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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/798
118 MacDirectory
PROFILE
FINAL DRAFT SCRIPTWRITER'S SUITE > SCRIPTS MADE SIMPLE
Everyone has a story to tel,l but is yours
good enough for a movie, TV series or
documentary? Stage plays, movies, audio-
visual scripts, and television episodes have
their own unique writing style and format.
If the format is not correct or a few sneaky
spelling errors pop up, no matter how
great the play or movie plot, your hard
work will land in the trash pile.
Luckily for beginning and experienced
screenwriters, there is Final Draft
Scriptwriter's Suite with Final Draft v7
and Final Draft AV v2.5. Both software
programs downloaded seamlessly to an
Apple MacBook Pro. Systems
requirements state both programs require
Mac OS X v10.3.9 or later, Power PC G3 to
G5 or an Intel-based processor, 128-256
MB of RAM, and 35-50 MB of available
hard drive space.
It's worth the time to take a play- or script-
writing course, and purchase a how-to
book. However, if you have a story burning
in your brain, Final Draft helps guide you to
unleash your passion. There are many
supportive features in this program, and a
few are highlighted in this review.
In Final Draft, different script templates
are provided for laying out plays, movies
and television formats. Help is provided
with a PDF and hard copy user manual. If
you're really stumped, there is the "Ask
the Expert" interactive problem solver.
Open a new file, and note the well-laid-
out, self-directing word processing tool
bar. At the bottom of the page is the
nifty Status Bar that identifies whether you
are inserting a heading, action, scene
introduction, character dialogue, etc.
Simple, yet very important Continues and
Mores can be automatically inserted.
Final Draft allows importing of other
scripts, saving time to not retype material.
Text to Speech allows the writer to choose
different voices for live script readings.
The Panels Systems offers the script to be
viewed as index cards, in split screens, or
multiple panels under the main screen.
And Format Assistant can search and alert
for errors before printing and submission.
Commands and functions on the
Production menu help alleviate potential
production problems. Final Draft also
allows collaborative writers to compare,
edit and discuss scripts in real time over
the Internet. Final Draft Tagger is
included, which assists breaking down the
script into a shooting schedule format,
saving time and money.
Final Draft AV is a full scriptwriting
software for professional writers of
commercials, corporate or training videos,
documentaries and presentations. This
program simplifies the process, by
providing a table format with an
organized menu bar. It eliminates the
scriptwriter's headache of aligning
columns, and allows writers to tailor their
script layout. Columns and scenes stay
aligned throughout typing. Video text
can be dragged and dropped in sequence
with audio text, allowing scenes to be
reordered. Layouts can be modified and
saved as templates for future use. Scripts
can be laid out in three different formats
(audio visual, radio and linear script). With
Apple Keynote (purchased separately),
script text can be exported into a visual
slide presentation.
Both programs provide 24/7 support with
Online Knowledge Base, and are 100%
cross-platform for Windows and Mac users.
Final Draft and Final Draft AV allow online
script registry with the Writer's Guild of
America. For both programs, free online
demos are provided at