Final Draft, Movie Magic Screenwriter 2000 (formerly
"ScriptThing"), and Scriptware.
Those are the "Big Three" of screenwriting software. When an
aspiring screenwriter would ask someone what software program would best
help him in formatting his magnum opus, one of those three would be
mentioned.
It's time to add another name to the club.
Page 2 Stage by Windward Studios (www.windward.com).
In certain areas, P2S has the distinct advantage. One of those
advantages came early on, when I discovered that the product could be
electronically downloaded. That's right-when you decide that you want to
buy the product, you order it, you get a key to unlock the electronic
version, and while you wait for Uncle Sam to deliver the manual and
software in the mail, your computer has already downloaded the program for
you. You can't do that with Final Draft, Movie Magic, or Scriptware, so
that, right there, scores a few points with me. I'm the kind of person who
wants immediate gratification, and knowing that I can get a fully-loaded
screenwriting software program in mere minutes makes it noteworthy.
But, what about the program itself?
Well, the actual loading of the program took under a minute, and
went without a hitch. As someone who had problems galore with other
screenwriting programs, that was a welcome relief.
It's a slick program. It's easy on the eyes, and nothing about it
proved to be an annoyance. Since you're going to be spending a lot of time
with this program, you're going to want it to be aesthetically pleasing.
In submitting a professional screenplay, format is all. So, how
well does Page 2 Stage handle that aspect of the business?
Like the Big Three, it formats according to just about any
specification that an individual might come across. Margins can be changed
and shifted, as can all aspects of the script. Movement is accomplished
with TAB and ENTER keys, just as with any of the other programs. It has
the typical "pop-up" screens when entering the names of characters and
scene headings, and it also "graylines" the choices on the page.
It has four views of the screenplay-normal, page (which shows the
printed page view, complete with three holes punched), outline, and index
card. Outline and index card are useful in the early stages of creating
the screenplay, and movement through those areas performed flawlessly. (In
fact, the "index card" shifting in Page 2 Stage was far better than that
found in Final Draft. In Final Draft, when a card was shifted, not all of
the information made it from Point A to Point B. In Page 2 Stage, each
time I shifted a card or scene, all information went with it.)
One problem that I had with it was in the area of the actual page
layout. In programs such as Final Draft and Movie Magic, the background
color can be changed. For example, I've always enjoyed working on my rough
draft with a black background and white lettering. Unfortunately, Page 2
Stage does not allow a user to use any background color other than white.
However, unlike Movie Magic, each element can have a color assigned to the
font. For example, I can easily make all dialogue show up in green, while
all action elements are in red, and all scene headings are in blue. Once
that individual preference is made, the format can be saved and loaded for
all future scripts. After working with that for a little while, I
discovered that I didn't mind having the white background at all.
Another feature that I found useful is the "autosave." After 20
seconds of no typing or 10 minutes of typing, it automatically saves the
project. Speaking as someone who has lost too many important pieces of
script because of poor planning, that feature alone is worth its weight in
gold.
In terms of a learning curve, if you've ever used any formatting
software, you can use Page 2 Stage within seconds. And, if you've never
used any kind of formatting program, there is an excellent tutorial that
will walk you through all of the many features of this package.
In addition, Page 2 Stage flawlessly imported one of my Final Draft
screenplays. I simply opened it, walked through the import wizard, and
found that the entire process had gone without a single mistake. Anyone
who has ever dealt with the problems of importing scripts will find Page 2
Stage to be a delight to work with.
In short, I found Page 2 Stage to be every bit as impressive and
comprehensive as any of the more expensive screenwriting software platforms
out there. If I were to choose a screenwriting package, I can honestly say
that Page 2 Stage would be the one I'd keep on my computer. In an age when
some screenwriting software manufacturers seem to be content to rest upon
their reputations, it's refreshing to find a company that is actually
developing a product that is simple to use, complete in its features, and
designed to get you writing your script as soon as possible.
Thomas Kane
