MovieWriterPro 2.1 - screenwriting software

#2

Looks good overall. I like all the information It shows right as its opened

Now to get into it.

Some critiques/issues

installed as english worked fine.

Start a new doument. works fine.

Save opens in program folder. Could you make this open in the document folder.
(%homepath%/mydocu~1 is an easy way to access any windows 2k/windows xp document directory)

I began to enter the infos (in english it is info)
Tab does not jump from field to field the way I would expect.

Synopsis works as expected.

After reading the help file, which is good at getting me started I jumped to elements

I entered a name and hit return on my keyboard and nothing happened. I expected that hitting return would be the same as hitting OK and the ESC key the same as hitting cancel.

Writing a script goes very fast. This part works great. I like it.

hitting tab twice gets me into the list of characters. the ESC key does not cancel the action if I make a mistake in hitting tab in the first place. I have to select a character then delete back to where i want to be.

Minor thing: hitting the letter that is the same as the first letter of a characters name does not move the curser there. that would be a nice feature to speed up writing.

Instructions for getting parenthicals to work I could not figure out ‘(’ after a character name doesn’t allow you to jump down another line to write the dialogue. Tab makes new character and Enter jumps to new line for more action. That needs to be clearified in the help document.

Editing

Minor thing: If more than one scene is there going back to a previous scene and hitting down arrow stops at end of scene. It should be able to go between scenes without a problem.
I made 2 scenes.

Scene Map
works well and allows quick edit of flow of script. I thing it works fine. I like the comment area, it’s a nice touch although not immediately obvious. Maybe have the word comments in it would make it more noticable?

statistics works fine as does notes.

Printing
Need an option to print a cover page which should be the info from the infos page
title
author
and contact info

Pages should have page numbers.

Hope this information helps.

It is shaping up to be a great piece of software. It is already at a point I would recommend it to friends who needed a decent screenwriting software.

#3

Thanks you very much for your message and great report !
We will follow your very good indications and fix everything, all will probably be done in the next two days.

Again, thanks you very much :slight_smile:

#4

Is there any chance of a Mac version in the future?

#5

We are starting some test to see if we can do it on mac. We think we will be able, we can hope to do it soon, but not before some weeks though.

#6

20 uses might be better than 5.

I open and close programs five times in one sitting.

I’ve used none of the more sophisticated writing programs, but this one looks like it could fit the workflow I already use. Definitely a plus, and I like the price.

Thanks for showing it off here.

#7

We’ll increase the number of tries, you’re right, it’s a little bit short.
Thanks :slight_smile:

#8

Great software…I know someone who can use this! good job all…

#9

I checked out your software - very good impression. BigJay’s comments are great and cover all the direct script-writing tasks. I am additionally concerned in using the software for the earlier structuring phases, so these comments have to do with this.

Main thing for me was the very non-intuitive way of editing scenes - after creating one with F1, I couldn’t edit it by just clicking and typing…
Having to switch to the scenes map is not ideal, imo. Maybe utilizing the right-mouse clicks if you feel it has to be protected?
Also, once I have a text, there doesn’t seem to be a way of changing its assignment - i.e. changing action to dialogue. No biggie, but might be something for a pull-down option.

While I like the idea of the scene map, I would prefer to see it dockable. Particularly early on, there’s lots of re-arranging and structure play, and I feel the scene map is my navigator - I’d like to park it to the side and be able to jump about more easily. As an alternative, I suggest there be a key shortcut to switch to the scene map panel.

I also manage to freeze the program reliably - thinking the scene map is my navigator, I tried dragging the scenes about - scene a down under scene c, for example. This seemed to be intended, as the scene dragged, but upon mouse release the whole program froze and had to be re-booted…

Being able to drag whole segments is - I feel - very important for earlier phases of the process. I’d also welcome a collapsable hierarchy. At least additional ‘act’ headings, maybe another.

Act 1
…scene 1
…scene 2

Act 2
…scene 3

hmmm…
Spelling correction - would be a nice addition. Actually caught this reading your “he suddently” in the English sample :wink:

Great stuff! After testing the drag and crash thing a few times I’ll need a new demo!

edit - d’oH!
drag and drop just worked. ???
May have been something else…

#10

Love the simplicity, size and cost. I use Fianl Draft6 which I like, and
probably wouldn’t have much reason to switch - but:

FD if 17mb on disc, your program, from what I can tell is under a 1MB.

Could I install and run this program off a USB storage device - THAT would be very
usefull - The PROGRAM and a number of scripts all on a cheap 128mb keychain - where
I could work anywhere. Might be a good selling point.

Also, I hate to ask this because I know how hard it is to develope for just one platform, but how about a LINUX version. I’m not sure if there is a screenwriting application for LINUX…and that again would be a great selling point - cheap software, on a free OS platform - for all the poor spec scriptwriters out there.

JP

#11

Thanks for your great comments.
I added all the new ideas/request to the “todo list”, i’m currently finishing big jay’s modifications, and i’m going to do yours right away.
Drag and drop should work fine, i’ll test to see if there is a bug in some cases.

About installing on USB Storage: It does work :slight_smile:
You can install and run the software on any usb storage devices without any problems.

#12

We just uploaded a new version, with many fixes, and more tries. We also fixed the “scene map dragging hang” that Dobermunk experienced.
For the ones which have already finished their 5 tries of previous version, this one will give you others tries, you’ll be able to test a bit more if you want to.
(direct link: ftp://reynes.org/MovieWriterPro.exe or http://www.reynes.org)

#13

Well, I bought it! Look forward to seeing it grow!

#14

can i be really ignorant and ask why you would need a specific screenplay writing app?

sorry.

#15

“Need” is relative :wink:

I’ve been working in OpenOffice and can’t complain - you can format everything and sub-format and the nbavigation is great. (In fact, an import/export for OpenOffice would be cool)…

But sometimes its nice to have an app specifically cut out for what you spend your time doing - nothing else to get int he way, no image and limited formatting. Small file size. Same thing as with an additional modeling app, for example. Sure you don’t ‘need’ it, but if it allows you to work even marginally faster on a large-volume task, it will maore than pay for itself. Especially if the price is as low as for the MovieWriter.

#16

The first draft of alot of what I write still, even today gets hand written in notepads I carry with me.

But then, it then has to be typed into the computer, which usually results in a revised draft.
No reason not to use WORD, or even notepad at this point.

Recently I discovered the old APPLE NEWTON, $50.00 bucks on EBAY - I recently wrote a feature on it - emailing segemnts to my home computer as I go.

CUT AND PASTE into Final Writer and 75% gets formatted automatically.

In the end, any screenplay needs to be formatted properly.

Writeing directly into a specific application designed before hand to foramt properly ROCKS!!!

I find that I can write a properly formatted script in Final Writer as fast as I can think…

JP

#17

best way to know 'why use a software like that" is to try one
and that’s why the demo of our software is there ( http://reynes.org/home2/english/fd_download.htm )

But you can try others too :wink:

#18

I have to admit, that when I first posted this, I hadn’t added dialogue yet, so I didn’t know that there IS cut-and-pasting in the script editor, where it’s necessary, though I think it would be a giggle to be able to cut-and-paste in synopsis or transfer the synopsis bits into the Scene map.

There is also apparently a small bug; I thought it had to do with the config file, but that was my laziness, it’s apparently to do with using the My Documents branch of Windows. Got to stick with that, unless I want to fix the script in rtf editor, which is also okay.

I’ve been enjoying that I can move the Scene descriptions around, though getting to “Add Scene” was a bit of a mystery until I figured out that I have to RMB click below the existing Scene names list to get “Add Scene” to appear in the menu.

The way the tab function and other keys work is super and export is great.

What a deal!

#19

I’m a Wordpad writer, so I see your point…

There’s the exploitation of whatever that phenomena is that when you “test” something it drags your project along with it, so you “test” a screenplay you’ve been meaning to write from scratch. :slight_smile:

Plus, if you’re an aspiring churchmouse, and you see something you can OWN instead of share-without-permission, you might jump at it; even if it’s a little complicated. Plus, Bill’s Wordpad doesn’t have formatting that can be set, it changes if you work on another document; so it’s like getting a word processor thrown-in. That I can hotkey stuff is an added benefit.

Plus, I happened to be on this road anyway – I just bought one of Orson Scott Card’s two writing books, trying to find an outline mechanism I can experiment with.

(One of these days I’ll figure out how I keep italicizing by mistake…)

Slugging-in Scene titles is kind of cool, as is being able to drag-and-drop them.

#20

New version available : ftp://reynes.org/MovieWriterPro.exe
or http://www.reynes.org

#21

I tend to run the machine hot as a toaster and 75% full on the hard drive, so 've got no business providing feedback, but I find that it’s necessary for me to create a “New” file after I launch the app, and then to “Load” whatever script I’ve created from the location in My Documents (“My Scripts”).

MWP has been fun to use on the outline…