Depth
of Options
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Movie Magic
is its many features. I've been dabbling in screenplays
for at least eight years, and I didn't even know what
most of the advanced features were about.
The
nicest - and most basic - element to any screenwriting
software is the drop-down menus, and Movie Magic does
an excellent job in this area. When one begins to write
a scene heading, the software first brings up a list of
options for the first part of the heading - interior (INT.),
exterior (EXT.), point of view (P.O.V.), etcetera.
After
you've chosen the setting, the software brings up a list
of every location that has been used to date in the screenplay.
Since most feature-length screenplays can have dozens
- and sometimes hundreds - of different locations, the
user can type in the first letter of the location they
want and the software will automatically narrow the field
for you.
After
the user has chosen the location, the software brings
up the final part of the scene heading - the time of day.
Once again, all you have to do is click on the correct
choice and it is automatically inserted. The program also
automatically capitalizes this line for you, so there's
no messing around with Caps Lock or trying to hold down
the Shift key as you type. Not only is this feature a
wonderful convenience, but I especially like that it keeps
track of all your locations, so there's no having to stop
and search through the entire script to figure out the
obscure name you gave to the exotic foreign restaurant.
