Writing a screenplay that meets the format standards may be quite confusing for new script writers and even experienced writers may not want to spend their attention on following technical formatting changes when they are writing a script. There are many softwares that take care of the screenplay format with additional features that vary from one software to another. The main and most popular scriptwriting softwares are Final Draft, Movie Magic Screenwriter, Celtx, Fade In, and WriterDuet. I have used almost all these softwares and I will try to review them in a series of posts. But for now, let’s talk about Final Draft.
What is Final Draft?
So Final Draft is basically a script writing (or a screenplay writing) software that helps its user to write a screenplay that that meets the submission standards set by theater, television and film industries. It also helps organize the script and makes it easy for the script writer to leave ScriptNotes and it displays Characters arcs and story beats. The software gives other features such as the ability to run reports for characters and locations which can be handy when scanning your script for budgeting reasons. You can do re-writes and revisions and of course export your script is a pdf format. In the latest update you can also add images and do your story boarding in the software. Their website claims that Final Draft is used by 95% of film and television productions.
How to use Final Draft?
The best thing is the the software is very user friendly and easy to use. There’s no need to look up tutorial videos in order to start writing your script. It’s already formatted correctly.
Here is a video where they show how to use the software.
How much Does Final Draft Cost?
All of that does not come for free đ The price of Final Draft 11 (Latest update till 2020) is $249.99. However, if you already have a previous version, then upgrading will cost you $79.99. You can buy and download the software for the website finaldraft.com which will be the best deal you will get on the software. And you can choose a version that is compatible with your computer and operating system (Mac or Windows).
Is Final Draft worth it?
The features of Final Draft do not come cheap. I think it is a pretty expensive software especially if you are a film student or have the hobby of screenplay writing. But if you are serious about having script writing as a profession, i think that it is worth investing in the software. Especially that it is used widely in the industry and it can save time and a lot of hassel when it comes to send your script to the professionals.
If you don’t want to spend that much on a script writing software, you can always format your screenplay manually using Microsoft word or google docs. and you can find cheaper alternatives like Celtx.
