Software: Final Draft

The recommended software for the course is Final Draft. It is considered the industry standard for TV and film.

The Final Draft Educational version is less expensive than the full version. You can find details on their website:

Style names for formatting

Use the Scene Heading style to create a scene heading, aka slugline.

Use the Action style for scene description/direction.

Use the Character style to indicate which character is speaking (aka Character name or Character cue)

Use the Parenthetical style to describe actor directions.

Use the Dialogue style for the character's speech.

Use the Transition style to indicate a scene-to-scene transition other than "CUT TO:" which should not be used.

Use the Shot style to describe a specific type of shot. Only use shots when necessary. See ACTION for more detail.

Use the General style for regular text such as in-script production notes.

Press Tab in the Action style to switch to the Character style.

Press Enter after the character name to switch to the Dialogue style.

Press Enter after dialogue to revert to Action.

Press Tab in the dialogue style to switch to the Parenthetical style.

Press Enter after a parenthetical to switch to the Dialogue style.

Master Scene Screenwriting Guide