Screen Play Software – Final Draft Tips
By Gregory Adams
Screen play software for professional screenwriting that is endorsed by some of Hollywood’s biggest writers like Oliver Stone and Syd Field is Final Draft. This screenwriting software is the market leader and most widely used script formatting program in the world. It is also the most preferred program for script submissions amongst production companies. Final Draft has a host of intuitive features that enable a writer to focus on the story while freeing them from all the technical hassles and redundancy of properly formatting a screenplay.
There are shortcuts and time savers inherent in this program and many of them take experience to implement; here are some screen play software tips for Final Draft.
- The default font is a custom 12 point courier designed specifically to provide a thicker, better, and properly spaced font. Do not change this because Courier is the industry standard font and is a per-requisite of script submissions.
- Learn to work with the SmartType feature that keeps a database of scene headings, extensions, character names, locations, transitions and times. Enter just the first few letters and the software will type in the rest instantly; this is how you avoid typing reoccurring places and names and save yourself a whole lot of time.
- Use the bookmark function that marks any spot in your script so you can jump to it with just a click of the mouse. Do this by selecting Document>Insert Bookmark and add a custom name in the Bookmark name field at the top of the dialog box and click OK to apply changes to the script. To jump to a Bookmark, choose Edit>Goto. Select the Bookmark you want from the list (Windows) or the pop-up menu (Mac OS).
Professional screen play software is a must when submitting scripts to production companies for approval because it is what they use for writing and editing screenplays. Final Draft is the preferred program, but Movie Magic Screenwriter is an acceptable alternative. Also, consider digging into some good books on the art of writing a screenplay; titles like Screenwriting Goldmine by Philip Gladwin and The Screenwriters Bible by David Trottier to name a few.
Final Draft is considered the best screenwriting program for two main reasons; it is the only scriptwriting software with direct access for registering your work with the WGAW online registry service and it provides proper format templates for all mediums including graphic novels, musicals, sit-coms, and many more. It is the industry standard program. Here is a more comprehensive review of Final Draft screen play software with ordering information and other resources including some valuable tips for script submissions.
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