Final Draft (now version 7.1.2) includes many of the features as Sophocles, with Tab and Enter keys automatically setting formats. There are also similar import and export features (including .pdf files), as well as reports on characters and scenes. But Final Draft continues with additional features.
First, it is Windows and Mac compatible, with both platforms on the same installation CD, so writers (and their scripts) can move between platforms.
Next, Final Draft includes script templates so spec scripts can be created to conform to specific television shows. There are also multiple screenplay templates, a Broadway musical template, and even some BBC templates. And to further help writers, the new Final Draft facilitates registering scripts with the Writers Guild of America.
Here is a fun feature - Text to Speech. Final Draft allows you to assign different voices to the characters and then listen to your script. The voices are somewhat computerized and not completely smooth, but it is still an advantage for the writer to hear the words. However, it doesn't eliminate the need for a reading with real actors who can add intonation, emotion, and infuse their own abilities into your characters.
There still remains the weakness in Final Draft, as with most scriptwriting software that focuses on screenplays, and that is in stage play writing. It has better capabilities than earlier versions, but still does not completely conform to Samuel French's formatting guidelines.
At a list of US$289, it's more than twice the cost of Sophocles, but can be found for less. For the additional features, it may be worth it for some writers.
The other product, Final Draft AV (version 2.5.2), fills the gap for scripts requiring dual column formatting, where one column is what the audience sees and the other column is what the audience hears. In documentaries and other scripts where the audio and visual are frequently from different sources, this dual column layout is essential.
Many features are the same as Final Draft, such as Mac and Windows compatibility, import and export, and the WGA script registry.
It lists for US$249, but also can be found for less. Final Draft also offers the Scriptwriter's Suite, which offers both applications for a price of US$359. For the serious screenwriter, this is some serious software.
