Hi everyone!

Just wanted reach out to say hello and introduce myself. My name is Alli, and I'm the Director of Community Outreach at a software development startup called SoCreate.

We are in the process of building a new screenwriting platform that is fun and easy to use for screenwriters of all skill levels! We will be launching our private beta this winter, so I'm hoping to gain some great insight from writers here about their specific software needs and writing processes!

Looking forward to talking to and learning from you all!

+++++++++
Don's Edit.

This uncompensated advert is posted with my permission. This is an opportunity to beta test screenwriting software and give input into its functionality.  Since formatting is a big issue and many writers do use screenwriting software in one form or another, I thought this would be an win-win.

- Don

Welcome to SS. Hope you stick around for reading and writing.

I use FDX. All I need is the right margins. I have no other use for the other functions.  

Welcome

Welcome,

I use FadeIn currently and have used FD and CeltX quite extensively.

Best

Yet another product to help us poor screenwriters write. Are you here to share or just self-promote? All I need is free word processing software. That's all any screenwriter needs. Everything else just gets in the way.

Thanks for the welcome and insights everyone!

Regarding your concerns, Dustin, worry not. You bring up a good point. I'm definitely not here to self-promote; I know that a lot of companies have abused forums for personal promotion, so understand your concern. My main goal is to just engage and learn as much as I can from screenwriters about their craft.

Quoted from Alli Unger Thanks for the welcome and insights everyone! Regarding your concerns, Dustin, worry not. You bring up a good point. I'm definitely not here to self-promote; I know that a lot of companies have abused forums for personal promotion, so understand your concern. My main goal is to just engage and learn as much as I can from screenwriters about their craft.

If your product is ultimately helpful to some of us, and I wouldn't have known about it but for this site, self-promotion is fine.

  

Thanks for your welcome and replies Bogey and Dreamscale!

I see from your post that it's a cloud-based screenwriting platform. Is it downloadable to work off-line? If you don't like us, will you dump us like Amazon Studios?

Hey JEStaats,

Yes, we are planning to have offline capabilities!

Hi Alli,

Is there anything specific you would like to know?


I'm happy to help.

Alright Dustin, good to have  to have you back.

Promotion is a necessary part of any business, including scriptwriting. It's a modern trend for software developers to update their software based on feedback from users..which is a good thing for everyone. I've got no problem with people earning money if they're providing a useful service.

I find outlining software pretty useful at times, and there's definitely room for improvements to the existing ones, especially in terms of structure outside of the traditional three act/heroes journey model.

There's absolutely nothing in any of them that you can't do on paper, but I find that sometimes different projects are easier to organise within a package, particularly when I hit an impasse...some of the different models have a way of forcing an answer through.

I think, for instance, there's also very much room for a model that helps create genre outlines, particularly software that allows you to mix the obligatory scenes from two genres:EG The overall genre/mood (eg horror...the film is intending to scare) and the story genre (eg coming of age tale...as seen in Let the Right One in). So it reminds you to add scares and also hit the necessary story beats for your chosen story genre.

The only one that does that, as far as I know, is Truby's Blockbuster software...which is insanely expensive when you've bought the genre models. It's $179 for the basic package, but to make it fully functional you need all the different genres which are $79 each...so it's about $1000 to be fully functional, which is pretty ridiculous.

There's some things that have to be done with skill and experience, but many stories could be plotted mathematically IF the software was robust and developed enough.

Most things in scriptwriting are kind of Point and Countet-rpoint.

Like the main character is scared of water (eg Jaws)...that's only relevant if he has to go to the Ocean, or an Ocean planet etc, or the complete opposite for irony...he ends up in a desert. Choose that flaw/personality aspect and you are automatically choosing a plot point and a setting. Choose the setting and ending, and you've automatically selected your theme.

The Art and skill come in disguising it all and selling it in the best way possible, but the bones of most "movies" are logically connected in a way that you COULD create in a well developed software.

Well, the website doesn't even work...

Hey BenLewis, what issues are you coming across on the site?

ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS

This URL is in the URL bar: https://www.socreate.it/de/en/site-framework/404-error?, again and again...

I'm really sorry about that. Thanks for letting us know. I have our design team checking on this right now. Were you directed here from the link in my signature?

If anyone else is having trouble linking to our home page, please let me know!  

Yep, I used the link in your signature. Also tried different browsers...

Quoted from Alli Unger We are in the process of building a new screenwriting platform that is fun and easy to use for screenwriters of all skill levels! We will be launching our private beta this winter, so I'm hoping to gain some great insight from writers here about their specific software needs and writing processes!

What I want... hmm...

I want all the margins to be pre-set and I want the program to be "smart"; I want to write, not manually set things. And I want to be able to customize them. No point in using Hollywood standards outside the USA and some countries don't like them.

I want support for Umlauts. I want to write "Über", bot "Ueber". And I want these changes to appear on the PDF.

I want a Courier font that has Latin, Greek and Cyrillic characters; including ALL the special characters.

I want keyboard shortcuts for everything and the ability to modify them.

I want a basic FREE version that focuses on just writing and a paid PRO version that has all the goodies (all those things that people trying to break in don't need).

I want both versions to save on cloud and the ability to write with others by using the cloud; for both versions. And also the ability to access the scripts from my mobile devices. Oh, and add the ability to choose if a password will be required in order to access them.

I want to sit down and spit out words like a bloody Spitfire, I don't want to feel like a recovery vehicle trying to unstuck a tank from mud.


P.S
Will beta-Test for FREE Copy   

Hello Alli,

I would like Hebrew font capabilities.

Sandra

Hi Ares and Sandra,

Thanks so much for sharing your feedback! This is all really great to know.

One more thing.

Any changes to fonts should be previewed in real time.
That will be very useful for customizing your title and also if I write a script for another market, there is no point in using a font that Americans are accustomed to instead of a font that the people from the other marked are accustomed to.


And one thing that I got from here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riPT0avgTxQ
The ability to use an image as the title on the title page. Doesn't have to be anything fancy, JPG and PNG support will do just fine. Just make sure to add drag-and-scale as well as precise scaling in Millimetres and Inches using boxes. Also, make sure to include vertical and horizontal alignment buttons for both the space between the margins and the page itself and of course boxes for precise movement (like Photoshop or Premiere does).

And by the way, why not add support for A4 paper? Have you ever asked for Letter sized paper in Europe? People will look at you as if you asked them for a Klingon delicacy.

Quoted from Ares And by the way, why not add support for A4 paper? Have you ever asked for Letter sized paper in Europe? People will look at you as if you asked them for a Klingon delicacy.

I use letter size for my scripts and I'm from and live in the UK. I've also written scripts in UK English and American English, sold the UK English script to a producer in the US and the American English script to a producer in the UK.

Nobody gives a toss about fancy pix on the title page.

This shit isn't for people that have already broken in, it's for those that believe that shit is necessary... because they're the ones that will waste their cash buying it.

What this business should do is get an endorsement. There's nothing other screenwriters won't fall for more than an endorsement from somebody they believe has made it. A screenwriter with a couple of biggish films under their belt should do it. Amateurs will turn out in droves to buy this crappy product.

The UK has a long tradition of keeping traditions.
In other countries you simply cannot find Letter size paper and ordering it can be a very stupid idea because of the weight. You are most probably going to pay 100%-200% more and it is totally unnecessary because there is no requirement for Letter paper.
Now if you want to print the scripts of your favorite movies on the proper paper then it is worth it, but you don't need it for business. For the US, people will ask you to e-mail the PDF instead of Fed-Exing a physical copy. Even in your own country, they will most probably ask for the PDF.

Since I have access only to A4, if the program supports A4, all margins will be printed properly. Printing Letter in A4 works but some area is cut. Not a big problem, but I am a perfectionist.


I do give a toss about fancy graphics on my title page.


I know nothing about that product. They asked for feedback, I give it. If it turns out to be crap it is not my company and I don't fork for them so it is not my problem. Unless they get a government bailout, then I guess it will be my problem.

Quoted from Ares The UK has a long tradition of keeping traditions.

What does this mean? Are you from the UK?

Quoted Text In other countries you simply cannot find Letter size paper and ordering it can be a very stupid idea because of the weight. You are most probably going to pay 100%-200% more and it is totally unnecessary because there is no requirement for Letter paper.

Nobody cares about letter size or A4. Not in the UK, not in America, not anywhere.

Quoted Text Now if you want to print the scripts of your favorite movies on the proper paper then it is worth it, but you don't need it for business.

I don't read scripts. Never read an entire professional script yet. I'd certainly never waste 90 pages of paper just to print one off.

Quoted Text For the US, people will ask you to e-mail the PDF instead of Fed-Exing a physical copy. Even in your own country, they will most probably ask for the PDF.

Even in my country? Of course they ask for the .pdf. Who in the 21st Century would want to send a paper copy? Most publishing houses here also require a .pdf.

Quoted Text I do give a toss about fancy graphics on my title page.

Why? You should care more about the words inside. Once you perfect that, then fancy graphics don't matter at all. Some writers spend more time creating posters and graphics than they do perfecting their craft. They might as well give up the writing and move into photoshopping graphics for websites.

I use a German Software, called "DramaQueen"You got all you need in it (you can also write in English, French ans Spanish). And you can see your storyline and got your Character description also there. And Your Treatment and Exposé also. And, you can write with this program also books, and in a few months also a Theater play. I love it!
Here is the link:

http://dramaqueen.info/about-en/?lang=en

And they got a little help for Screenwriting:

http://dramaqueen.info/wiki/what-is-dramawiki/?lang=en

The creators of DramaQueen are filmmaker which won a price this year:

LOLA (German movie price) for "At eye level" as best german Children's movie. Have a look:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIn_uwWgJdE

Quoted from Gerlinde I use a German Software, called "DramaQueen"You got all you need in it (you can also write in English, French ans Spanish). And you can see your storyline and got your Character description also there. And Your Treatment and Exposé also. And, you can write with this program also books, and in a few months also a Theater play. I love it! Here is the link:

I can do all of that... for free!

DramaQueen has also a free version, but, if you want to work professionally, it is better, to pay for a good software. BTW, which software did you use?

Quoted from Gerlinde DramaQueen has also a free version, but, if you want to work professionally, it is better, to pay for a good software. BTW, which software did you use?

Your parroted advice just comes across as absurd to me. You should advise based on your own experiences and not parrot the bullshit of others just because you think it sounds good.

I use the desktop version of Celtx. Which probably won't run on later Windows OSs due to compatibility issues. However, as I use Linux (a free OS), Celtx doesn't have the same problems. If I didn't have Celtx then I would use Trelby. If I couldn't use Trelby for some reason then I'd use a template in Libre Office which is a completely free version of MS office.

The bells and whistles that make you happy do absolutely nothing for me.

Dustin, I did not need to rattle/parroting something. I've been working with DramaQueen for three years. I used Celtx before, and Trelby. Both can not be compared with DramaQueen. Neither Trelby nor Celtx can make a storyline visual as a graphic (which can dramaQueen). Neither Trelby nor Celtx can combine Expose, Treatment and Script in a document, so you can switch between all back and forth. DramaQueen can do it. Neither Celtx nor Trelby have a storytelling program where you can check your story to see if everything is in it. For example, the want and need of a figure.
I use LibreOffice to write my corespondency, and use calc for other tasks. LibreOffice's "screenplay" is not good, because you can not check the story.
There are many good programs for script writing on the market (for example Final Draft), but they all cost something. Better pay for something, and have a decent tool to write to check your own story, than to work with something that is free, but opens the way to many mistakes.

You've missed my point. Using free software, I have sold/optioned 11 short and 3 feature-length screenplays. What has paying for software done for you?

Quoted from DustinBowcot You've missed my point. Using free software, I have sold/optioned 11 short and 3 feature-length screenplays. What has paying for software done for you?

Not everyone who writes a script is a professional. Many of us write, as I do, as a hobby, or as a friend of mine (7River in my forum) semi-professionally.
Especially for people who have not yet taken a script course, so do not know how a story must be created, can such buying programs  be a great help.

Quoted from Gerlinde Not everyone who writes a script is a professional. Many of us write, as I do, as a hobby, or as a friend of mine (7River in my forum) semi-professionally. Especially for people who have not yet taken a script course, so do not know how a story must be created, can such buying programs  be a great help.

I've never taken a 'script course'. Telling stories comes naturally. You either have it or you don't.

You're now saying that these software solutions make you a better writer? Where is the proof? You're a walking advert, not even being paid a commission. You use keywords that have zero substance behind them.

Quoted from DustinBowcot I've never taken a 'script course'. Telling stories comes naturally. You either have it or you don't. You're now saying that these software solutions make you a better writer? Where is the proof? You're a walking advert, not even being paid a commission. You use keywords that have zero substance behind them.

My teacher once said about the writing (I attended a course in the People's College) that writing is 10 percent inspiration, and 90 percent transpiration. Does not sound like a natural gift for me, "one has it, or has it not".
You want a proof?
Well, I can give it to you, if you understand German, because all my screenplays are in German. Visit my website. Since you can see wonderfully, as I have developed as an author. Unfortunately my English is too horrible, do as you surely noticed by now to write scripts in English.

Quoted from Gerlinde My teacher once said about the writing (I attended a course in the People's College) that writing is 10 percent inspiration, and 90 percent transpiration. Does not sound like a natural gift for me, "one has it, or has it not".

So because your teacher said it, this makes it true? It's just another opinion and, for all I know, one that isn't worth a thing. Indeed, to me, it isn't worth a thing.

Quoted from Gerlinde You want a proof? Well, I can give it to you, if you understand German, because all my screenplays are in German. Visit my website. Since you can see wonderfully, as I have developed as an author. Unfortunately my English is too horrible, do as you surely noticed by now to write scripts in English.

The forum? I don't see any proof there that paying for software makes one a better writer. Your argument is ridiculous.

By transpiration, Gerlinda,, I'm guessing 'perspiration'?  Otherwise I don't get it...

Still, being the big jet setter I am, I may still be suffering the effects of jet-lagged brain after 27 plus hours travelling.

Quoted from LC By transpiration, Gerlinda,, I'm guessing 'perspiration'?  Otherwise I don't get it... Still, being the big jet setter I am, I may still be suffering the effects of jet-lagged brain after 27 plus hours travelling.

Of course I meant perspiration. Transpiration is the German word for it (the genteel word).
First you need an idea (a plot). For this I write a logline or a pitch to roughly define the action of the main story. Then I create the characters (protagonist, antagonist, just all), and then write the synopsis. There I set the individual storylines of the main characters.
Then I fix the individual steps; from which later the individual scenes of the treatment become. After Expose and Treatment are written, the storylines are also fixed, I begin writing the script.
If I wrote the script, I check it again (spelling, dialogues, the content of the storytelling, and much more). If this is finished, I give it to acquaintances and friends to read, or publish it in my forum. So software and feedback help me to become better.
And, btw., it is GERLINDE, not GERLINDA!

Quoted from DustinBowcot So because your teacher said it, this makes it true? It's just another opinion and, for all I know, one that isn't worth a thing. Indeed, to me, it isn't worth a thing.

A teacher can be mistaken, even two, three, or a hundred. But if, even if other words were used for the same statement by other authors is probably that something must be true on it!

Quoted from DustinBowcot The forum? I don't see any proof there that paying for software makes one a better writer. Your argument is ridiculous.

To be able to assess my work, there must be two things with you.
On the one hand, you have to understand German well, and on the other hand, compare my First Works with my last ones. This shows the development. To dismiss something as "ridiculous" because one does not understand or  want tounderstand something; is a sign of ignorance. Just as the British government is involved in the Brexit negotiations.

Quoted from Gerlinde And, btw., it is GERLINDE, not GERLINDA!

Oops, sorry about that.