What is the best screenwriting software out there?

Question

I want to start writing more screenplays and TV scripts and with screenwriting software, it will be a much smoother process than using Word templates and I will know that it is all formatted correctly. I do use Celtx which I think is very good for screenplays but it doesn't have a television script format option and I was wondering if anyone out there knew which was the best screenwriting software out there to invest my money in?

Any insight and advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

No.5 Montage (Mac users only)

The only screenwriting software exclusively developed for Mac OS X. Melding the theory that a simple user interface, combined with powerful and intuitive features, provide the best writing experience, Montage makes it easy to create, edit, and manage screenplays on your Macintosh. From the ability to import and export Final Draft documents, to using custom, pre-formatted templates for film, TV, and theater, Montage guides both the first time screenwriter or the seasoned veteran, from start to finish. Retail Price: $139.95 U.S.



No.4 Scenewriter Pro

SceneWriter Pro is totally different in that you don’t have to worry about pages or writing in a linear fashion from start to finish, you write on a scene-by-scene basis and you may write in any order you wish!



However, SceneWriter Pro formats your script to Hollywood Industry Standards, but that’s only a small fraction of the benefits that writing your script in SceneWriter Pro offers.

From outlining, character development, location lists, project notes and of course industry standard formatting, SceneWriter Pro’s non-linear, scene-by-scene approach to writing will make writing that $million blockbuster a piece of cake. Retail Price: $99.00 U.S.



No. 3 Celtx

This program is ideal for you writer/director/producers. Celtx helps you pre-produce all types of media – film, video, documentary, theater, machinima, comics, advertising, video games, music video, radio, podcasts, videocasts, and however else you choose to tell your story. Unlike scriptwriting software and sites, you can use Celtx for the entire pre-production process – write scripts, storyboard scenes and sequences, develop characters, breakdown & tag elements, schedule production, and prepare detailed and informative production reports for cast and crew.Retail Price: free. An indie filmmaker’s favourite word.



No.2 Final Draft

This screenwriting software is excellent for writing and formatting a screenplay to meet the screenplay submission standards set by the theater and film industry. It is the only preferred screenwriting software using WGAW Registry for online submission.



The current version, Final Draft 7, contains over 50 movie and television templates. It also offers the feature of allowing users to assign computer generated voices to their characters, who then read the script aloud. How cool is that! Retail Price: $229.00 U.S.



No. 1 Movie Magic Screenwriter

Used to format screenplays, teleplays and novels. Magic Screenwriter is the grand daddy of them all. It’s the official script writing software of the Writer’s Guild of America and has been used by writers of the following movies: Pirates of the Caribbean, Crash, Babel and many more. The newest version has an outlining ability that really helps you organize your scenes. Retail Price: $209.95 U.S.



If you are serious about making screenwriting your profession, Movie Magic Screenwriter or Final Draft would be a wise investment.



Also keep in mind that a few of these programs offer free demo trials of their software.

Answer 2

Adam,

I've recently been wondering the same thing. I will say that I have been using SceneWriter Pro for about 12 years now and like Helen said, it does have a benefit of writing scenes in any order, then arranging them how you want. I prefer this way personally, but everyone is different. It has several windows including scene list, character list, project notes, and locations all available to view while having your script open. Major like - it gives you an estimated time of each scene....but Major dislike, it won't give you the all important page amount until after you create it as a pdf.



I just recently wrote a script using scripped.com, a free online script writing program. It's cloud based and allows you to work with a co-writer. This worked best for that project simply because my co-writer lives about 80 miles away. It was easy to use and converted to scenewriter without many tweaks, but I felt the margins for dialogue were a little shorter than normal.



I have heard by a few producers that they favor Final Draft or Movie Magic, but not having it hasn't ever cost me a deal. Those are expensive, running somewhere near $200. SceneWriter Pro is going at $30 right now. Really your call. Final Draft has some great features, but you have to pay for it. If you have the money, buy the best. If not, Celtx, SceneWriter Pro, or some of those others are good inexpensive options. Good Luck!!

Answer 3

Best Screenwriting Software Mac

Answer 4

Hello friend, you can use below listed good screenwriting software other than Celtx.



1. Trelby

Trelby is simple, fast and elegantly laid out to make screenwriting simple. It is infinitely configurable. Trelby is also a free, open source, collaboratively developed application for screenwriters currently available on Windows and Linux (sorry, OSX users; however, if you code and want to port it to OSX, Trelby is looking for you). Trelby promotes a clean, simple, fast user interface that provides the basic tools a screenwriter needs to write a screenplay. Trelby also provides scene, location, dialogue and character reports, plus the ability to compare scripts.



2. Movie Draft

Movie Draft touts its outlining capabilities that writers can use before they start their screenplays as well as its non-linear functionality with Single Scene Mode where writers can pen the ending or middle of their scripts before the beginning. Users can write multiple versions of a scene and hide previous versions without ever throwing them out in case they want to bring back a previous version in the future. To help Final Draft and Movie Magic Screenwriter users make the transition, Movie Draft lets users choose Tab and Enter shortcuts to match those particular applications.



3. Fade In

Fade In claims to provide everything Final Draft does plus more. Users can customize the built-in formatting capabilities and even build their own. Fade In allows users to organize their work with color coding in several different ways and scenes can be rearranged throughout the script via the navigator. The application also provides “colored paper” in revision mode, the order of which the user can modify. Fade In will let users open, edit and save in Final Draft (.fdx) format, as well as open Movie Magic Screenwriter and Celtx files. Fade In saves its own files in the Open Screenplay, XML-based format to keep them non-application specific and future proof. Fade In can be used on OSX, Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

Answer 5

I've been using writerduet. It's free and online so everything you write is automatically saved. It also lets you collaborate with another writer on the same script. Awesome stuff!

Answer 6

I have had Final Draft since 2005... But mind you, you can also use normal Word processors like Open Office or Acrobat... http://tinyurl.com/crk3ud6



I used to write my screenplays in Open Office and save as PDF still worked like a charm.



But it doesn't have the automated functioning of Final Draft.

Answer 7

Final Draft. I use it and it's very good.

Answer 8

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