Features:

  • 100% Cross-Platform word processor designed for writing movie scripts and stageplays
  • Professional script formatting and easy import/auto-format from other word processors
  • Fully-integrated step-outlining, story task management and character development tools
  • Customizable color-coded structuring with templates including the Hero's Journey
  • Includes 12 breakdowns of Hollywood movies with story analysis and narrative graphs
Great product with great support!!

I had tried the demos of several script writing programs before deciding on MovieOutline 3.0. I found that the MO 3.0 was very intuitive to learn, but more importantly, it provided guidance to my development process when I needed it. I am a complete novice at screen writing, but an experienced project manager, and it is great to have a program that gently explains and reminds me of all the little things it is so easy to overlook. Things like character arc, etc. Most importantly, when I ran into an issue loading the software onto my new computer they responded within a couple of hours to my email. This was really amazing as I had emailed them about the problem on Saturday afternoon, got an email back asking me to register for support. (Something I had forgotten to do!) I registered on Sunday, and got an email back within a couple of hours that fixed my problem. After having just battled over a month (and failing)to get a a simple email address problem resolved with an online radio service provider, it was a great to deal with someone who goes out of their way to help!

Watch out for this new up-and-comer!

Movie Outline surprised the hell out of me and provides a nice alternative to the big two screenwriting programs out there, Final Draft and Movie Magic Screenwriter. What Movie Outline 3 does different is that it emphasizes organizing and outlining before putting words on the page. There's nothing stopping you from clicking on the script tab and diving right into your screenplay but you really should be working with stuff like the Outline tab (which feels easier to use than the outline feature in MM Screenwriter) or the Characters tab where you can flesh out your players with lots of background info. If you don't like outlines you can use the Step Cards tab which shows scenes/sequences in the familiar index card format. Films go through three phases: pre-production, production, and then post-production. Movie Outline lets you do the same with your screenplay. Pre-production: create an outline, flesh out your characters history and personalities, arrange and delete scenes until the plot becomes an unstoppable object with tremendous momentum. Production: write your screenplay with all the automatic formatting goodness of standard screenwriting software. Post-production: Use the dialogue spotlight to go through all of a single character's dialogue to make sure their voice stays consistent, spell check, and most importantly...revise, revise, revise. Writing a good screenplay is difficult but Movie Outline gives you the tools to succeed.

A True One Stop Shop

I've been using F8 for two years and it was what I used for my first sale. A fellow writer, UNK, recommends this as does ScriptPIMP. It's worth the recommendation. It allows me to leave behind all of my note cards, which hold everything from characters to sequences to research notes to general thoughts to loglines and synopses. All of that is now moved to one file in Movie Outline. You can even reference produced scripts in the same interface and compare analyses and sequence description. It lets you add each element in its own area just a click away, not buried in menus or needing shortcuts. It has everything that the others have including PDF - and it works on X64 - scene cards, etc. and several others like Feel Factor, Power View, Story tasks. But the most effective feature is the layout. Everything is right there. I'm just starting on some imports from FD, and it's smooth as silk so far. GOODBYE NOTE CARDS!!!

Software helps you get it right, use your time effectively

I didn't want to buy software, I thought surely Microsoft or someone would have a simple add on to your word processor to do formatting for a Screenplay. But I couldnt find anything that worked for free. But Movie Outline does all the formatting stuff, of course. Yet the major bonus is that it helps you outline you work very easily, which can cut a six month project down to one. It's astonishing how convoluted your SP can get, if you don't use an outline, step cards, something. This software helps you keep your work untangled. Works great. They don't seem to have telephone support, for questions, but they did answer email questions pretty quick. It's pretty easy to use, and it works. They even offer upgrades for free.

Easy To Use

This software is easy to use for the beginner or intermediate screenwriter. I highly recommend it. Punctuation can be easily adjusted.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY

I have owned Movie Outline from nearly its inception - 1.0, 2.0 and now 3.0. I have upgraded every time the company released a newer version. With the 3.0 version, which I purchased a year ago, I found there was no other writing software I needed so I sold all of mine -- Dramatica, Final Draft, Story View -- the Truby stuff, etc. With Movie Outline 3.0 you have EVERYTHING you need to write an excellent screenplay WITH EASE, STEP BY STEP. The step-outlining is a precise way to create a screenplay using step by step construction. It is also fantastic way to LEARN how excellent films are written and created through the process of deconstruction. Movie Outline 3.0 provides an excellent platform for doing this using blockbuster films and very successful films with the entire film laid out according to scene, structure and turning points. If you are attempting to write a film like "Die Hard," for example, Movie Outline 3.0 has deconstructed the entire film, scene by scene, plot point by plot point, act by act so you can lay out your screenplay side by side to see how it is progressing. If you have too much in Act I, it will show in a second. This step by step deconstruction is, by iself, a fantastic way to see exactly what you have in your film -- what you don't have and how to fix it at a glance. Movie Outline 3.0 also comes with all of the other essentials other writing software programs offer -- spell check, thesaurus, interfacing within different sections, collating, keeping notes together, etc -- BUT, it has a built in module that allows so much more than the essentials -- for example, one can have an interview with the characters during the developmental stage and then if you want to see what is said to whom later on, you can have the module display and isolate dialogue between any two characters anywhere it is written. A FeelFactor feature the software offes allows you to see the tension of your film in graphic display, step by step or scene by scene -- if the tension falls flat, you will see it in a heart beat and can fix it. Movie Outline 3.0 keeps track of everything -- It has a script writing tool as well. When you are ready to write your script, you can toggle back and forth between your notes, characters, outline and any other feature in the software and put together your script. Movie Outline offers PURE EASE in the construction of your finished screenplay step by step. It also exports cross-platform keeping your script and formatting intact -- to Mac or PDF, etc without having to do any reformatting. Now, perhaps you can understand why I sold nearly all of my other screenwriting, outlining, character developing software. MOVIE OUTLINE 3.0 has it ALL in one program. Erik Sonne

Perfect

I had been using another program called Sophocles but this disappeared and so I turned to Movie Outline as a replacement because I know it had some of the same outlining and character features. I'm really glad I made the switch. There was no big learning curve and the manual and help system was very comprehensive. Good job!

Just what I was looking for!

Well, here is my initial review. Having used Final Draft and equivalents, with their endless bugs and virtually no tech. support (and having lost my entire script all at once), Movie Outline has turned out to be a breeze, once I managed to get the hang of some of its useful quirks (otherwise, it is quite intuitive (even more so for experienced screen writers). The program offers more than one way of accomplishing any task so that you can fit the one that suits your needs. The script, etc. may be saved automatically as you go or you can choose to be reminded every so often (your choice of how often). A backup is also saved. The program allows you to write a book while working on a script as separate projects (or as many projects as you wish). My only objection (minor) so far is that I have to insert such abbreviations as CSG or SFX, but most other abbreviations are there (although it is possible that you can add your own, but I haven't explored that option as yet). It's guesses of the 'next character' are usually right on but even if they are not, it is quite easy to simply tab on the correct selection and proceed. You can easily tailor the whole thing to your specifications and the program simply 'learns' as you go along. This has really turned what I was calling "scream writing' into real screen writing. If my opinion should happen to change with time, I'll get back to you.

EXCELLENT!

I've been using Movie Outline for a few months now and am so pleased I made the switch from Final Draft. The software is well designed and intuitive, making it easy to plan my script scene by scene and keep track of all my notes. I'm a big one for lists when writing and rewriting and thankfully this software catered to my needs. Rather than having post-its all over the place I can now collate all my ideas for the story and characters into one place while I'm working on the script. The auto-formatting works with tab and enter shortcuts (like FD) so you don't have to worry about the layout as you type. I haven't used the FeelFactor graphs yet which allow you to track the highs and lows of elements such as tension, scares and romance etc but plan to do so once I get the feedback on my last script and dive in for the rewrite. I did however use the character development tools a great deal to flesh out the main parts and their arcs throughout the story. I've only had to contact technical support once when I needed to reactivate my machine after a lighting strike and they were very helpful and prompt with their reply. All in all a great package with everything I need and more yet to discover.

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