I'd just say "lucky you" that you know enough people of sufficiemt expertise to give you sound objective advice for free.
I was just saying that if you have money to spare, getting the words right is more important than getting the software. I could have said spend it on a weekend retreat instead - anything that helps with the words, really.
Quote: Badge @ November 18, 2007, 1:05 PMI'd just say "lucky you" that you know enough people of sufficiemt expertise to give you sound objective advice for free.
I was just saying that if you have money to spare, getting the words right is more important than getting the software. I could have said spend it on a weekend retreat instead - anything that helps with the words, really.
I don't 'know' anybody, sadly. People with expertise or otherwise. I just think 50 quid is really steep. Having said that, if I ever got in the position when I could run a script reading service then I probably would, seems like easy money.
I just believe the way to learn is to read scripts, and watch comedy. You pick things up that way. And keep writing and you'll learn too. But that's just my opinion on matters.
And of course, getting the script right is far more important than flashy software. I can't compare having never used ScriptSmart. It's for Word isn't it? I refuse to use Word therefore could never use the script template!
I use Final Draft and it does make script formating a breeze.
However I'm now edging towards writing more material for radio and despite Final Draft having tons of templates none of them are for radio! So I still have to use ScriptSmart.
Yes it's not as easy to use as Final Draft but ScriptSmart does the job and more importantly it's free.
i've got final draft. it's great, but I tend to use movie magic screenwriter pro. you can download a demo of the software to try.
quite expensive but ultimately worth it imho. I just find writing the same name over and again to be a real bind. even pushing those buttons on scriptsmart is too much like hard work for me, though.
I have never managed to get the BBC download to work. I have and use Final Draft and it is possible to talor the templates to come somewhere near what you want in most instances.
I started out writing feature length film scripts and this is where a formatting programme really comes into its own. There used to be an insistence, although I believe less so now, that where a piece of dialogue was split between pages you needed to write (more) at the foot of one page and (con't) at the top of the next. This is an absolute pain if you have to do it by hand as every time you edit a line out, you have to go and re do any page that comes after it. Which can be over a hundred or so.
Having the character name pop up intuitivly is another thing that assists me in scenes where there are two people speaking in single words or short sentences.
I used to use a programme called ScriptWare (i think) this was better than final draft in my view, but is no longer available.
I have written in Word and would certainly choose Final Draft over this but, as has been said already, it's the actual words you write that count. I find with formatting software, I spend more productive time in each session.
And I found Marc Blakes crit very useful and would urge anyone to invest that amount in themselves. I wouldn't give that much feedback for 60 quid and I don't know what I'm talking about. O, not with regard to Final Draft, I do have experience there.
Thanks everyone for the feedback. Much appreciated. 
Def.
I'm a Scriptsmart fan too. No real problems and it seems to be accepted by anyone wot I send fings to.
Download a demo of Movie Magic here. http://www.screenplay.com/products/demos.htm
It's got loads of templates and when my pal needed a BBC Radio format he sent them a sample script and they produced a template for him to use.
movie magic is ace.
final draft is ok but messes up alot.
script smart dont work on my machine.
word is not for me.
Quote: johnny roulette @ November 19, 2007, 5:28 PMfinal draft is ok but messes up alot.
In what way?
it crashed on me once causing me to lose an entire re-write. My own fault in a way as I should have kept saving. But them's the breaks.
Quote: Seefacts @ November 19, 2007, 5:33 PMIn what way?
it just messes me about. crashes a lot. formats things out of synch with other bits. big delays when you delete sections. i only use it when i am told to.
Are you using the latest version?
I've had nothing but lovely times with Final Draft, I have to say.