Me too. I have FD6 and never write in it. Money lost!

I use Script Maker. Simple and easy Word template.

Kevan,

Are you a Chulies gum representative?


I'm sure only a few people are going to understand what that means, but anyway, I use Roughdraft for my scripts, and they look ok to me.  I'm sure FD and MM are ok too, just a little out of the budget at this point.

Quoted from Shelton Kevan, Are you a Chulies gum representative? I'm sure only a few people are going to understand what that means, but anyway, I use Roughdraft for my scripts, and they look ok to me.  I'm sure FD and MM are ok too, just a little out of the budget at this point.

Are you kiddingf?  I think its some kind of simply scripts law that you have to watch every kevin smith movie ever made.

Quoted from Kevan If you are interested in writing outlines to plan before you jump into writing a full screenplay then Darc Productions in the UK have released a program for this very purpose called movie outline and you can download a working demo from: http://www.movieoutline.com/index.html Kevan

What's the difference between this and a free program like treepad?

http://www.treepad.com/

Personally, I have found all of this very interesting.  I don't use anything aside from from plain old Word, but I am nevertheless curious about what is out there.  Especially seeing how George is quickly becoming "one of them".

Kevan, please don't mistake sarcasm from these guys (the norm) as any kind of personal attack.  It ain't.  You seem like a well-spoken guy with much to contribute.

As for the software...well...I guess I'll have to go win some now, won't I?

Quoted from Kevan It's so easy for those who despise Final Draft and Movie Magic to slag them off.. This is because they've never used it, don't know what it does, and couldn't care less. That's a shame, your narrow-view means your mssing out! Try submitting a screenplay printed from one of the freeware and shareware packages to an agent or professional reader and see what feedback you get.. Probably none, and it won't matter how good your story is.. Shame you've never tried using one of them though, you might then know what you're on about! But hey, you're entitled to your opinion and that's all it is!

I think it's the tone of your comments, the assumptions you make about writers here, and the fact that you sound like a TV commercial that has provoked this debate.

I'm not sure who your 'narrow-minded' comment is directed at, but I think you'll find most of the serious writers around here are fully aware of such screenwriting programs. If you intend to hang around, you'll realise there are a lot of young writers here who are just learning the basics and are therefore unable to afford (or justify) shelling out $200 dollars for Final Draft. These programs don't make you a better writer, they just make writing a more comfortable experience.

My point was that it is perfectly possible to correctly format a screenplay using a standard word processor. This was in response to your suggestion that writers using anything else won't receive feedback from agents/producers. I can tell you from experience that this is simply not true.

You seem like you're genuinely trying to help by putting some info out there so fair play to you. However, as you've seen, there are plenty of die-hard MS Word fanatics who will disagree with you.

'narrow minded' was a misquote of your 'narrow-view' comment. My bad. Reread my post with that in mind and tell me where I insulted you.

Quoted from Kevan Quick to act, slow to understand comes to mind...

I'm not looking for conflict. I just didn't see anything in this thread that justified your suggestion that people here are 'uninformed'.

Who is the moderador this? Andrew come on, man! We are here to play our best not to exchange "hostility nor aggression, just ideas!

Quoted from Martin I just didn't see anything in this thread that justified your suggestion that people here are 'uninformed'.

Umm....Martin...?

Quoted from bigwhoop PDF? what the hell r u talkning about? is there a way to make scripts without doing all the carp manually( im  mean like having to line up sluglines, speech names, etc etc)?

Haha, fair point. I must've had my bigwhoop blinkers on

Kevan, seriously, you misinterpreted my comments. I have nothing against you personally, I was just airing my views on screenwriting software and engaging in what I thought was a friendly debate.

As for 'quick to act, slow to understand.' If you knew me you'd realize I am the complete opposite. This stems from me being a lazy ass.

I don't use FD for spelling or to write my screenplays but for anyone who has tried it's not so easy to copy and paste it into FD afterwards without some drawbacks. I have to reformat the whole thing every single time because it places it to far to the left.

I'd mod this post but just trying to read through the whole thing was bad enough.

Whoa, now this just got out of hand, didn't it?

First, I want to clarify that when it comes to programs, I typically use whatever is available to me; I am not really a loyalist to anything. I have extensively read screenwriting books and such and could properly format a script on a typewriter. Why not? People have done it for years. Every single script I have posted on this site (which is 29 according to the search engine from the main site, although it is really 30) I wrote in word and most of those I converted to pdf for free using gohtm.com.

The only reason I even have a copy of Final Draft is because it was given to me. It is my personal opinion that while the program contains a host of useful tools, for basic screenwriting, it is not a necessity. I can't speak on the ease of use since I have not written a script on it yet. Thought I'd try it at some point, sure. I have already discovered the program doesn't know everything, and it takes some knowledge of screenwriting to use it, and if you want something out of the ordinary, you may still end up doing that manually.

But since I can't load up FD at work, where I do the majority of my writing, I am left with Word and my head knowledge. I don't think using one program over another makes anyone a better writer or formats your script better. The key is the story. If your story sucks in perfect format, no one will care. If you have something really compelling, and your dialogue is a half-inch too wide, again, no one will care.

One thing I've learned in all I've read is that screenwriting format is not a scientific process. The rules are not carved in stone, and it is unlikely someone will use a measuring tape to check your margins. The rules are guidelines to make scripts look mostly the same so they are easy to read for someone who reads them all the time. As long as your scripts look somewhere close to all the professional ones you can read online, you'll be ok.

If someone actually requests an email copy in Movie Magic, the hey, that's an advantage to making friends on these forums. I'm sure if one of us came on here and said "so-n-so wants this in Movie Magic, who has it?" Someone would be willing to zip it in and out. And if you are likable, they might even make sure the program correctly formatted what you sent before just saving it.

I do occasionally feel like people who think they NEED a program should probably get a book instead. I don't believe specialty programs are necessary for success. I have found that the programs have some features that are very useful, but the program is not the end all to writing a script. My opinion: if you want a screenwriting program just for format, get a book. If you want one to go beyond the writing experience, start saving your pennies and get one that is worth buying.

Quoted from Kevan It's so easy for those who despise Final Draft and Movie Magic to slag them off.. This is because they've never used it, don't know what it does, and couldn't care less. That's a shame, your narrow-view means your mssing out! Shame you've never tried using one of them though, you might then know what you're on about! But hey, you're entitled to your opinion and that's all it is! If you're an aspiring screenwriter who would like to acquire Final Draft or Movie Magic Screenwriter then don't be put off by negative uninformed views which appear here. They don't know what they're talking about!

I take it I’m one of the shameful, narrow-viewed people you speak of.

The point I was trying to make was that these programs are tools for writers, not teachers. I believe (and yes, of course, it’s just my opinion) that one can benefit from learning the craft of writing before using these things.

I have no problem with these types of programs. And, quite frankly, anyone who would decide not to use one based solely on the opinion of someone who’s never used one is an idiot.

I used the expression “naïve writers.” In other words, if an experienced writer decides to use one of these programs then I would say, “he knows what he’s doing, he knows what he needs” and I would think nothing else of it. But it’s entirely too easy to convince a young inexperienced writer that he or she must have one of these programs.

I believe that it’s foolish for a new young writer to bother struggling with coming up with the money for one of these programs when they’re a) not necessary in the first place and b) not very valuable to someone who doesn’t understand screenwriting. That may make me narrow-viewed and that may very well be shameful but I stand by it.

Ultimately, these programs are valuable to whomever finds them valuable and it‘s inevitable that most writers will play with one or more of these programs anyway. I appreciate the information and experience you offer and who knows? Maybe I am missing out. I don’t feel like it but it’s possible. Isn’t it equally possible that people who use these products before they fully understand the craft of writing are missing out, also?

Breanne, you're mighty inspired lately. Well spoken.

Breanne reminds me of my English professor, who I love very much

Ya know, Microsoft Word is just as good as any of these programs.  Sure you have to tab to get the dialogue centered, but it's really not a big deal.  

Quoted from Breanne Mattson I used the expression “naïve writers.” In other words, if an experienced writer decides to use one of these programs then I would say, “he knows what he’s doing, he knows what he needs” and I would think nothing else of it. But it’s entirely too easy to convince a young inexperienced writer that he or she must have one of these programs.

Exactly.  An inexperienced writer using one of these programs is like telling time off digital clocks rather than learning how to read the 3 handed ones.  A screenwriter should know how to format, which is really what inexperienced writers should focus on before sharing their work with the world.

But hey, that's just my opinion.