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Click Here to Return to the Software Page Printable Version. Print using your Browser Print Button. Article is approximately 10 pages. Storyware:Screenplay Development Software
I imagine that most writers first come to screenplay development software (storyware) in a Code Blue panic when the brain gauge is on empty and they are out of bullets and water. In other words, a deadline looms, the script or expanded treatment isn't working, and the writer in question is on creative fumes. That was my exact situation three years ago. At the time, I procured some eleventh-hour assistance, but the highly-touted software program I tried was so counterintuitive to my own writing process, so filled with arcane, idiosyncratic terminology to learn immediately that I was left wondering if the cure was worse than the disease. End of experiment. Fast forward to the present, and man, what a difference a few version upgrades makes. The good news is that now there are a variety of helping-hands programs that can save you time and frustration, while speaking to your specific needs and condition as a screenwriter. The latest generations of storyware will satisfy both beginning writers looking to learn balanced screenplay structure, and experienced writers seeking a new way into a screenplay or to bolster existing script elements or to correct story elements that don't work. While none of the programs are cheap (perhaps due to their specialized function), each represents a personal investment in your development as a writer and in your career. And although inputting elements into the programs can be initially time-consuming, your resulting work from most of the programs can be directly integrated into screenplay formatting software like Final Draft and Movie Magic's Screenwriter 2000 (see the November/December 2000 issue for a detailed review of these products). In other words, such storyware converts dialogue, etc., directly into script form. Judging the relative merits of each program can be tricky, since there is no agreed-upon approach to writing, and all writers have their own habits and idiosyncrasies. And more important, there isn't just one single theory of drama. That's why many story development tools take entirely different approaches. That stated, storyware programs can be divided into two categories: muse/mentor programs that tutor you through the development process of your project and offer lessons; and unintrusive electronic note card/time line software that assumes you know exactly what you want to execute and just need to keep things organized while you're doing it. MUSE/MENTOR PROGRAMS Aristotle will be pleased to learn that 2,300 years later, his six principles of drama are alive and well in programs like John Truby's Blockbuster, Screenplay Systems' Dramatica, and Ashleywilde's Plots Unlimited. In the case of Blockbuster and Dramatica, these programs combine story theory lessons with specific guidance for fleshing out your wisp of an idea into a detailed, well-structured, and seemingly armor-plated treatment that can be downloaded directly into your script. Prior to testing these various programs for a month, I had limited experience working with storyware. Like many writers, I have routines that I follow whenever I feel blocked. Some even approximate various exercises of the storyware programs. Previously, I never put much stock in the programs. I felt that development software tends to deconstruct a story into elements and parts, that sometimes take the spontaneity out of writing. Perhaps it's time to change my thinking. After all, studio assignment writing is often very rigid and lends itself more toward the compartmentalization of long, detailed treatments, and, I suppose, storyware. And while I rarely struggle to come up with the big ideas for my scripts, occasionally I tussle with finding a suitable structure that conforms to Hollywood tastes, so it's nice to have some guidance from time to time. Note that first drafts from even experienced writers often have glaring omissions, places where supporting characters or story elements are introduced and then not paid off adequately. Muse/mentor programs go a long way toward filling these gaps that sometimes require multiple drafts to address. Personally, I have developed my own system for story development. However, the recent advances of these programs make it hard for me, a working screenwriter with twelve scripts under my belt, to ignore them and go back to my old system, exclusively. At the very least, I now have several more important additions to my process. John Truby's Blockbuster If you're looking to create balanced Hollywood screenplays with an eye toward commercial concerns of the spec marketplace, then Blockbuster 4.0 is the software for you. Writers well acquainted with studio development will also feel comfortable. Educator John Truby created this story development software based on his own approach to narrative three-act structure which often seems to channel Joseph Campbell, Linda Seger, and to a lesser extent, Carl Jung. Actually, that's saying a lot about the level of story development you get with the program. Blockbuster breaks down plot into the following seven major dramatic steps: 1. Problem/Need - the situation affecting the hero and what's missing within the hero.
When these plot pillars are put to practical application in a story, Truby sees a pattern in successful Hollywood screenplays that he breaks down further into twenty-two separate steps. Note that "success" here is defined by top grosses. Once you learn the seven dramatic pillars, Blockbuster is easy to understand, and even easier to use. The actual program opens simply with the following ten category headings: Wish, Premise, Theme, Character, Plot, Symbol, Scene List, Scene, Rewrite, and Coach. The categories are intuitive and self-explanatory with the exception of the Wish Section, which is where you can create a grocery list of premises and desired story elements that serve as a touchstone for your developmental work. While not as graphically exciting as, say, Dramatica, the Blockbuster screen has a clean look that allows you to work on any and all of the ten categories simultaneously. In other words, you could be developing your plot exactly the same second a brain cell perks up with a tidbit of pure genius regarding your protagonist's characterization. Blockbuster allows you to jump back and forth from each section with the click of a mouse button. It's a terrific and much-used feature. The ten categories are also crucial to note because they exemplify what is fundamental and valuable about Blockbuster: the software understands the screenwriter's objective, thus concentrates on universal story concerns. These are the kinds of concerns that affect both beginners and seasoned professionals alike. With features like a primer on Jungian archetype theory and creating "character webs" that help address second-act sag in scripts, Blockbuster has the ability to grow with you as you develop as a writer. Blockbuster produces multiple reports including synopsis, summaries, character profile reports for each character, plot note reports, as well as lists of settings and characters. As you move through the program, the questions progress through theme, tone, time period, plot, and characters to help you create depth and layers in your work. Very valuable is the Coach Section with its dozens of Character Models, along with the sample explications of dozens of classic works of literature and cinema that range from A Streetcar Named Desire to Jaws to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. But a vexing problem of note occurred whenever I went into the Examples section and then tried to go back into the main program. Invariably the multiple screens would lock up and freeze, forcing me to use the function keys to exit the program entirely. The Blockbuster program is not without other shortcomings. For example, falling firmly in the Less Is Not Always More category, the Lessons section under the School heading includes twenty-eight lessons on topics ranging from premise development to character arc. The concept of a Lessons section is very good. However, in practice, many of the tutorials are a bit self-evident even for novice writers and need bolstering. For example the entire lesson for Scene Ideas is the following: At the least, one might anticipate a discourse on scene structure or how scenes form a story or the various levels of function that a scene may serve or the differences between scenes, beats, and sequences. More disturbing to note, the subject of Genre in the Lessons section is even thinner. Here, the user abruptly encounters the following message three paragraphs into the "lesson": Determining the best genre for your story idea is one of the most important decisions you make at the beginning of the writing process. No discussion of how certain themes are specific to certain genres here. Aside from opaque observations that occur in a vacuum like, Genres give the audience a view of how to live successfully, basically, there endeth the genre lesson unless you purchase the individual genre add-on programs. So I visited the site and learned that there are thirteen additional genre packs offered. The three add-ons I tried slipped seamlessly into the main program and allowed the user to structure their story in twenty-two steps according to guidelines specific to a particular genre. The Action genre add-on included both a "fight map" and the ability to track a protagonist's character arc relative to rules of that genre. You can even compare and contrast beats from different genres. Examples from classic films and literature for each genre are also included. Note that each genre add-on costs another $99, or you can get the whole bundle at the "value rate" of $999. That seems like a princely sum suitable for trust fund babies and well beyond the average writer who hasn't yet made it to the A- and B-list levels. While the Lessons section would benefit greatly with more detail, overall, most writers will find Blockbuster 4.0 fascinating to play with. They will also discover that the more that you put in, the more you get out of this thoroughbred program. Final note: I encountered a "contact tech support" error message once when exiting the program and once when the program suffered a sudden and inexplicable compatibility issue with my Brother HL 720 laser printer. However, there was no tech support online or phone number listed in the error message, nor could any be found in the help index menu, where I also discovered topics in the help menu that were either empty or whose content could not be retrieved. You have to refer to the manual in the program file on your hard drive to get the number. I opted to exit the program, reboot, and try printing out a test report again. This time, no problem. I never figured out what triggered the initial error message. Otherwise, all program features functioned as expected, although some windows seemed to "trip over each other" and get hung up when you tried closing them. Lastly, Blockbuster would benefit from an easier click and drag feature - particularly in the Scene List section which was relatively cumbersome to manipulate. Blockbuster interfaces directly with popular screenplay formatting programs. Dramatica Pro 4.0 (Screenplay Systems)
ScreenStyle Note: Dramatica Pro is just $179.95 at ScreenStyle.com Previously, my only foray into the storyware world was with Dramatica 2.0 about three years ago. At the time, I was desperate. The studio I was working with had bought my assignment pitch, developed my treatment, then suddenly did an about-face and went into a different direction with the story. I pitched half a dozen new versions which were all turned down. I definitely got the spider senses tingling feeling that the next pitch might be my last on this project. So I purchased Dramatica 2.0 and plugged in my original premise, the result was accepted by the studio and a week later, I was contracted to go to draft. The program's main merit at the time was that it got me out of the mental handcuffs into which I'd put myself. However, I found the program frustratingly idiosyncratic with it's own terminology and counter intuitive system. For example, determining a character's tendency toward logic or intuition was called "the mental sex." Sexism aside, whenever I encountered the term, I invariably pictured the phone booth-like orgasmatron machines from Woody Allen's movie Sleeper. Throughout that test period, I remember thinking to myself, "Is this really writing?" The end result was, I tried the program a few more times on other projects, then allowed it to sit unused on my hard drive, going back to my notebooks, three-page outlines and stacks of scrap paper filled with the scribbles of genius. Dramatica 4.0 is a quantum leap from the arduous 2.0 version I worked with back in the "90s" so much so that I mention the above backstory because several writers have contacted me with similar experiences and I believe that the time has come to give the program a fresh look. Dramatica takes a highly non-traditional approach to story and character development. By far, the biggest advance over previous versions is the option to trade Dramatica's often unintuitive terminology for layman's language. Note that among the writing and film school community, this sometimes difficult but comprehensive drama theory program has both adherents and detractors. What is clear is that the makers of Dramatica have made a large distinction between form and formulaic. The core of Dramatica Pro is the Story Engine, where you answer twenty-four questions about your story. Based on your responses, the program generates multiple reports covering theme, plot, and character development. Purportedly, Dramatica offers 32,768 different storyforms in the Story Engine; I can verify at least six during my test. Meanwhile, Structure Templates, which are preformatted for a novel, short story, or screenplay to offer instruction specific to that story type, is a particularly cool feature. When you open the program, twelve colorful tiles fill the screen to give you instant access to all the tools and features. Most writers will opt to begin with the StoryGuide tool, an interactive step-by-step guided approach to creating a new story. The program uses engaging graphics and point-and-click ease to enhance the story development process. In fact, for the Character Tool, there are over four hundred thumbnail photographs and drawings of potential candidates to visually enhance your character's description. Writers who are market-oriented and like to visualize a "Julia Roberts type" while working will benefit from this feature. I particularly like the fact that Dramatica starts by asking simple questions about your project regarding title, logline, synopsis, and characters. This Q & A process feels both empowering and logical. Next, you select from among the "quads" (explained below) for each character and structural element. Your responses limit your choices as you progress step by step toward a specific "storyform." Dramatica divides the writing process into "storyforming," or dramatic structure, and "storytelling," which is the way that structure is expressed. The Query System is another interesting tool you can select that provides a multiple choice approach to the same process. Story Weaving is the final stop in the Story Guide process. Here, you bring all that you've come up with into scenes, basically creating a rough, rough first draft of a screenplay that can be exported directly to Screenwriter 2000 in standard screenplay form. That's where all the time devoted to learning the Dramatica system while building your story can pay off. Dramatica's central assertion is that every "complete story" is a model of the mind's problem-solving process, which the authors call the "Story Mind." Dramatica bases everything on pairs of opposites, and divides all its elements into the aforementioned "quads." For example, there are four "throughlines" or structural perspectives that can be expressed in every story. Next, story structure is divided into four sections. Each section is broken down into four subsections, which are in turn subdivided again and again. Dramatica redefines or invents new vocabulary for writers to use to discuss everything from plot to character to setting. If the process sounds daunting and heavily deconstructed, it can be. In all honesty, I'm not sure that I fully understand the storytelling theory behind Dramatica, which remains somewhat theoretical unlike, say, the Hero's Journey. That stated, the program is well-designed and offers writers an alternate concept for developing their stories. Bottom line: if you're frustrated by your own approach to storytelling and seek a new paradigm to rekindle your creative fires, then Dramatica 4.0 is the most ambitious storyware program currently on the market. Just stick close to the manual and Help Index. The only other issue of note is that the screen font in Dramatica is small. Writers can select alternate fonts and sizes for reports, but not for the screen font. Like Blockbuster, Dramatica also has story/character examples of classic stories to reference, which are analyzed in detail and extremely helpful when you're feeling blocked. SUMMARY Dramatica is by far the more polished of the story assistance programs, but you'll need to spend considerable time learning the Dramatica Theory to take full advantage of this ambitious program. Blockbuster gives the writer a firm grounding to develop a story in the Joseph Campbell Hero's Journey tradition. Both programs got me thinking about ancillary characters for one of my projects in a more living, breathing way. Plots Unlimited is an alternate option that is straight-forward to use, but the program is far more limited in the storytelling guidance it provides. The primitive DOS-like interface is not viewer friendly and cries out for updating. Despite improvements, Dramatica's terminology still remains foreign to what I learned in film school and what I hear in story meetings in Hollywood. During the course of dozens and dozens of story meetings, no producer, director, or exec has ever asked me to address the "fixed attitude" in a script. Perhaps they should. Both Blockbuster and Dramatica encourage you to explore and develop subtext, nuance, and depth to your plot, situations, and characterization. Both get you in firm control of your story. The process can last days or weeks. Yet, if you're willing to make the investment, balance and consistency for your story will be the substantial return for your efforts. As stated, all of the programs are fairly time-intensive up front. But remember that screenplays with elements missing can have you chasing your tail for months, instead of days and weeks. INDEX CARD/OUTLINE SOFTWARE Some writers feel that story, character, setting, and plot elements will surface and flow naturally if the scribe is patient enough to just allow their projects to breathe. Such writers don't want to be overwhelmed by structural constrictions immediately. If your attitude about writing is "I know what I'm doing, so don't talk to me when I'm driving" ,then, most likely, you will chafe under the yoke of working with muse/mentor programs that attempt to teach you their story development systems. Still, this group of writers can benefit from electronic assistance in organizing their thoughts for ready reference, along with the work leading up to the actual writing of the script; i.e., collecting research odds and ends, random scenes, bits of dialogue, and stream of consciousness. Also, outline software can be extremely useful with the next phase of structuring and developing your project, namely creating and placing individual story beats, major plot points, act breaks, and climaxes. Way back when, maybe five years ago, many writers worked exclusively with index cards. They would write a scene heading on each, and shuffle them around until the storyline made sense. There is something decidedly visual about a storyline that makes this approach appealing, but it's also somewhat labor-intensive. Index card software is designed to create and store printable scene cards that can be rearranged endlessly, then linked to the script itself. Writer's Blocks 2.0 (Ashley Software)
Personally, I also like the physicality of working with handwritten index cards that I move around until my story feels just right. But here's a true story: last year, I was up for a six-figure studio assignment, and spent three days preparing my pitch and then much time in the wee hours of the night before the meeting making last minute insertions and deletions to my stack of hand-written index cards. Eventually, there were so many papers, reference material, and Doritos Nacho Chips wrappers strewn out over my tiny office that an hour before the meeting, suddenly, I couldn't find a section of the cards. My ensuing sleep-deprived search ended with me sweating over a wastebasket where I'd accidentally thrown out the wrong stack. Suffice to say that all of the above could have been averted if I had used the Writer's Blocks system. Writer's Blocks, with its colorful rainbow work screen, is simple in both objective and execution: you create blocks or "containers" of color-coded text that can hold everything from a scene beat, plot point, concept, or theme; then, the blocks can be endlessly manipulated, moved, or edited. No system to learn here. you'll be up and running in a few minutes. The result is readily printed out onto 3 x 5 index cards, which no matter how many times you inadvertently discard, will always be there on the computer. Or you can create an outline for export as a text file into a word processing or script formatting program. Of course, you won't truly benefit from color-coding your text without a color printer. Note also that users should change the default font of Arial 8pt and box size of 150% which are much too small and quickly cause eye strain; however, those are easy alterations. Bottom line: if you're sometimes organizationally challenged like me, Writer's Blocks is a simple electronic index card system that's worth a test drive. StoryView 2.0
Most writers begin a new project with free association and random notes that they work into an outline that gets fleshed out as time goes on. With StoryView 2.0, you literally map out your screenplay as you work from a time line. With a click of a mouse button, you can instantly make Matrix-like leaps from the tiniest detail in your story to the big picture. The program is unique in that it lets you create your story on a physical time line where ideas can be arranged according to suit any sequence desired. StoryView allows the user to position both scenes and ideas visually along the story's time line. Note that if you're working on a project which doesn't require a time line, you can turn the feature off, and just use StoryView as an enhanced index card system similar to Writer's Blocks. Visually, StoryView may be somewhat intimidating for the first-time user. The opening screen looks like an intricate production breakdown sheet. That takes some getting used to since text is coming in all different directions, inverted, etc., and some of the details are illegibly myopic. Luckily, many sample files including Godfather II, a PDF tutorial, and a comprehensive Help file are included. Similarly, I had trouble working with some templates that were confusing and discovered that customizing a template was a particularly daunting task. Note that StoryView also has an outline feature. Note that as of this writing, Power Structure is the only program in this category to offer a version for Mac users. That's a glaring omission for our industry. Power Structure 1.0.77
The makers of Power Structure aptly refer to this program as "a really big toolbox." This software is designed for writers who are particularly mindful of their own script structure, and so don't want to be tied to someone else's system or set of rules. The program comes with interesting graphics supported by a stand-up flip chart user's manual that's nifty. Power Structure offers nine unique story views that give you a space to explore, develop, and structure main elements of the screenplay such as theme, premise, backstory, and synopsis. You can also custom set your plot points. Most story elements can be viewed separately or together. Meanwhile, Power Structure also lets you create great characters by recording their physical and emotional details, their goals, and their purpose for inclusion in the story. The program also allows you to view your story in several different ways, including conflict view, character view, plot point view, chapter view, or in the time-tested index card format. Some writers will find the Tension Levels color-coded graph that indicates heightened conflict helpful for clearing out dead-wood scenes and locating story beat lulls; others will find the notion of an "excite-o-meter" gimmicky. Power Structure excels in the "Conflict" department. Each scene allows you to define where the conflict is, how much tension the conflict creates, and whether or not the conflict is resolved. You can then switch over to the Conflict Overview area and see your conflicts charted out on a graph where low points can easily be spotted and dealt with. As a writer who has had more than my share of "sagging second acts," that feature is invaluable. Bottom line: writers who know their craft and don't want to learn a new system, but are seeking a program to help them stay on track structurally will benefit most from Power Structure. OUTLINE/INDEX CARD SUMMARY The outline and index card programs are designed to help keep the writer organized and on track. By far, the no-frills Writer's Blocks is the simplest in the execution of this mission. Power Structure is the most elaborate of the three programs and comes closest to commentary on your work. However the difference between Power Structure and the muse/mentor programs is that the writer provides the main commentary on the project in the form of tools like Comment Overview. StoryView is a middle ground alternative to both Writer's Blocks and Power Structure. Here the writer works on a time line where hierarchies can be created and concepts can be tracked. CONCLUSION Is software necessary to write a good screenplay? Obviously not, since many of the best screenplays were written long before laptops came along. The greatest benefit of all of these storyware programs is the ability to put quick order to the writer's thoughts. In choosing a system right for your needs, you should determine the degree of assistance or intrusiveness for your own system. There are limitations: these programs can't write the script for you. They can't give you the seeds of genius - the hook that will make your story the story. And they can't make you a storyteller if you don't have a natural sense of what makes a story interesting. So always keep in mind the elements of voice and perspective that motivate you to be a writer. Used correctly, these tools can help you accomplish great things. But it's important to realize that tools are only as good as the carpenter wielding them. Just as you can't command a hammer to build you a house, no software can replace a writer's own ability to invent characters, relationships, settings, or dramatic conflicts. I have found the story mentoring software to be intriguing because it starts with your input, and follows with suggestions and associations you might not think of on your own. But the bottom line is, don't expect software to invent good stories. That's your job. Final note to software makers: please follow the trend toward 24/7 online support and automatic Internet download purchasing for writers who need help in the middle of the night. It's archaic to have to physically mail one's order and wait for a disk to arrive. Final note to writers: you should battle test for yourselves the various programs referenced here by downloading the demos available for free on the the Internet before making a purchase commitment. |