Nick and Logan
I used to have pagination issues with FD when going between PC and Mac. But I think it had to do with the graphics driver in Windows 2000. If I’m correct, this is no longer an issue with XP and OS X. Let me know if this is not the case.
May 19th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
I’m not a professional screenwriter, neither one trying to break in the business -yet! I’m just a fine arts student in Spain who has interest in screenwriting, so take my opinion for what it is. I just want to comment on certain things that come over and over again when people discuss about screenwriting software.
First, on the Final Draft vs Movie Magic Screenwriter wars… Both are great pieces of software and both will fullfill anybody’s screenwriting needs. Unless you are a pro and need to to turn in your screenplays in one of both file formats because of the software they use in production, it’s just a matter of what you feel more comfortable with. Me, I’ve tried and used to some extent FD6,FD7, MMS2000 and now I own MM6, which I like a great deal. The reason why I bought it instead of FD7 was that FD7 -not an issue with FD6- has a huge CPU load in both my laptops -one of them is nearly state-of-the-art, so specs are not the problem-. This happens with FD8 too. I don’t know why, because it doesn’t happen in a much older desktop computer I have, but both laptops run hot with FD. MM6 goes like a charm. Both interfaces are nice. Both work great.
Second, about Final Draft being the industry standard… No piece of software can legitimately claim to be the industry standard. It may be the most widely used, but the only standard is the format of the document, not the file, and even that is fairly flexible. A screenplay written in Word 2007 and another in FD or MMS are equally professional as long as you understand the standard format of a screenplay -which, by the way, isn’t that complex that you NEED screenwriting software to get it right-.
Third, about Celtx… Open Source supporters are very passionate in their opinions, but I’ve used Celtx several times through the years and all I can say about it is “I rather write my screenplay in a plain word processor”. It is good to have a free option for those who want to use screenwriting software and can’t afford or don’t want to pay for FD or MMS, but comparisons between Celtx and those two are far from reasonable. Celtx lacks a lot of polish, and the fact you need to be connected to the web to format your screenplay before you print is just a joke. I’ve written some short screenplays in Wordperfect and the experience was much better than Celtx. Being free is not enough. I rather pay or use TAB in Word.
Fourth, if you are serious about your writing… You don’t NEED! or MUST! buy any software in order to become a professional writer. What you need is to commit to learn and practise your craft, even if you just use pen and paper. The needs will come when you get a deal. Worry about what software you’re using then.
And last… Thank you, John, for this rare website. It is great to read about screenwriting from someone who makes his living out of it. I’ve enjoyed very much the video-lessons.
May 20th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
I’ve been trying out FD8, and the annoyance of having to manually set the paragraph elements in some stock templates is very… well, annoying. Not to mention the lack of the aforementioned ’save as .pdf’ option, which has proven to be even more of an annoyance as I have no printer installed on my laptop and it refuses to let me create a .pdf.
Back to v6 for me.
May 21st, 2009 at 4:21 pm
What about their absolutely dreadful tech support? Have they fixed that? I remember a couple years ago it was a nightmare–the thing was buggy as hell and you’d call and they’d charge you! For things that were their fault!
I would never use FD again after that experience.
MM Screenwriter is my program of choice (I’ve used both for years). CeltX is fine, but it ain’t the smartest piece of software on the block. Screenwriter’s tech support is top notch. Free, and they always help you out. I paid $250 or whatever for the program a decade ago and it has served me super well. I upgraded to the latest version and I think it was the first time I had to pay for an upgrade. The program never crashes, never gives false page counts. Wonderful.
May 23rd, 2009 at 3:01 am
Thanks for the great “forum”, John.
Kirsten … please, please, please bring back “… Save as PDF” and not make us jump through hoops to do this (… as we currently have to in FD 8).
Also, did/does anyone else have the “bug” during initial Installation where ALL of the language “choices” are completely “greyed out”?
Other than the above, FD 8 seems to be a-okay for me ( … and I have been with Final Draft since Version 2 … I kid you not.).
May 23rd, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Are there any Windows users around here that have experienced high CPU usage while using Final Draft 7.x (in my case, 7.1.3) or 8? My 2GHz Centrino 2, 4Gb RAM laptop goes up to 50% while typing in Final Draft 7 or 8, what means it heats more, the fan is noisier and the battery life shorter. My other laptop ,a 1.7GHz, 512Mb Ram Centrino had the same issue, while my four year old desktop (2.4GHz Pentiun IV, 1Gb Ram) didn’t. This issue is preventing me from purchasing version 8, and, because I don’t have a customer number yet, I can’t e-mail customer support from Final Draft to see if there is any configuration adjustment I can do to sort it out. I know most of you probably use Apple computers, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. Cheers!
May 26th, 2009 at 11:36 am
As I asked before, does anyone know if you can delete a character name typo from the character list? In FD 6 you were stuck with that non character in the list and it slows you done.
Also why don’t they have a place to load stock character and character profiles? Just curious.
May 27th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Just came across this thread and found it v. interesting. Great tour, John, thanks. I’ve been using FD6 for a long time and never bothered upgrading to 7 because of the bad rap it got. In fact, the only reason I upgraded from 5 to 6 was for the PDF export.
Anyway, I’m considering either finally moving on to v8 or trying something new like Movie Outline which seems to have a lot of story structure tools. Anyone ever tried this software? How does it compare to FD, Montage and Celtx?
May 30th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Please help – does anyone know how to you place “elements” onto the toolbar – it doesn’t seem to automatically appear and it’s the most important aspect of any screenwriting program…?
E
May 31st, 2009 at 2:09 pm
I tried the demo last night. It’s pretty much a dud for me. Again, some innovative new features, but sloppy-ass programming and testing by the FD crew. Sorry Kirsten.
I love the notecard feature, how it shows you all your sceens (with dialog) and allows you to move them around. There are other little features which are nice including a pop up window which allows you to look at the scene headings and re-type them.
Not sure if the torture of the SmartType bug has been fixed.
But I am on board with this version because the thing is just damn slow! The autosave takes too long. I hate the FDX formats — is that necessary?. WTF is that for. Are you guys trying to be Microsoft by rendering old file formats obsolete?
Biggest problem: when I am scrolling down or writing fast it hangs up for a second on my computer (running a Toshiba A135 which I bought in June 2007). Totally unacceptable for a ADHD speed demon like me.
Final 7 is fine for now.
June 1st, 2009 at 12:47 am
Nelson (#56)…great, well-reasoned response. thanks for the insights.
June 3rd, 2009 at 7:59 am
@Neson (#60) Yep, I have the same problem here with the CPU load on my Toshiba laptop with Win XP both in FD 7 and 8 (Demo). For that reason FD is useless to me. Also, when writing, the letters are displayed in delay. This can be quite annoying, when writing fast. FD 6 works fine.
June 5th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
@GeGe (#66) Does you computer have an integrated graphics chipset with shared memory or a proper graphics card? Both my laptops have integrated graphics, while the desktop has a 128Mb Nvidia card. I’m wondering if this difference between both my laptops and my older desktop are responsible for the issue. Other possibility could be a Centrino-specific issue. Anyway, I’ll stick to MMS6 whenever I need it. Software isn’t that important, anyway, but it bugs me when I can’t get some app to work as it should.
June 6th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
TO ROB #50. It may be a little late, but to delete a character from Final Draft 7. Go to ‘Document’ then ‘SmartType.’ Or on a Mac, Command+L. There is a list of all your characters, places, etc. Click on the name and then the delete button. Poof, he/she/it no longer exists. Or course, you could always keep the misspelled word and try to use it. Have a character named ‘Sussam’ instead of Susan. :)
June 18th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Thanks Richard
June 30th, 2009 at 10:18 am
@Kirsten, if you are still lurking…
*It would be nice if the Zoom level for the script view window had a “Fit Visible” option much like the Adobe Reader so that only the text is visible without the margins. Lots of screen real estate gets taken up with those margins.
*I’d like to be able to split panels at least twice so that I could have up to four panels sharing space on the screen.
*I second for requests to add “Save as PDF” back in the file menu.
@Synthian & Valiente
You can set the zoom to any level you like by simply typing in the zoom level you desire in the zoom window. (At least on Windows you can.)
July 1st, 2009 at 8:55 am
No one seems to talk about it, here, but I have both Final Draft 7 and a twenty-year-old version of ScriptWare. ScriptWare kicks Final Draft’s a** in almost every regard. I’m a pro screenwriter and, for the life of me, can’t figure out why FD is the “industry standard”. They must have slipped someone a few bucks under the table.
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Am I correct that FD7 renders pdf scripts into gigantic files of unsearchable images, rather than searchable text? How does FD8’s pdf output behave?
July 6th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
how does pdf function behave? if you;’re a busy working pro, it doesn’t. ridiculous. you can’t print as a pdf with title page anymore without reverting the file back to FD7. absurd. this is such a crucially important feature for me, as i am constantly making pdf’s and sending my scripts that I’m dumping mine and going back to fd7. How could they overlook this??