As a satisfied owner of Finale Draft 7, I can recommend this product to anyone with a serious interest in playing. For those not familiar with the program, Final Draft is essentially a computer application that allows easy formatting and writing of scripts. Professional writers expect a very specific format when it comes to writing. As an evaluator myself, I have experience to speak to this. Game players and game players will require a fairly nitpicky format to adhere to industry standards. The names of the characters must be counted, the dialogue must appear directly below, the pages must be numbered in a certain way. The formula (if you’re lucky enough) doesn’t do a great job between all of those things. The final draft was built specifically around these elements. A writer can choose between a variety of scripts for TV, film, and stage. Each program is well-maintained, and the program will not allow the writer to print the document until he/she has checked for formatting errors (if any). My favorite feature is the read-back feature. Using this, Final Draft will assign voices to your characters, and then automatically do the writing for you. Don’t look for Tony to win games here, but it was useful to me.
The only downside to the program is the price. It seems quite expensive, but there are ways around this (not a steal!). If you have any actor/writer friends, chances are they have this product. Just borrow their CD and download the software. Does not require CD after installation. In addition, if you know that there is a good network to be compared to, you will find an example there. And we must remember that older versions are usually cheaper and, in this case, there is little difference between versions 7 and 8. When you get this software, you can make your tips on Shaws and Shakespeares before us who couldn’t even do it. having such a dream.
A few technical notes about the program: Final Draft 7.1.2, the latest version of the program, retails for $229 on its website, www.finaldraft.com. There are both Mac and PC versions, both built for the latest operating systems. If you have the latest Draft VI, you can purchase an upgrade, making your version just like the latest version, for $60. If you’re a student or teacher, however, you can purchase Final Draft for $169 from finaldraft.com. On their site, you’ll see testimonials from Final Draft users like John Cusack and Steven Bochco. You can certainly send me this list of supporters. Since the game software is such a specific product, Final Draft can really be bought alone. Microsoft Word provides an example, as mentioned above, but not testing your script, it only allows you to write in near-standard script form It is for free. But don’t let the price scare you. Get together a few writers and buy this work. Try eBay for used or earlier versions that work just as well. Just remember to keep in mind what system (Mac or PC) and operating system (OS 8, Windows, etc…) you are using. Other than that, enjoy this program!
