| ![Final Draft 7 Professional Scriptwriting [OLD VERSION]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5145HC6P2SL.jpg) | From: Final Draft
Rating:  93 reviews
Sales Rank: 1787
Format: CD-ROM
Platforms: Windows Me, Mac OS X, Mac, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows NT 4
Media: CD-ROM
Edition: Standard
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Operating System: Windows NT 4
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 1.3
MPN: fd7
UPC: 603121840014
EAN: 0603121840007
ASIN: B0001XNGZ2
Release Date: April 1, 2004
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 46-50 of 93
 Final Draft 7 does the job. October 5, 2006
Todd Wilson (Encinitas, CA)
3 out of 16 found this review helpful
When I wrote my incredible screenplay on Final Draft 7 I was amazed. My first screenplay was done on Word and took forever to format. The only problem is that my screenplay sits and waits for representation--it's an awe-inspiring story and I can be reached at wlux22 at aol dot com.
Thanks,
Todd
A Beginner's Thoughts. September 10, 2006
tvtv3 (Sorento, IL United States)
14 out of 17 found this review helpful
Even though I have done a lot of writing in my life, I had never written a complete screenplay. I've had lots of ideas, but had never written them down. I finally decided to get some of these ideas out on paper. I knew from talking with friends who already work in the industry that script readers are very particular when it comes to the format of a screenplay and that one formatting error can cause someone to throw away an otherwise wonderful script. I considered other screenwriting software, but after speaking with my industry insider friends and doing other research I felt that FINAL DRAFT was the best software to get. I've been using FINAL DRAFT 7 for awhile now and have not had any problems with it. For writing screenplays, I love this software. I have not had any trouble with the software not loading and I've not lost anything I've ever written (though I tend to save a lot of my work frequently anyway). I've read most of the other reviews about FINAL DRAFT 7 on Amazon and it seems that people either really like the software or they hate it. I fall into the former category and have found it quite useful. For a beginning screenwriter, it works wonderfully. The only downside I have with the software is that it is quite expensive. As an educator, I was able to get a discount. FINAL DRAFT offers a discount for students, educators, and military personnel, but if you're not able to get that discount then the software is about double the cost that it should be.
 What a transformation! August 29, 2006
Ria Barredo (manila)
5 out of 8 found this review helpful
Reformatted previously written scripts. The script was transformed to a professional looking one. I was going to rate this a 5 but reformatting is a slow process but well worth it! I have still a lot to learn! Loved it immediately.
 Break the chain August 21, 2006
Patrick B. Christell (Venice, CA)
62 out of 65 found this review helpful
I have never written a review of anything in my life. When Final Draft 7 crashed for the umpteenth time today, I felt compelled to. I am a working screenwriter who has been using Final Draft since version 5. All told, six years. Whatever bug that caused FD6 to randomly crash in OSX HAS NOT been fixed, despite what Final Draft says. At least in Final Draft 7 the crash doesn't render my file "incompatable with this version of Final Draft" -- if any of you out there have had that happen, I deeply pity you, as you understand what it's like to be that maze-bound rat that randomly receives electric shocks.
Throw in the fact that this product is edging toward $250.00 (nearly as much as digital video editing programs), the fact that customer support costs $2.00 a minute -- you heard me right, $2.00 a minute to ask them ANYTHING, no matter how small -- and you get a clear impression of a company that peddles severely inferior software becuase they know they have the market locked. This is, however, NOT THE CASE. 25% of people that use screenwriting apps DO NOT USE FINAL DRAFT, becuase there are vastly superior programs out there. As of today, I am a proud member of the 25%.
Thanks to easy .pdf file conversion, anyone can use any screenwriting app they like.
Those that for some reason do decide to purchase this product, I implore you to change your preferences so you auto-save every five minutes, as this is the only way you won't lose a day's work, a week's work -- or God forbid, if don't back up your files -- an entire script.
 Good, but has flaws August 14, 2006
J. Hoover (Chicago, IL)
15 out of 15 found this review helpful
I've been using Final Draft since version 6, and I will say I am happy with the changes they made to 7.
The controls are very intuitive. I actually spend more of my time going from rough draft to first draft paring down the dialogue because it really is so simple to enter. The auto-complete function coupled with the ability to quickly enter two person dialogue (simply hitting tab will set up a new character's dialogue line,) really does save an incredible amount of time.
The notecard function helps me a great deal during the beginning stages of writing a script. Script ideas can quickly and easily be jotted down and saved. It saves me a lot of desk space which was before saved for countless Post-Its.
The script reading function is a neat little added function. It isn't a substitute for having live actors read through it, but being able to hear the words out loud does come in handy.
Earlier versions of FD7 were a bit buggy, but the latest version build does seem to run a lot smoother.
There's an option for stageplays but, to be honest, I'd stick with a regular word processor. It takes WAY too much time to correct the default formating to make it worth your while.
I am still quite frustrated with the activation/deactivation convention Final Draft has decided to use.
When you purchase a software license, you are allowed to activate Final Draft on 2 computers. I only used one and was going on my merry way when the hard drive crashed. I, mistakenly it turns out, went ahead and just used the second activation.
The hard drive is older, so it does give me problems sometimes. When the PC crashed again, I had to call customer support and have them release the customer number so I could reactivate my license.
I needed to do it again just recently, and was lectured on the phone by person at tech support about how he could only give me one more "freebie," and that next time he would have to charge me $99. I'm sorry, but buying version 6 and then upgrading to version 7 cost me over $300. Being able to login to an account and freeing up activations needs to be implemented.
All in all, this is a very good program for what it's built to do: write screenplays. Playwrights would be better advised to stick with their run of the mill word processor.
Showing reviews 46-50 of 93
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