Movie Magic Screenwriter 6

Background
Movie Magic Screenwriter 6 is published by the company Write Brothers, and is the other most used screenwriting software in the Film & TV industry Screenwriter was designed over 15 years ago and belonged to a set of independent applications covering the entire production procedure: Creative writing (Dramatica Pro) > Screenwriting (Movie Magic Screenwriter) > Scheduling (Movie Magic Scheduling/EP Scheduling) > Budgeting (Movie Magic Budgeting/ EP Budgeting).
EP Scheduling and Budgeting, formerly Movie Magic Scheduling & Budgeting, are now published by Entertainment Partners.

Upgrade, Update and license
The license is granted for 1 single user who is allowed install Screenwriter on 3 computers simultaneously: MAC/MAC or MAC/PC.
The updates (free downloads) are published every 6 to 8 months and upgrades are released (generally not free of charge) every 3 to 4 years.
The current version Screenwriter 6 was released last spring 2008

Easy to install and to use
Screenwriter is very easy to install and to activate, like most applications in the same range. No need to be a computer expert.  An Internet connection is highly recommended to activate the software and download the updates. It is possible to activate the license phoning the support line, but the procedure is less simple.

Layout – Automatic input – Spell check
Screenwriter 6 enables users to type a script in a professional format very easily. You will need barely an hour or two to get used to the keyboard shortcuts. Screenwriter remembers all transitions, scene headings and character names. Just type the first letter and the program will type the rest.
 
However, from our point of view, the default interface (above) is too dense (too many icons and toolbars) and therefore relatively unattractive. As a screenwriter one expects a much lighter screen to not interfere with ideas and the text. So you will need to spend a little time reorganizing the toolbars and panels to suit the way you work (see below).

Allow approximately 15 minutes to import screenplays into Screenwriter and, if necessary, reformat those written with Word. Our tests have revealed certain problems importing European letters such as “é,à,ù…” Hopefully these issues will be solved in one of the next releases.

Lastly, Screenwriter 6 is delivered with several spell checks, which can be particularly useful for translators. Available languages: English (USA), English (UK), French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Danish and Norwegian.

Template management
Screenwriter provides many predefined screenplay formats (long feature film and TV Series for instance) that you can select when you start writing your screenplay, or apply later. You can also very easily customize your own template using the basic models, save it and send it to your co-writers.
Lastly, Screenwriter 6 can also be used to write a complete novel or stageplay, with dialogues and character names on the same line.

Rewriting function
Screenwriter 6 is equipped with all necessary functions to manage the various phases of rewriting such as scene numbers, revision mode including a complete production function (page A & B, Lock, etc.) and document comparison that you may need some time to get used to. Concerning document comparison, Movie Magic Screenwriter is superior by far to its competitors because it enables writers to compare two screenplays word for word or paragraph by paragraph.

If you are writing a series, you will be interested to know Movie Magic Screenwriter 6 is the only software in its category that allows users to give numbers to characters’ dialogue.

Outline / Scene Navigator
The outline function is another important feature of Screenwriter 6. This powerful function makes it possible to construct a complete outline while structuring the screenplay (Sequence, scene…), but also to navigate very easily within the scenes while being able to reorganize the order of the sequences.  

Movie Magic Screenwriter 6 also includes a Card Mode function to develop your screenplay. These index cards can be edited and repositioned.
 
Printing
Screenwriter 6 includes many options ranging from prints of the outline to prints of the entire screenplay, including many reports.

Production (Tagger, Statistics, etc.)
Initially designed to work with Movie Magic Scheduling, Screenwriter possesses a tagger mode that makes it possible to break the screenplay down. Thanks to this integrated function, there is no need to own Movie Magic Scheduling or any other Scheduling software to print a break down of the script. It is possible to either print the break down of one single scene or of the entire screenplay.

Unfortunately, Screenwriter 6 does not generate statistics for the set.

Compatibility with other applications (EP Scheduling, Frameforge, etc.)
Thanks to RTF (Rich Text Format), you can communicate easily with most pre-production applications using Microsoft Word. Unfortunately you will lose the scene numbers when you export in RTF. We also notice that, like the import features, all foreign characters are lost during the export to RTF. (it works perfectly with PDF though)
You can also save your screenplay including scene numbers in PDF format (Acrobat Reader), as well as all other documents issued from your script such characters lists, outline, etc.
Finally, you can export your screenplay to a storyboard application such as Frameforge 3D Studio, Storyboard Quick 6 or to production software like Gorilla.

Other useful features
Password Protection for documents, possibility to change character names, title page, auto-backup files, a Smart Check to scan your script and find and correct common formatting mistakes, etc.

Conclusion
Considering its many functionalities and options, Movie Magic Screenwriter 6 takes slightly longer to get used to than its main competitor, but it is undeniably an excellent application that will fulfill all the needs of screenwriters and production companies.

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