MacTribe’s new series reporting on Filmmaker’s Tools, leads us to screenwriting software. We all know no good film ever got off the ground with a lame script, (never mind a sub par software screenwriting program).The following tools represent some of the best available and we hope you find these recommendations help your film project.
Mariner Software: Montage Mariner Software has produced a kind of eclectic mix of software over the years, as a player in the educational writing and creativity markets for the Macintosh. From the blog-type application “Mac Journal”, to its latest, a cookbook of food ideas called “Mac Gourmet”. Easily their most significant release is the screenwriting software known as “Montage.” With 11 updates in just two years, obviously these guys enjoy getting it right.
Montage makes it easy for the budding screenwriter to create, edit, and manage screenplays on a Mac. It’s advantage is the ability to import and export Final Draft or text documents, making it simpler to switch from using the well known screenwriting program or just jump directly from Word into a complete screenwriting application. It also has custom, pre-formatted templates for film, TV, and theater, and incorporates the timesaving Smart Views.
A real bonus is when your first masterpiece is finally complete, Montage allows you to submit, track, and send a synopsis, or actual script to hundreds of industry contacts that are listed. Montage actually integrates into your Mac’s Address Book. That was an extra bit of inspiration that plays well to their audience of aspiring writers.
Montage claims to be as good for the first time screenwriter and the experienced veteran. Our bet is that it’s an excellent tool for a beginner to organize their thoughts and focus their attack on writing a great script.
The shipping version of Montage 1.5 is now available. It is a free upgrade for all Montage 1.0 customers. Montage requires Mac OS 10.4 or above.
Final Draft Often touted as the number-one selling software designed for scriptwriting of Movies, TV shows, or theater, Final Draft is perhaps the best known of the tools available. It utilizes professional script formatting in one self-contained, easy-to-use package. Final Draft automatically paginates and formats your script to industry standards as you write, leaving you to get back on with your inspiration and stop worrying about your technical prowess.
Final Draft scripts are cross-platform with no incompatibility between Mac and PC. Your meandering idea sketches or full-fledged developed scripts done in Word or any text editor will be imported easily, no need to re-type your script. Export options are also included in the presets with multiple file formats (including PDF) to easily share scripts or bounce ideas off of colleagues.
If your feeling really creative, you can actually have Final Draft read your script back to you in multiple voices by assigning them to your characters. Just imagine having a robot with multiple personalities ready to serve your scenes up and bring your script to life at command.
Key Features:
ScriptNotes
Pop-up windows which can hold ideas, notes, suggestions or scene fragments without taking up space onscreen.
Format Assistant
Checks your script for common formatting errors, such as missing dialogue, extra spaces, carriage returns and blank elements.
Write Brothers/Screenplay
Movie Magic Screenwriter 6.0
Write Brother’s Movie Magic Screenwriter software is one of the two top players, along with Final Draft, in the Screen/Scriptwriting software game. Screenwriter has some excellent Hollywood credits, including an Academy Technical Achievement Award. It also has a long track record of endorsements, Film industry respect, and is a full featured professional screenwriting software. So why have they been in such dead heat competition with Final Draft? The answer is both are well-designed tools and have separate advantages.
Screenplay certainly has much to recommend it including a new multipurpose navigational and outlining tool that is getting rave reviews. There are now extensive color-coding outlining options in the application also, a huge benefit over earlier versions. Also helpful is the very user-friendly slider controls to magnify and shrink your outline views at will.
Other Features Include:
• Instructional templates (including stageplay, screenplay, sitcom structure, and classic film structure).
• Import Text Feature lets you import screenplays already written in Microsoft Word or any other word processor.
• A 35-page Production Bible PDF to guide you through the process.
• Revision marks, A-B pages, and colored pages management.
• A 35-page Production Bible PDF to guide you through the process.
Since Screenwriter is popular with Hollywood’s elite as well as average keyboard strokers, chances are it’s a Filmmaker’s Tool that lives up to the hype, even in tinseltown. Note the following testimonial from the Screenplay.com website: "Matt and I used the original version of Screenwriter when we wrote Good Will Hunting. It was and remains all you need to write a screenplay that looks professional, even if yours (like ours) took a few drafts before it read like one. I highly recommend this excellent piece of software." Ben Affleck, Academy Award winning Writer; Actor, Good Will Hunting
Mariner Software has produced a kind of eclectic mix of software over the years, as a player in the educational writing and creativity markets for the Macintosh. From the blog-type application “Mac Journal”, to its latest, a cookbook of food ideas called “Mac Gourmet”. Easily their most significant release is the screenwriting software known as “Montage.” With 11 updates in just two years, obviously these guys enjoy getting it right.
Often touted as the number-one selling software designed for scriptwriting of Movies, TV shows, or theater, Final Draft is perhaps the best known of the tools available. It utilizes professional script formatting in one self-contained, easy-to-use package. Final Draft automatically paginates and formats your script to industry standards as you write, leaving you to get back on with your inspiration and stop worrying about your technical prowess.
