Screenwriting : Best software by Scott Whenman

Scrivener seems to be used by a lot of novelists, though I frankly have no idea what it offers beyond a program like Word. Final Draft is the industry standard in Hollywood for screenplay formatting software. It's used by the vast majority of writers in film and television. It's not intended or even useful for writing narrative fiction, unless they've recently developed an add-on for that.

Thanks for the advice, this is all very new and scary tome. I just want to make sure I can make it as professional as I can.

Writing in standard screenplay format from the first draft on can be important for screenwriters since it allows you to feel running time passing as you're writing as well as having a sense of when scenes/shots have reached their right length, again in terms of time. Writing in format isn't the only way to make this work, but nearly all professional screenwriters use a formatting program like Final Draft from the initial draft.

Final Draft is the best. It is what I use

I use Word Perfect.

I use Celtx and LOVE it! I love that it has an online and a desktop feature so I can back up online and write from anywhere. Also the export to PDF is beyond easy to use! LOVE it!!

Do a search in the lounge for screenwriting software, you will find more threads than Egyptian cotton sheets on the topic. I will only say that not all that are mentioned, format properly and it is obvious to those who read scripts as a part of their daily job.

That's one of the things I wonder about people who always use formatting software: how do they know their screenplay is correctly formatted. At this point in formatting several screenplays by hand in Word, I know pretty well what the correct format is. By the time anyone sees my screenplay, I've gone through it line by line several, perhaps dozens of times.

Yeah but I just do it manually and when I'm done I put it in PDF and go through the PDF line by line. I suppose my way takes more time, but then there's always one more thing that can be done to polish it anyway. Anyway, I realize that I'm a very bad man for using Word, but I just wondered a bit how somebody who has always placed their reliance in screenwriting software really knows that the software is formatting correctly.

Thank you, CJ. That's one of my biggest peeves.

You might also consider Adobe Story which is a free application for screenwriting and allows easy collaboration. They offer a paid version that adds scheduling and other valuable production tools, but if you are only using it for screenwriting the free application is very good.

Check out JohnAugust.com podcast ScriptNotes. They did an episode on Final Draft's lack of meaningful updates. I also use Scrivener and sometimes Celtx, which has a free version. For those on Mac I hear good things about Highland. Final Draft is not the industry standard it once was.If you are familiar with Scrivener I don't see any need in changing.

I use Final Draft, once you learn it you will like it...............

Hi guys! I'm a newbie here - and to screenwriting. So, I am looking for an all seeing, all knowing 'Scrivener Guru' (or two ...) that can shed some light on a 'Scrivenistic quirk' or two!

Final Draft is the industry standard, and if you're serious you should invest It's software, not an app. It's expensive, but if you want to work in the industry, you should have it. Me, I use writerduet.com because it's free and in the cloud.

Julia is correct. The only industry standard is PDF. You can write your screenplay with any software available. I also use Fade In and like it very much, but the free options out there will work. Final Draft is really only needed if you work in a writing room that requires it. I would suggest new writers save their money. There's nothing specific to Final Draft that you need to start writing your scripts.

Julia Petrisor I have FD 11 and FadeIn on same computer. Both import and export PDF just fine. But there are slight formatting differences on the page..

Hey, perks of writing television is employers give you software and a company computer to use. (but in case you're fired, they want it all back).

Yes, you can import pdfs in FD. I have used FD for years and have tested many others. I also read hundreds of scripts a year for coverage and competitions and I can tell the difference. All that aside, there are some pretty vehement remarks on here which is completely uncalled for. The problem most have with FD is they 1) don't want to pay and 2) they don't know how to use it to its full potential, the way those working in the industry do. Use whatever you want, but for me, it has the PROPER formatting shortcuts, so I don't have to worry about the one thing that puts everyone on the same level -- and so that I can focus on what matters -- the story. As far as the cost goes, if you want this as a career, sooner or later you will need to invest in said career where most others use FD.

Sorry, Laurie. I'm going to have to disagree with you. The Scriptnotes podcasts on Final Draft are worth a listen. Also, how many of those hundreds of scripts were in FDX format compared to PDF? How many did you pass on because they weren't written in Final Draft? If it works for you cool, but don't make it sound like you can't work in the industry without it.

Certainly your right to disagree, and as I said, use what you want. I am fully aware of John August and Craig Mazin, and the controversies they foster, thanks. I'm also pretty aware that they don't breakdown scripts for production. My point on formatting is that it is the one component that has the potential to put every writer, regardless of experience, on the same level and it is the one aspect that most scripts that cross my desk fail at.

I would hardly consider the writers of Mulan and Chernobyl controversial. The OP was asking about screenwriting software. Producing is totally different as you know and I'm sure any producer worth their salt would know Final Draft very well. I'm also sure Disney didn't send Rian Johnson's script for Star Wars back because he wrote it in Fade In. Almost all modern screenwriting programs read and write FDX.

I know John and respect what he started with Scriptnotes. I worked at Disney for many years. Mazin is notorious for railroading anyone with an opinion. My answer was to the OP. In that if you are a writer that is fortunate enough to have one of your scripts in production or be asked to work on another in production, it would behoove you to be familiar with the software. Last I checked, FD is the only software that guarantees support to productions -- their contracts and liabilities to productions are enormous.

That sounds like Craig! Thanks for your input.