Customer Reviews
Only TWO Computers can use it... 
2008-05-05
This is THE SCREENWRITING program... its awesome... and Amazon is actually one of the cheapest places to find it (Retails $229) but even at Amazon's lower price its still too darn expensive... While I'm not admitting pirating software - FinalDraft as solved the problem - by charging a LARGE amount of money to get their serial code, which you MUST register online to unlock and use - and worst of all - You can only do it TWICE.
So I was quite frustrated to shell out that large amount of cash - only to discover that I can't use this on my two home computers (my G4 Desktop and my MacBook Pro) in addition to my computer at work - I have to pick two computers to load it on.
So bah humbug to you Final Draft 7 creators - it's a great program - but If we buy it - we should be able to load it on AT LEAST Three computers.
Horray for Final Draft! 
2008-05-04
As a first time screenwriter I needed a program that was easy to learn and great to work with and I found it. Final Draft.
I love this program! It has eveything I need even index cards to keep my ideas on.
The only draw back, and I found out about it AFTER I purchased the program, is that the part where it reads the script back to you doesn't work on vista computers so I had to install the program on an old compter but it still works great!
Does the job well. 
2008-04-27
I really just like having a program to format screenplays and don't really use all the extra gadgets. Before this I used a program called Sophocles that worked very well. I did not work for Mac however so I bought Final Draft. No bugs, no freeze ups as others have mentioned.
Excellent product 2008-03-21
For me, this is an excellent product. It installed without a problem and is intuitive to use. I love that it opens a script to exactly the paragraph I left off when closing it. Another huge plus is its ability to read aloud the dialog. This helps pick up typos and poor phrasing.
Mac users beware 
2008-02-23
I noticed "Designed for Windows" printed on the box as I was opening it. Wish I would have seen this on the product page before buying it. You open the program on a Mac and it looks like you're using a PC. No keyboard shortcuts for things like adding a scene index card, so you have to keep going up and using the pull-down menu. When I tried to rearrange my scene cards, the card to be shuffled turned into a blank card, for some reason. Maybe if I hadn't spent $170 bucks for this, it wouldn't have been so bad. Mac users, I advise you to steer clear of this and try Montage or Movie Magic Screenwriter.
Final Draft 2008-05-27
I started using Final Draft7 immediately. The instructions were simple; the tutorial was practical and effective. I was able to begin the work on my screenplay in a short period of time. It is easy to use. I did my outline in WORD and wish I'd had Final Draft from the beginning.
SJW
Wish I had More Time 2008-05-21
From what I've seen of this product, it has everything that I need to write professional looking plays. I just need to find the time to explore all of the features...and to write in general. I've written one script, and re-formatted another using this program, and have been very impressed with how much time this program can save you once you know what you're doing.
This program sucks 
2008-05-20
I'm a professional screenwriter who started on FD back in the day and then converted to Movie Magic. I'm having to use FD 7 on a project I'm collaborating on and it's crashed 5 times now. I hate the interface, it's glitchy, and it doesn't have cool MM features. I do like the format when you print, but man, it ain't worth it. Wish I'd talked my partner into going w/ Movie Magic.
Much better than no software at all 2008-05-19
I haven't tried any other scriptwriting software but this one worked well for me. It's time-saving and makes your script look the way it's supposed to. It's easy to use and I like the format check it will do for you before you print. I think the voices feature is a cool idea but in reality the voices are useless because they don't sound human or have a clue as to inflection. There are more applications and features that are probably awesome but I haven't checked them out yet. Overall,I do recommend it.
Final Draft for the Geek-Speak Challenged 2008-05-09
My screenwriting coach advised me to bump up my work by converting to the industry standard, which I did: Final Draft V7.3.1.
The product works exactly as expected.
As a long-time geek, familiar with software documentation, I found theirs seriously lacking -- obviously written by programmers. (Limited English, abundant screenshots, third-person, talk-down-to-you voice.) That's okay, if you speak geek, they don't change the interface and you don't mind being talked-down-to.
This means that their customer service team must work harder than necessary, holding hands with people learning how to use product features.
Be prepared for first-tier contact challenges that infer you might be a pirate 'user', who has innocently 'borrowed' a friend's copy of their product. (Even if this is not true.)
Ultimately, the contact experience that we developed left me with a sweet taste for a company that works hard at catering to and handling creative types.
I'm smart enough to work my way around faux file-save challenges; to crank up automatic saves and e-mail myself a daily copy of my work. And generally, I can hack my way into features and discover how they work.
