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Genre: Script formatting (word processing)

Developer: Final Draft, Inc.

Minimum System Requirements: Power PC, Mac OS 9.2 or Mac OS X v10.1, 64MB RAM, 35MB hard disk space, HFS+ hard disk format, CD ROM drive

Review Computer: 867MHz G4, 640MB RAM, ATI RADEON 8500, Mac OS X v10.3.4

Price: $229 ($89 upgrade)

Availability: Out now

Writing is a tough business. It's tough to write well, and it's tough to sell what you write. If you are lucky enough to sell it, it's tough to retain any control of it. Aside from novels, precious few writings ever make it to production/publication the way the author originally intended. Sometimes this is good, usually this is bad. Most successful writers will tell you you're better off just telling stories around the campfire. Of course, that could be because they don't want the competition.

However, if you're not satisfied entertaining children with your ghost stories, if you need to make that long, aggravating journey to the next blockbuster movie or play, the least you can do is make sure you've got the right equipment to get there. Final Draft 7 is the right equipment.

Sure, you can use a word processor and set up all kinds of AppleScripts and macros to automate the formatting, but Final Draft 7 takes care of all of this for you. It also does a lot more that word processors simply can't do, or at least that you wouldn't think of asking them to do. In short, a tool such as Final Draft 7 is as important to a script writer as is an imagination.

I covered the main uses and functionality of Final Draft in my review of Final Draft v6, but here's a bit of a recap for those who don't feel like reading two reviews.

There are two main benefits to using Final Draft. First, it correctly formats your screenplays, sitcoms and stage plays to the industry standards. Yes, there are multiple standards in show business; what one studio may want to see, another may not. There are common elements across them all, though, and Final Draft does a great job of keeping those in line while providing templates that cover the variances. However, these templates aren't easily accessible from within the program; you have to open them the way you would any file.

Second, Final Draft makes it easy for the user to format his screenplay to these standards. Based on the template you've chosen, Final Draft is smart enough to guess how the next entry should be formatted and automatically sets it up. For example, after typing in a character's name in the stage play template, hitting return will automatically format the next line for dialogue. If you want to first insert a parenthetical comment, hit tab instead of return. If you don't want either of these, you can choose from a list of predefined elements by simply holding the command key and selecting the number of the appropriate element (scene heading, action, transition, etc.) Holding the option key pulls up different options, as well. The elements are displayed at the bottom of the screen when you're holding either key, and these lists can be customized. Also, character names are automatically stored within the file, so typing the first few letters of a character's name will present you with the option of automatically completing the name.

By so tightly controlling the layout and elements of a script, Final Draft insures cross-compatibility between Windows and Mac users. That's great, of course, but not so much if the other writer doesn't have Final Draft. Although you can save your script in RTF, text, MovieMagic, and other formats, don't expect tremendously smooth transitions between them. You'll lose a lot of the features that make Final Draft what it is.

And finally, Final Draft offers all sorts of tips on how to write a good script. The Ask the Expert feature presents tips from script writing expert Syd Field, television writer Larry Brody and playwright John Dorf (the latter two are new to this version of Final Draft). You also have access to the full text of three handbooks, including the Writers Guild of America, west's The Creative Rights Handbook. A number of sample contracts are included as well.

So, Final Draft pretty much has you covered from start to finish. All they don't help you with is a decent story...which, of course, is the hardest part.

With Final Draft v7, the program helps you out in a couple of new ways, too. The most of the useful of the new features is the addition of Panels to the previous Scene Navigator. With this addition, your script can now be viewed in three ways: the Standard Script view, Index Card view and Navigator View. Selecting Index Card view, the display switches to show cards titled after each scene in your script. These are called Summary Cards, and you can write yourself notes directly on the card. It's a great feature for documenting new ideas and suggested changes, potential blocking, filming notes, etc. In Final Draft v7, you can now "flip over" the cards to see the actual script. These are now called Script Cards, and this is a much more functional way to navigate between notes and script without having to change your view (although, there should be a contextual menu option to make this switch instead of having to access the menu bar). Note, however, that you cannot edit the script while in Script Cards. You can also use the Index Card view to rearrange scenes in your script. Simply drag and drop them in a new order, and the change happens automatically in the script itself.

The Navigator panel provides a linear, top to bottom list of each scene in your script (the scene's heading and number are pulled directly from the script itself). If you have entered text in the Summary Card of a scene, it can be viewed here. What really makes the Navigator view useful, though, is that you can split the panel. For instance, you can have the Navigator view of the scenes on the left panel, and the Script panel on the right. This is excellent for working your way around your script; double clicking on a scene in the Navigator panel automatically scrolls the Script panel to that scene.

Also new to this version of Final Draft are the aforementioned Ask the Expert features and handbooks (a couple sample contracts are included there, as well), as well as Tagger, which is a separate application that allows you to break down a Final Draft script into its separate components and export them into various movie scheduling and breakdown programs. Because I don't have access to any of these programs, however, I was unable to test this feature.

Of course, one of Final Draft's greatest strengths is it's ability to allow you to share your documents with other Final Draft users. There's a built in e-mail function that automatically sends your document to another Final Draft user, allowing you to enter content in the e-mail without actually using your regular e-mail program. There's the fact that Final Draft uses its own typeface to guarantee 100% cross compatibility between the Macintosh and Windows (no text flow variations between the platforms). And, most impressively, there's CallaboWriter—a kind of chat room that allows Final Draft users to chat in real time while. Those invited to the session can even see the script, although only one person at a time may make edits (control of the script can be switched at any time, but only person can have control).

Final Draft ships with a short (almost 100 pages) Getting Started guide, with the full manual available on the CD in PDF format. I still find it somewhat amusing that over ten pages of the Getting Started guide are devoted to installing and activating Final Draft, but this is their method of copy protection. It's straightforward and fair, as you're allowed to "activate" Final Draft on two computers. In order to install it on a third, you have to first "deactivate" one of the other computers. All of this can be done instantly online or via a toll free number if your computer is not connected to the Internet.

The Getting Started guide also runs you through a comprehensive tutorial that includes editing a script provided with the software. This is very helpful for learning the program, but I would have liked to have seen a full variety of at least partial scripts (more than just a page or two) for screen, stage, etc. When learning how to format blocking, camera shots, etc., it would have been easier to see visually how this is normally done instead of trying to find examples in the manual. Length would be helpful, too, especially when working with sitcoms.

There's no doubt that if you're writing scripts for the big screen, TV or stage, you need a copy of Final Draft. The question is, should you upgrade from Final Draft v6 if you have it. Ask the Expert? I suppose that depends upon how much expert advice you need. Tagger? You be the judge of that. Panels? Yes. They're very useful, but I'm not sure they alone warrant a full upgrade. The problem is that Final Draft was already a great, full-featured program, and it seems the developers are hard pressed to figure out what to add to it to generate revenue. You can't charge for bug fixes (which is too bad, because the initial release was apparently very buggy, and some minor idiosyncracies remain, such as type not redrawing itself correctly), so I worry that Final Draft will take the Microsoft Word route and add "features" no one needs just to add features, making the program bloated, bug-ridden and annoying.

Maybe Tagger is a step in the right direction—including applications that can supplement Final Draft's capabilities. I'd like to see some sort of story board feature, for example, either built in to Final Draft or included as a separate application. Maybe even something as common as floating panels in which you can store details on your characters would be welcome; details that could also include photos, illustrations, or even sound clips along with any text you may add. Or, how about the ability to turn your scripts into full projects? Submission and business information could be stored directly in the document itself (with appropriate security measures applied, of course).

Final Draft v7 is a great program, but I believe it's gone as far as it can in its current direction. Owners of Final Draft v6 may therefore not need to upgrade, but those still trying to churn out scripts in Microsoft Word need to get this program going. Without it, you may as well be working on a typewriter...or telling ghost stories to the kids.