Hi All,
Screenwriting is the method of writing for TV and Movies. A specific format is prescribed to write content for these mediums. Currently specialized editors are used for these. The industry standards are Final Draft [0], and Movie Magic Screenwriter[1]. These sell for hundreds of $$, and are essentially just glorified text editor + pdf converter.
The best open source (kinda) editor is a bloated piece of software called celtx[2]. Another good alternative is pago, a vim script, but vim is hardly an accessible editor for average joe writer[3]. And IMO, celtx is bloated, slow, and some functionality is hidden behind a webservice.
The screenplay format is as follows (http://pastebin.com/fvGk9Bew) ------------- (read in monospace) -------
" screenplay specifications: " " ELEMENT ( beginning#, ending#, total#, align, caps ) " " (s) SCENE HEADING ( 11 70 60 L yes ) " (a) ACTION ( 11 70 60 L no ) " (c) CHARACTER ( 31 70 40 L yes ) " (p) PARANTHETICAL ( 26 55 30 L no ) " (d) DIALOGUE ( 21 55 35 L no ) " (t) TRANSITION ( 70 11 60 R yes )
Example file.screenplay:
EXT. - MENTAL FACILITY - LATE AFTERNOON <-- (s)
ROHIT (25) is outside, standing at ease. Hair waving in the <-- light breeze on a hot afternoon. He is average build, <-- (a) wearing a black suit, looking a little disheveled. He puts <-- his hat on and picks up a flat stone.
Rohit studies the pole and his hands. He continues walking towards the facility.
:CUT TO <-- (t)
INTINT. - MENTAL FACILITY / RECEPTION - CONTINUOUS <-- (s)
ROHIT walks into the facility to the reception. A NURSE(30) sits behind the desk. Rohit looks around and spots a couple patients, and a male DOCTOR(30) walking down the corridor into the room holding five.
ROHIT <--- (c) (slowly) <-- (p) Hi, I'm Rohit. I have an / appointment to meet one of your <-- (d) patients - Manoj Chaterjee. \
--------------end of pastebin --------
Commercial editors sell for 100s of dollars, when really a simple text editor will do. Infact this format has been used over the past century, and most scripts were written on typewriters. yet there does not exist a simple and good free screenwriter.
Here's the help I'm looking for from the geany developers.. help write a simple plugin that assist with writing .screenplay files. This will essentially boil down to defining 6 types of texts (s/a/c/p/d/t), and making sure that when new content is added to a dialogue, it wraps at the appropriate margins.
If someone who understands the geany plugin system volunteers to help, I can make myself available anytime to help (I have made some notes).
This is a highly sought after functionality in the open source world, and I believe no program so far has been able to provide a good alternative to the expensive commercial solutions. If this plugin is written, it will definitely attract many (MANY!) new people to the editor. I am quite proficient in python, and if this is the language for the plugins, I can help with writing it. Beyond that I will evangelise it, (and for what it's worth, provide credits in the film I just shot :).
Please let me know if you'd have any specific questions about the screenplay format.
~Anil
[0] http://store.finaldraft.com/final-draft.html [1] http://www.screenplay.com/ [2] http://www.celtx.com [3] http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=2447