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Screenwriting Software: Closeup Review #1 |
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by Rich Wilson © 1996 All rights reserved
Writers like to think of their work as timeless, as having some eternal truth that outlasts fads or fashion. Well, one must give up such ideas to write articles about scriptwriting software. Although I try to provide general guidelines that readers can apply to any software purchase, the specifics change so quickly that these pieces I write are doomed to a lifespan no longer than the products mentioned in them.
Ten years ago I reviewed programs like Spellbinder, Volkswriter, Multimate, and Easywriter. They were significant players back then -- but they fell by the wayside as the market consolidated on other products. And evaluation criteria have certainly changed. Back then only one product could do two-column A-V scripts, and writing in screenplay format was a major chore, at best.
Luckily, things are now much better, as the products reviewed here demonstrate. Although radical changes have rendered my old reviews obsolete -- even quaint -- I don't mind, because it is now so much easier to write immortal dialogue, in ageless screenplays, that may someday result in time-honored motion pictures.
The inspiration for this little ramble is called ScriptWright. It is an add-on package for Microsoft Word for Windows, and I find it fascinating to see how word processors have evolved to allow such extensive customization. Like its counterpart WordPerfect for Windows, Word now goes far beyond the macro capabilities of earlier products. It even has something called WordBASIC, a powerful "language" for writing macros and other enhancements.
Screenwriter Guy Gallo used WordBASIC to create ScriptWright, which was several years in the making and is marketed under the company name Indelible, Ink. When you install it -- an easy and straightforward process -- Word suddenly takes on a different flavor. New, screenplay-specific commands appear in the drop-down menus. There are also specialized toolbars for point-and-click access to commands for script formatting, revisions, etc. Thus, the generic word processor is transformed into a custom-tailored screenwriting environment.
(For the sake of fairness, note that other packages can do similar things with Word for Windows, and other word processors. We'll take a look at some of the other products in the future, and see how they all stack up.)
ScriptWright has all the tools one needs for professional screenwriting, and includes a lot of extras. It allows the writer to collapse the screenplay into an outline to make the structure more readily visible. It provides for hidden comments and director's notes that can be viewed while writing, but kept out of the printed script. One can number scenes or acts in various numbering methods. One can even get a basic script breakdown that lists all the scenes with their page numbers and lengths.
An evaluation of ScriptWright depends on the criteria used for comparison. Being based on a powerful word processor has numerous advantages, and writing in screenplay format with this package is certainly easier than using Word by itself. However, compared to most dedicated screenwriting programs on the market, I think it is slightly harder to learn and use.
ScriptWright is generally solid, but needs a little more error-trapping. For example, it is too easy to change the format or "style" of a block of text accidentally, with a stray keystroke (turning dialogue into scene description, etc.). Luckily, it is also very easy to fix such a mistake, but most dedicated screenplay programs would simply prevent it.
While the 84-page manual is carefully-done and includes many illustrations, a glossary and an index, the impressive online help may be an even better means of getting acquainted. There is also a "Quick Tour" that demonstrates the basics before you start. Taking all these elements together, I consider ScriptWright's documentation to be admirable.
Although Word is not my word processor of choice, marketing factors are making it the dominant product, and many writers will probably have a copy already. People who don't use Word already need not switch to it just for access to a package like ScriptWright, since there are dedicated screenwriting programs and other products available. But for devoted Word users, ScriptWright is a very good way to make screenwriting easier and more convenient.
This product's name is deceptively silly, because ScriptThing is capable of down-to-earth, serious professional screenwriting. The version reviewed here runs on MS-DOS, but can also be used within Windows (and presumably OS/2). A native Windows-based version was in development at the time of this writing.
ScriptThing is a dedicated screenwriting program that has all the capabilities needed to write, revise, proofread, and format a feature screenplay -- and then some. It comes in two versions; the Freelance Version is identical to the Production Version, but lacks a few advanced features like script breakdowns and revision-marking tools. By dividing the feature set this way, ScriptPerfection Enterprises is able to provide an affordable product with everything the budget-conscious freelancer needs to complete a spec script.
The areas where a screenwriter wants to save time are in repetitive tasks, like changing margins and indents, or typing in frequently-used scene descriptions and character names. A good screenwriting program should automate such processes, reduce the number of keystrokes needed to move from one element to another, and do so in a way that is logical and easy to learn. ScriptThing meets all these requirements very well, and includes many additional enhancements.
I find the command interface for most writing activities to be very intuitive, and if one does have any questions, the online help is clear and comprehensive. The program also includes an entertaining, interactive tutorial that teaches the basic commands.
There are a couple of idiosyncrasies mixed in with this otherwise sensible design. For instance, suppose you write one page of a script, then decide to dump it and start over. The command for this is "Save & Exit Script," which I find confusing, since you are neither saving anything nor exiting the program. The process works fine, once you figure it out. But with the level of standardization in software nowadays, one should not have to learn new commands for simple actions like this. Another frustration: One can import files from other programs -- a very handy feature -- but one cannot specify the directory where they are located.
Still, such complaints are outweighed by ScriptThing's many strengths and useful features. It makes very efficient use of memory and disk space, which means you can probably run it just fine on your old computer. The program has a novel "index card" feature that allows the writer to view the headings and opening descriptions of several scenes all on one screen, and change the order of those scenes just as one might do with notes written on physical index cards. Move the "card" and the whole scene is moved within the script.
Another innovation is the capacity to handle interactive scripts that can be "programmed" to move the reader in nonlinear directions. Space here is insufficient to describe this feature, but future reviews will examine the subject of writing for interactivity, so watch for more news. Meanwhile, for anyone wanting a fast, efficient, feature-laden DOS-based screenwriting program, ScriptThing should be at or near the top of the shopping list.
Several years ago, Marsh Fisher invented a unique program called IdeaFisher. Its purpose was to help the user brainstorm, and it used two main devices for this purpose. One was an interactive question-and- answer engine that could be customized not only for creative writing, but also for many other tasks. The other component was an enormous database of words and phrases, indexed and accessible in ways that included the familiar associations of synonyms found in a thesaurus, along with many other forms of cross-reference.
Recently, IdeaFisher Systems took this second component, updated the interface, and spun it off as a separate product called Writer's Edge. It is priced very reasonably, and even if one only considered it as a fancy thesaurus, it would be worth the cost. But it goes much further, and allows one to pursue a nebulous idea through successive stages of definition until it finally solidifies. To get there, one can follow a purely lexical approach, by looking for associated words; or one can look for examples of the concept in use, in "activities/events/processes," for example.
Thus, one could start with the word tree and end up with twig, Arbor Day, or even rescue a cat, just to name a few. It all depends on what kind of association one is trying to find. As one searches and tries new pathways, the results are tracked automatically in a History window. There is also an IdeaPad where one can select particularly promising results and store them for later reference.
As a Windows product, Writer's Edge has a much-improved interface, and navigation is quick and easy. Using early versions of IdeaFisher, I was never totally comfortable with the categories into which the database had been subdivided; I often felt a little lost. Now that it is so much easier to move around, I find the logic of the different associations to be much clearer.
Writer's Edge even lets the user install it right into the menu system of either Word or WordPerfect for Windows. Although it still runs as a separate program, it is much more accessible, and the results of a search can be pasted directly into the current document.
If there is a limitation, it is that the user still has to make the decision on which pathways to try, and which results to use; the program cannot read your mind. Considering everything else it does, somehow that seems like a small oversight. But Marsh Fisher is probably working on it.
ScriptWright Indelible, Ink. 212-255-1956
ScriptThing ScriptPerfection Enterprises 619-270-7515
Writer's Edge IdeaFisher Systems 800-289-4332
