Script Studio1.0.7
Screenplay writing software for screenwriters (was Movie Outline).
Overview
Script Studio (formerly Movie Outline) is a writer's toolbox for screenwriters, playwrights, and novelists. It helps you plan your story outline, develop characters, structure your narrative, and professionally format your movie script, stageplay, TV show or manuscript. It was developed by a produced/screenwriter to take the complexity out of the script- and novel-writing process, allowing you to focus on your story while the software handles the formatting and pagination.
Its design is based on the principle of step-outlining, which allows you to plan and build your cinematic structure scene-by-scene, or your novel chapter-by-chapter. You can color-code your structure into acts and sequences, use templates such as "The Hero's Journey," and compare the progress of your own story side-by-side with scene-by-scene breakdowns and analyses of 12 successful Hollywood movies
Features
- Outline and Structure - Plan your story beat-by-beat, drag-and-drop scenes or chapters to re-organize your narrative, and color-code your structure.
- Character Development - Create in-depth, three-dimensional character profiles, analyze dialogue, and develop their story arcs step-by-step.
- Movie Reference Library - View scene-by-scene breakdowns and analyses of successful Hollywood movies and compare your story structure and pacing with the pros.
- Easy Script Formatting - Let Script Studio professionally format your script to industry standards as you type so you can focus on the story.
- Manage Notes and Ideas - Keep track of character ideas, plot points, draft script scenes and research in a global Scratch Pad, and build a checklist of story objectives in Story Tasks.
- Versatile Word Processor - Includes screenplay, stageplay, teleplay, and musical layout templates, and dedicated Novel Mode.
What's new in Script Studio
Note: Script Studio is a paid upgrade from Movie Outline. View full upgrade info
- Bug fixes
- Feature improvements for Big Sur
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- OS X 10.10.5 or later
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How would you rate Script Studio app?
12 Reviews of Script Studio
Most helpful
Let me start by explaining that what works for one writer does not necessarily work for another and that this is just my personal opinion. The features I like might be the features another writer doesn't so please do what I did and try various apps and also with a working project. That's the key because just trying a demo without a focus doesn't really give you a true insight into its pros and cons. I was working on a new feature spec and used this to trial Script Studio.
Aside from all the superficial stuff (like the design and icons etc) what was important to me was the story planning and the formatting. Don't get me wrong, it's actually very pleasing on the eye, especially the Night Mode option but that kind of thing doesn't concern me.
So I managed to create a beat by beat outline of my story very quickly using Script Studio's outlining feature which basically lets you create each story beat chronologically and then gives you the ability to move them around as needed either by drag and drop in the outline list or in the index card feature the software calls "Step Cards".
This for me was the primary differential between Script Studio and those other apps I mentioned, especially Final Draft which was slightly more expensive than Script Studio. They only let you outline by "scenes" and planning a story outline before writing the script is almost possible but not really. At least, not the way I like to do it.
I will say that Scrivener is probably the better of the other apps I tried in terms of features for writers and having the ability to collate notes, ideas and research but it's a little all over the place for me and certainly not as focused for screenwriters as Script Studio.
After writing my outline (well, the first ten beats of it because that's all the demo allows) I moved over to the script section and started on the screenplay. The automatic formatting worked like a charm and I found the process very fluid. I had a few ideas for character arcs along the way but decided to note them down in the Scratch Pad instead of using Script Studio's Character Spotlight and Story Arc feature because I don't really do that stuff until rewriting and even then not so much.
On the whole I think it's an excellent and intuitive app with huge potential, only perhaps let down by the price tag but then again, I guess you get what you pay for. It has many features I found extremely useful like the Scratch Pad and PowerView act structuring, and some like FeelFactor (story engagement graphs) which seems cool but again probably not necessary until a rewrite or if you stumble upon a pacing problem.
I'm still in the middle of writing my spec and enjoying the process but if I run into anything else worth mentioning I'll tag on some comments at a later date but so far so good!
http://www.thestickingplace.com/projects/projects/mackendrick/stepoutlines/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=509&v=d94gXrlDcNY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CwDeqPPjOs
What is a Step Outline
“Steps” are “events” in a timeline of your characters’ histories in your story. Which means that each step in a step outline can consist of more than one scene in your eventual screenplay. So a Step Outline is a writer's sketch (an illustrator would use simple pencil sketches ).
Benefits of Step Outlining
By creating a step outline, you will create a much stronger story structure than you would have by simply sitting down to write a 90-page script and seeing where it takes you. And most importantly, you will save a whole lot of time in the rewriting stage of your project.
Why Step Outline
There are a few different writing software options that accommodate Step Outlines so adroitly - Script Studio is among the best because it folds in so many other writing functions - such as character development and so on. But at the end of the day you can use any word processing or screenwriting software to make a step outline. Scrivener and Fade In are among the best.
What Does a step Outline Look Like?
It looks like a series of paragraphs, each separated by a single white space. But little tricks in Step Outlines, such as writing a scene header at the top of each paragraph to help you to organise your thoughts and remember what has happened earlier in the story. This process is actually formatted in Script Studio - it is meant to work that way and has a core function to set it out perfectly.
Synopses of Action
What you write into those step outline paragraphs is important. Think of them as synopses of the action which occurs in a larger scene, or in several smaller, connected scenes. You don't include dialogue. Script Studio helps you to be economical in your writing, and try to get the general idea down as quickly as possible and move on. It stops you wasting time nitpicking every little detail.
For the first pass, just get the ideas down.
How to use your Step Outline
Count your pages. Assuming you have set your document format with 1-inch margins all around, and you are using a 12-point type (preferably Courier Nuvo), and you have numbered your pages, then you are doing it right. So, count your pages. If your total is somewhere between 12 and 15 pages, then you have a step outline which will most closely translate into a 90-page script.
Once you are thinking in terms of story steps you are truly thinking in terms of plot and plot points. And that is where I take my Script Studio work back to Scrivener (for novels) or FadeIn (for screenplays).
At the moment is about the buggiest software I have ever put on my computer and the company are still a bit defensive about their new baby. That said, I think I'll persist with it to help me with character development and step outlines but do my actual writing in Scrivener or FadeIn.