Screenwriting with 2.0

[chadck]

Hello all,

I’ve used Scrivener 2.0 for the past five months to develop and write my latest screenplay. Over that period, I’ve come up with a few ideas that might make a GREAT program better. I say this knowing that I may not be using Scrivener in the correct way. So bare with me as I list the things that could be improved.

1. Full screen is where it’s at:

• I wish cork board view would take up the entire screen as well. I could probably squeeze in one more row on my mac book air 11.6.
• I would like more access to information in Full Screen. Like Character and Locations data. Making them a pop up window would be great. (Actually, making them a pop up window in every view in program would work better for me. When nesting the characters in the binder, I lose them in all the other data.)
• Speech in full screen mode would be excellent. I am one of those strange people who use it all the time.

2. Screenwriting process:
   While typing out the actually screenplay, moving from each element could be better. I know you don’t want to make a full blown screenplay program, but while using it for months, the quirks can get under one’s skin.

• when a character name or location pops up for a quick type, the list should scroll in a loop so that I don’t have to push the down arrow a bunch to hit the bottom item. I would just tap the up arrow one time.
• transitioning to each new element never clicked for me. I guess I’m too use to Final Draft.
• when creating a parenthetical in the middle of dialogue already typed, it throws the second part of dialogue down into an action line. I then have to select and tell it to be dialogue again. Sounds small, but it drove me crazy.
• Speech- I used strange names for my characters so it spelled out each name before their dialogue. It would be nice to have an option where I could tell it not to speak the character names. It would also be nice to assign different voices to characters as well. And lastly, having the window automatically scroll when in speech mode would be good too.
  -Scrivener window- An option to hide the lines between scenes would be great. Seeing them is distracting and it messes with the actual position of the text on the pages. (I know it’s not supposed to be final version of what the script would look like. But I’m obsessive like that.)

That’s it! I love working in Scrivener 2.0. It’s the program I was always searching for. Thank you for making it!

-chad

[Hugh]

@chadck

I would like more access to information in Full Screen. Like Character and Locations data. Making them a pop up window would be great. (Actually, making them a pop up window in every view in program would work better for me. When nesting the characters in the binder, I lose them in all the other data.)

The Quick Ref feature in 2.0 is perfect for this. (I can’t comment on the rest because I don’t write screenplays.)

[KB]

Hi,

I’ve moved this to the Wish List forum given that it seems to be a list of requests. My responses are inline below:

@chadck

• I wish cork board view would take up the entire screen as well. I could probably squeeze in one more row on my mac book air 11.6.

Lion is going to make it easy for all programs to move into full screen, but in the meantime you can just create a layout that shows only the corkboard, no toolbar and so on, so that the corkboard takes up the whole screen. Go to View > Layout > Show Layouts, then add a layout for your regular set-up. Then hide the toolbar, format bar, binder, inspector and show make the corkboard take up the whole screen, and add a layout for that. You can then easily switch to a whole-screen corkboard.

• I would like more access to information in Full Screen. Like Character and Locations data. Making them a pop up window would be great. (Actually, making them a pop up window in every view in program would work better for me. When nesting the characters in the binder, I lose them in all the other data.)

This is exactly what QuickReference windows are for.

• Speech in full screen mode would be excellent. I am one of those strange people who use it all the time.

Speech is already available in full screen mode already - Edit > Speech. (If you use it a lot you can add a keyboard shortcut to “Start Speaking” and “Stop Speaking” via the System preferences.)

• when a character name or location pops up for a quick type, the list should scroll in a loop so that I don’t have to push the down arrow a bunch to hit the bottom item. I would just tap the up arrow one time.

This isn’t possible with the controls Scrivener uses, and I’m not aware of this happening on other scriptwriting programs either, although I could be wrong.

• transitioning to each new element never clicked for me. I guess I’m too use to Final Draft.

If you’re used to Final Draft I’m a bit confused about what the problem is, seeing as transitioning to new elements is modelled on the way Final Draft does it. You have complete control over this in the script settings, though (Format > Scriptwriting > Script Settings…).

• when creating a parenthetical in the middle of dialogue already typed, it throws the second part of dialogue down into an action line. I then have to select and tell it to be dialogue again. Sounds small, but it drove me crazy.

This has been fixed in the latest builds - which version of 2.0 are you on?

• Speech- I used strange names for my characters so it spelled out each name before their dialogue. It would be nice to have an option where I could tell it not to speak the character names. It would also be nice to assign different voices to characters as well. And lastly, having the window automatically scroll when in speech mode would be good too.

Scrivener uses OS X’s built-in speech capabilities and I’m afraid these things aren’t possible with the system tools. Add multiple voices is possible with the system tools, but there is only one voice that doesn’t sound like an alien robot, and this would also require Scrivener to know much more about the script, about characters and dialogue and suchlike, which is very much dedicated screenwriting territory I’m afraid.

-Scrivener window- An option to hide the lines between scenes would be great. Seeing them is distracting and it messes with the actual position of the text on the pages. (I know it’s not supposed to be final version of what the script would look like. But I’m obsessive like that.)

Do you mean scrivenings mode? If so, choose “Separate with single line breaks” in the “Formatting” pane of the Preferences.

That’s it! I love working in Scrivener 2.0. It’s the program I was always searching for. Thank you for making it!

Many thanks for the kind words, much appreciated! Congratulations on finishing your latest screenplay.

All the best,
Keith