OTHER: Best SCREENWRITING SOFTWARE?

brianluce said:
celtx is awesome.

Whatever you do stay away from final draft and movie magic. they're awful. you're better off using word than either of those two.
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I'm sure someone has already addressed this lame post, if not, I will. Final Draft is the bees knees, been using it for years with zero problems. It's fluid, easy to understand and I've had exceptional results regarding formatting, printing, one on one and transfer to other extensions.

Can't speak for MM, but I've heard nothing but praise there as well. The people that trash either program are ill informed and don't know the first thing about industry standard software. Every program in the world will have it's share of problems, it's the law of man vs. machine. But, FD and MM are most efficient and widely used software for professional screenwriters, and hands down the best. If you don't agree, you would be wrong.
 
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alveraz said:
I'm sure someone has already addressed this lame post, if not, I will. Final Draft is the bees knees, been using it for years with zero problems. It's fluid, easy to understand and I've had exceptional results regarding formatting, printing, one on one and transfer to other extensions.

Can't speak for MM, but I've heard nothing but praise there as well. The people that trash either program are ill informed and don't know the first thing about industry standard software. Every program in the world will have it's share of problems, it's the law of man vs. machine. But, FD and MM are most efficient and widely used software for professional screenwriters, and hands down the best. If you don't agree, you would be wrong.
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The problem is you can't really own either software. They support it for a year or so but once they stop supporting it, you're screwed. They won't even give you the activation code. In effect, you don't own the software, you rent it. It's a scam. Save your money.

And there is no "Industry standard" software, there's barely any industry standard format. The truth is you can do just fine with Word.
 
ecking said:
Wow. Gotta love the bold statement with no proof, evidence or explaination.
I've been using final draft for years and I'm wrapping up my second feature length screenplay with it. It's been awesome.

Why do you hate final draft?
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Final Draft's dirty secret is they don't support older versions. Let's say you want to get a new computer, give FD a call to activate it, they won't. Back to Frys and spend another 200 bucks. It's a big scam.
 
brianluce said:
Final Draft's dirty secret is they don't support older versions. Let's say you want to get a new computer, give FD a call to activate it, they won't. Back to Frys and spend another 200 bucks. It's a big scam.
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You are wrong. I've had the older 6th version of FD for about 4 years now and have used it with three different computers so far. Never had a problem. Regardless, after a few years you should be updating to the latest version anyway.

They do have locks on older versions that will not allow you to install it on several computers, it's a widely standard theft prevention tool used by just about every software manufacturer in the world. However, you can install it up to 2 or 3 times from what I remember and you can use it without limits if you keep the CD in your system, on any computer, or several computers for that matter.

Your peculiar bitterness for the world's leading screenwriting software is baffling. To say these legitimate companies that are recommended by elite industry prodcos, festivals, writers and agencies are a "scam" proves you are ill-informed and to be honest, slightly unbalanced.
 
brianluce said:
The problem is you can't really own either software. They support it for a year or so but once they stop supporting it, you're screwed. They won't even give you the activation code. In effect, you don't own the software, you rent it. It's a scam. Save your money.

And there is no "Industry standard" software, there's barely any industry standard format. The truth is you can do just fine with Word.
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Again, wrong. You own it and they will support you if you have the registration information provided. Most support questions you have are actually on the program already. Why the heck would they give you the activation code for a program YOU purchased? You should have it already unless it's a pirated version. Hint, don't lose your code or registration info, including receipt. That's what the rest of America does when we buy software, nothing new here.
 
brianluce said:
The problem is you can't really own either software. They support it for a year or so but once they stop supporting it, you're screwed. They won't even give you the activation code. In effect, you don't own the software, you rent it. It's a scam. Save your money.

And there is no "Industry standard" software, there's barely any industry standard format. The truth is you can do just fine with Word.
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Sure you can do fine with Word, if you want to do a *lot* of unnecessary typing and formatting, or deal with templates. This is just goofy. MM and FD both are tremendously helpful programs. I used Word first, then MM, and I'd never go back. It would be a complete efficiency flush.

As for support, as I posted before that you apparently missed, I've installed and reinstalled, and installed and taken off, MM from at least six different computers, and the company has activated or deactivated any install I need. This last time, in fact, the guy that helped me just reset my credits to one, so now I've got two extra again. Anyone who says MM's support is lousy simply hasn't used them before. It's among the best customer support I've ever had. And they don't charge for it either. (Unlike FD, at least in the past. The only cost is the phone call.)
 
I've used FD since the late 90s. Upgrade after upgrade, with no problems. Never tried MM or any others so I can't comment on them.
 
Scriptware was the best screen writing software I have ever used. I got it about 10 years ago but lost the original floppy disk a few years back and haven't been able to buy it again. Currently, I am using Final Draft 7 but as soon as I can I am getting scriptware again. Here is a link to their page. Site hasn't changed much in years but the software is intuitive and has a smooth flow. http://scriptware.com/
 
alveraz said:
You are wrong.

Your peculiar bitterness for the world's leading screenwriting software is baffling. To say these legitimate companies that are recommended by elite industry prodcos, festivals, writers and agencies are a "scam" proves you are ill-informed and to be honest, slightly unbalanced.
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Okay perhaps I was hallucinating when the two, yes two people I talked to at FD tech support refused to give me the activation codes. Or perhaps instead of "activation codes" the tech support guys misunderstood and thought I wanted "the answer to the unified field theory of physics." Either way, the Disk went straight to the trash can. Where it belongs.

I've owned a lot of software over the years, and exactly one company has pulled that junk on me: Final Draft.

These are just opinions based on personal experience with a particular software, for for you to extrapolate and make character assessments, and other stupid judgments demeans you.
 
alveraz said:
Again, wrong. You own it and they will support you if you have the registration information provided. Most support questions you have are actually on the program already. Why the heck would they give you the activation code for a program YOU purchased? You should have it already unless it's a pirated version. Hint, don't lose your code or registration info, including receipt. That's what the rest of America does when we buy software, nothing new here.
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With version 5 you had to call them for the activation code. If you get a new machine, you have to call them to get another code. AFter a certain point, they won't give it to you and they tell you to spend another $200 for the latest version. That's not owning, that's renting. Maybe that seems like a good deal to you, but for the rest of America it blows.

I have never owned MM but when this subject came up a few years ago, other members had precisely the same complaint about MM. Maybe you can do a search Alvy, I'm sure they'll also appreciate your implications about piracy, bitterness, stupidity, and irrational thinking.
 
Okay, you win. Everyone else in this thread is wrong except you. I will humbly bow out now.

I hope the original poster found the information he needs. Good luck!

:)
 
brianluce said:
Okay perhaps I was hallucinating when the two, yes two people I talked to at FD tech support refused to give me the activation codes. Or perhaps instead of "activation codes" the tech support guys misunderstood and thought I wanted "the answer to the unified field theory of physics." Either way, the Disk went straight to the trash can. Where it belongs.
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With version 5 you had to call them for the activation code. If you get a new machine, you have to call them to get another code. AFter a certain point, they won't give it to you and they tell you to spend another $200 for the latest version. That's not owning, that's renting. Maybe that seems like a good deal to you, but for the rest of America it blows.

I have never owned MM but when this subject came up a few years ago, other members had precisely the same complaint about MM. Maybe you can do a search Alvy, I'm sure they'll also appreciate your implications about piracy, bitterness, stupidity, and irrational thinking.
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Obviously I had a vastly different experience with MM. I've known others who've also had similarly positive experiences with MM. (Pro screenwriter Craig Mazin wrote about it on his blog.) One of the main reasons people switch from FD to MM, at least as I've picked up over the years, is for the customer service. It's possible it's gone bad over the last year—the last time I had to get a new activation code, which was given to me freely—but I kinda doubt it.
 
I am working with MM now and like the outline abilities over on the left. I wish it had one feature Celtx does though, the ability to have separate pages for character details, say, then when you tag them, you can pop open that character details, history, images, etc right from the script. Super handy. I do a lot of daydreaming about character histories, life, habits, etc, and like to record that stuff and have it handy. Celtx allows you to have it linked to the script.

I've looked in the help, but I don't see anything like that in MM. Am I missing it?

I guess I am looking at two different tools, really. What I love about celtx is the overall project management aspect. Like I mention above. But so far, the MM script editor is much more featured. Maybe I will just import the mm file into celtx and manage the whole project through there...:)
 
texvanwinkle said:
One of the main reasons people switch from FD to MM, at least as I've picked up over the years, is for the customer service. It's possible it's gone bad over the last year—the last time I had to get a new activation code, which was given to me freely—but I kinda doubt it.
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I hate to keep posting about something that's so unimportant, but this reminded me of a wierd experience I had with FD. I was moving around a lot in the late 90's (don't ask) and actually lost the FD disk. I called up tech support to see if I could get another disk. Tech support said they weren't really supposed to do that but agreed. One catch: I had to send them a copywritten CD, not a blank CD, but something with some label on it. I think I sent an old music CD or something. Never understood that one.
 
Well I personally use Final Draft. My pre-production unit of my company uses Final Draft exclusively because of the tagger and the ease to move from tagger into EP Scheduling. So it makes it so much easier to Schedule everything. We actually change a minimal amount for transcribing into Final Draft so we can work with the file and break it down.

Sure, we do take word documents, but it's a pain to breakdown and tag. So we do charge 50 cents a page to transcribe it. We haven't yet fully launched, but we are certainly planning to go fully public soon.

That said, FD offers more than word ever could. I haven't used MM so I won't comment on it.

And Mark, if you do find something that will help you out there, be sure to post. That is something I've always been interested in.
 
So i havent taken the time to read any of this really but i use a site occasionally called plotbot.com It's alright i guess and its simple to use. You can have there online community be able to read it and comment on it or even help you write it. It's actually best to collaboratively write with. Also it has an easy interface with areas you fill in and it formats it for you.
 
I don't get paid to write, I get paid to develop (where there is some peripheral writing), so take this for what it is worth. MM and FD are the industry standards.

I have used Movie Magic extensively, but finally got tired of paying for keys to transfer the application (a very thin, overpriced one at that) from one computer to a next. My computers last two years at best and I have a minimum of two at all times. Three keys doesn't go far over the twelve years I've been tapping away at the keyboard. MM has been sold more than once and the transfer of ownership has, each time, affected me as a customer. You can put that together if you've ever been a cell phone customer during a merger. Usually, these situations work against the customer.

On Celtx, I'll say that it does indeed work across platforms, does feature AV script, stage script, feature and TV templates and, naturally, index cards with drag-and-drop functionality.

What has been suggested about it never being out of beta phase is a bit of a mischaracterisation of what "beta" means in the world of open-source applications. The program is functional in its public release, but there is always work going on behind the scenes to improve it. Something that cannot be said of the pay-as-you-go applications. Certainly not for free anyway.

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