scriptwriting
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Amazon Storybuilder beta puts your screenplay ideas in the cloud
Aspiring screenwriters don't have many great choices for simple, purpose-built apps: What exists is frequently expensive, overkill or both. Amazon may shake things up with its new Storybuilder beta, though. The free web app lets auteurs outline movie and TV screenplays using a virtual corkboard accessible from any device with a modern browser; if you think of a clever plot twist while on your phone, you can drop it in. Writers can add images, notes and tags, and they can invite critiques from other readers. Storybuilder won't replace a full set of scriptwriting tools, but it and the existing Storyteller app may get the ball rolling on your next big drama.
Final Draft Reader for iPad hopes to replace paper scripts
For over 15 years, the film industry has been undergoing a steady transition to digital. First it was editing that was primarily affected, as programs like Avid Media Composer and Final Cut Pro offered better alternatives than reel-to-reel cutting. Next came shooting on digital video, instead of physical film. But perhaps the last film production holdout to make the leap from physical to digital is the paper script. Sure, since the 1990s there has been screenwriting software, but even those scripts needed to be printed out so cast members could do table reads and production staffers could carry the scripts around with them on sets. All that's set to change, though, thanks to Final Draft Reader for iPad. Final Draft Reader is just that, an iPad reader for your Final Draft scripts. However, in the way the app handles your scripts on the iPad, they behave just like printed drafts. Final Draft Reader displays scripts on your iPad exactly as you would see them in printed form. They are paginated perfectly to industry standards. When you open the app you can select from all the scripts you've imported. Tapping on one opens the script and you can then proceed to swipe from one page to the next (alá how you turn pages in iBooks -- cool page flip animations and all). In addition to simply reading the script, you can also highlight one or more characters' lines (helpful for table-reads), and add notes with the tap of your finger. A lot of thought went into making this app for its target audience: cast and production crew (in the image above, cast members of From The Grave do their first paperless table read). You can see a complete list of Final Draft Reader's features here. Final Draft has even added some nice eye candy, like the realistic pulpy-looking background of the pages. Share options include email, printing, and Dropbox sharing all from within the app. The only negative I see with the app is its lack of iCloud's Documents in the Cloud support, but hopefully Final Draft will add that soon. Final Draft Reader is a great tool that will help eliminate the need to print out paper scripts (and reprint them every time there is a little change). I highly recommend it for anyone who is in the film industry. And fear not, though Final Draft Reader is just that -- a reader for scripts written in Final Draft for OS X or Windows -- the company is planning on releasing a full iPad editing tool, Final Draft Writer for iPad, later this year. Final Draft Reader is available in the App Store for $19.99. %Gallery-161306%
TUAW Review: Storyist 2.0, a professional's writing tool
Over the past several months, we've been publishing a series of reviews of writer's tools (last year we posted some great writing tools for students). While a few of the tools that have been covered in depth have been minimalist writing environments such as WriteRoom, there are more powerful and complete writer's tools that are available for Mac users. One of those tools is the recently updated Storyist 2.0 (US$59 as a download, or US$29 upgrade from a previous version) from Storyist Software. This application is very complete, with capabilities for completely planning out a story before writing it, as well as managing the writing process while the story is under construction. I started testing this application a while back, and actually had a lot of my review written before it became stale and disappeared from our queue of posts. The reason it took me so long to write the review is that Storyist works differently from my brain, and it took me a while to get used to it as a tool. Every writer has his or her own particular style of writing, and I find that pre-planning the writing process just doesn't work very well for me. I prefer to jump in and start writing, but want a way to capture important information about characters, settings, and plot points so I can refer to them later. Storyist can also be used for this method of writing, so I found it to be more useful to me after learning how to navigate its many features. %Gallery-70366%
TUAW Review: The Soulmen send Ulysses 2.0 on a writing journey
As a technical writer, blogger, and wannabe novelist, the tool that I use to capture my thoughts is almost as important as the words that I choose to describe those thoughts. I love to try out new writing tools, particularly those that say that they're going to let me write creatively without getting in the way. Unfortunately, many of them end up becoming the proverbial albatross because of steep learning curves, impossible-to-remember keyboard shortcuts, or complex user interfaces. In my thinking, any writing application that keeps me from writing deserves to go into the Trash Can quickly.When I heard about the recent release of Ulysses 2.0 from The Soulmen (formerly the Blue Technologies Group), my first thought was to dismiss it as Yet Another Writing Tool. After having a chance to work with Ulysses 2.0 for awhile, I'm now beginning to think that I may have finally found the perfect Mac writing tool for my purposes. Of course, every writer has his or her different idea of the ultimate word-crafting application, so your mileage may vary drastically. Follow along on a short tour of what makes Ulysses 2.0 so special.
Heads up: Game writing panel in NYC tonight
If you've got a serious interest in video game writing and live in or around New York City, we strongly encourage you to attend tonight's panel -- presented by the IGDA NYC Chapter and Writers Cabal -- titled Writing for Fantasy Game Worlds. Why do we care if you go? Because every time we play a video game, we're embarassed when loved ones ask what it's about. Panelists include Daniel Greenberg (Lord of the Rings Online), John Boomershine (Warhammer Online), Jeff Gomez (Magic: The Gathering), and Steve Balzac (Founder, Society for Interactive Literature, MIT Assassin's Guild).But that's not all! If you act now (ie: show up tonight), the panel will be followed by a networking meeting so you can add a bunch of prestigous business cards to your collection. The panel is being held from 6:30 to 8:30 on the 5th floor of New School University's Wollman Hall, at 65 West 11th St. in NYC (map). You can RSVP here. Enjoy ... and take notes.[Thanks, Sande]
