Hi all,
I am looking for some advise on the final touches of my screenplay presentation.
Obviously, formatting is important when putting your screenplay out for display.
So, I was wondering if people use a certain program or do you use Microsoft Word and focus heavily on getting the formatting right.
I really appreciate any responses I can get :)
Mat
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In the beginning,
there was Word,
and I used Word,
then I found "Celtx" - it's free.
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Celtx might be free, but Word is more stable. I also hear a lot about Final Cut Pro, but most companies expect a PDF no matter what you use.
As a Celtx user. It is stable, portable and super useful.
Thank you :)
Plus I use Rosie Drabble from here as a editor. She keeps me honest from a format point of view as well as when I have make lazy errors. Hunt her down.
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Guys, don't use Word. If you want to be professional, use a professional tool, and Final Cut Pro is not screenwriting software, it's video editing software. Screenwriting software will not help you for your final polish, it needs to be proofread. If you're not able to proofread it yourself then feel free to contact me, I provide a script proofreading service.
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if you send a script in Word, it is passed on immediately. Do not do it. Youre trying to seem like a professional.
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I use Final Draft. Like everyone said, DON'T use Word, it won't properly format. If you're worried about grammar and punctuation, maybe invest into Grammarly. It will help with these points until you get to an editor.
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If you're looking for it to be free use Celtex or Writerduet. I use the bought version of Writerduet, though I used to use Final Draft, but I prefer Writerduet.
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Use professional screenwriting software. All you're doing by using word is making more work for yourself. Completely unnecessary and a waste of time that could be better spent on making your story shine.
Just from my experience, Celtx, Writer's Duet, and Adobe Story are all useable, but not seemless. Final Draft & MovieMagic are equally perfect. Final Draft is used by professionals, meaning producers ask for your pdf and final draft file after the 27th draft of notes so they can easily change everything that you worked hard to perfect.
I use and prefer Fade In, but all the others listed will work for what you want... almost all have trial or free versions, so try a few and work out which suits you best.
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You're in Australia so I assume you're writing for your market - maybe you're writing for the US market. In any case, you'll need to convert your script to a pdf file format for distribution. None of the word processing programs will work for you because converting the file to a pdf file really screws up the margins, indents and basically all your text by compressing everything - so don't use it.
Since you're in Australia, you are likely committed to using one of the BBC templates - Final Draft includes them and will convert your files seamlessly . I don't know about the other software.
@ A. S. Templeton : "Follow the lemmings"??? Really? if that does not shout "elitist" and "arrogant" then I do not know what does and that is just a great attitude to present to others. SMH. Makes any advice from you fodder IMO.
@Mathew Templeton: I have heard some very good things about WritersDuet from Screencraft.com. I myself appear to be a "lemming" and use Final Draft. MS Word also works, but you do have to watch when converting to PDF, there are templates that you can get from Office that helps to convert from Word to PDF and keeps everything in line.
Thank you everyone for your advise. All very helpful and greatly appreciated.
Dene - The BBC template is a stock template included in FD. I don't use it because I write for the US market but I'm aware of it and its use in certain TV markets - mostly in PAL based production areas (Aust, UK NZ...).
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I'm sorry Doug, but what's the PAL encoding system got to do with screenplay formats?
Pierre the PAL encoding system has nothing to do with the screenplay formats other than it's generally in the markets that use PAL - like NZ, Aust, UK... PAL and NTIS have absolutely nothing to do with script formatting but I'm saying that writers in the various markets ought to be aware of local customs and traditions when it comes to script formatting.
Doug, a writer doesn't need to be aware of the local customs and traditions of encoding or the differences between PAL and NTSC or even which one their home country uses.
BBC, as we all know, stands for British Broadcasting Corporation and the AUS & NZ markets have nothing to do with the BBC. I doubt AUS & NZ would receive any more BBC programming as the US. I believe England uses the BBC template for TV writing only. Australia would be just as likely to use the BBC template as America would. You don't and we don't.
No offence but PAL and NTSC formats shouldn't even be brought up in a writing discussion.
Very true Pierre - these are technical issues that ought not intrude on the creative writing side. But often I see comments regarding formats from folk in different regions that are using different templates. They don't realize that there are subtle differences - it's like comparing onions to potatoes; They're both vegetables, they both grow underground - but they are indeed different. That's my point.....
That's true, Doug.