Final Draft screenwriting software not what it used to be

By Gerald Martin Davenport on July 17, 2024, Updated November 24, 2024
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Final Draft is not the best anymore

I have used Final Draft since 2004 up to 2016, then purchased the 12 upgrade to get back into the writing phase, but 12.0.09, 12.0.10, and 12.0.11 are reeking havoc with my screenplays and Final Draft cannot figure out why.

Writing like the professionals?

I purchased Final Draft 7 back in 2004 for $179 on Academic Superstore with an educational discount. This was back in the day that the install disk was delivered to you in a box and you had to install in from the disk. I was told that was what the professional screenwriters used in hollywood. If I want to be a professional and be taken seriously, use the tools professionals use. I was a leap for me to delve into the formatting world of writing a movie considering what I was using to write before I purchased Final Draft — a typewriter or by hand and a little with digital text documents. But none looked as cool as seeing the prose in true screenplay formatting.

My first screenplay, which was a finished but unrefined novel, or book for being such a novice and my first time was World Next Door — story that freaked me out even writing it. I remembered my teachings about writing: get it down on paper before you worry about cleaning it up, formatting, and spelling. If you spend too much time worrying about the minor things like spelling, grammer, and punctuation, then you will forget the most important stuff, the story.

Working with a professional screenwriting software made me feel different. I guess it equates to how you feel when you drive a Pacer compared to how you feel driving a Bentley — I was driving a Bentley, at that time. An upgrade to 8 was $59 purchased on September 8, 2010. I used it to write many screenplays that have been completed and viewed by many. I stopped writing in 2015 and focused on post-production and finishing other people's films.

Upgrade Purchase and Title Page Issues

After depleting my post-production projects I focused on webdesign and other interests until the writing bug hit me — actually the “I want to make a full-length film” idea pushed me. But I needed more stories that I had. I needed the one's I had to be updated. In order to do that, I needed to purchase the upgrade to Final Draft or use some other screenwriting software. I used Celtx for a bit, but they got snooty and changed the way you could write with their software and charged you more. I found Writer Duet which was cool, but only online. So I stuck with what I knew. $65 later, I had 12.0.4 on November of 2023 and things were going great.

Then there was an update

Five screenplays later there was an update and unbeknownst to me, my title pages were getting corrupted. The text, instead of being formatted like it should be on one page, it was down 4 pages in a single column. I did not think to much about it at first, but when I needed to export a screenplay with a title page, it struck me. Why is this happening?

What the title page for Paint used to look like for years

What the title page for Paint looks like after Final Draft version 12.0.11

What the title page for Stargazers used to look like

What the title page for Stargazers looks like after Final Draft version 12.0.11

I sent the screenplays into Final Draft support and they replied with your font is not the default recommended Courier. I replied with, I have used different fonts since Final Draft 7 in 2004 after seeing a screenplay of movie that was made using different fonts, and those fonts and the title page never had any trouble since 2004. Same thing with the image in the Paint title. I have seen other screens plays use images in the title. In fact they show an image icon to add one. Why else would it be there?

Final Draft Support

I found some info on how to fix a corrupt screenplay file, but that did not work. I opened a good one and a bad in BBEdit, an noticed the title page code was different with the spacing, so I fixed it and it worked until I started editing the screenplay, the messed up title page was back.

I am not blaming or directing any of my complaint to the support people at Final Draft. they did not write it, they do not own the company, they are there to help the users, and we thank them for their time and expertise. Do not insinuate or imply that any of this is directed to the support team.

I sent them good files and corrupted files, they sent me back things to try, and returned my results. Nothing works, the error happens when I open a screen play with a good title page and edit the screenplay, the title page is corrupted.

I find it hard to believe that I am the only person that used Final Draft that is having this problem. Final Draft cannot figure it out. The support person is escalating this issue to the top tier engineers.

Meanwhile I keep writing using Fade In

I have tried Beat — basic it but it works, WriterDuet, Script Studio (close 3rd), Highland 2 (liked it but too much for a text version screenplay formatting), Celtx (they got a big head), Scrivener (so confusing, never got it to work), and others. Fade In is closer to Final Draft than the others, easy to understand, and no annoying features that take you away from writing — Final Draft is starting to get those — but my title pages are not corrupted.

I still have a place in my heart for Final Draft, if they can fix it, but until then, I am happy using Fade In and I recommend it, THE PRICE IS CHEAPER, and the one I bought.

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