Calling all screenwriters

[hv213a]

OK all you screenwriters, where's the program that let's you sit down to a blank page and start writing without thinking about formatting, line spacing, page numbering, etc.? You know, something simple, intuitive and user friendly, as in anyone could sit down and start writing with just a list of Control key functions.

 

My ideal script writing program would work like this;

 

Select screenwriting format, blank page appears (Title Page), enter data, hit enter.

 

First blank page of script appears and is numbered 1.

 

Cursor automatically positions itself at the beginning of the page.

 

Enter: Fade In:, hit return, Line Spacing automatically positions cursor three lines down for the next entry.

 

Select: Control S, (Scene or Slug Line), enter: INT./EXT. YADA, YADA, YADA - DAY and hit return. Program automatically capitalizes entry and positions cursor three lines down for the next entry.

 

Select: Control A, (Action), automatically positions cursor to left side of margin. Enter: Action line and hit return. Program automatically positions cursor three lines down for the next entry.

 

Select: Control C, (Character), automatically positions cursor to center of page for Character's Name. Select Control or Function (programers choice) and first letter of character's name. Program will automatically Capitalize name, hit return. Program automatically positions cursor one line down for the next entry.

 

Select: Control P, (Parenthetical's), automatically positions cursor to proper position. Enter data and hit return. Program automatically positions cursor one line down for the next entry.

 

Select: Control D, (Dialogue), automatically positions cursor to proper position. Enter data and hit return. Program automatically positions cursor three lines down for the next entry.

 

OK, you get my drift. So where does this software program exist? I'm ready to buy it. Surely, someone has developed a program for the person who just wants to write and is not interested in learning to be a software engineer just to use a screenwriting program.

 

Am I asking for too much here?

 

Thanks,

Klaatu

 

PS Where's the beef? That was my hook line!

[Steve E]

Hi iKlaatu.

 

Could you put this in the form of a feature request and post it there? I'm sure Steve would be interested.

 

-Gort...er...Thoth

[emoKid]

Screenwriting in Storyist already has a lot of shortcut keys. If you look at the drop down box for the style, it's lists them (maybe not as friendly since it's numerical, but yeah... Ctrl/Cmd + P traditionally is print). You can ignore all that other features, but I think they're helpful.

Sure you don't start out with a blank canvass, but just cmd+a and write away.

 

Celtx is another application. You start off with a blank canvass, but there's no short-cut keys. You tab or press enter to change the alignment/formatting (it handles formatting, but you cycle through it as standard with most editors). Made specifically for screenwriting.

 

There's also Scrivener, but the screenwriting ability in it isn't as good as Storyist or Celtx. Doesn't auto-format and align as nicely.

 

I haven't tried to many other since Final Draft, Montage, and Magic Movie something something are out of my budget (Storyist and Celtx seem to the the best band for your buck in screenwriting).

 

Storyist seems to offer the features you want (not as nicely with shortcuts and no starting off blank, but you can probably save a template for that).

 

Unless I'm missing something... (which could be the case, I'm lacking sleep at the moment). You might be looking at the features you don't need and not noticing the features that are awesomely present.

[Steve E]

Screenwriting in Storyist already has a lot of shortcut keys... You might be looking at the features you don't need and not noticing the features that are awesomely present.

 

Awesomely present indeed, but...

 

I think he's talking about a little more than that: not just shortcuts but overall program behavior. For me, a key issue is how to integrate the novel writing program with the screenplay writing program. We want the screenplay features to be friendly to us but not unfriendly to the novel features. I think you alluded to that in Feature Request.

 

- Thoth.

[stephentappin]

Awesomely present indeed, but...

 

I think he's talking about a little more than that: not just shortcuts but overall program behavior. For me, a key issue is how to integrate the novel writing program with the screenplay writing program. We want the screenplay features to be friendly to us but not unfriendly to the novel features. I think you alluded to that in Feature Request.

 

- Thoth.

 

 

I think you have hit the nail on the proverbial head. Ideally you might have two distinct modes of operation - a novel/story writing mode, and screenwriting mode and depending on the choice, everything about the working environment would change to suit that mode, without having to compromise either.

 

Stephen

[Steve E]

I think you have hit the nail on the proverbial head. Ideally you might have two distinct modes of operation - a novel/story writing mode, and screenwriting mode and depending on the choice, everything about the working environment would change to suit that mode, without having to compromise either.

Thanks Stephen.

 

That point was made a year ago (on 07/17/09) and since then I've had the opportunity to take Storyist's screenwriting features out on a hard run at the annual Script Frenzy marathon*. I can now say from personal experience that Storyist had everything I needed in an integrated, easy-to-use package that jetted me across the finish line with time to spare.

 

-Thoth

 

* See the Script Frenzy 2010 Forum in the Community group.

[edwardyharby]

Unfortunately, I write my screenplays in storyist to keep it in the world of my outlines and search materials. Sometimes I find myself laughing at how bad it is. It's bad. If the makers are reading this, you need to know your program is terrible for screenwriters. Even for the simple stuff like like copying and pasting lines from a screenplay (within storyist) to another screenplay (within stoyrist). It just can't do it. They're competing with Scrivener, which doesn't put the bar high enough when they should really be looking at Fade In and Final Draft. I don't use those programs because I'm very plot driven, and I like access to my outlines and scripts in one swoop. If that's not the case for you, BUY FADE IN or FINAL DRAFT. Get a student discount somehow. Find a Trial or Demo, just check it out and see what you are missing when it comes down to formatting. You'll know what its like to really write, rather than constantly fiddling with an app all day to get it to format a line of dialogue you'll probably end up not using.

 

My all time favorite issue is when the text cursor gets stuck in the dialogue format and I'm constantly trying to backspace / delete lines just to get a scene heading, or the parenthetical option that's WITHOUT PARENTHETICALS.

 

There approach to notecarding also makes me want to jump out a window.