Final Draft released an update -- 7.2 -- this week. I've had my frustrations with FD in the past. I shudder to think of the glitch that prevented me from running my newly-updated-to-7 program on my 17 hour flight to South Africa two years ago. Trying to call customer service in L.A. -- nine hours and 10 000 miles away wasn't very fun either. In fact, I think through the entire time I was working on Charlie Jade I wound up going back to FD6 just cause 7 was so stupidly buggy. Like, Microsoft buggy.
The ongoing Screenwriter or Final Draft debate is the most boring argument in Scriptendom. It's so boring it makes the Mac vs. PC imbroglio look like a full-contact deathmatch performance of The Mikado by naked Playboy Playmates.
I'll give you a minute with that. Yes. Picture it. Good.
Moving on...
My thing (as someone who's used both) is that I prefer FD simply because I'm a Mac user, and that's the platform it started on. Screenwriter feels and looks like a PC product ported to Mac. (Which it is.) But FD is also a colossal pain in the ass.
But I was eager to update, because this new version (7.1.2, build 34, to be precise) is the first that's native to my brand new Intel-chip based Macbook Pro. (Yes, Yes, I know. No, I can't afford it. Ah Credit, is there any trouble you can't get me into?)
Cruising the program, I'm pleased to see that it seems to have fixed some lingering issues.
And more importantly, they've finally caught up with what has always been one of FD's strengths: TV templates.
The TV templates included with Final Draft have always been a good idea with a bad execution. Simply put: they don't update them enough.
So I was pleased in the new update to find templates ready made for The Office, My Name is Earl, Commander in Chief (okay, maybe not that one, sigh) Bones, The L Word, Prison Break, Numb3rs, House, Grey's Anatomy, Entourage, and How I Met Your Mother.
Sure, you still have to wade through some of the less-than-desirable templates. (Seriously, is anyone out there writing an According to Jim?) But it's still a step in the right direction.
I assume these templates are created by someone who's actually looked at an actual script from the show, and reflect each show's particular quirks. (I mean, I hope so, if not: lame.)
I'm pleased with their effort to stay more current with the templates. I hope it continues.
Now, if they could just come up with one for The Unit...
2 comments:
Hmm, I just bought my first Mac recently, but my old Final Draft 6 disc won't work in it. I've been procrastinating ever since :/
It's quite possible that you only have the PC version of the program. I'm not sure they were packaging both versions of the program on one disk back then. I seem to remember them boxing separate Mac/Pc versions up until 7.
In any case, simply from a support/compatibility POV, if you spend any time screenwriitng at all, you should upgrade to 7. I think they're having an upgrading special right now.
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