Morning,
More advice. Currently using Celtx as it's free and it formats stuff...but it's starting to annoy now, it's buggy, you have to be online to make it a PDF, American spellcheck.
Obvs, I'd love to use Final Draft, but it's a bit £250.
What do you folk use as your software?
All I really want is decent formatting, spellcheck and ability to export to standard filetypes.
Some are using my Scriptwriter's Toolkit.
You've got your prices wrong there - I think you were looking at dollars.
FD8 is available from Amazon for £133.
The other comparable software is MovieMagic Screenwriter - about a fiver more.
I've used both and, frankly, really like MMSW, but got sick of being asked for things in FD8 format - which really is the industry standard.
If you can scrabble the dough together I would go for FD8.
Does it need a decent PC? I work off a netbook on the train.
This is what they say it needs -
Microsoft® Windows 7, Windows Vista™, or Windows XP (32 and 64 bit versions)
Intel® Pentium® III processor or later
Minimum 512 MB of RAM
50 MB available hard drive space
CD-ROM drive or Internet connection
Nice one. Christmas present for self then
I used to own Final Draft, I personally found it very buggy.
Quote: Lee @ December 7 2012, 3:31 PM GMTI used to own Final Draft, I personally found it very buggy.
I think FD7 was particularly buggy, which is why I held out with MMSW for so long (and I still prefer it, TBH) but, as I say, I work in screenplays and it's the only format people seem to want to see.*
FD8 has given me zero problems.
* note that if your presenting scripts to be read, as long as format is good, the software doesn't matter - most people will accept, nay prefer PDF. It's just when you get further along the line ( ie when they start changing your f***ing scripts) that the software choice becomes critical.
PS Love that festive snow, Lee.
Quote: Lazzard @ December 7 2012, 3:44 PM GMTI think FD7 was particularly buggy
PS Love that festive snow, Lee.
That's the one I had. Never heard of MMSW, will check it out.
PS Thanks
Quote: Trinder @ December 7 2012, 12:12 PM GMTMorning
All I really want is decent formatting, spellcheck and ability to export to standard filetypes.
... and a better clock.
Quote: Trinder @ December 7 2012, 12:12 PM GMTMorning,
More advice. Currently using Celtx as it's free and it formats stuff...but it's starting to annoy now, it's buggy, you have to be online to make it a PDF, American spellcheck.Obvs, I'd love to use Final Draft, but it's a bit £250.
What do you folk use as your software?
All I really want is decent formatting, spellcheck and ability to export to standard filetypes.
Seriously, don't waste your money. If you've got a word processing program find out how to set up styles and use those. You only need three - Dialogue, Action and Scene Heading.
Moviedraft is £17.99 and it's pretty decent. There's a demo so you can try out.
Quote: Godot Taxis @ December 8 2012, 1:18 AM GMTSeriously, don't waste your money. If you've got a word processing program find out how to set up styles and use those. You only need three - Dialogue, Action and Scene Heading.
That.
There's actually a free demo, so you could try it and see if you like it.
http://demo.finaldraft.com/download/
Good luck
Just been working with some software called 'Scrivener'.
It's actually a very flexible tool for all kinds of writing/research projects - you can pretty well tailor it to suit anything you're working on- and it allows you to keep everything, research, photos, music, webpages, index cards etc all inside the one project file and always to hand.
BUT within it is a pretty good script template package.
I normally work on FD8, but for my latest thing I had a ton of research in my Scrivener file and wanted to work 'within' it, so to speak, so tried out the screenplay formatting function.
It's not half bad - and , for my purposes will export to FD8 if I need to get it to someone in that format.
It doesn't have all the production tools that you get in FD8 & MMSW, but for writing, it's brilliant.
And it's less than £30.
I'd heartily recommend it