Final Draft AV 2.5 Win/Mac

List Price: $199.99 Discount Price: $119.99

Features:

• Professional audio-visual scriptwriting software with auto formatting
• Import from any word processor; export to multiple file formats
• Create customized templates for different clients and projects
• 120,000 word spell-checker and thesaurus; custom dictionary
• Identical scripts on both Windows and Macintosh platforms

Customer Reviews:

Best Software for the Application, but needs work  [Posted on 2006-09-01]
It actually does what it promises to do.
Because many operations can be completed with a single keystroke, and because it is flexible, it cuts the time of writing a script in half (compared to Microsoft Word). The manual is very well written, which should be no surprise.
In more than a month of use, it crashed on me once, but I have not lost any data.
It still needs a little polishing. In particular, it locks the user into only 4 structures: character, dialog, video, and parenthetical. This needs to be modified to conscribe to news reporting and reality television norms such as Voice Over, On Camera, and other common elements of modern scripts.
I recommend modifying the keyboard shortcuts by moving them to function keys. I am using F1, F2, F3 and F4. Much easier than 2-key commands.
However, it is a good value, and it has no competition.

Disappointment [Posted on 2006-09-18]
I am so disappointed with this software. It crashes and seems to be extremely sluggish. I expected much better from a product that costs so much. I need to be able to create scripts for my clients, so I don't know what I'm going to do. But I may have no choice at some point to buy something else. I've got to get my work done and not have to constantly be frustrated with the way the software stumbles along.

The slowest program I've ever seen. [Posted on 2007-07-20]
I bought this to work on a long form documentary. I have about 70 pages and it takes 5 minutes to just open up. It is extremeley slow to use. Very frustrating. This is true when I use it with my IBook 600 mz or with my dual core 2g. This program is worth nothing unless you only use if for one or two pages, which I guess would not take up too much memory. Don't know cause I haven't tried. Good Luck

Only One Like It [Posted on 2007-11-05]
I have been struggling with Word with Tables to create two column scripts for over 10 years!! Thank heaven that the guys at Final Draft have made a program that keeps the columns lined up!!! Really, it is a pain, with everything out there to make a script that will only be a few minutes - it takes over 3 hours of sweat to get it right. The program doesn't do a lot, but what it does do it does with precision and ease. If you write AV two column scripts, GET THIS PROGRAM. It is worth it!!

AN IRRITATING NECESSITY [Posted on 2008-04-30]
If you're doing AV scripting (TV, particularly), this is a must. It's MUCH easier than struggling with Word columns or templates, and it delivers a very professional looking product.

But there are too many missing or problem features. First, it has an irritating tendency in Windows XP to shut down due to errors. So save...early and often. Then, there doesn't seem to be a zoom function for Windows (there is for Mac), so you're stuck with a full page at a time, which isn't great if your eyes aren't as strong as they used to be. And when it comes to sharing...if the person receiving your script doesn't have Final Draft AV, you'll have to export as a .pdf or a rich text file.

In other words, for as long as this product has been around, Final Draft hasn't attended to some basic issues. Make it exportable to .doc format for Word, make it zoomable, and above all, figure out what the code issue is that's shutting it down and it will be a MUCH better program.

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