Movie Magic Screenwriter With Free Book "The Screenwriter's Bible"

Screenwriter frees you up to let the ideas flow, it's like having a secretary who thinks you are so brilliant he will take care of all the annoying details for you and even predict what your thinking. Screenwriter will also rib you about procrastinating if you wonder off to play with the preferences.

I love choosing the actors to read my script out loud, and the storyboard feature.

Defiantly the software to get if you want to enjoy writing.


Excellent application that expands with your needs.   July 12, 2002
S Smyth (Belfast, Co Antrim United Kingdom)
52 out of 54 found this review helpful

Screenwriter 2000

Screenwriter 2000 enables you to create script-documents based on a number of pre-formatted templates, which respond to a set of hotkeys, mostly Tab and Enter, in order to conveniently place text in the appropriate place for screenplays, stage plays, etc. You can also use Screenwriter 2000 as a you would normally use a word processor, since it has spell checking and font formatting features. Custom templates can be created from scratch, or by modifying those installed.

The format set-up property sheet / control panel is well thought out, access to all the parameters needed are from that screen, there being no need for jumping from one dialog box to another. The primary interface is usefully uncluttered, and is switchable between standard Microsoft Word view and its own. Not that there's a lot of difference, but it could be a comfort factor if you're used to Word.

Import and file save-as options are very comprehensive. But you'll mostly be saving as a SCW file, a PDF for distribution and printing from outside of Screenwriter, and RTF for those who don't have Screenwriter and need an editable draft.

Pasting a previously created script with the correct formatting from an RTF will result in Screenwriter applying the correct tags to the copied text, so that you don't need to worry about having to re-do the script in Screenwriter.

The only distraction that I encountered was in Dialogue text. In Screenwriter 2000 you have to insert a specific line-break to avoid the enter key splitting the dialogue with the ( more ) and Joe Blow ( cont't ) tags as if you were crossing a page-break. This can be done by going Edit > Add Dialogue Paragraph or using Ctrl+Alt +D. The index cards are directly editable, which might be useful, but you are warned that some of the features used in the main editing window will be lost. Warnings of this type abound, so you're unlikely to do anything disastrous if you heed them.

Screenwriter 2000 is a great product for writing scripts which will keep their formatting automatically updated as you proceed, revise, and amend. It should also be borne in mind that Screenwriter 2000 is part of a suite of products, which will allow you cover many aspects of the production process beyond the screenplay.


Best screenwriting software for PC ever!   February 22, 2004
Goat of Death (Olymipa, WA)
29 out of 30 found this review helpful

I bought what is now Movie Magic Screenwriter way back in version 2 when it was called ScriptThing. Since then not once have I been required to pay for an upgrade and the functionality improvements have been amazing. So I went from 2 to the current 4.73 all on from my original purchase whereas a friend of mine with Final Draft has had to routinely pay for upgrades at each version number.

It makes the formatting a breeze. Most of the changes in formatting are done simply by hitting tab or enter at the end of a line. And all the formatting is completely customizable. So you can decide what you want to bold or caps if you like making your writer's drafts a little different from standard.

It also imports from a bevy of other formats extremely well. So if you have screenplay's you've already written in Word or Word Perfect it's no problem.

You can have it print your screenplay to PDF, collaborate with a fellow screenwriter online, use the index card view to outline and plot out your screenplay. It's awesome.

Whenever in the past I encountered bugs and reported them to tech support they've been quick to respond and I've seen the problem fixed in free updates.

Try the demo, unlike Final Draft's Demo it lets you save so any work you put into a screenplay won't be lost when you decide to buy Movie Magic.


Not worth $172   October 7, 2004
TrezKu13 (Norfolk, VA)
29 out of 39 found this review helpful

This program is not worth $172. It's not even worth $60, which I've seen it on sale in some areas.

It's basically a simple way of doing scripts. You can select things from the menu or hit hotkeys to write things like "EXT" or select which of the previous names you've written should come up.

Guess what?

You can do the exact same thing on any word program. Maybe there aren't any direct hotkeys to put in "CUT TO:" but for people who write a lot it will take just a second longer to put that in manually. In fact it does take faster than hitting a hotkey, selecting a menu, and maybe answering one or more questions offered by the program.

Here's what I suggest instead of buying this program: buy a screenwriting guide ("How Not to Write a Script" by Denny Flinn is what I suggest) and then either buy or use a word program: Microsoft Works, Microsoft Word, take your pick they're all good. 3/4 of you reading this review will already probably have one of these programs on your computer.

I give it two stars because it does what it advertises, and in that respect it works. Trust me though, just get a book on screenwriting and write in a word program according to what it says. That's basically this program, but $150 cheaper.


Excellent font performance.   May 27, 2003
S Smyth (Belfast, Co Antrim United Kingdom)
19 out of 24 found this review helpful

Further to my last review of this product the most significant feature in comparison to Final Draft 6.0 is Screenwriter's flawless font rendition quality as a page is scrolled up and down. Unlike Final Draft, Screenwriter re-draws the page without a horribly smudged, or raggedy line look., which takes repeated scrubbing up and down with the mouse to correct.

So, for a more pleasing screenwriting experience, Screenwriter 2000 is a better choice.