Screenwriting software

Screenwriting software are word processors specialized to the task of writing screenplays.

The need for such programs arises from the presence of certain peculiarities in standard screenplay format which are not handled well by generic word processors. A good example would be the formatting and revision-tracking requirements of shooting scripts. The page-break constraints imposed by standard screenplay format are also difficult to implement using standard word processors.

Most screenwriting programs are standalone desktop applications. These include Fade In Professional Screenwriting Software, Final Draft, Montage, Movie Magic Screenwriter, Movie Outline, Page 2 stage, Practical Scriptwriter, Scrivener, Sophocles, and Storyist. Other solutions include web applications such as Celtx or FIRECAMP.

There is also a plain text screenwriting syntax called Fountain, co-developed by screenwriter John August, which enables writing screenplays in any basic text environment, be it dedicated writing software, email or theoretically even any text that can be identified and recovered through OCR.

Many other programs are available as add-ins for generic word processors such as Microsoft Word. An example is Script Wizard. There is also a package for LaTeX called screenplay, as well as a template for Pages.

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