do I need screenwriting software?

[MDjag003]

I'm in the process of attemtping to write my first screenplay and was wondering if I need screenwriting software? When I read screenplays, the formatting is very guided with names and dialogue right in the centre with scene descriptions one tab to the right. Is that correct? If not, how can I duplicate this on my current writing software? How do I know what words to capitalize and what to put in parantheses? I know these are very tedious elementary questions, but I've read several books - none of which have answered them and I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks.

[trahodd]

it's much easier if you use software made specifically for screenplays.

But, with patience, you can set up Microsoft Word to format screenplays properly.

[Carson Parker]

It's just so darn nice to sit back and pour out a story without worrying about margins and all that other crap. The old-school may disagree, but I'm a total FD junkie now.

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[Ravenlocks01]

Screenwriting software doesn't tell you what to put in parentheses, and it won't tell you everything you need to capitalize either. You still have to have a grasp of basic screenplay format to make the software work for you.

It will do margins, page numbers, etc., and it does make life easier. But you can get free MS Word templates that do pretty much the same thing.

[E J Pennypacker]

do I need screenwriting software?

As people have said, it makes life so much easier with it.

EJ

[filmcarver]

I'm going to just jump in and say, "Yes".

Not because you REALLY have to have it, but because if you are serious about writing long term, the purchase of it is inevitable.

As to which is best, the Movie Magic and FD are extremely close, so I would buy the best deal. There are always deals, including looking on Ebay.

[JustinoIV]

Download the demos, see which ones you like, and purchase the best ones.

I'll go as far as to say that do need screenwriting software. It certainly helps a lot with formatting. Of course you still need to know the basics, but it makes life a lot easier.

[PipeWriter]

I setup macros in Word and used that for quite sometime. You can make it pretty friendly if you're a little familiar with how macros and hotkeys work. As a cheap alternative, try Script Maker (http://www3.sympatico.ca/mbelli/sm_help/). I haven't used it, in fact I just glanced over it briefly, but you can try the demo and see if it works for you. And if you like it, buy it for $15...canadian I think. That's like 2 bucks US or something. You can probably find free macros if you google em up.

[ComicBent]

No, you do not need special software.

If you have Microsoft Word, at least as recent a version as Word97, you can use a template that will work very well. It does not give you the fancy pop-up lists of characters and all that stuff, but you do not have to "worry about margins."

[Deus Ex Machine]

check my software links at www.thewriterslist.org (http://www.thewriterslist.org)

[love2code]

If you want a Word template for free you can use the one I made up. www.hellojohnlee.netfirms.com (http://www.hellojohnlee.netfirms.com) it's got all the element margins programmed in with styles and macro'd to the TAB key so you can just tab to next element like screenwriting software or you can still use cntrl + 0 thru 7 for each element. I'll add the little pop ups for name/scene autocomplete in a little bit, still debating on if I want to use styles for that or build my own intellisense function.

[RatWriter]

Format is important. Readers have told me they start a script with flipping quickly through the pages format and dialog-action mix. If it doesn't look right it's passed over.

You can starting out cheap and move up.

ScreenPro: a $10 ShareWare add-on to MS-Word works very well. It properly formats. Shareware payment adds some useful tools.

mywebpages.comcast.net/jp...screenpro/ (http://mywebpages.comcast.net/jpassarella/screenpro/)

[GirlinGray]

The first thing you need is knowledge. You need to know how to format in order to use format. The most comprehensive book on format is the Cole Haag book you can see that at Amazon at Cole/Haag (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0929583000/seemaxrun-20).

David Trottier talks about format as well in his Screenwriter's Bible (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1879505444/seemaxrun-20).

All the formatting software in the world will not do you any good if you do not understand format or how to use it.

After that, no, you do not need format software. On a purely basic level, all you need is paper and a typewriter with a ribbon in it. That is how they did it in the old days and anything else is icing.

[filmcarver]

Gosh, I just got that wave of ol' nostalgia...

I think I'll whip out that IBM Selectric and White-out right now....:lol

I'll take the icing all day long, girlfriend.

[refriedwhiskey]

Billy Wilder never used screenwriting software. Or even a computer.

So, no, you don't need it.

Yes, it is useful, but a free template and a copy of Microsoft Word is very nearly as good as something like Final Draft. I used Word and a template I created myself until I won a copy of FD6 in a little contest. Never felt like I was being held back.

But I agree that you need to learn about format before you can use even the best screenwriting software properly -- otherwise you're just a surgeon with a really nice scalpel and no medical training.

The Cole & Haag book GiG recommends is good, and very complete. Some of the formatting elements it describes have passed out of fashion, but nobody's going to punt your script over them.

[gaterooze]

Whether you purchase software, grab a demo-version online, or go it on your own (or with a template) the essential bit you need is an understanding that script format has a purpose & what each element's job is and its zone on the page (margins and type-style).

Sometimes, I've noticed that newer writers who rely only on having software do their formatting freak out when they see anything that supposedly plays "outside the rules." It isn't Format Rules Must Be Obeyed or the screenwriter gods will make you suffer, so much as learning the tools of the craft.

With a deeper comprehension of format GUIDELINES, the concepts become second-nature and allows the writer so much more control of the reader's ride. To me, it's like when I go to the supermarket and the check-out person relies on their computer register to tell them how much change I'm owed when I pay for my groceries. I'd feel more secure, if s/he knew (could do the math in her/his head) in a pinch, if the power went out.

[benillah]

No you don't need it, but writing can be even more tedious without it.
I think the software frees you to create.
Example 1, in movie magic you can pull up all your scene headings and get an outline (though some say you should have one anyway) of the whole story by location. This helps to, I think. You can navigate your script through the outlines. This can help you catch inconsistencies.
Example 2, in movie magic you can do a script analysis and it breaks down number of characters, how often they spoke, longest speeches, etc. It helps me to see that.
Example 3, reading outloud is wonderful. That's how I edit my stories. I read along with the computer,(I don't assign different voices, I've found that it's more helpful to discover if your characters dialogue is good with the one voice, I don't know if that makes sense).
Last but now least, you get to fantasize about how your script would look as a shooting script by locking the pages.
Peace.

[nickj]

I find it a lot more creative to write the screenplay, then format it. I lose my train of thought typing directly into FD. I use MS Word, or pen and paper. Maybe it's just me, but ideas flow much better from a pen.

[DUCPHO]

Do you need it? No!

Will it help and make your life and attempts at writing an easier softer path? I think so!

[ComicBent]

Maybe it's just me, but ideas flow much better from a pen.
Yeah, I have heard a few other people say that, and I believe them.

But for me it is just the opposite. I can never write well by hand. The 'interface' of pen on paper just does not let the ideas through. I start noticing my handwriting, which is always terrible when the ideas start flowing, and that frustrates me ... and finally I give up. I used a typewriter in the olden days, before computers. Typewriters worked well for me, except for the inability to edit as I went along.

Isn't it strange how it is so different for different people? :)

[dpaterso]

I've tried the writing by hand thing on those rare annoying occasions when hardware has taken a dive or I'm just in the wrong location, but my hands can't keep up with my internal generator, the result is a pageful of squiggles that defy analysis. My writing process is wholly dependent on a bunch of lightweight plastic components that says "Made In The Republic Of China" underneath.

-Derek

[nickj]

I think you're a hundred percent right CB, it's different for everyone. When I type in FD, I tend to get distracted by the formatting.

The creative side of the brain must be stimulated by different things for different people.

As far as the pen being slower, you're right about that, too. I don't usually write everything down, only the key words and phrases. And lots of ellipses.