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SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board  /  Screenwriting Class  /  Movie Magic Screenwriter, Margins and (More)
Posted by: CthulhuRises, April 5th, 2010, 9:13pm
Does anyone have Movie Magic Screenwriter?  For some reason it had the standard default format with a top margin of .3" and a bottom margin of .8".  I had honestly never noticed that my margins were different than most screenplays (and I've had a couple works optioned, never heard anything about the margins.)

So what is standard?  Some people say 1".  However I see some scripts that are less.  On simplyscripts it says .5" for top and bottom.

http://www.simplyscripts.com/WR_format.html

In order to fix the margin issue on Movie Magic, it seems I have to go to the "Cheat" option and Cheat the whole script with .5" or 1" margins.  Has anyone else had this issue?

Also, since most people don't like (MORE)s, does anyone know if there is an option on the program to get rid of them?  I know Celtx had this. Usually I simply avoid MOREs by adding a line of action or dialogue, ect. to prevent them, but at times this can be vexing.

Thanks in advance.
Posted by: Baltis. (Guest), April 5th, 2010, 9:20pm; Reply: 1
Character Cue-- 4.0 left margin 0.7 right margin
Parenthetical--  3.3 left margin 3 right margin
Dialogue-- 2.8 left margin 3 right margin
Transition out -- 5.9 left margin 1 right margin
Transition in-- 1.5 left margin 1 right margin
Action-- 1.5 left margin 1 right margin
Scene Head-- 1.5 left margin 1 right margine
Sequence head-- 1.5 left margin 1 right margin
Act Head- 1.5 left margin 1 right margin
Custom 1.5 left margin 1 right margin
---

Top margin 1 inch
Bottom Margin 1 inch
--

These are standard Hollywood rules in spacing for a "Feature"... If you want a Trottier or a loose format they will be different.  I do not use Movie Magic, I have in the past, but I use Movie Outline mainly.  I'm not sure if I remember the complete set up of Movie Magic, yet I remember it being a pretty smooth interface with a perfectly acceptable format standard.  Maybe you've messed with the format a bit in the past?

And if I see a script with (continued) or (more) at the top and bottom of a fuckin' a script I'll red x it.  Nothing irritates me more than having my intelligence insulted while reading a script.
Posted by: Dreamscale (Guest), April 6th, 2010, 7:52pm; Reply: 2
I use Movie Magic and love it.

You are correct, though.  I had the same issue which I wasn't aware of until someone mentioned that my top and bottom margins were off. I spoke to the very helpful tech support at MM, and they hooked me up.

Here's the deal...

Go into "FILE" and select "PAGE LAYOUT".  Set the top margin to .5 and the bottom margin to .8.  This will give you approximately 55 lines per page.
Posted by: George Willson, April 7th, 2010, 7:24am; Reply: 3
I usually just do an inch on all sides. Then again, I never use screenwriting software unless I want to shoot something. I write all my screenplays in Word and format as I go. I've used screenwriting software before, and manually controlling every line through Word is just easier for me. I don't run into problems like this. And of course, Word (or some word processor) is available universally, so I can work on my stuff anywhere I go, and not just on my primary PC back home.
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