UNLEASHING THE POWER OF SCRIPT TYPING SOFTWARE

Photographers need cameras. Painters need brushes. And screenwriters need computers. We used to need typewriters, but that was a long time ago. Now we need computers. Need them. And why is that exactly? What do computers do for us that typewriters never could?

As we begin a discussion about computer hardware and software, it’s useful to review the job this technology should be doing for us as it relates to putting our scripts on the page.

Back in the day…

In the beginning there were Underwoods. Big, noisy monstrosities that had the remarkable ability to put words on paper in whatever order and configuration the writer wished, including standard screenplay format. No batteries ever ran low. There was no toner to buy, no drum unit, no ink cartridge, no software upgrade. The keyboard and printer were built into the device and the thing was virtually incapable of jamming or breaking down. Once in a while a ribbon needed to be replaced. Other than that, the Underwood just spit out script pages.

Unfortunately, if you wanted to add a line, delete a word or flip-flop the order of two paragraphs, you had to retype the whole page. Often you had to retype the whole dang script. Either that or cut and paste with literal scissors and cellophane tape. And you had to find your own typos by actually reading the page you’d written. And correcting the typos you found was no picnic. And if your finished screenplay fell off the copy boy’s bicycle on the way to the mimeo department and blew away, well, it was simply gone. The only backup copy was locked somewhere in your imperfect memory.

Flash forward to the wireless future

Today, of course, everything has changed. The Underwood is a relic and the wireless home network is everywhere. Let’s review what the new electronics have brought to our big Hollywood party:

There’s no question we’re immensely better off with computers. The challenge is making sure we reap the maximum benefit from the technology without surrendering control of the final product to a piece of computer equipment or programming. We mustn’t trade that ability to create script pages that are correctly and professionally formatted for pages that are simply easy to produce. Which brings us to the next part of our discussion.

What computers can’t do

A computer can’t write your movie for you. Obviously. No more than the paintbrush can create a masterpiece without the artist. But here’s what we sometimes miss. A computer can’t format your script for you, either.

Surprised?

Look back at the list above. Yes, computers armed with good software will apply standard margins to a shot heading or a scene transition. But the software can’t tell you where to put the shot heading, what information to include, what to leave out. It can’t help you with sound or camera capping in direction. It can’t tell you where to paragraph or what belongs in parenthetical character direction or whether you ought to underscore or capitalize or italicize words in dialogue for emphasis. It won’t tell you that your establishing shot isn’t really an establishing shot, or that you need to yank Huck out of Huck’s POV. All of that has to come from you. From your knowledge of standard Hollywood script format. Computer software, by itself, will never be enough. Don’t ask it to do a job it was never designed to do.

Choosing the right software

So which program should you use? It depends on who you are and what you want the software to do.

The first rule of choosing computer software to use in writing scripts is simply this: Choose the program that best helps you put your script on the page. That’s its job. To help you, the writer, put the words where you want them, not where the software wants them. If a program is preventing you from laying out your script the way you see fit, if it’s dictating to you and inhibiting your control over your own work, then it’s the wrong program.

Second, choose the program that provides the features you need. Are you going to be writing spec scripts only? Then you don’t necessarily need software that meets the rigorous demands of production. Are you working with a writing partner? Choose a program that’s compatible with your partner’s. Are you typing scripts for a television series in production? You need software that allows you to control the numbering of scenes and pages, the placement of revision marks and the content of the revision slug.

Finally, choose the program that fits your budget. One popular program retails for over $200. Another is free. While these programs aren’t identical in their features, you don’t have to wait until you’ve saved $200 to get started writing.

You have several approaches to choose from.

Do-it-yourself software solutions

Many writers work within a robust word processing software like Microsoft Word or Word Perfect, using a personalized set of macros and styles to apply margins to their scripts. Warner Bros, for many years used a complex set of macros in conjunction with Word Perfect for typing scripts. This approach allows a computer-savvy writer maximum control over the various elements of a script but provides less automation than commercial script software.

Commercial script software

Many other writers swear by one of several commercial script typing programs on the market ranging in price from about $50 to $250. Some are complete, stand-alone programs:

Others work within Microsoft Word:

And at least one is available as a free download:

Each of these programs automates various parts of the script typing process. The features of various programs are constantly evolving, but usually include many of the following:

Of the commercial script typing programs currently on the market, Final Draft is the best-selling. That carries certain benefits, among them file compatibility with large numbers of other writers and producers. But you should choose the program with the features that are important to the way you are going to work. And don’t settle for software that doesn’t allow you to put the words where you know they belong.

Don’t let the autopilot fly you into the ground

Many writers get lulled into believing that their scripts are professionally formatted simply because they’re typed using a best-selling script program. They’re wrong. As helpful as these programs are, the writer is still the writer. If the software wants to add “(continuing)” every time a character’s dialogue is interrupted by direction, don’t let it if that’s not what you want. If the software’s autotype feature wants to repeat precisely the same master scene heading every time you return to a location, don’t let it. You’re the writer. You know better. You decide what goes in the shot heading. Don’t let the computer make creative decisions for you. That isn’t its job. It’s yours. You’re the writer. You know better.

Mac vs. PC

As fraught with emotion as this question sometimes becomes, this is an easy one. Writers use both Macintosh and IBM-PC based computers. Both work. Choose a computer that runs the software you want to use and is compatible with anyone with whom you expect to collaborate.

Printers

If there are still any dot-matrix printers out there, put them out of their misery. Laser-quality printing is standard in Hollywood. That means a true laser printer (Brother sells one for less than $100) or a good inkjet printer capable of at least 600 dpi (available from Epson and Canon, among others, for well under $100). Never send out a page that doesn’t look perfect.

Backup

One of the great benefits of typing scripts on a computer is that you can easily save copies of every draft and keep multiple backups in multiple locations to prevent against the catastrophic loss of your work due to fire or some other disaster. Don’t neglect to back up your work. You’re investing countless hours of creativity in a script that, if not properly safeguarded, can disappear at the speed of light.

While you’re writing

Make sure the autosave feature is enabled and is frequently backing up your work as you go, at least once every ten minutes. The worst that can happen, in the event of a power failure or computer crash, is that you’ll lose ten minutes’ worth of work.

When you quit for the day

Before you walk away from your computer, back up your work to a removable medium, a flash drive, a CD, a tape drive or even a paper printout — something that will survive if your hard drive doesn’t. This ensures that the worst that can happen, even if the hard drive dies in the middle of the day, is that you’ll lose only one day’s work.

At least once a week

Store a backup copy of your script at a remote location. That can mean a paper copy, flash drive or CD kept in the car or office, or a copy of the file stored in free online storage such as that provided by Yahoo. Another solution is simply to email the file to yourself, with an account like Gmail that stores your messages online. That way, even if your computer and CDs melt in a fire or get crushed by stampeding bison, your script will endure.

File-naming protocol

If you’re working as hard as you should be, you’ll produce numerous drafts of each project you write. The best way to keep all those files straight is to use a set file-naming protocol. Here’s mine.

First I give the project a short name. Let’s say my movie is called PEARL HARBOR SAVED MY LIFE. For purposes of backup, I’ll call the project PEARL. The very first version of the project will get saved as PEARL01, with whatever file extension is appropriate, such as .doc or .fdr. The next version will be PEARL02. Then comes PEARL03. That’s all there is to it. It’s simple, it’s easy, the file names stay short and I never have to guess which version came when.

When to change the file version number

How often should you give the file a new name by increasing the version number, changing PEARL05 to PEARL06? As often as necessary to maintain a record of what you’ve written. Let’s say you start PEARL05 as a page-one rewrite. On the first day you write pages 1 through 4. The next day you keep going and write pages 5 through 8. No need to rename the file. You’re only building on the existing draft. Just keep saving the growing file under the name PEARL05. But then one day after you reach page 60, you decide to go back and revise the first half of your movie. Now you want to increase the version number so that you keep a record of those first 60 pages. Rename the file PEARL06 before you make your changes. If you ever want to go back and look at something from PEARL05, you’ll have it.