“Screen story” credit is given when a screenplay is based on source material, but the screenplay’s story is new and substantially different from the source material’s. You can read more about this and other credits at the [WGA’s screen credits policy page](http://www.wga.org/subpage_writersresources.aspx?id=171). ### More from johnaugust.com * [The essentials of adaptation](http://johnaugust.com/2003/the-essentials-of-adaptation “The essentials of adaptation”) […]
Is Final Draft on the iPad?
Yes. As of August 2012, [Final Draft Writer](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/final-draft-writer/id526135686?mt=8) is available for iPad for $49.99. [FDX Reader](http://quoteunquoteapps.com/fdxreader) by Quote-Unquote Apps can be used to read Final Draft 8 documents (.fdx files) on the iPad or iPhone, but is not a script editor. ### More from johnaugust.com * [FDX Reader now in iPhone](http://johnaugust.com/2011/fdx-reader-now-on-iphone “FDX Reader now in […]
What is Final Draft?
[Final Draft](http://www.finaldraft.com/) is a word processor built specifically for scriptwriting. It is considered the industry standard screenplay writing software. Final Draft versions 1 through 7 produce .FDR files; Final Draft 8 uses .FDX files, which can be read on the iPad with [FDX Reader](http://quoteunquoteapps.com/fdxreader). While Final Draft is the industry standard scriptwriting software, it […]
How long is a short film?
There is no official consensus or definition for the length of a “short.” Any film shorter than 50 minutes qualifies as a short film for the Sundance Film Festival, while any film with a run-time under 40 minutes is eligible for the shorts categories at the Academy Awards. The longest of the ten movies nominated […]
What is a feature film?
A feature film (or just “feature”) is a full-length film, the kind you buy a ticket for at your local theater. The term is also used to distinguish between films that are first shown theatrically versus those made for television. A modern feature is typically between 80 and 180 minutes long, but different groups have […]
How many acts does a movie have?
A typical movie is said to have three acts, but this is not a steadfast rule. Film acts are not defined as strictly as play or TV show acts, which are set off with act breaks. The [johnaugust.com glossary](http://johnaugust.com/glossary) explains that “Since screenplays never show act breaks, an ‘act’ is really a theoretical concept. Screenwriters […]