Final Major Project - CeltX Vs. Final Draft Pro

With specialising in scriptwriting and editing, I've decided to do research into both areas to see what are the best programs to use and what is industry standard to give my work the edge and make sure I'm working to the professional standard thats expected after university. When it comes to scriptwriting there are many programs and tools that you can use to write but the two that stick to the expected format and most popular in todays age for industry are CeltX and Final Draft Pro.

CeltX is both an online and downloadable program that offers both a free and option to pay for more features. The Basic Scriptwriting package is free for everyone and offers the very basic software for scriptwriting. I have experience using CeltX during my first and second year for scriptwriting, and know my way around the program and have gathered plenty of knowledge of how to use it. You can upgrade the CeltX package to a Story Development package which is $9.99, a Script Production package which is $19.99 and an Episodic Production package which is $39.99.

Story Development - 

• Script Insights
• Script Revision Tracking
• Index Cards
• Storyboarding
• Shareable Link
• Project Foldering 

Script Production- 

• Scheduling 
• Budgeting 
• Script Breakdown 
• Cost Reports
• Shot Lists

Episodic Production- 

• Episodic Scriptwriting (25 ep/project)
• Episodic Scheduling 
• Episodic Budgeting 
• Approval System 
• Group Management 

CeltX is also good for sharing scripts and collaborating if you're in a team and constantly making changes. CeltX also offers an on set option where you can download their app on iPhone, iPad and Android to view and make changes to your script on the go. 

Final Draft Pro is what is considered to be the industry standard and is used by many of the professionals today in the industry and scriptwriting world. I've never used Final Draft Pro but from the reviews and talk it seems like it would be a great investment. Final Draft Pro publicises on its website that people in the industry such as James Cameron - Avatar and Matthew Weiner - Mad Men use and praise Final Draft for their work. They also advertise and that they are "The Industry Standard" and used by all the top studios and production companies including: 

• BBC
• MGM
• NBCUniversal 
• Paramount Pictures
• abc
• Sony Pictures
• Walt Disney Pictures
• Warner Bros. 

Final Draft 10 is the latest version of Final Draft and is currently £193.20 which comes with 2 activations for different computers and laptops. There is a 30 day trial for the program to try it out which I have downloaded and will be trying out for my Final Major Project to see if its easier or more accessible for me to use to produce quality scripts in the correct format for the industry. Final Draft offers quite a range of features to help with the scriptwriting process such as: 

• Story Map
• Beat Board
• Collaboration 
• Alternate Dialogue
• Structure Points
• Header & Footer Improvements
• Scene Numbering Options
• Revision Menu Options

Due to Final Draft Pro being the industry standard and offers a wide range of options to help with the scriptwriting process I think I'll be using Final Draft to write all my scripts for Final Major. I can use the 30 day trial until it runs out and after that if I still need to make corrections and rewrites I can purchase the software and I continue to use Final Draft Pro for my scripts.