As a scriptwriter, you spend a lot of your time writing and down your script. You’re also responsible for taking care of the screenplay formatting, creating an initial framework for story-lines, choice of the words, character lengths and other factors. Not just that, once the script is ready, you’ve got to take it to other team members at the production staff for discussions and improvements. Finally, you’re back to revising the script again and making necessary adjustments. It’s a long-drawn process. Scriptwriting can be quite a stressful task.
What if you could automate most of these tasks and instead focus on researching new creative ideas and stories? What if you could devote your time to improving the quality of the existing script, instead of focusing on it’s formatting? Thanks to some of the amazing tools out there, scriptwriting has become easier than ever. If you’re a Mac user, we’ll reveal to you plenty of professional scriptwriting software (both freeware and paid ones) to simplify your work, improve your script writing experience and get the most of it. Read on.
SPSCloud (Paid)
SPSCloud is perhaps one of the most demanding feature-rich script writing apps around. Built by famous film maker David Raynor, the app supports easy formatting, page counts, headings, easy collaboration with your team members, unlimited revisions. This app comes with support for over 50 of the most widely spoken languages. You can start working straight from your web browser irrespective of the operating system you use. You can also try the software for 30-days using a free trial (NO need of credit cards to activate it).
StudioBinder (Freemium)
If you’re looking for a freemium, simple script writing app, you might want to try StudioBinder. Just register an account online and start working right away. It has an easy, straightforward interface with no complex menu options. The app is designed so that you’ll spend more time writing your script rather than formatting it.
If you need more features, you can go for the premium subscription. A premium member privilege gives you options to auto-generate schedules for your movie shootings, prepare shot lists, manage call sheets, edit storyboards, and do much more. You can also share data with your team and improve efficiency. Your team members can edit the script, add comments and make suggestions.
Final Draft 10 (Paid)
Final Draft 10 is an old player in the script writing software market. When you type characters and locations, Final Draft 10 auto remembers them. You can insert them again whenever you want. Just like other script writer apps, it contains tagging and reporting tools. You can break down your scene elements such as actors, props and wardrobe.
Final Draft 10 has been widely used by professional film makers. According to the company’s claim, popular film writer of X-Men, Simon Kinberg, has been using it.
Final Draft 10 has over 100s of templates to kick-start your work. A mobile version of the software is also sold separately. If you are a student, you can buy Final Draft 10 at a special discounted price.
Trelby (Free)
Trelby is a simple, freeware script writing application that can be highly customized for your needs. You don’t need to invest your time learning a new app as Trelby has a nice-looking, beginner-friendly interface. Though Trelby lacks sharing and collaboration features, it offers many other interesting features for no charge. This tiny freeware app is compatible with Adobe Story, Fade In Pro so that you can import your existing storylines. You can import or export your work, export watermarked PDFs with user-specified TrueType fonts. Other features include auto-capitalizing, support for unicode filenames and cross-platform compatibility.