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Writing Again
I use Sophocles, even bought it when I did not really need to, because I believe they should be encouraged.
They provide a free version with no time limit that a beginning screen writer who is broke or very young can master the craft on. Having been both very young and very broke (Editors wanted type written ms -- I had to steal my first typewriter and the ribbon to go with it) I feel they are not only providing a good product, they are providing a great service as well.
When I'm ready to pitch a script I will probably transfer it over to FD as I have been convinced FD is the industry standard.
They provide a free version with no time limit that a beginning screen writer who is broke or very young can master the craft on. Having been both very young and very broke (Editors wanted type written ms -- I had to steal my first typewriter and the ribbon to go with it) I feel they are not only providing a good product, they are providing a great service as well.
When I'm ready to pitch a script I will probably transfer it over to FD as I have been convinced FD is the industry standard.
joecalabre
I've seen it and it seems pretty good. Unfortunately, not available for a Mac.
I use FD (after many years of using Scriptware) mostly because of it's ability to export in a wide variety of other formats. I like to export as a rtf, open it in Word, do a grammar check and then put it back into FD.
I also like FD's report structure for analyzing page counts, character stats, etc...
As for industry standard, I think that pdf's are the industry's choice for accepting (other than a hard copy). However, once you get into collaboration with other producer's, the ones I've dealt with use Word and prefer a doc. But that's me...
I use FD (after many years of using Scriptware) mostly because of it's ability to export in a wide variety of other formats. I like to export as a rtf, open it in Word, do a grammar check and then put it back into FD.
I also like FD's report structure for analyzing page counts, character stats, etc...
As for industry standard, I think that pdf's are the industry's choice for accepting (other than a hard copy). However, once you get into collaboration with other producer's, the ones I've dealt with use Word and prefer a doc. But that's me...
Writing Again
I also like FD's report structure for analyzing page counts, character stats, etc...
I knew this was somewhere, had to hunt to find it.
Sophocles does a bunch of that as well, but it does me no good as I don't know how to interpret the analysis. Where do I learn to do that?
snorklebum
Writing Again, your typewriter-hijacking line takes me back many years. I stole one from the college library where they rented time on it with a coin machine. Previously I had been hotwiring it by going around the coinbox with piercing alligator clips into the power wires.
Can you tell more about Sophocles? Does it hold up in comparison to the other programs? How does it output?
I am currently using templates for Word and have no problem with the one I settled on most recently. I understand the big problem is in TV, where they demand scripts in certain formats.
Can you tell more about Sophocles? Does it hold up in comparison to the other programs? How does it output?
I am currently using templates for Word and have no problem with the one I settled on most recently. I understand the big problem is in TV, where they demand scripts in certain formats.
Writing Again
Sorry, snjorklebum, did not see your post for some reason.
The full version of Sophocles outputs to PDF which is what I've always needed. It does other things as well that I have never used.
Compared to other programs I can't say. I've not been able to figure out Final Draft in the time allotted for trial, and although I bought scriptware long ago my hard drive crashed and I could not "prove" I owned the original program...It asked for something I could not remember that had been lost, they said I'd have to pay full price all over again. I did not do enough writing on scriptware to make a solid judgment, but my stubbornness is enough to say I'll never buy another copy.
The full version of Sophocles outputs to PDF which is what I've always needed. It does other things as well that I have never used.
Compared to other programs I can't say. I've not been able to figure out Final Draft in the time allotted for trial, and although I bought scriptware long ago my hard drive crashed and I could not "prove" I owned the original program...It asked for something I could not remember that had been lost, they said I'd have to pay full price all over again. I did not do enough writing on scriptware to make a solid judgment, but my stubbornness is enough to say I'll never buy another copy.
SanElizando
Final draft 7 outputs to PDF now too. Although, it's quite jumpy when you scroll through the document. Not quite sure why as yet, but if they're aware, I'm sure they'll fix it.
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