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My POV
Brian A. Wilson
Final Draft 6.0: Strong Support for a Great Product
I've been using Final Draft for so long, my first copy (version 2.0) came on diskettes. Remember those?
We're now up to v6.0.2.5, available to download in minutes via the Internet and suitable for both Mac and IBM machines.
The delivery method of Final Draft has changed drastically over the years, and so has the software; in both cases, it's for the good.
I've never used anything besides Final Draft for my scripting, so this review is, admittedly, tilted. I can't compare, but I can offer up years of loyalty to a product kept fresh by a tuned-in, responsive team of software developers.
There are many brands of screenwriting software on the market today. All, I suppose, do more or less the same thing. I think the aspect that sets Final Draft apart is the support available for users.
Final Draft has an extensive web site, much of it geared to answering questions. My knock on this is that the "forum" isn't really a forum; instead, it's a collection of homogenized FAQs, presented in the shape of a forum. Nonetheless, good answers to common problems can be had here.
What I like is the phone support. Imagine, in this age of "press 1 if you're annoyed by recordings, press 2 if you're insulted by pressing buttons instead of talking to a human" telephone systems, you can still talk to a human at Final Draft.
When 6.0 came out, I was having difficulties with crashing every time I tried to print. I called up Final Draft. The tech support guys talked me through several possible fixes. When none of them worked, they offered up that I could bring my laser printer (an NEC, which I suppose is a bit of an off brand) in to them, and they would work with it to fix the problem!
For free, no less.
Nobody has this kind of service any more.
Lucky for me, the guys went one better, emailing a software "cocktail" to me that they'd used to fix a similar problem with an Epson printer. It solved my problem as well.
I presume they integrated these fixes into the later versions of 6.0, to alleviate this debilitating problem.
No software can be bug-free when it's put on the shelf. It takes time in the real world for all the kinks to show up. Final Draft does a good job of taking this in stride and fixing the problem.
As for the software itself, much of its very significant evolution over the years has come about as a result of customer comments. The Final Drafters listen to folks who use this stuff, then integrate what they say.
The result is a product that's both powerful and flexible. I'd say that flexibility is the main "personality" of 6.0; you can set almost anything you want however you prefer to work with it.
In addition, they've added in some features like pop-up tips from Syd Field. These are mildly interesting to read through once, and they might be an eye-catcher for the total novice. For anyone very far down stream, this isn't much of a selling point.
The problem is, most of the vital features you'd want in screenwriting software have been incorporated already. The FD folks are left trying to dream up glitzy, marginally useful stuff, just to have something new to say.
A "format assistant" checks your scripts for errors before printing, a useful innovation. They've added a few more script formats as well. And the whole shebang has been carbonized for OSX.
Final Draft remains the industry leader for screenwriting software. Once you use it and get comfortable with it, you'll see why.
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