Screenwriting Product Review: Movie Magic Screenwriter 6
Forris Day Jr. It never ceases to amaze me how incredible some of the software programs I get to check out are. I remember my first job in radio. I…
Forris Day Jr.
It never ceases to amaze me how incredible some of the software programs I get to check out are. I remember my first job in radio. I had to write commercials on an old school typewriter. If I misspelled a word, out came the White Out to paint over my error. Several years later computers became the norm. They were great because if you messed up you just backspaced and retyped the word. You could even copy and paste words and sentences and move them throughout the document. I just didn't think it could get any better than that. It's now a decade and a half later and I am here to tell you it did get better. But you already knew that of course.
The software I dabbled with is called Movie Magic Screenwriter 6 by Write Brothers. It is well known to the screenwriting world, but this was my first crack at using it. Movie Magic Screenwriter 6 is just that, a screenwriting word processing software, and it packs a punch, baby! It's a word processor on steroids, and it was easy to use and easy to learn. It does all that you would expect a program like this to do, such as format your script to industry standard for movies,TV and stage, but it goes way beyond by including radio plays and comic books too. It comes preloaded with 100 templates from popular television shows and movies to help you write your story and come up with ideas.
Do not worry about formatting. Just write. Movie Magic Screenwriter 6 formats as you go so all you have to do is spill your ideas onto the page...err...screen. Built in is a dictionary and thesaurus to help you find just the right word or correct spelling. I really like the customizable NaviDoc. It is a 4 tab pane on the left side of the screen, if you choose to show it, that is, that lets you navigate through the screenplay by its outline, notes, bookmarks or scenes. The notes feature is cool because you can add a random note anywhere within the screenplay to remind you to do something or put down a production note for instance. The outline tab searches the document by using its outline. I didn't mention the outline feature yet? Yup, you can actually create customizable outlines. This is very handy when writing a web-series or any type of series for that matter. It helps you stay organized, and it's built into the software.
As they say, “Writing is re-writing.” Lets say you have written your first draft and now you have to revise the story. With Movie Magic Screenwriter 6 you can keep the original script, revise it, and not lose anything from the original. You can easily track all versions of the script. Maybe you need to create your final shooting script but want to keep a version with your stage direction in it. Go ahead and do that, it's OK, no one will be angry with you.
Need a name for a character? No Problem... well, maybe a problem. I couldn't use it on my computer because I have an older OSX version on my MacBook, but it sure looks like a cool feature. It is a database with thousands and thousands of male and female names. I really wish I could have delved into that feature, but maybe it will be available to me in a future update. For now, I guess I'll just have to keep eavesdropping on people at the mall to find unique names.
Another feature I didn't try, but I think is really useful, is called iPartner. It allows you to write with someone remotely and see their screen. One person writes and the other can watch the changes happen in real time. You can also text and chat with this feature without having to hold a phone to your ear. You do it right through Movie Magic Screenwriter 6. Who thinks of this stuff?
It also has a built in proofreader that finds common mistakes BEFORE you waste a ream of paper printing your script. There are so many other features that I'm sure I haven't discovered yet but I will leave you with this last one that is incredibly useful for writers and actors alike - Movie Magic Screenwriter 6 can read your script to you using different voices. Unbelievable. If you are an actor, you can shut your characters voice off and go along with the script and learn all your cues and lines.
Import from most word processing programs and scriptwriting softwares, or even simple text documents, so even if you have started writing on another program, you can get it into Movie Magic Screenwriter 6 easily. Export to PDF, publish to a website, send it to Gorilla Budgeting Software and the list goes on. Try it and you will fall in love with Movie Magic Screenwriter 6 .
Pros- Easy to use, lots of color coding and other organization features, works in conjunction with many other programs for pre and post-production.
Cons – Maybe it was just me, but I could not get the names feature to work with my older OSX. I wish it did.
Bottom-line – This is one of the softwares the pros use all around the globe. It is reasonably priced for all the features it provides. I feel this is a must-have tool for any writer.
To Watch a Vide of Forris Using Movie Magic Screenwriter 6, CLICK HERE or click the image below:
Movie Magic Screenwriter 6 ON SALE until 8/31/2013
Editor's Notes: Our exclusive Movie Magic Screenwriter Platinum Package comes with all of the bonus items listed below (over $100 value), plus your purchase is backed by our 30-day money back guarantee.
Platinum Package items include: How to Write a Marketable Screenplay on-demand webinar,The Pocket Screenwriting Guide eBook, Truby's Secrets: How to Write a BlockbusterDownload Edition and the on-demand Writers University’s Screenwriting Basics course.
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