OT: Final Draft viewer / reader

farss wrote on 7/30/2009, 12:07 AM
Anyone using Final Draft or know much about it.
Someone has a script they want to send me that they've prepared in Final Draft. They're a bit concerned that the way it exports to Word or PDF is pretty dodgy at best.
A Google seems to indicate that Viewer / Reader is available as a free download which makes a lot of sense. Every link to said viewer though takes me to the download page for all the versions of Final Draft which is not what I want. I can't ask the tech support people as I'm not a registered user.

Thanks,
Bob.

Comments

farss wrote on 7/30/2009, 4:12 AM
Problem solved I think. In case anyone else strikes this issue there's two solutions:

1) Have the Final Draft user export as PDF. That should come out perfectly.

2) Download and install the full version. With that you can open and read Perfect Draft files. You cannot edit or save. If you print out the file it will have a watermark.

The viewer is no longer available and will quite likely not read files from the later versions correctly. It existed before PDF was in common usage.

Bob.
ushere wrote on 7/30/2009, 4:56 AM
and, having got this far bob, what's your thoughts on final draft?

i looked at it a few years back for a project i had coming up, but that fell through. now i'm working on a largish doco that might well benefit from some serious scripting.....

leslie
Paul Fierlinger wrote on 7/30/2009, 2:15 PM
I have and use Final Draft. My first impression was that it's pretty lame for the money, but as I got into it more while working on a 90 page script I got to like it quite a bit. And yes, to make a pdf is very, very simple. The hardest part for me was to figure out how to change and save the cover page -- totally unintuitive. That got me mad at it right at the beginning but, once I got going and was loving every minute of it. You can see that this software has been developed with a lot of input from pros who use it on a daily basis and know what they need. As one blurb on the package says, quoting a writer: Even if you don't have a computer you should get Final Draft.
Coursedesign wrote on 7/30/2009, 3:56 PM
I've used FD for several years, after using sucky Word add-ins like Movie Magic (old version).

Final Draft is just nice to work with, and it is #1 today for good reason.

It has a few clunky features, but the cover page thing Paul described is fixed in the new Version 8. Also other minor improvements, well worth the $79 upgrade.

I think there are still several ways to get a discounted deal on a full copy of FD, I'll check if anyone needs it.
busterkeaton wrote on 7/30/2009, 9:37 PM
If you don't want to pay for Final Draft you may want to check out celtx. The new version makes it easier to see how the printed version of the script will look.
farss wrote on 7/31/2009, 7:07 AM
I now have a quite readable copy of the script as a PDF.

One more question if I may.
Who is responsible for turning a script into a shot list?
I have 30 scenes to shoot in 2 days and I night, on location. My gut and editorial instincts say planning is critical.

Bob.
Coursedesign wrote on 7/31/2009, 5:36 PM
15 setups a day for two days?

Yikes. That's not easy.

Single camera or multi?

Multi-camera shoots are tough, they take a lot more prep.

Yes, storyboarding should be done well beforehand, usually not done by the DP (although on a low budget production anything goes).
Former user wrote on 7/31/2009, 5:44 PM
I watched a demo for a pretty interesting storyboard application today. It's being promoted by Digital Juice:

StoryBoard Quick 6

Currently it's half price -- still not cheap -- but if you need storyboards for a shoot, then it's cheaper than hiring an artist to draw them up for you.
farss wrote on 7/31/2009, 7:34 PM
"15 setups a day for two days?"

Oh no, 15 scenes per day, some of those will need a few setups.


"Single camera or multi?"

Single.
Maybe there's something I don't get as I've never done any narrative drama apart from shooting 16mm decades ago however my gut feeling is multicam is easier than single when you have amateur talent and the story is dialog driven. I see a lot of efforts where the cadence of speech is broken between takes or it's obvious the lighting has been changed.

In this project most of the talent are playing themselves in a role they do everyday. I figure the less they feel they're acting and the camera is just a fly on the wall the better it'll go.

Bob.
Coursedesign wrote on 7/31/2009, 8:29 PM
Storyboards aren't about looking good.

They're about communicating visualization of camera movement.

A No. 2 1/2 pencil can be just as effective as StoryBoard Quick or FrameForge 3D.

I have all three and have a slight preference for the pencil, followed by FF3D.

Speed is more important than beauty for pre-viz, other than if you're trying to sell a concept to financiers.

I also have Celtx and find it great for production planning, but imho it lags for pure script writing behind Final Draft.

Multicam shooting takes more effort on the lighting side, better think that through.

That's the reason "stadium lighting" has been so popular on multi-camera sitcoms; it greatly reduces the setup effort.