I'm outlining a screenplay project, which is something I've never done. Been looking at software to do the writing, preferably something that handles a lot of the formatting for me. The two I'm most interested in are: 1. Slugline 2. Highland These are for Mac, since that's the platform I'll be using. I'm not interested in spending the money on Final Draft, but if anyone has thoughts on the above, or on alternative software for MacOS, I'd appreciate your thoughts. Thanks!
Scrivener has a screenwriting function. I wrote one a couple months ago for a class and I didn't get any complaints about the formatting job the software did. Although, I don't have any idea whether or not it was spot on for all of the nuances.
Thanks @antlad. Looks like Trelby is Linux or Windows only, and while I do have a Linux laptop it isn't what I'll be using, primarily. ScriptBuddy looks pretty good, but since it runs in a web browser it looks like I'd have to be connected to the internet every time I write. Do you know if that's accurate?
Yeah, I saw that, but trying to use it didn't seem that intuitive to me (maybe it's just because I've never done this). Maybe I'll give that another shot, and even try typing in bits of an existing screenplay to see how it handles it.
I was afraid of the same thing, but it's actually pretty intuitive. You just use tab and it cycles through the functions (dialogue, scene header, character beat, etc.). ETA: About five pages in and I felt like I'd been writing scripts for years, haha.
I use Movie Magic Screenwriter. I've tried Final Draft, which is the industry standard, but hated it. MMS takes care of all your formatting. It's really easy. It's made by the only company to win an Academy Technical Achievement Award for screenwriting software.
Thanks @Selbbin, I'll take a look at that one as well. @Spencer1990 when I get home tonight I'll see how Scrivener works for me
I used to use Celtx years ago when I spent more time writing screenplays. It is/was free and worked like a charm. I loved it.
FinalDraft is the industry standard. Movie Magic Screenwriter is also good. Both cost a bit. Celtx.com is an online screenwriting software that is free for screenwriting only but costs for their project development and tracking features (creating a film project). Celtx had a free "offline" version that is no longer available from them but is still free to download from many sites LEGALLY. Here is a good article about screenwriting software options other than FD/MMSW: https://screenplayreaders.com/celtx/ Beyond the software however, which will format it correctly, is the nuance of writing a screenplay and the "do's" and "don'ts" that regardless of how good of a story it is, will get it thrown into the trash on technicalities, newbie mistakes or proofs of amateur authorship.
