Final Draft is a widely known for setting the standard on industry script writing  software. The software is capable to be used to write television shows, movie scripts, and stage plays.

It is easy to use and has powerful feature that will help writer to format the scrip they wrote, therefore giving writer more time to focus on the story itself. It is also by far one of the most popular screens writing software that comes with a superb technical support and excellent features.

The latest version of Final Draft is the Final Draft 8.0. This version is priced online for $175.11

Supported OS

Final Draft is configured for both Microsoft Windows and Mac OS. The Microsoft Windows supported are XP, Vista, and 7. Requirement wise, for Microsoft Windows, You will need Pentium III or letter processor in addition to a minimum of 512 MB RAM. Additionally, you will also need 50 MB of hard disk space.

On the other hand, Final Draft 8.0 support Mac OS X v10.4.11 or later. The hardware requirements are a G4 processor or better with a minimum of 512 MB Ram and 50 MB of hard disk space.

Features

As we mentioned above, Final Draft makes it easy to just focus on your story while the screenwriting software takes care of the formatting. It uses basic keyboard shortcuts, such as the Return key, Tab and so on. When you’re writing the script, if you hit Return, you’ll be given a list of options, which include:

* [G] General: Just a generalized formatting option; honestly, we never use it.
* [S] Scene Heading (or slug line): This is where you’ll put the location and general time of day, such as EXT. DOCTOR’S HOUSE ? MORNING. This means it’s exterior, or outside, of the doctor’s house in the morning.
* [A] Action: This is where you’ll type out brief descriptions of what’s happening.
* [C] Character: Formats the character name for dialogue; Final Draft screenwriting software remembers them as you type them out, making it easy to just hit Enter after typing the first letter of a character’s name.
* [P] Parenthetical: This lets you add extra instructions for actors, such as (yelling) or (with a coy smile), in the dialogue.
* [D] Dialogue: Will adjust to the proper format for writing dialogue.
* [T] Transition: Final Draft will allow the proper format for writing in transitions, which are occasional ways to move from scene to scene quickly when great lengths of time pass. For example, you can use the transition to move a scene involving a man going to sleep to waking up the next morning in a new scene, by using “Dissolve To”; this will tell the video editor to put a dissolve in between both scenes.
* [H] Shot: Will properly format where you’d put a brief camera description.
* [ ] Cast List: You can put this list of characters at the beginning of the script for casting purposes, so potential actors can see who to audition for. It’s not recommended you do this, unless the movie is actively casting actors for the roles.
The features may not seem like much, but in reality, all you need to activate this feature is to just hit a return key or just using a keyboard combination key such as Tab key. Mostly, when writing a script, you will be only needing 2 to 3 of these features.

A SmartType feature will help writer by remembering name of characters, locations and shots. This is a great feature that will keep writer focused on the story line and thus saving plenty of time.

Other writing features include ScriptNotes, to write down ideas or give feedback; CollaboWriter, which allows writers to work together online and in real time; Writing Management, to see if you’re meeting your screenwriting time goals; a spell-checker and thesaurus; and Panels System, which will put the script into either a Scene View (just the scene headings) or Index Cards (breaks down the script into index cards that can be printed) for easier viewing of the screenplay.

Once your scrip is going to be reproducing for film, you will need to do a rewrite of the scrip. This is where Final Draft comes in. Final Draft gives writer the ability to lock pages that does not need any revision and change the color of the corresponding revision.

Pros

An industry-leading screenwriting software app; easily formats your script and allows for rewrites, collaboration and more.

Final Draft screenwriting software offers several different templates that can be used not just for writing a movie script, but also multiple for television shows, stage plays, and even comic books and graphic novels. This is especially great if producers hire you to write a script for a show like “The Simpsons”; you can download script templates from the Template Library at Final Draft’s website. The graphic novel templates are even formatted by company, such as Dark Horse Comics and Image Comics.

Final Draft offers great support for registered users of the screenwriting software, including installation and general technical support. You can get free phone activation, 24/7 phone support (free for 90 days for up to 20 minutes, then $2.50 per minute), email support, a AQs/knowledgebase page, an interactive trouble shooter and live chat during business hours.

Cons

Compared to similar software, it is pricey. Additionally, it has no true story and character development tools. Lastly, the software does not have a user forum in which user can discuss about the “how” to use the software.

Developer’s website: Final Draft