Like
many people who've ever tried to tackle the job of writing
a screenplay, I've been overwhelmed more than once at
the sheer volume of work that must be put into this creation.
It's even more difficult when all the software one has
to work with is Microsoft Word, which means that
one will spend a good portion of writing time in adjusting
margins, lining up dialogue, looking for minor characters
whose names you'd forgotten, and searching for the one
vital scene that you happened to put in the wrong place.
Until
technology manages to produce a software that will actually
write the entire screenplay for you - and pour a martini
while it's at it - any aspiring screenwriter's next best
friend will continue to be a good, solid, screenwriting
software. Unfortunately, there's a lot of software out
there that all but promises a Best Screenplay Oscar, and
since wading through them is just about as irritating
as writing your script in Word, some would-be screenwriters
simply forgo the process altogether.
Regrettably,
this type of thinking tends to bite a brand-new screenwriter
in the foot. Hollywood producers get hundreds of scripts
a day, and the first ones to get tossed in the garbage
are those who don't follow proper format. And this makes
perfect sense when you look at it from a producer's point
of view - sure, you may be tossing a great idea, but if
the writer didn't bother to take a few minutes to look
up regular screenplay formatting, they most likely didn't
take a few weeks' worth of planning to create and organize
a good story. So, into the trash it goes.
The
fact still remains that this should not be the case. There
are many different kinds of screenwriting programs available,
many of which include free trial versions, so there should
be no reason why any serious screenwriter's script should
be tossed in the trash because of a lack of proper formatting.
One
such program is the Write Brothers' Movie Magic Screenwriter
2000 , which is currently the top choice for the Writer's
Guild of America. Several years ago, I came across
an early version of Movie Magic Screenwriter; it
was a DOS-based program with very few features, a confusing
interface, and - worst of all - didn't allow importing
or exporting text to and from other word processors. Though
it initially seemed better than writing in Microsoft Word,
I soon gave up on the program, and on screenwriting software
in general. So when I began this review, I was initially
skeptical of this version of Movie Magic Screenwriter.
However, I was pleasantly surprised.
Ease
of Use
For people who are used to normal word processing software,
screenwriting programs like Movie Magic Screenwriter
can take a while to get familiar with. At first glance,
it looks similar to Word, but don't be deceived.
The hardest part for me to adjust to was the shortcuts,
since I use them quite frequently while writing in Word.
For example, Ctrl+S will create a new scene, not save
the document - one must press F7 to do that. And Ctrl+End
will actually erase a line rather than take you to the
end of the document; instead one must press Ctrl+Alt+End,
which is a more tricky combination. However, for those
who learn slowly, the user does have the opportunity to
change to regular Word keystrokes, but I only happened
upon this option by chance. (So, for those of you who
are about to drop-kick your computer, it's hidden in the
Tools menu under Configuration Wizard and the Text Entry
tab.)
Fortunately,
the software comes with a thick manual and several Adobe
Acrobat documents that contain a lot of information on
both using the software and on writing screenplays in
general. The first Acrobat file includes the full (and
very, very long!) user manual with detailed instructions
on how to use all the features contained within the software,
so if you leave your manual at home when writing on the
road, you won't be screwed. For those who, like me, don't
like to read instructions and just want to get started
writing, there is a PDF file with a "10-minute tutorial"
for Windows and Mac users that explains the basics of
the software. It contains a brief sample script, then
gives instructions on how to set up scene headings, describe
action and shots, and write dialogue. And finally, once
you have a finished screenplay, there is a separate Acrobat
file with a "Production Bible," which contains
information about Hollywood Production standards and how
the Movie Magic software helps the author in this
process.
Like
most kinds of software, once you learn the basics of Movie
Magic, it's not that difficult to use. Like in Word,
the icons have help balloons so the 
user
can tell what each of the buttons do, and on the right-hand
side of the window there's a shortcut menu for placing
all the basic elements: character names, dialogue, parentheticals,
action, transitions, scenes, and shots; as well as placing
notes and viewing the Scene Pilot (which I'll discuss
later.)
Perhaps
the biggest question that will be asked by most aspiring
screenwriters - including myself - is, "What if I
already have a script typed in Word? Will I have
to start over and re-type the whole thing again?"
Fear not, screenwriters, for I bring you good news. Movie
Magic does allow you to copy and paste from
Word documents, and if the text was already in a screenplay-type
format, the software does a pretty good job in distinguishing
action from scene headings and dialogue from character
names. Though you may want to go through and just check
- sometimes it gets confused. But, coming from someone
who once had only a DOS version that didn't allow importing
at all, anything is an improvement!
Another
helpful feature is the Goto menu, which will allow the
user to scan the script by several different elements,
including the next line of a certain character or the
next script note. There is also a search and search and
replace function in case the user has trouble finding
a certain character of bit of dialogue.
And,
if all else fails, there is still the PDF user's manual.
In addition, the software contains a help menu with an
offline search function, and several web resources for
both software help and proper screenwriting format.
