When you are embarking on your journey to take your movie ideas(s) and put them onto the page. It helps to use top-notch script writing programs. This article will explore the top five best screenwriting programs used in the movie industry today.

No.5 Montage (Mac users only)

The only screenwriting software exclusively developed for Mac OS X. Melding the theory that a simple user interface, combined with powerful and intuitive features, provide the best writing experience, Montage makes it easy to create, edit, and manage screenplays on your Macintosh. From the ability to import and export Final Draft documents, to using custom, pre-formatted templates for film, TV, and theater, Montage guides both the first time screenwriter or the seasoned veteran, from start to finish.

Retail Price: $139.95 U.S.

No.4 Scenewriter Pro

SceneWriter Pro is totally different in that you don't have to worry about pages or writing in a linear fashion from start to finish, you write on a scene-by-scene basis and you may write in any order you wish!

However, SceneWriter Pro formats your script to Hollywood Industry Standards, but that's only a small fraction of the benefits that writing your script in SceneWriter Pro offers.
From outlining, character development, location lists, project notes and of course industry standard formatting, SceneWriter Pro's non-linear, scene-by-scene approach to writing will make writing that $million blockbuster a piece of cake.

Retail Price: $99.00 U.S.

No. 3 Celtx

This program is ideal for you writer/director/producers. Celtx helps you pre-produce all types of media - film, video, documentary, theater, machinima, comics, advertising, video games, music video, radio, podcasts, videocasts, and however else you choose to tell your story. Unlike scriptwriting software and sites, you can use Celtx for the entire pre-production process - write scripts, storyboard scenes and sequences, develop characters, breakdown & tag elements, schedule production, and prepare detailed and informative production reports for cast and crew.

Retail Price: free. An indie filmmaker's favourite word.?:D?

No.2 Final Draft

This screenwriting software is excellent for writing and formatting a screenplay to meet the screenplay submission standards set by the theater and film industry. It is the only preferred screenwriting software using WGAW Registry for online submission.
The current version, Final Draft 7, contains over 50 movie and television templates. It also offers the feature of allowing users to assign computer generated voices to their characters, who then read the script aloud. How cool is that!

Retail Price: $229.00 U.S.

No. 1 Movie Magic Screenwriter

Used to format screenplays, teleplays and novels. Magic Screenwriter is the grand daddy of them all. It's the official script writing software of the Writer's Guild of America and has been used by writers of the following movies: Pirates of the Caribbean, Crash, Babel and many more. The newest version has an outlining ability that really helps you organize your scenes.

Retail Price: $209.95 U.S.

If you are serious about making screenwriting your profession, Movie Magic Screenwriter or Final Draft would be a wise investment.

Also keep in mind that a few of these programs offer free demo trials of their software.

For more filmmaking tidbits check out http://www.ianagard.com - The Independent Filmmaker Blog.