Final Draft 8

Final Draft 8

The #1-selling screenwriting program in the world! Start writing your award-winning script in no time with our easy-to-use built in templates.

This Academic Edition has the same features and capabilities of the retail version, and is shipped to you in a factory sealed retail box. However, this version is able to be sold below the retail price because of an educational discount.

Features:

Film

Its ease-of-use and ability to format to industry standards allows you to focus your creative energy on the story. Plus, with built-in, industry-approved screenplay templates, it's even easier to get started with your writing.

• Brainstorm story ideas with outlining and structure tools.
  
• Format your script according to entertainment industry standards.
  
• Use Revision Tools to polish that final draft for production.

Screenplay Templates - The Final Draft application includes hundreds of templates to help you start writing quickly, and many are specifically designed for screenplays. A few of the templates included are: the standard Screenplay template, the BBC Screenplay template, and the Warner Bros. Screenplay template used by Hollywood filmmakers.

Television

Matter of fact, nearly every show you see on TV is scripted using Final Draft software. Our relationship with the studios has allowed us to provide you with built-in TV templates, so you can easily write an original sitcom, one-hour TV drama, or your very own spec script for your favorite TV show.

The screenplay format for a TV show is similar to that of a feature film. However, there are some differences based on structure, genre, and the length of the show. If you are looking to break into the business of TV writing, it is essential for you to use sample spec scripts written for current TV shows.

In addition to the standard Sitcom, BBC Sitcom, and TV Drama format, you will also find over 100 TV templates for current and classic TV shows.

TV Reports - Final Draft offers several reports and features critical for all stages of production. These reports include:

• Separate Cast Reports and Pages
• Location Reports
• Character Reports
• Full Script Reports

Theater

Final Draft scriptwriting software is also used by some of the world's best playwrights. Join the ranks of Tony® Award-winners Aaron Sorkin and Julie Taymor and use Final Draft software to script your next play or Broadway musical.

With our built-in templates, you can script a Broadway musical, including the book and lyrics, a one-act play, or a full-length stageplay. Several of our theatrical templates, like Modern Stageplay, Traditional Stageplay, and Musical, have been Dramatists Guild approved.

Different than screenplays, stageplays do not adhere to strict formatting rules, so feel free to customize our Final Draft templates for theater or simply create your own from scratch.

Writing

From inspiration to Fade Out, Final Draft software helps you every step of the way.

More Templates - In addition to film, television, and theater templates, Final Draft includes templates for graphic novels, story structure, and even outlining, query letters, and treatments. You can also customize and save your own templates.

ScriptNotes - ScriptNotes are pop-up windows designed to hold your ideas, suggestions, or scene fragments that you've cut but don't want to toss. These notes are stored without taking up space within your script.

ScriptNotes are also a great tool for providing feedback on a particular scene when reviewing your partner's, client's, or student’s script. You can print, or print to PDF your ScriptNotes Report and use it as easy reference as you review the script.

The Panels System - With the Panels System, you can split your screen into separate panels and view your script pages in one panel while you view another section of the script, your Index Cards, or Scene View in the other panel. A double-click in any scene will keep the panels in sync.

Scene Properties Inspector (SPI) - Add scene titles and colors to track your story lines, characters, and more.
Use this new floating pallet to track data specific to each scene, such as the story beats that will eventually make up the action, characters and dialogue of the scene. Add and edit your scene's title such as "Villain introduced," and add color to the scene to help you track elements like storylines, character arcs, and material you need to review later. Like the Navigator, the SPI will display the details of whatever scene you’re working on in your script so you have summary notes handy when you need them.

SmartType - SmartType remembers and automatically fills in character names, Scene Headings, Transitions, locations, and more. All you need to do is type the first few letters and SmartType will instantly fill in the rest.

Dictionary and Thesaurus - Don't worry about spelling or grammatical mistakes. Our built-in Spell-Checking and Thesaurus provide real-time auto-spell check, catch capitalization errors, and will assist you in finding synonyms. Plus they are available in English, UK English, Canadian English, Spanish, French, German, and several other languages.

Revision Mode - In Revision Mode, you can track and review all changes from your first draft all the way to your to final draft. From the ability to omit scenes, lock pages and "A" pages, as well as set your revision colors, Final Draft software provides all the tools you need to take your script through production.

Formatting

Use your creative energy to focus on the content; let Final Draft software take care of the style.

Pagination - Final Draft software automatically formats and paginates to industry standards such as using Character, "More's and Continued's," and Scene Continued's.

In Final Draft version 8, we've added new features to ensure that all script elements, including any Headers or Footers, are printed to industry standards.

Final Draft Courier Font - The Final Draft Courier font was created to be consistent with the typeface once used in Hollywood when scripts were written on typewriters. Today, studios and production companies still estimate their budgets according to the page count of a script, which, in part, is dictated by the Courier style font.

Having a consistent page count that production companies and studios can depend on to help them estimate their budgets is crucial when producing a script. Additionally, Final Draft software has its own Courier font so scripts are properly paginated on both Windows, Macintosh, and iOS platforms ensuring that the page count and estimated production budgets remain the same no matter where the script is made available.

Tab and Enter - Other less capable programs require you to learn complicated commands or count spaces between your lines. Simple keystrokes make learning to use Final Draft software a snap. You can just use the Tab and Enter keys to switch between script elements and easy keyboard shortcuts. You can also use the Command (MAC) or Control (Windows) key to display the numbered shortcut keys for the different script elements and chose to move quickly through your script that way.

Format Assistant - Format Assistant scans your script for any errors. This useful tool is like having a proofreader right at your side. It checks your script for common formatting errors, such as missing dialogue, extra spaces, carriage returns, and blank elements. You can set it to run every time you print or only when you want it to.

Title Pages - All Final Draft templates come with industry standard Title Pages that are easy to modify, save, and print or save to PDF.

All of the Final Draft Television Templates come preset with easy-to-use information for each series, such as the specific cast list and typical sets/locations. Our Standard One-Hour and Half-Hour Templates will also help you get started on pilots by providing what information should appear in the finished product. The added bonus is the Title Page uses its own numbering for tracking the following pages and will not add to your overall page count.

Outlining

Easily outline your story and restructure your script by dragging and dropping multiple scenes at a time.

Index Cards - This feature has double-sided cards that display a scene from your script on one side and its summary on the other. The Summary View allows you to enter ideas directly into the Index Card such as your basic outline, notes, sequence or act markers, comments, locations, blocking... anything you need to build and organize your story. Simply select one or more individual Index Card Summaries and copy the content directly into the script and the text will appear at the end of any previously existing content in the scene.

You can also color your Index Cards to help organize themes, character arcs, A and B stories, etc. Select and rearrange multiple cards at once if you need to reorder your scenes or print your Index Cards directly on 3x5 or 4x6 cards for visualizing and organizing scenes outside of the application. Double-clicking on a card in Split Panel View will automatically sync the scene selected with your script.

Scene Properties Inspector - Add scene titles and colors to track your story lines, characters, and more.
Use this new floating pallet to track data specific to each scene, such as the story beats that will eventually make up the action, characters, and dialogue of the scene.

Add and edit your scene's title such as "Villain introduced," and add color to the scene to help you track elements like storylines, character arcs, and material you need to review later. Like the Scene Navigator, the SPI will display the details of whatever scene you're working on in your script so you have summary notes handy when you need them.

Scene Navigator - Manage and view the important details of your scene in this sortable floating pallet. Manage the pace and flow of your story and keep track of up to nine categories of information related to your scenes. The Scene Navigator is a sortable, customizable floating pallet that displays details about your script including a scene's title, color, page number, length, and location. Best of all it syncs with the script with a single-click. As your script progresses, you can pick and choose the columns of information that are relevant for your current phase of writing.

Scene View - Outline your script ideas and reorder scenes in this high-level overview. With Scene View you can see your script from a 5,000-foot view and select, drag and drop one or more scenes to reorganize your ideas as you outline. Insert new scenes easily, and hide or show information important to you such as a scene's action, title and summary. Scene View also displays a scene's color so you can quickly identify one scene from another. Print your Scene View or just view it alongside the script. With a double-click you can sync the script and instantly go to any scene you've selected in Scene View.

Send to Script - Send copy from the Index Card Summary directly to your script. We've added a new feature that will allow you to select one or more individual Index Card Summaries and copy the content directly into the script. If there is only a Scene Heading, the content will appear directly below the Scene Heading as an Action element. Otherwise, the text will appear at the end of any previously existing content in the scene. You will be able to access this feature by toolbar button, menu option, keyboard shortcut, or contextual menu.

Production Features

Tagger 2 - Break down your script and prepare it for scheduling applications. Tagger 2 is an updated stand-alone application that reads any Final Draft script and enables you to tag elements within the script (cast, costumes, props, etc.) and export the results into most scheduling applications. Tagger allows you to select text from the script and add any element with a click of the mouse in any category for that scene or for any or all scenes where that element appears.

The element text is highlighted and color-coded, and can be customized to suit the way you like to work. Created with the help of veteran assistant directors, producers and unit production managers, Tagger means no more going over a paper script again and again with highlighters.

Revisions/Page Locking - Handle script changes once you go into production with these easy to use tools. From the ability to omit scenes, lock pages and A-pages, as well as set your revision colors, Final Draft provides you all the tools you’ll need to take your script through production. You can even track the page header’s revision color so you can issue one set of revisions or all of them as needed. Merging pages that have been cut once a script is locked is a snap. Also included are standard revision colors in each film and television template.

Customizable Reporting - Get immediate statistics to help develop your script and keep it on budget. Within Final Draft there are seven different reports to give you quick facts about your script. The Scene Report, for example, provides a snapshot of the scene's length, cast, starting page number, and location. The Location Report will inform you how often a location is used and will group the scenes by INT/EXT. The Character Report includes an "appearance summary" so you know how frequently one character speaks versus the other characters, as well as the total word count for the character.

Use the ScriptNotes Report to get a quick scan of all the notes in your script based on each scene and page. The Statistics Report will allow you to track daily writing goals by displaying how many words you've written along with details on the types of elements you used and what percentage of the script they comprise. Need to cast your characters? You can instantly create then print or email Character Sides for any speaking parts in your script.