I got the new celtx, then remebered why I stopped using it.  The sketch tool I thought was neat though, wasn't sure how exactly sketching helps with writing, but I did draw an awsome pac-man.

I'm going to stick with word, not much better I know, but I prefer it over Celtx.

I have no idea what your thing is about CELTX Baltis, me thinks you have not even used it since the first version, or maybe even never at all. Your reasons for bashing it are simply not true, I have no idea where you get the slugline example from.

I used CELTX to start with and then bought FD to give it a try, I actually went back to CELTX because I was more comfortable using it and it does a great job. Nothing to do with it being free whatsoever.

Anyone who compares free software with the dollar shop is completely missing the point about free and open source software. Some of the best software applications I use today are free and open source. For example XMBC which drives my TV is far better than Windows Media Center and yet it is free.

You can have your opinion of course but should back it up with something credible as your current reasons are simply not true.

In short I use CELTX because I think it is the best out there and would pay for it if there was a price to pay. I have no idea why you hate it so much dude.

When I do the sluglines I never get anything like

INT.  HOUSE. DAY

It's always INT.  HOUSE - DAY

Quoted from Murphy I have no idea what your thing is about CELTX Baltis, me thinks you have not even used it since the first version, or maybe even never at all. Your reasons for bashing it are simply not true, I have no idea where you get the slugline example from. I used CELTX to start with and then bought FD to give it a try, I actually went back to CELTX because I was more comfortable using it and it does a great job. Nothing to do with it being free whatsoever. Anyone who compares free software with the dollar shop is completely missing the point about free and open source software. Some of the best software applications I use today are free and open source. For example XMBC which drives my TV is far better than Windows Media Center and yet it is free. You can have your opinion of course but should back it up with something credible as your current reasons are simply not true. In short I use CELTX because I think it is the best out there and would pay for it if there was a price to pay. I have no idea why you hate it so much dude.

Then keep on using it man... But if you're saying you'd pay for Celtix at a price, you're outta your damn mind. Celtix isn't industry standard. Deal with it. As I said, load one of those awesome Celtix scripts into "REAL" software like Movie Outline, which is industry standard, and you'll get the picture of what I'm talking about.

Movie Outline - 300 bucks, can be had for 200 bucks. Worth every penny.

Final Draft - 300 bucks can be had for free if you know the right people. Worth every penny.

Sophocles - Out of circulation... Best Software on the block. Can be had for free.

Celtix - Teaching you all way left field wrong. It's like using "tight" or "loose" format in a real Screenwriting application. Free, cool... Take it. Use it. Just don't think you're set to industry standard.  

And I've known of Celtix since it's inception, man. I've used every single Screenwriting app out there. From Mac to Linux based software. From word docs. I've even penned a script on a word processor before. I know the "actual" guidelines of a script. A properly formated one and I don't need software to do it... I'm not "uninformed" when it comes to this gig, man.  

In "MY" opinion, and my word isn't rule, Celtix = suck. It is a Shit Bubble waiting to explode... Don't like my opinion, don't listen to it. Keep on drummin' out your scripts on it and don't pay me no mind. But for those who of you I do communicate with and talk to in PM and have let you in on better software, and I won't name names, you all know which is better. That's all I'm saying.

And, guess what?  It didn't cost them a thing either... So free is subjective. Even more so when the app in question isn't even in circulation.

Baltis really concern me about Celtx. I thought it was industry standard! So i have a question .

If you write in Celtx can you convert your script in an other program? I mean if i get FD and open with it my old Celtx script, it will be properly formated or not?

Quoted from Dimitris Baltis really concern me about Celtx. I thought it was industry standard! So i have a question . If you write in Celtx can you convert your script in an other program? I mean if i get FD and open with it my old Celtx script, it will be properly formated or not?

People will tell you it is... but Movie Outline says it isn't. I've checked and compared the ledgers, space headers, line tightness and other missteps of Celtix to "REAL" software and it is off. It is not standard Hollywood. Like it, love it or hate it.

I don't care that you all love Celtix... I don't care why you love it. I'm simply telling you all it isn't industry standard. That's fact. As I said, it is like writing in "loose" or "Tight" format in a premium software app. Sure, you "CAN" write like that and it might even look close to the standard, but it's not. It's off. In this instance, I encourage you to check out a book called "standard Script Formats (part 1)"  In it you will learn "proper" format as if you were using a type writer... It was a book issued to me in a workshop I took at UMKC a few years back.

Read the book... Learn the rules. Check it against Celtix... realize how cheap "FREE" really is.

& last but not least... Send me an e-mail. We can talk all about "software". I'm done with this thread.

Tell ya what I'll do, Balt. If I ever decide to send a feature script to a producer or what have you I'll get software that can convert it in to the industry standard. But in the meantime I'll keep using Celtx because I'm happy with it.

I've been writing for awhile now.  I use Movie Magic and I haven't had any problems with it.

But to see what all the talk was about, I downloaded celtix about two weeks ago and you know what...

It's slightly off the industry standard, not to mention, my personal spell check works better then there's.

How do you know Ghostwriter?  

Most of my scripts are features but I wrote a 15 page short "DRIVING IN ENGLAND," then I re-wrote it in Celtix, compared them both in and out of PDF and you know what, Celtix version was off.  Needless to say, I'd go back to FD before I 'd use celtix.

Wait!  Maybe you didn't know what you were doing Ghostwriter?

No.  I know software and what the industry standard is suppose to be.  CELTIX is so easy, "A Caveman like myself can do it."

The only good thing is that it's free and so I do recommend it when I review scripts  of writers who don't have any software.

Good Luck with it though,

Ghostwriter

Quoted from ghost and_ghostie gal I've been writing for awhile now.  I use Movie Magic and I haven't had any problems with it. But to see what all the talk was about, I downloaded celtix about two weeks ago and you know what... It's slightly off the industry standard, not to mention, my personal spell check works better then there's. How do you know Ghostwriter?   Most of my scripts are features but I wrote a 15 page short "DRIVING IN ENGLAND," then I re-wrote it in Celtix, compared them both in and out of PDF and you know what, Celtix version was off.  Needless to say, I'd go back to FD before I 'd use celtix. Wait!  Maybe you didn't know what you were doing Ghostwriter? No.  I know software and what the industry standard is suppose to be.  CELTIX is so easy, "A Caveman like myself can do it." The only good thing is that it's free and so I do recommend it when I review scripts  of writers who don't have any software. Good Luck with it though, Ghostwriter

I believe you that it was off, but that in no way really helps anyone.  What aspects were off, and how were they off?  That will help people to understand.  When I do a search of the web on how to properly format a script, I get margins, left indent for Character, Dialogue, Parenthetical, Transition, how to properly format a Title page.  The use of CONTINUED, etc.  Oh yes, and to use Courier 12 pt. font (not Courier New).

So, with that being said, on your side by side comparison, please tell those of us who can't afford those other software packages, and don't want pirated software, just exactly what is wrong.  Maybe we can make the manual adjustments on our own before producing the final version.

Thanks.

I believe Shelton uses Celtix and he's sold scripts to Hollywood...

Quoted from steven8 I believe you that it was off, but that in no way really helps anyone.  What aspects were off, and how were they off?  That will help people to understand.  When I do a search of the web on how to properly format a script, I get margins, left indent for Character, Dialogue, Parenthetical, Transition, how to properly format a Title page.  The use of CONTINUED, etc.  Oh yes, and to use Courier 12 pt. font (not Courier New). So, with that being said, on your side by side comparison, please tell those of us who can't afford those other software packages, and don't want pirated software, just exactly what is wrong.  Maybe we can make the manual adjustments on our own before producing the final version. Thanks.

First off, I'm not offering pirated software... What I am giving is a reg key givin to me by the creator of the program "Tim Sheehan". It even comes with an official doc from the man himself. Why? Cos I, like many others, have been fucked over and stood to lose all of our work when the DICK DRIP packed up shop and left town on everyone. Why? Cause a quick look at the Sophocles format will tell you why...

&, to further this, out of circulation apps are fair game... The code rights to these are forfeited once the site goes down. What am I talking about? Any product that does not offer a viable form of media "CD/DVD' copy for your possession upon purchase.

Check your legal log, Jack.

Don't even try for two seconds to tell me I don't have the right to my own work after buying the software.  As for what Ghost is speaking of, it's what I am speaking of... Your margins are wrong. Your line tightness is off by .045 centimeters. Your Character cue's are wrong. Among many other ledgers. Check it in "REAL" software and you'll understand what I mean. & Manual adjustments... hahaha, do you even know proper format on your own? Can you write a script on a type writer in proper format? Or are you gonna line adjust and space and use an off kilter font to get he varied ressults? How long will that take? Please... Celtix is for shit. Cut a turd any way you like... It's still a turd.

And now I'm done here...

I google searched this phrase: do screenplay readers use rulers?  This was a hit:

Quoted Text How To Format A Screenplay Figuring out how to format a script correctly can stall many writers before they ever type their first FADE IN: (or, in most cases, never type FADE IN: - this element is no longer commonly used.) To write this article, we spoke with screenwriters, teachers, professional readers, software companies, and screenwriting festival judges. We read some excellent books such as The Screenwriter’s Bible, Elements of Style for Screenwriters, and The Cole and Haag series. Here’s the secret to a properly formatted script: There is no 100% absolutely correct way to format a script! That’s right. Despite the rants and ravings of a few, there is no one way that a script must be written. This flexibility doesn’t mean that you can submit a script in Red, Bookman, 14 pt. Font that is all Right Justified. There are some rules which you must adhere. But, by and large, if your script looks properly formatted, few readers are going to pull out their ruler to make sure that every margin on each page is exactly right.

It states, as you see, that of course there are some standards which must be met, and I'll buy that whole-heartedly, but if .045 of a centimeter gets my script thrown out, then screw them.  Metaphorically speaking.  It does state, after speaking to professional readers, that if a script looks properly formatted, the reader will more than likely worry about the content of the script, which is as it should be.

I keep saying I'm done here but keep getting sucked back in... Steven, it's not any 1 thing that gets your script trashed. It's an amalganation of all the improper formatting that does. No, I agree, .045 isn't going to be much of a notice, but when you see a list of things the software isn't doing together, against other scripts... It does stand out.

Proper format in Hollywood is a bit of a lost legend nowadays. There is a rule of thumb you use and what goes inside that rule is up to you. But never stray from the absolutes. A sloppy script is a sloppy script and a shity story is a shitty story. Read a shitty story in a sloppy format and you're less than enthused to read anymore.

For instance, some people like using periods instead of hyphens. I use Hyphens. It's not etched in stone as of what is right and what is wrong. It's a user preference... But a Character Cue is a rule of thumb. There is only one way to use it and lay it down. The justifications to those cannot be compromised at all.

And as for fonts, another thing Celtix is always off on... Courier new isn't proper... Final Draft Courier 12 , yes... That's what I use to use for all my scripts, even in Sophocles I used it. But the "REAL" font is BITSTREAM 12point. Celtix = Curier new. I do use BITSTREAM 12 point in Movieoutline now and always. It is basically Courier 12 pitch over 10. Fundementally.

Standard width for Character spacing is 33.  Always. People will try to use little tricks to gain extra page space, but they usually only use Celtix... "cough"

Pica line spacing of 6 lines to the inch... Check your little Celtix program to these standards. "ha"

Action - left - 1.4      Right - 0.9    width 6.2

Dialogue - Left - 2.9  Right -2.3    width 3.3

Character Cue - Left - 4.2  Right - 0.9  Width - 3.4  

Parenthical - Left- 3.6       Right - 2.9   Width - 2.0

Transition - Left - 6.1    Right - 0.9  Width - 1.5

Use those, man... I did you a favor and anyone else who doesn't know proper format... I'm skilled in the format. I know how it goes. I'm not some moron who's never inked a script before. I know the damn craft inside and out.  

But you see, therein lies the rub.  I can find several sites on the web and books which give dimensions such as you just gave, and they are all different.  For instance, here are the dims given right here on the Simply Scripts site:

Stage direction and shot headings: a margin of 1.7" of the left and 1.1" on the right.
Dialog has a left margin of 2.7" and a right margin of 2.4".
Character names over dialog (speaker) have a left margin of 4.1"
Parenthetical direction within dialog has a left margin of 3.4" and a right margin of 3.1"
Scenes transitions such as CUT TO: and FADE OUT. have a left margin of 6.0"

I copied and pasted these right from the Simply Scripts Script Formatting page, and none of these match yours.  This is the part which confuses most people, myself included.  Each site which gives this information touts it as 'the way to do it', yet they are different.  This is why no one seems to know the true way to format a script, and why so many threads get lost in this kind of discussion.  It's like having a different speed limit sign every 20 feet or so on the highway.  Which freaking one is the right one?

Thank you, however, for your clear, concise, and in no way demeaning dissemination of this information.

Quoted from steven8 But you see, therein lies the rub.  I can find several sites on the web and books which give dimensions such as you just gave, and they are all different.  For instance, here are the dims given right here on the Simply Scripts site: Stage direction and shot headings: a margin of 1.7" of the left and 1.1" on the right. Dialog has a left margin of 2.7" and a right margin of 2.4". Character names over dialog (speaker) have a left margin of 4.1" Parenthetical direction within dialog has a left margin of 3.4" and a right margin of 3.1" Scenes transitions such as CUT TO: and FADE OUT. have a left margin of 6.0" I copied and pasted these right from the Simply Scripts Script Formatting page, and none of these match yours.  This is the part which confuses most people, myself included.  Each site which gives this information touts it as 'the way to do it', yet they are different.  This is why no one seems to know the true way to format a script, and why so many threads get lost in this kind of discussion.  It's like having a different speed limit sign every 20 feet or so on the highway.  Which freaking one is the right one? Thank you, however, for your clear, concise, and in no way demeaning dissemination of this information.

The ledgers I gave are 100% spot on and acurate. You can deveate them by .01 in one way eitherway, but never anything more. That is proper STANDARD HOLLYWOOD formatting.  The industry hasn't changed and you only sacrifice your own chances by not adhearing to the above. These people are pro's. They've read more screenplays than I've written or read combined. They know what to look for, when to look for it. They've seen it all... Reguardless if we agree on their taste.

They are the rule. Go ahead and write how you like. Adjust them how you feel... But make sure you know the difference. Celtix isn't industry standard software. I don't care how much tacked on shit they throw at you that deviates away from actually writing. A diversion is a diversion.