User Guide Movie Outline 3

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While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this document, the publisher and the author assume noresponsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of information contained in this documentor from the use of programs and source code that may accompany it. In no event shall the publisher and the author beliable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage caused or alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly by this document.

Printed: August 2011

Movie Outline 3 User Guide

© 2004-2011 Nuvotech Limited. All Rights Reserved.



3Contents


Table of Contents

Introduction 8

What's New in 3 10

Demo Restrictions 12

License Agreement 15

Getting Started 20

................................................................................................................................... 20Installation

................................................................................................................................... 22Purchase

................................................................................................................................... 24Activation

................................................................................................................................... 29Deactivation

................................................................................................................................... 31Getting Started

Overview 33

................................................................................................................................... 33Concept of Step-Outlining

................................................................................................................................... 34Understanding the User-Interface

................................................................................................................................... 35Full Script Mode

................................................................................................................................... 38Creating Projects

................................................................................................................................... 38Writing Your Screenplay

................................................................................................................................... 38Organizing Your Outline

................................................................................................................................... 39Creating Characters

................................................................................................................................... 39Structuring Your Story

................................................................................................................................... 40Analyzing Your Story

................................................................................................................................... 40Presenting Your Script

User-Interface 42

................................................................................................................................... 42Upper Toolbar

................................................................................................................................... 44Lower Toolbar

................................................................................................................................... 46Console

................................................................................................................................... 47Panel Views

................................................................................................................................... 48Status Bar

Menus 50

................................................................................................................................... 50File

................................................................................................................................... 52Edit



Movie Outline 3 User Guide4


................................................................................................................................... 54Format

................................................................................................................................... 55Tools

................................................................................................................................... 56Options

................................................................................................................................... 58PowerView

................................................................................................................................... 59Help

Panel Views 63

................................................................................................................................... 63Outline

................................................................................................................................... 65Script

................................................................................................................................... 66Notes

................................................................................................................................... 67Characters

................................................................................................................................... 68FeelFactor

................................................................................................................................... 69Reference

................................................................................................................................... 71Library

................................................................................................................................... 72PowerView

................................................................................................................................... 74Step Cards

................................................................................................................................... 77Story Tasks

................................................................................................................................... 78Title Page

Writing A Screenplay 80

................................................................................................................................... 80Screenplay Formatting

................................................................................................................................... 81Script Elements

................................................................................................................................... 84Customizing Elements

................................................................................................................................... 85Auto-Complete

................................................................................................................................... 89Keyboard Shortcuts

................................................................................................................................... 91Headers & Footers

................................................................................................................................... 92Mores & Continueds

................................................................................................................................... 93Page View & Layout

................................................................................................................................... 94Paragraph Formatting

Creating Characters 96

................................................................................................................................... 96Character Profile Wizard

................................................................................................................................... 100Character Arcs

Structuring Your Story 105

................................................................................................................................... 105Concept Of Structure

................................................................................................................................... 106PowerView

................................................................................................................................... 108Structure Window

................................................................................................................................... 111Structure Templates

................................................................................................................................... 112PowerView Menu



5Contents


................................................................................................................................... 114SmartSearch

Organizing Your Outline 117

................................................................................................................................... 117Arranging Steps

................................................................................................................................... 118Step Cards

Analyzing Your Story 123

................................................................................................................................... 123Reference Plugins

................................................................................................................................... 124FeelFactors

................................................................................................................................... 126Dialogue Spotlight

Proofing Tools 129

................................................................................................................................... 129Spelling

................................................................................................................................... 132Thesaurus

................................................................................................................................... 133Word Count

Printing 135

................................................................................................................................... 135Print Wizard

................................................................................................................................... 141Print Preview

................................................................................................................................... 143Page Setup

................................................................................................................................... 143Project Info

Import & Export 146

................................................................................................................................... 146Import Options

................................................................................................................................... 148Export Wizard

................................................................................................................................... 155File Formats

................................................................................................................................... 156Project Info

Step Editing 158

................................................................................................................................... 158Find & Replace

................................................................................................................................... 159Goto

................................................................................................................................... 159Insert Symbol

................................................................................................................................... 160Merge Steps

................................................................................................................................... 160Copy & Paste

................................................................................................................................... 161Contextual Menus

................................................................................................................................... 162Keyboard Shortcuts

................................................................................................................................... 162Undo & Redo

Preferences 164

................................................................................................................................... 164General

................................................................................................................................... 166Editing





................................................................................................................................... 167File Locations

................................................................................................................................... 168Fonts & Sizes

................................................................................................................................... 169Script Options

................................................................................................................................... 170Auto-Complete

................................................................................................................................... 172Import & Export

................................................................................................................................... 173Step / Scene Mode

Glossary 176

Updates 190

Support 192

System Requirements 195

Index 196



Introduction

1





Introduction

Create Your Scr eenplay Step By Step

Welcome and thank you for choosing Movie Outline ®

Movie Outline was designed and developed by a produced screenwriter in order to take the complexityout of the process of creating a screenplay so that you, as a writer, can concentrate on your storywithout the technicalities of formatting a screenplay or using complicated software hindering your creative flow.

Movie Outline helps both the novice and professional screenwriter develop their screenplay using thesimple technique of step-outlining to build your story, characters and script scene by scene, allowingyou to focus on your story's key events without losing sight of the bigger picture.

With Movie Outline you can easily plan and customize your story structure, color-code acts, rearrangescenes, develop and track characters, format your screenplay to industry standard and even gauge theprogress of your own story to that of included outlines and analyses of successful Hollywood movies,allowing you to simultaneously compare your own narrative's pacing with the pros.

What's more, Movie Outline is 100% cross-platform which means projects saved on Macintoshsystems will appear identical when opened on Windows - and vice versa.

Simply put, Movie Outline is the ultimate writer's tool.

Why is Movie Outline Unique?

By streamlining the creation process of each scene and structure as a whole, Movie Outline gives thescreenwriter the space to think and view the full outline of their story while simultaneously working onindividual scenes.

The unique Reference facility gives you the added advantage of assessing your own story pacing incomparison to successful movies in the same genre and can be used in conjunction with PowerView,Step Cards and FeelFactors.

What else can Movie Outline be used for?

Although Movie Outline was designed for writing movies and stage plays, at its heart it is afully-featured word processor and is extremely versatile and so it can be used for any number of writing disciplines such as television, novels, short stories, treatments or even dissertations, resumesor project planning.

Questions?

Feel free to Contact us if you have any questions about Movie Outline and we'll be happy to help.

We hope you enjoy working with Movie Outline and write many successful screenplays!



What's New in 3

2





What's New in 3

Version 3 now incorporates all the tools a writer needs to create a professional screenplay from outline

to final draft, making Movie Outline a powerful one-stop shop for all screenwriters – novice and pro!

New Features in Version 3.1

· Final Draft® 8 (.fdx) import & export

· Export to scheduling (.sex) for production management

· Import from PDF, Rich Text and Plain Text with layout

· Automatic Scene Numbering

· Full Script Mode / Step Mode

· Scene Cards / Step Cards

· Auto-Convert element as you type

· Auto-Capitalization for first word of sentence

· Register Script & Submit Script menu links to Hollywood Script Express

· Improved text support for international users

· New export encoding options for international users

· New outline and speech count content icons· Add characters from your script to your project

· Sort characters alphabetically or by speech count

· New option to ignore UK spelling variations

· New option to open last saved project on start-up

· New sample short film project "Once Bitten" accessed from help menu

· Save prompt added to Character Profile Wizard

· Improved import and paste formatting in script mode

· Improved cut / copy / paste / drag 'n' drop to retain element formatting

· Improved handling of fonts, text spacing and style for PDF export

· 100% Windows 7 and Snow Leopard compatible

New Features in Version 3

· Screenplay Formatting with Auto-Complete and Title Page creation· Character Development & Tracking Tools

· FeelFactor Story Analysis Graphs

· Visual Drag & Drop Index Cards

· Drag & Drop Steps/Tasks in your Outline/Tasks List

· Customizable Color-Coded PowerView Structure Templates including the Hero's Journey

· Dialogue Spotlight to view a character's isolated dialogue

· Notes & Script Sections for each step with content icons

· Powerful Print, Import & Export Wizards and "Export to Reference Library"

· 12 Updated Reference Outlines & Analyses with FeelFactor graphs

· Optimized Spell-Check with live spell-checking and comprehensive Thesaurus

· Ability to Merge Steps & Copy/Paste Story Tasks with improved highlight feature

· Insert Special Characters feature

· Auto-Backup facility

· Integrated Check For Updates· Deactivation Feature to transfer activations to another computer

· Draggable Window Divider to customize your workspace

· SmartHelp to view context sensitive help with your mouse

· Tip of the Day now has even with more screenwriting advice

· 100% Cross-Platform

· Plus a fresher user-interface with many enhancements!

Projects saved in earlier versions of Movie Outline will automatically be converted to thenew file format when opened. Notes will be placed in the Notes Panel of the first step.



Demo Restrictions

3





Demo Restrictions

Upgrading & Act ivating the Demo

The demo version of Movie Outline allows you to experience the key features of this application butdoes have restrictions that disable certain functions until the demo is upgraded to a Full Version.

Demo Restrictions

· Printing

· Exporting

· Creating more than 10 Steps or Story Tasks

· Creating more than 5 Characters

· Opening or Importing projects with more than 10 Steps/Tasks (Steps/Tasks will be clipped)

· Opening or Importing projects with more than 5000 characters of script in a step (text will be clipped)

· Writing more than 5000 characters of script text per step

·

Viewing more than one Reference Plugin

Demo Options Window

If you do not Activate Movie Outline, this window appears each time you open the software:

Continue with Demo

If you choose this you can continue to use Movie Outline in demonstration mode for as long as youwish. You can save projects and re-open them and any projects you save can still be opened after youactivate your software. Although most features can be used, as detailed above, there are some demorestrictions.





Activate

This option is if you have already purchased Movie Outline and have a Serial Number either in your email receipt or on your Registration Card. To Activate your computer you must be connected to the

internet. If you cannot connect to the net then you will need to Manually Activate Movie Outline.

Purchase

If you select this option and are connected to the internet then the Movie Outline Integrated eStore willopen. If you are not connected to the net then you will be prompted to do so.



License Agreement

4





License Agreement

End-User Software Licens e Agreement & Warranty Statement

NUVOTECH LIMITED ("NUVOTECH") IS WILLING TO LICENSE THE SOFTWARE ONLY UPONTHE CONDITION THAT YOU ACCEPT ALL OF THE TERMS CONTAINED IN THIS LICENSE AGREEMENT. PLEASE READ THE TERMS CAREFULLY. BY INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE, YOUWILL INDICATE YOUR AGREEMENT WITH THEM. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THESETERMS, THEN NUVOTECH IS UNWILLING TO LICENSE THE SOFTWARE TO YOU, IN WHICHEVENT YOU SHOULD NOT PROCEED WITH INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE. THIS SOFTWARE AND ALL ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION ARE PROTECTED BY BOTH UNITED STATES AND INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAWS AND TREATIES.

1. The Software

The Software licensed under this Agreement consists of a computer program, data compilation(s), anddocumentation referred to as Movie Outline, version 3.1 (the "Software").

2. Perpetual Term For Registered Version License

The term of the license granted herein for the registered version of the Software shall be perpetualunless terminated by written notice by You for convenience or terminated by either party for materialbreach. Immediately upon termination of this license for any reason, You shall return to Nuvotech allcopies of the Software and documentation.

3. Registered Version License Grant for Single Copies (Non-Network Use)

If You are a registered user of the Software, You are granted non-exclusive rights to install and use theSoftware by a single person who uses the Software only on one or more computers or workstations.You may copy the Software for archival purposes, provided that any copy must contain the originalSoftware's proprietary notices in unaltered form. In the interests of preventing software piracy, You are

enabled to activate (TWO) machines ONLY with this Software per individual purchase.

4. Registered Version License Grant For Network Use

If You are a registered user of the Software, You are granted non-exclusive rights to install and use theSoftware and/or transmit the Software over an internal computer network, provided You acquire anddedicate a licensed copy of the Software for each user who may access the Software concurrently withany other user. You may copy the Software for archival purposes, provided that any copy must containthe original Software's proprietary notices in unaltered form.

5. Restrictions

You may not: (i) permit others to use the Software, except as expressly provided above for authorized

network use; (ii) modify or translate the Software; (iii) reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble theSoftware, except to the extent this restriction is expressly prohibited by applicable law; (iv) createderivative works based on the Software; (v) merge the Software with another product; (vi) copy theSoftware, except as expressly provided above; or (vii) remove or obscure any proprietary rights noticesor labels on the Software.





6. Reference Plugins License

If You are a registered user of the Software, You are granted non-exclusive rights to copy ReferencePlugins included within the initial application purchase and those purchased separately from Nuvotech

for ARCHIVAL PURPOSES ONLY. THESE WORKS ARE PROTECTED BY INTERNATIONALCOPYRIGHT LAW AND CANNOT BE SOLD, MODIFIED, REPRODUCED OR DISTRIBUTEDWITHOUT THE WRITTEN CONSENT AND AUTHORIZATION OF NUVOTECH. TO DO SOWITHOUT CONSENT IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED BY LAW AND SUCH AN ACT WOULD BEPROSECUTABLE AND MAY RESULT IN SEVERE CIVIL AND CRIMINAL PENALTIES. VIOLATORSWILL BE PROSECUTED TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT POSSIBLE. Furthermore, no ReferencePlugin Files (.mvr) created by the Software can be sold without the express written permission of Nuvotech. The copyright in the content remains that of the author but the copyright in the file code andlicense to distribute plugin files for financial gain remain with Nuvotech.

7. Purchase of Additional Licenses

Registered users of the Software may purchase license rights for additional authorized use of theSoftware in accordance with Nuvotech's then-current volume pricing schedule. Such additional

licenses shall be governed by the terms and conditions hereof. You agree that, absent Movie Outline'express written acceptance thereof, the terms and conditions contained in any purchase order or other document issued by You to Nuvotech for the purchase of additional licenses, shall not be binding onNuvotech to the extent that such terms and conditions are additional to or inconsistent with thosecontained in this Agreement.

8. Transfers

You may not transfer the Software or any rights under this Agreement without the prior written consentof Nuvotech. A condition to any transfer or assignment shall be that the recipient agrees to the termsof this Agreement. Any attempted transfer or assignment in violation of this provision shall be null andvoid.

9. Distribution

You may allow other users to evaluate copies of the unregistered Software ("DEMO"). All evaluationusers are subject to the terms of this agreement. The Demo may be freely distributed, provided that: (i)Such distribution only includes the original archive supplied by Nuvotech, taken directly from our website: http://www.movieoutline.com/ You may not alter, delete, or add any files in the distribution archive.(ii) The distribution does not include registration/activation information. In particular, you may notdistribute a registered/activated version of the Software.

10. Ownership

Nuvotech own the Software and Plugins and all intellectual property rights embodied therein, includingcopyrights and valuable trade secrets embodied in the Software's design and coding methodology.The Software and Plugins are protected by United Kingdom copyright laws and international treatyprovisions. This Agreement provides You only a limited use license, and no ownership of anyintellectual property.

WARRANTY DISCLAIMER; LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

NUVOTECH PROVIDES THE SOFTWARE "AS-IS" AND PROVIDED WITH ALL FAULTS. NEITHERNUVOTECH NOR ANY OF ITS SUPPLIERS OR RESELLERS MAKES ANY WARRANTY OF ANYKIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. NUVOTECH AND ITS SUPPLIERS SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM THEIMPLIED WARRANTIES OF TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR APARTICULAR PURPOSE, SYSTEM INTEGRATION, AND DATA ACCURACY. THERE IS NO





WARRANTY OR GUARANTEE THAT THE OPERATION OF THE SOFTWARE WILL BEUNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR VIRUS-FREE, OR THAT THE SOFTWARE WILL MEET ANY PARTICULAR CRITERIA OF PERFORMANCE, QUALITY, ACCURACY, PURPOSE, OR NEED.YOU ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK OF SELECTION, INSTALLATION, AND USE OF THESOFTWARE. THIS DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY CONSTITUTES AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THIS AGREEMENT. NO USE OF THE SOFTWARE IS AUTHORIZED HEREUNDER EXCEPT UNDERTHIS DISCLAIMER.

If implied warranties may not be disclaimed under applicable law, then ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES ARE LIMITED IN DURATION TO THE PERIOD REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW. Some states donot allow limitations on how long an implied warranty may last, so the above limitations may not applyto You. This warranty gives you specific rights, and You may have other rights which vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

To the extent that this Warranty Statement is inconsistent with the jurisdiction where You use theSoftware, the Warranty Statement shall be deemed to be modified consistent with such local law.Under such local law, certain limitations may not apply, and you may have additional rights which varyfrom jurisdiction to jurisdiction. For example, some states in the United States and some jurisdictionsoutside the United States may: (i) preclude the disclaimers and limitations of this Warranty Statement

from limiting the rights of a consumer; (ii) otherwise restrict the ability of a manufacturer to make suchdisclaimers or to impose such limitations; or (iii) grant the consumer additional legal rights, specify theduration of implied warranties which the manufacturer cannot disclaim, or prohibit limitations on howlong an implied warranty lasts. INDEPENDENT OF THE FORGOING PROVISIONS, IN NO EVENT AND UNDER NO LEGALTHEORY, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, TORT, CONTRACT, OR STRICT PRODUCTSLIABILITY, SHALL NUVOTECH OR ANY OF ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY OTHERPERSON FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANYKIND, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF GOODWILL, WORKSTOPPAGE, COMPUTER MALFUNCTION, OR ANY OTHER KIND OF COMMERCIAL DAMAGE,EVEN IF NUVOTECH HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THISLIMITATION SHALL NOT APPLY TO LIABILITY FOR DEATH OR PERSONAL INJURY TO THEEXTENT PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW. IN NO EVENT SHALL NUVOTECH'S LIABILITY FOR

ACTUAL DAMAGES FOR ANY CAUSE WHATSOEVER, AND REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF ACTION, EXCEED THE AMOUNT OF THE PURCHASE PRICE PAID FOR THE SOFTWARELICENSE.

EXPORT CONTROLS

You agree to comply with all export laws and restrictions and regulations of the United Kingdom andthe United States or foreign agencies or authorities, and not to export or re-export the Software or anydirect product thereof in violation of any such restrictions, laws or regulations, or without all necessaryapprovals. As applicable, each party shall obtain and bear all expenses relating to any necessarylicenses and/or exemptions with respect to its own export of the Software from the UK or the U.S.Neither the Software nor the underlying information or technology may be electronically transmitted or otherwise exported or re-exported (i) into Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, Syria or anyother country subject to U.S. trade sanctions covering the Software, to individuals or entities controlled

by such countries, or to nationals or residents of such countries other than nationals who are lawfullyadmitted permanent residents of countries not subject to such sanctions; or (ii) to anyone on the U.S.Treasury Department's list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons or the U.S.Commerce Department's Table of Denial Orders. By downloading or using the Software, Licenseeagrees to the foregoing and represents and warrants that it complies with these conditions.



Getting Started

5





Getting Started

Installation

Internet Download

Mac

As a Mac user you would have downloaded a Disk Image File with the extension .dmg.

Windows

As a Windows user you would have downloaded a Setup File with the extension .exe.

Instal l ing from Down load or CD

Mac

When your download is complete or you load the CD into your drive OS X will automatically mount thefile and open the installation window:



Getting Started 21


If for some reason the disk image does not mount or open then click on the file to mount and open it.

To install Movie Outline simply drag the Movie Outline 3 folder icon into the Applications Folder icon. This will copy the Movie Outline files into your Applications Folder. Once this is complete eject(unmount) the Movie Outline 3 volume and either save the disk image or send it to the trash.

You can then use Finder to open your Applications Folder and the Movie Outline 3 folder.

Click on the Movie Outline 3 icon to launch Movie Outline.

Windows

When your download is complete you will be prompted to launch the file.

Select Run and the Setup Wizard will appear.

To install: Click Next, accept the License Agreement and continue to follow the on-screen instructions.

We recommend you accept the default locations suggested by the wizard but it is entirely up to youwhere you choose to save the application. For your convenience, a shortcut to Movie Outline will beplaced on your Start Menu. Upon completion of the installation Movie Outline will launch.





Uninstal l ing Movie Out l ine

Mac

If you wish to remove Movie Outline from your computer or install another version of Movie Outline inits place then all you need to do is drag the Movie Outline 3 folder into the trash. However, if youhave chosen to save projects or templates in the Application Folder then you should copy them toanother location before you delete the folder otherwise your documents will be lost.

Windows

To remove Movie Outline from your computer simply select Uninstall Movie Outline from the StartMenu or uninstall it via Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs.

Purchase

Purchasing Movie Out l ine

When you first open Movie Outline the Getting Started window will appear and if by the next time youlaunch Movie Outline you haven't activated it then you will be prompted with the following options:

Continue with Demo

If you choose this you can continue to use Movie Outline in demonstration mode for as long as youwish. You can save projects and re-open them and any projects you save can still be opened after youactivate your software. However, although most features can be used there are some demorestrictions.



Getting Started 23


Activate

This option is if you have already purchased Movie Outline and have a Serial Number either in your email receipt or on your Registration Card. To Activate your computer you must be connected to the

internet. If you cannot connect to the internet then you will also be able to Manually Activate MovieOutline.

Purchase

If you select this option and are connected to the internet then the Movie Outline Integrated eStorewill open. If you are not connected to the net then you will be prompted to do so.

The eStore is completely secure and works like a regular web store in which you add a product to your shopping cart, enter your payment details and submit your order. The advantage of our eStore is thatupon completion of your transaction, your software is automatically activated and demo restrictions areremoved.

Purchase via our Webstore

If you prefer to purchase Movie Outline from our website then a Serial Number will be emailed to you

upon completion of your transaction and this can then be used to Activate your software.

Buy Now

If at any time while you trial Movie Outline in demo mode you decide you wish to purchase the fullversion then you can select Buy Now from the Help Menu in order to initiate an integrated purchase.





Serial Numbers

Each Serial Number allows two computers to be activated at any one time and can be used onWindows and Macintosh systems, allowing you to seamlessly transfer files between both platforms.This means, for instance, you can authorize both your MacBook and your Windows Desktop PC withone serial.

If you wish to buy a new computer on which you intend to use Movie Outline or transfer an activationover from one computer to another then you must first Deactivate one of your currently activatedcomputers. If you do not deactivate a computer before you replacing it then its activation will be lost.You should also always deactivate Movie Outline before reformatting your hard drive or upgrading your operating system and hardware.

Uninstalling does NOT deactivate your computer.

Activation

What is Activation?

Activation enables Movie Outline to run on a computer without demo restrictions. The process of activation is fairly straight forward for the user who simply connects to the internet, enters their SerialNumber and clicks Activate. Our servers then verify the Serial Number and either allow or deny therequest. An activation request is only normally denied if you've already reached your Activation Limit.

Activating Movie Outline

In order to access all of the powerful features of Movie Outline, you must first Activate your computer.

1. Connect to the internet and select Activate from the Help Menu:



Getting Started 25


2. Enter the Serial Number you received in your email receipt or on your Registration Card.

3. If you are not already online then you will be prompted establish an internet connection

4. Our servers will validate your serial and Activate the computer you are connecting from.

If you have trouble activating Movie Outline, please ensure you have fulladministration rights to your computer and also try temporarily disabling your Firewall and/or anti-virus software.

Manual Activation

If you cannot connect to the internet then follow the procedure below to manually activate your software:

1. Select Activate from the Help Menu

2. Enter the Serial Number you received in your email receipt or on your Registration Card.





3. Click Manual Activation and the following window appears:

4. Select Activate using a different computer that has web access and click Next.



Getting Started 27


5. Copy the Installation ID exactly as it appears or paste and save it to a file.

6. Visit: http://activate.esellerate.net on another computer which has web access.

7. Enter the Installation ID in the web page input field and click Submit.

http://activate.esellerate.net/





8. If your Serial Number was valid you will be presented with an Activation Key.

9. Take the Activation Key to your computer and follow Steps 1-2 to display the options window.

10. Select I already have an Activation Key and would like to activate now.

11. Click Next then enter your Activation Key into the input fields and click Activate.

If the activation process is successful your software's demo restrictions will automatically removed.

Activation Limit

In the interest of preventing Software Piracy, Nuvotech has deemed it necessary to restrict the number of computers allowed to use a single purchased version of Movie Outline. This means that if you buy aLicense to use Movie Outline, you can only Activate this Software on two computers (Mac or Windows)at any one time. For instance, your desktop and your notebook.

The Serial Number you receive is valid for any computer you wish to Activate your Software on but if you try to activate a third computer after two have already been activated then you will be told that this"Activation has Failed" due to you having already reached your "Activation Limit".

If you wish to buy a new computer on which you intend to use Movie Outline or transfer an activationover from one computer to another then you must first Deactivate one of your currently activatedcomputers. If you do not deactivate a computer before you replace it then its activation will be lost.



Getting Started 29


Uninstalling does NOT deactivate your computer. We also advise you totemporarily deactivate your computer if reformatting your hard drive or upgradingyour machine or operating system.

Lost Serial Number

If you have lost your purchase confirmation email you can view the About window or Support windowvia the Help Menu where it is displayed in place of DEMO when your product has been activated.

If you have uninstalled Movie Outline and have lost your email then you can retrieve your SerialNumber by going to http://store.esellerate.net/support and entering the e-mail address the purchasewas made with.

Deactivation

What is Deactivation?

Deactivation removes the ability of Movie Outline to run on a computer returning it to demo mode withdemo restrictions. The process of deactivation is fairly straight forward for the user who simplyconnects to the internet and clicks Deactivate. Our servers then verify the instruction and deactivate

the computer.

When should I Deactivate Movie Outline?

You should always deactivate Movie Outline before reformatting your hard drive, upgrading your operating system and hardware, or if you are purchasing a new computer on which you intend to usethe software. If you wish to transfer an activation over from one computer to another then you mustfirst deactivate one of your currently activated computers. If you do not deactivate a computer beforeyou replace it then its activation will be lost.

http://store.esellerate.net/support





Deactivating Movie Outline

1. Select Deactivate from the Help Menu

2. Click Deactivate, then YES when you are prompted to confirm the action.

3. Our servers will verify the instruction and deactivate the computer you are connecting from.

If the request was successful then your software will return to demo mode and you will be able to useyour Serial Number to Activate another computer.

Uninstalling does NOT deactivate your computer.



Getting Started 31


Getting Started

This window appears the first time you launch Movie Outline but can also be opened via the HelpMenu. It gives an overview of Movie Outline's key features and advice on how to use this software.

Sample Short Film Project

If you are new to screenwriting, you may wish to view the sample short film project "Once Bitten" whichyou can access from the Help Menu. This has all the elements of a working project for you to refer tosuch as an outline, script, notes and story tasks, FeelFactor graphs and character arc information for each step and in the Character Profile Wizard.



Overview

6



Overview 33


Overview

Concept of Step-Outlining

What Is A Step-Outline?

A step-outline is a step by step breakdown of your story. It's the roadmap of your film and by planningyour story structure in advance you will save yourself a whole lot of time in the “rewriting” stage of your project because no matter how good you are at screenwriting, all writers have to learn to love rewriting.

Why Do I Need A Step-Outline?

Okay, so you've got this great idea.

You think, if only someone would make a movie out of it!

Then it hits you..

Hey, why don't I write it myself?!

Well, why not? Go for it! But before you jump into the deep end...

PLAN YOUR STORY!

Many novice writers make the mistake of leaping head first into a screenplay without taking the crucialfirst step of outlining their story. This is where you flush out the guts of your narrative and find out whatworks, what doesn't and what's the best way of telling your story so as to have the most emotional andvisceral impact. Outlining is an essential phase of the writing process and should not be overlooked.

Step or Scene?

Movie Outline uses Steps instead of Scenes which may confuse some screenwriters who are used tousing scenes in relation to film timing and screenplay layout, but the difference is actually simple tounderstand. A Step in Movie Outline is an “Event” in the progression of your story, and this means thateach step can consist of more than one “Scene”. A montage sequence is one good example or:

Joe leaves his apartment, gets in his car, drives to the bank.

Although in a screenplay this totals three scenes, in a step-outline it is only one step since the natureof creating a step-outline dictates that you focus on the main story event and do not get into too muchdetail. Unless something big happens to Joe while he's getting into his car, the scene can be describedwithin the overall event. What then happens when Joe enters the bank is another step.. and so on.

Another example could be a car chase. In a screenplay, each location that the cars involved in thechase pass through is technically a scene, but since we're dealing with the same story event, the entirechase and collection of scenes is referred to as a step.

Or supposed your screenplay has your Hero bravely dashing into a burning building to save a childwhile other fire-fighters frantically do their best to put out the blaze. Technically, each room your Herosearches in constitutes a scene, and every time we cut back to the other fire-fighters, they areseparate scenes too, but when planning your story, it's much easier to think of this as a single eventand as such, a single step.





Understanding the User-Interface

Panel Views

Movie Outline's 10 main views can be displayed by clicking the appropriate tab:

Navigating Using The Console

When creating your outline, you'll need to use the Console which is located on the lower Toolbar whichallows you to add, delete, navigate and rearrange your Steps and Story Tasks.

Outline List

Whenever you create a step it appears in the blue and white list to the right of the screen. If you areviewing a Reference Outline then its outline list will appear in the same position but will be coloredorange and white. Similarly, when viewing Story Tasks, the list of tasks will appear in green and white.

User Outline List Reference Outline List



Overview 35


This list is always visible (unless you are on PowerView, editing the Title Page, working in Full ScriptMode or if you hide it by docking the window divider) enabling you to view your outline while working onindividual steps within it.

Creating Your First Step

1. On the Outline Panel, enter the title for your Step in the Title Field.

2. Hit Tab or Enter/Return and you'll see your step title appear in the list on the right.

3. Enter the content of your Step in the Content Field which is located below the Title Field.

4. Your first step is complete. To add another, click the plus button on the console.. and so on.

Full Script Mode

Step or Scene?

Although Movie Outline's design is based on the principle of step-outlining (working on each stepindividually), when you are writing a script you may want to view the current step or scene within thecontext of the entire screenplay.

To do this simply double-click on a step in the outline list while on the Script Panel and the full scriptwill be displayed with a total page count and list of scenes (instead of steps) in the right-hand pane.

You will also notice that the Status Bar color changes to purple (matching the scene list), indicatingthat you are now in Full Script Mode.

You can also change mode by selecting Script View > Full Script from the Options Menu or byclicking on the Status Bar's end section which by default displays Step Mode.

Double-clicking on a scene in the Scene List or selecting Step Mode from the Options Menu or StatusBar will change the mode back. Holding down the Control Key (Windows) or Command Key (Mac)while double-clicking will navigate to the respective step and switch to the Outline Panel.

This also applies to Scene Cards on the Step Cards panel.

If you have selected to show Scene Numbers in your script then these will be displayed beside eachscene heading in the Scene List if the Content Icons are visible.





Outline List in Step Mode Scene List in Full Script Mode

Status Bar in Step Mode / Full Script Mode

Editing in Full Script Mode

When editing your screenplay in Full Script Mode, your step structure will be retained so when youswitch back to Step Mode, the text added or modified will be saved to its respective step. If you createyour step outline first and then switch panels to edit your script you will see by default empty stepmarkers indicating each step within your outline that does not have script content.

These markers can be hidden completely or only displayed as the caret navigates into them byselecting Options from the Status Bar's contextual menu.



Overview 37


Navigating in Full Script Mode

Clicking on a scene in the Scene List jumps to the start of that scene in your script and highlights therespective Scene Heading. You can customize the behavior of this navigation highlight and choose to

display or hide step division lines via the Step / Scene Mode options in Preferences, accessed via theStatus Bar contextual menu or Options Menu.

While working in Full Script Mode the Console can be used to navigate, add, delete and arrange"scenes" instead of "steps". You can also drag and drop scenes in the Scene List.

This also applies to organizing Scene Cards on the Step Cards panel.

The current step in your outline list will not change while working in Full ScriptMode even if you edit sections of your script that appear within different steps.





Creating Projects

How To Use Movie Out l ine

There are many ways to use Movie Outline and a lot depends on the type of project you are creating,whether you are starting from scratch or rewriting an existing outline and of course, your particular writing style - but here's an idea of how to make the most of Movie Outline and to create a screenplayfrom concept to final draft!

Create Characters & Outline Your Story

You can use the Character Profile Wizard to build a list of characters then create your story step bystep. Write ideas and thoughts on dialogue in the respective Step’s Note or Script view and use StoryTasks to create a “To Do” list of story aims and objectives.

Develop Characters, Structure & Analyze

As you outline, develop each character’s story arc step by step in the Character Panel. Once your firstrough draft is complete, use PowerView to color-code your acts and Step Cards to organize your steps. Finally use FeelFactors and Reference Plugins to compare your structure and pace withproduced movies

Write Script & Present

When you are happy with your story and structure use the Script Panel to write and format each step’sscript and when complete, Spell Check your work and Export or Print for presentation.

Writing Your Screenplay

Screenplay Format

Movie Outline allows you to write your script with ease by automatically formatting it for your as youtype.

Auto-Complete

Unlike regular word processors, Movie Outline lays out your text to industry standard screenplayformat by changing elements (scene heading, action, dialogue) as you type and via Tab and Enter/Return keyboard shortcuts. Movie Outline also guesses the next character when typing dialogue andsuggests scene headings, allowing you to let your creativity flow and your story unfold.

Customize

Auto-complete lists are automatically created as you type but can be customized, as can keyboardshortcuts, page layout, headers & footers and mores & continueds.

Organizing Your Outline

Movie Outline lets you arrange your steps in many ways, from dragging and dropping them in your outline list, to moving them up and down via the console, but its most powerful organizational tool isStep Cards.



Overview 39


Virtual Index Cards

Each step is displayed as a card which can be color-coded to match PowerView's current structuretemplate and repositioned in your outline by dragging it with your mouse to a different position. Cardscan also display "Scenes" instead of "Steps" when working in Full Script Mode.

Structure By Colors

You can choose how many cards across are to be displayed and whether or not to color-code them tomatch PowerView's current structure template.

Creating Characters

Every good writer knows that to have a good story you need great characters and that’s preciselywhere Movie Outline’s Character Profile Wizard comes in.

Create Memorable Characters

Here you can create a profile, backstory and arc for each character and answer questions about themand their relationships with other characters in your story.

Track Characters

In the Character Panel you can add characters to each step in which they appear, view where theyappear in your outline list and answer four key questions:

· What do they want or need in this step?

· What do they get or learn in this step?

· What conflict or dilemma do they face in this step?

· How does this step move their story forward?

Structuring Your Story

PowerView enables you to divide your story into different sections and sub-sections, such as acts or chapters, and color-code these to suit your needs.

Structure Templates

You can save your structure as a template in order to use it again for another project and compareyour story structure alongside your selected Reference Outline.

Choose Your View

View your outline, script, notes or selected Reference Outline and hide and reveal the content of eachstep.

SmartSearch

Use Movie Outline’s powerful search facility to keep track of a character, plot device, keyword or phrase and display every occurrence in PowerView.





Analyzing Your Story

When writing a movie it’s helpful to compare your structure and pacing with other stories of the samegenre and that’s what the Reference Library is for.

Step By Step Analysis

Included in the library are 12 outlines and analyses of successful Hollywood movies which can beviewed simultaneously to your own project. You can also export your own outline and script into thelibrary to compare versions, helping you track changes and plan rewrites.

FeelFactors

A FeelFactor is an element of your story that evokes an emotional or intellectual response in your reader or audience such as gore, shock, tension, conflict, action, mystery, comedy etc which can beanalyzed through your outline via a visual graph to help gauge pacing.

Presenting Your Script

When you have completed your project and are ready to share it with the outside world, the Print andExport Wizards will guide you through the options available.

Exporting

A project consists of many elements such as script, character profiles and FeelFactor graphs, so tosimplify things, the export wizard lets you select a file format, exactly what content to include and howto display it.

You can choose various formats such as plain text, rich text or PDF which can be opened by other programs and HTML which can be uploaded to the web. You can also export your script to Final Draft ®

8 or scheduling format for production applications or save your project as a Reference File to viewwithin Movie Outline so you can compare multiple drafts or share your project with others in a secure,uneditable file.

Printing

This is just as easy, with the ability to customize many of the same options as the Export Wizard soyour entire project or selected parts can be output for your own rewrites or for professionalpresentation.



User-Interface

7





User-Interface

Upper Toolbar

Some buttons on the toolbar may temporarily be disabled depending on thecurrent Panel View and whether or not text is selected in the current text field.

New Project

Creates a new project.

Open Project

Opens a previously saved project.

Save Project

Saves the current project. Select Save As from the File Menu to save thecurrent project under a different name.

Print

Opens the Print Wizard where you can select which aspects of your project youwish to print or preview.

Cut

Removes selected text and copies it to the clipboard.

Copy

Copies selected text and style to the clipboard.

Paste

Pastes text and style from the clipboard into the current text field.

Spelling

Checks spelling of selected text or begins a spell check from the insertion pointon the current text field. To open the Spelling window without commencing a

spell check, select Spelling from the Tools Menu.

Thesaurus

Opens Thesaurus window, allowing you to look up a word or a selected word in

the current text field.

Find & Replace

Opens Find & Replace window, enabling you to search for a keyword or phrase.



User-Interface 43


SmartSearch

Opens Find Window and SmartSearch Panel, allowing you to search for akeyword or phrase throughout your project and display the results in PowerView.

Undo

Reverses the last user-action in the current project.

Redo

Reverses the last undo action in the current project.

Bold

Converts the style of selected text or the text to be typed to bold.

Italic

Converts the style of selected text or the text to be typed to italic.

Underline

Converts the style of selected text or the text to be typed to underlined.

Text Color

Displays the text color at the insertion point in the current text field and opensthe Palette.

Toggle Case

Converts selected text to either uppercase or lowercase.

Strikeout

Converts the style of selected text or the text to be typed to strikeout.

Left Alignment

Changes the current paragraph or selected paragraph to left alignment.

Center Alignment

Changes the current paragraph or selected paragraph to center alignment.

Right Alignment

Changes the current paragraph or selected paragraph to right alignment.

Justified Alignment

Changes the current paragraph or selected paragraph to justified alignment.

SmartHelp

Displays context sensitive help in the Status Bar when you move the mouseover any control or field within the main window.





Palette Window

Here you can select a color and apply it to text, a step or task highlight or a PowerView Section color.

Lower Toolbar

Some buttons on the toolbar may temporarily be disabled depending on thecurrent Panel View and whether or not text is selected in the current text field.

Font Menu

Applies the selected font to your entire Outline, Script, Notes,Tasks or Title Page. This can also be used to set the displayfont for the Reference Panel.

Font Size Menu

Applies the selected text size to your entire Outline, Script,Notes, Tasks or Title Page. This can also be used to set thetext size for the Reference Panel and PowerView.

Element Menu

Applies the selected Element formatting properties (as definedin the Elements window) to the current paragraph or selectedparagraph in the Script Panel if Script Mode is enabled.



User-Interface 45


Zoom Menu

Zooms into or out of your script, displaying text larger or smaller than its original size.

Console

Navigates through your outline or task list and allows you toarrange steps and tasks.

Highlight Step / Task

Displays a menu enabling you set the highlight color of aparticular step or task.

User / Reference List

Toggles between displaying your own Outline List or thecurrently loaded Reference List.

Show / Hide Step Content

Shows/hides small icons in the outline/reference list indicatingwhich steps contain script and notes. This can also be toggledby selecting Show Content Icons from the Options Menu.

Highlight Menu

Displays choices for setting the highlight color for the current step or task.

Set Highlight

Sets the highlight color of the selected step or task in the outline or task list.

Remove Highlight

Removes the highlight color of the selected step or task in the outline or task list.

Choose New Color

Opens the Palette allowing you to select a new highlight color.

Choose Current Step / Task Color

Sets the highlight color to that of the selected step or task's current highlight color.





Restore Default Color

Resets the highlight color to its default value.

Hide / Show Highlights

Hides or shows highlights in the outline or task list.

Console

Contro ls and thei r Funct ions

The Console allows you to navigate your outline, reference and task list as well as add, delete andrearrange steps and tasks. Some controls on the console may temporarily be disabled depending onthe current Panel View. The Console also lets you navigate and manage "Scenes" instead of "Steps"when working in Full Script Mode.

First Step / Task

Navigates back to the first step/task in your outline/task list.

Step Back

Navigates back to the previous step/task in your outline/task list.

Add Step / Task

Adds/inserts a new step/task in your outline/task list.

Delete Step / Task

Deletes the current step/task from your outline/task list.

Step Forward

Navigates forward to the next step/task in your outline/task list.

Last Step / Task

Navigates forward to the last step/task in your outline/task list.

Move Step / Task Up

Moves the current step/task up in your outline/task list or navigates up the currentlyloaded Reference List if it is displayed.

Move Step / Task Down

Moves the current step/task up down in your outline/task list or navigates down thecurrently loaded Reference List if it is displayed.



User-Interface 47


Panel Views

Movie Out l ine Workspace

The main screen of Movie Outline is divided into two sections, with your principle work area on the leftand your corresponding lists on the right. For example, when editing your outline you would enter eachstep's title and content on the left and then your Outline List will display each step on the right.Similarly, when working with Story Tasks, you enter your tasks on the left and they appear in the TaskList on the right.

When viewing Reference Outlines, your Reference title and content appears on the left and your Reference List is displayed on the right. And when working with PowerView, your color-codedPowerView outline content is displayed on the left and its corresponding Structure Key is displayed onthe right.

Panel Views

Movie Outline consists of ten main panel views which can be selected by clicking one of the tabsbelow.

You can also flip through panels by using the Control Key (Windows) or Command Key (Mac) and atthe same time holding down the Shift Key and either the Arrow Left (to flip back) or Arrow Right toflip forward. More handy key combinations can be found under the Step Editing section KeyboardShortcuts.

· Outline

· Script

·

Notes· Characters

· FeelFactor

· Reference

· Library

· PowerView

· Step Cards

· Story Tasks

The Title Page is also displayed in the main screen by selecting Title Page from the Options Menu.

Window Divider

As well as being able to drag-resize your workspace or maximize/zoom the main screen, you can alsodrag the window divider (located between each panel and its corresponding list) to adjust the size of your principle work area or list. You can also double-click the divider to dock it to the right of thescreen or undock it back to its previous position. Movie Outline will automatically store your windowsize, position and divider position at the end of each session and restore these settings when yourelaunch the software.





Status Bar

The Status Bar, situated at the bottom of the Movie Outline screen, contains information about theproject and current Panel View, such as current step/task/page, number of steps/tasks/pages or details about the selected Character or Reference Plugin. Below are examples of how the Status Bar

appears depending on the current panel view. On most views, the first section displays the currentstep number and title.

Outline & Notes View

Script View

This view displays which element will proceed the current paragraph if you hit Tab or Enter/Returnand if you hold down the Control Key (Windows) or Command Key (Mac) you'll also see a list of element Keyboard Shortcuts as defined in the Elements window.

The Status Bar's color changes to purple when working in Full Script Mode. Clicking on the StepMode or Full Script Mode section will open a contextual menu with options to change the currentmode or customize mode options.

Characters View

Story Tasks View

SmartHelp

This can be turned on or off via the upper toolbar SmartHelp button or via the Help Menu. WhenSmartHelp is active you can view context sensitive help in the Status Bar when you move the mouseover any control or field within the main screen. Here's an example of what is displayed about the

Character List.



Menus

8





Menus

File

Mac Windows

New

Create new project (.mvo) Movie Outline File.

Open...

Open previously saved project (.mvo) Movie Outline File.

Save

Save project as a (.mvo) Movie Outline File. This will save it under the existing filename.

Save As...

Save project as a (.mvo) Movie Outline File. This will allow you to save it under a different filename.

Import

Opens Import Options window to import a plain text file and convert it into a new outline or script.

Export

Opens Export Wizard to export/save elements of your project to a different file format.



Menus 51


Page Setup...

Opens printer Page Setup dialog to customize print options such as paper size, orientation andmargins.

Print...

Opens Print Wizard to print elements of your project for presentation.

Register Script

Launches your default browser and directs you to Hollywood Script Express through which you canprotect your work.

Submit Script

Launches your default browser and directs you to Hollywood Script Express through which you can

professionally print, bind and submit your work.

Recent File List

If you have previously saved projects and this option is enabled in Preferences then a list of your recently saved files will be displayed between the Print menu item and the Exit menu item for quickaccess.

Exit / Quit

Close Movie Outline window and exit the application.

Mac OS will display this on the Movie Outline 3 menu instead of the File Menu.





Edit

Mac Windows

Undo

Reverses the last user-action in the current project, from text editing to adding or deleting characters.If there is no undoable action then the menu item will not be enabled. If an undo action is available,the menu item will display exactly what action can be undone, such as “Undo Paste” or “Undo Typing”.In Movie Outline there is no undo/redo limit and practically every action you make can be reversed.

Redo

Reverses the last undo-action in the current project, from text editing to adding or deleting characters.If there is no redoable action then the menu item will not be enabled. If a redo action is available thenthe menu item will display exactly what undo action can be reversed, such as “Redo Paste” or “RedoTyping”. In Movie Outline there is no undo/redo limit and practically every action you make can bereversed.

Cut

Removes selected text and copies it to the clipboard.

Copy

Copies selected text and style to the clipboard.

Paste

Pastes text and style from the clipboard into the current text field at the current insertion point. If thetext was originally copied onto the clipboard from within Movie Outline then its style and formattingproperties will remain intact. If the text was originally copied to the clipboard from within another program then the text will remain but the original style and formatting will be lost.



Menus 53


If the text was copied from Movie Outline's Script Panel and is pasted onto any other text field, then thestyle will remain but the screenplay formatting properties will be retained but not displayed sinceregular text fields do not format screenplay text. However, if this text is re-selected, copied and pastedback onto the Script Panel and Script Mode is enabled, then the text's formatting properties will be

displayed again.

Clear

Deletes selected text from the current text field.

Select All

Selects the entire contents of the current text field.

Paste As Script

Analyzes text in the clipboard and automatically formats it in screenplay layout, similar to Importing textas script. This feature works much in the same way as Paste but is only enabled for the Script Panel.

Find & Replace

Opens Find & Replace window, enabling you to search for a keyword or phrase within your project.

Goto...

Opens Find & Replace window and Goto Panel, enabling you goto a specific step in your outline or page in your script.

Insert Symbol

Opens Symbol window, allowing you to insert a special character into the current text field.

Copy Step / Task

Depending on the current panel view, this option allows you to copy either the entire contents of a stepor task to the clipboard. When copying a step, all elements of the current step are copied, includingoutline, script, notes, characters in step and FeelFactor values for that step.

Paste Step / Task

Depending on the current panel view, this option allows you to paste the entire contents of a previouslycopied step or task from the clipboard and insert the step/task into the current position in your outlinelist or task list. When pasting a step, all elements of the copied step are pasted, including outline,script, notes, characters in copied step and FeelFactor values for the copied step.

Merge Steps

Opens Merge window, enabling you to merge selected steps in your outline into a single step.





Format

Mac Windows

Script Layout

Opens Script Layout window, enabling you to adjust script page size and margins.

Script View > Page View

Displays your script on the Script Panel or Reference Panel in virtual page mode.

Script View > Normal View

Displays your script on the Script Panel without the virtual page around it.

Show Ruler

Displays Ruler above your Script and Title Page.

Script Mode

Displays your script as a formatted screenplay. When Script Mode is off, you can type regular textwithout any automatic formatting or auto-complete functionality.

Scene Numbering

Displays scene numbers on the left, right or both sides of Scene Headings in your script and in the

Scene List if working in Full Script Mode.

Auto-Complete

Opens Auto-Complete window, allowing you to customize your script's auto-complete lists and options.

Elements

Opens Elements window, allowing you to customize your script's default element options.



Menus 55


Headers & Footers

Opens Header & Footers window, allowing you to customize your projects headers & footers for theScript Panel, Printing and Exporting.

Mores & Continueds

Opens Mores & Continueds window, allowing you to customize your script's scene and dialoguebreaks.

Line Spacing

Adjusts line spacing value for the current paragraph or selected paragraphs on the current text field.

Space Before

Adjusts space before value for the current paragraph or selected paragraphs on the current text field.

Tools

Mac Windows

Character Profile Wizard

Opens Character Profile Wizard window, allowing you add a new character to your project.

Dialogue Spotlight

Opens Dialogue Spotlight window, allowing you to isolate a character's dialogue throughout your script.

Add Script Characters To Project

Scans your script and adds new characters found to your Character List.

Sort Characters

Sorts characters in your project alphabetically or by speech count and displays results in yourCharacter List.





Spelling

Opens Spelling window, allowing you to check the spelling of either a selected word in the current textfield or begin a spell check of your Outline, Script, Notes, Story Tasks or Title Page.

Thesaurus

Opens Thesaurus window, allowing you to look up a word or a selected word in the current text field.

Word Count

Displays Word Count window with word frequency statistics of your Outline, Script and Notes.

SmartSearch

Opens Find Window and SmartSearch Panel, allowing you to search for a keyword or phrasethroughout your project and display the results in PowerView.

Options

Mac Windows

Project Info

Opens Project Info window, allowing you to enter information about your project for Print and Export.

Title Page

Opens Title Page panel view, allowing you to customize a title page (or pages) for print and export.

Step Cards

Opens Step Cards Options window, allowing you to customize the appearance of Step Cards view.

Script View

Lets you select to work in Step Mode or Full Script Mode. Selecting Options opens Preferences.

Show Reference / User List

Toggles displaying or hiding your own Outline List and the currently loaded Reference Outline List.



Menus 57


Show / Hide Content Icons

Displays/hides Content Icons in Outline and Reference List which indicates which steps have outline,script and notes content or the selected character on Characters Panel and their speech count for each step. This can also be toggled via the lower Toolbar .

Outline, Script & Notes Icons Character & Speech Count Icons

Preferences

Opens Preferences window, allowing you to customize global application options which are saved tofile and restored each time you open Movie Outline or begin new projects.

Mac OS displays this on the Movie Outline 3 menu instead of the Options Menu.





PowerView

Mac Windows

This menu only appears when you are working on the PowerView Panel.

User Outline

Select this to view your own project in PowerView.

Reference Outline

Displays the currently loaded Reference Outline in PowerView.

Outline View

Displays the outline content of each step in PowerView.

Script View

Displays the script content of each step in PowerView.

Notes View

Displays the notes content of each step in PowerView.

Expand Outline

Reveals the content of each step in PowerView.



Menus 59


Collapse Outline

Hides the content of each step in PowerView.

New Template

Opens the Structure Window to create a blank template from scratch.

Load Template

Opens your default template folder to loaded a different template into PowerView.

Save Template

Opens the Save dialog so you can save the current PowerView Structure as a template.

Edit Template

Opens the Structure Window and displays the current template for you to modify as required.

Show All Sub-Sections

Reveals all sub-sections in your Structure Key list.

Hide All Sub-Sections

Hides all sub-sections in your Structure Key list.

Help

Mac Windows





Movie Outline Help

Opens Movie Outline integrated Help System.

Online Knowledge Base

Launches your default browser and attempts to connect to the internet and our website'scomprehensive Knowledge Base of answers to the most frequently asked questions.

Getting Started

Opens Getting Started window, which gives you an overview of Movie Outline's key features.

Show / Hide Smart Help

Toggles between displaying and hiding Context Sensitive Help in the Status Bar.

Tip Of The Day

Opens window which displays practical screenwriting advice and handy tips about making the most of Movie Outline's powerful features. This window also appears the first time you add a step in each newsession but this functionality can be changed by unchecking “Show on Add Step” or via Preferences.

Sample Project

Loads the sample short film project "Once Bitten".



Menus 61


Buy Now / Buy Reference Plugins

If you have not Activated Movie Outline, this menu choice will launch our secure eStore (if connectedto the internet), allowing you to Purchase Movie Outline directly from within the application and

automatically activate your computer and remove the software's demo restrictions upon the completionof your transaction. If Movie Outline is already activated, this menu choice will launch your defaultbrowser and connect to our website to show you Reference Plugins available to buy.

Activate / Deactivate

Opens Activation window or Deactivation window, depending on the activated status of your software.

Check For Updates

Opens Check For Updates window to see whether a new version of Movie Outline is available.

Customer Support

Opens Support window which displays information about your product and support contact information.

About

Opens About window which displays information about your product.

Mac OS displays this on the Movie Outline 3 menu instead of the Help Menu.



Panel Views

9



Panel Views 63


Panel Views

Outline

Outline Panel

This view is divided into three sections. The top text field is your Title Field. This is where you enter the title for each step in your outline. Below this is the Content Field which should contain the detailsof each step. And on the right of the screen is your Outline List which lists each Step Title in your outline.

Outline Lists

Your Outline List is one of Movie Outline's key features, allowing you to clearly see an overview of your entire story while simultaneously working on individual steps.

Each time you add a step to your project, the Step Title will appear in this list.

Clicking on a Step Title in this list will display its contents in the Title Field and Content Field. Use theConsole to navigate through your list or rearrange the order of steps.





User Outline List Reference Outline List

Step Display & Auto-Complete

To the left of the Title Field is a small colored square which indicates the current step number you areworking on. To the right of the field is the Auto-Complete Icon which toggles Script Format on and off.

Binding with Reference Outline

Your own Outline is always linked with the currently loaded Reference Outline. By moving up anddown the list (using the Console, clicking on Title Rows with the Mouse or using Shortcut Keys), youwill automatically be changing the currently selected step in the Reference Outline.

Similarly, by navigating up and down your Reference Outline, you will automatically change theselected step in your own Outline. This enables you to simultaneously view steps in the ReferenceOutline that correspond to the same point in your own story to compare structure, pacing and storydevelopment with successfully produced movies.



Panel Views 65


Script

Script Panel

This view allows you to write formatted screenplay text for each step in your outline. You can also

work in Full Script Mode to edit each step and scene within the context of your full screenplay.

Double-click on ruler will open Script Layout window.





Notes

Notes Panel

This view allows you to keep notes for each step in your outline.



Panel Views 67


Characters

Characters Panel

The Characters Panel view is divided into four sections. On the top left is a list into which you can add

characters to your project. Below this is a small toolbar and below that is a list where you can addcharacters to the current step. In the middle of the screen are four text fields in which you can enter information about the selected character's arc in the current step, and on the right is your outline list.





FeelFactor

FeelFactor Panel

The FeelFactor Panel view is divided into two sections. On the left is a list of FeelFactors with a

colored key and on the right is a graph representing the level for each FeelFactor for each step in your outline. The slider above the graph can be dragged to set the level for each FeelFactor in each step.

FeelFactor Options

Click the Options button at the bottom of the FeelFactor list to display your options:

Isolate Factor Temporarily removes all the other FeelFactor lines from your graph, keeping only the current FeelFactor line visible.Unchecking this option will display all FeelFactor lines again. Youcan do the same thing by holding down the Control Key(Windows) or Command Key (Mac).

User View Displays only your own FeelFactor graph.

Reference View Displays only the currently loaded Reference FeelFactor graph.

Split View Displays both your own graph and the Reference graph on thesame screen.

Hide/Show StepMarker

Hides/shows dotted line that marks your current step positionwithin the graph.

Reset Factor Resets the level of the selected FeelFactor to zero for the currentstep.

Reset All Factors Resets the level of all FeelFactors to zero for the current step.



Panel Views 69


Reference

Reference Panel

This view is divided into three sections: the top field displays Step Titles of the currently loadedReference Outline. Below this is the Content for each step and on the right of the screen is either your Outline List or Reference Outline List which lists each Step Title in both outlines.

Content Views

If a Reference Outline has script content for a particular step a Script Icon will be displayed on theright of the Title Field. Clicking this will toggle between Script and Outline Content views.





Script View with Docked Divider

Script View with Content Icons Displayed

If you have selected to Show Content via the lower Toolbar or Help Menu then your outline list willalso display a small script icon for every step in the Reference Outline that contains script text.



Panel Views 71


If you navigate through the Reference List and the Reference Outline is longer thanyour own, your Outline will remain on the last step and the Step Display will showthat same step number.

LibraryLibrary Panel

This view displays a list of all the Reference Plugins in your Library. The currently loaded outline ishighlighted in orange. To load another outline, double-click on its title in the list. You can also Exportyour own projects into the library and load them in order to simultaneously compare different versions.





PowerView

PowerView Panel

PowerView enables you to view the color-coded structure of your story in a visual manner alongside

your selected Reference Outline. On the left of the screen is your outline and on the right is your structure key.

PowerView List

Your outline is initially displayed as a list of Step Titles . When you click on the icon beside a Title theStep Content will be revealed. If you click on it again the content will be hidden. Double-clicking a stepalso expands/collapses its content which can be either your outline, script or notes as determined byyour selection in the PowerView Menu. The menu also offers you the ability to expand or collapse allsteps.

Reference View

You can choose to view the currently loaded Reference Outline within PowerView by either right-clicking your mouse (Windows) or Control+Click (Mac) or by selecting this option from the PowerViewMenu. When you right-click to switch views between user and reference the step that is clicked willautomatically expand to reveal its content, making it easy for you to compare your step with that of your reference step or the content of one draft with the content of another. The current view isdisplayed in the Status Bar .



Panel Views 73


Structure Key

On the right of the PowerView Screen is your Structure Key. This indicates your current StructureTemplate which has a label, color, start point, length and description for each section and sub-section.

A section can be defined as anything you want. Bydefault, Movie Outline utilizes the classic three-actstructure but your story or project could also bedivided into chapters or lessons.

The color for each section corresponds to the color displayed in your PowerView list. The Start Valueindicates at which step number that particular section begins. The length of each section isdetermined by the next start value.

If you drag the window divider to the left you can

reveal more information about the sections such aslength and description.

Each section can be customized via the StructureWindow where you can add sub-sections, modifysection headings, adjust section start values andload/save different templates.

An icon beside a section heading indicates itcontains sub-sections. Clicking on the icon willhide/reveal its sub-sections. You can also chooseto show/hide all sub-sections via the PowerViewMenu. Double-clicking on the Structure Key willopen the Structure Window.

Holding down the Shift Key while clicking the mouse on a particular title in thePowerView list will jump to that step in your outline list and flip to the Outline Panel.





Step Cards

Step Cards Panel

On this view, each step in your outline is displayed as a virtual index card which can be repositioned in

your outline by dragging it with your mouse. When dragging a card two red arrows indicate where thecard will be inserted. If you drag the card towards the bottom of the screen the view will automaticallyscroll to display any hidden cards in your outline. This works the same for scrolling back up. Cardscan also display "Scenes" instead of "Steps" when working in Full Script Mode.

Holding down the Shift Key while clicking the mouse on a particular card will jumpto that step in your outline list and flip to the Outline Panel view.

Color-Coded Cards

Right-Click (Windows) or Control+Click (Mac) to view a menu where you can opt to use PowerView's

structure colors for the heading color of each card. You can also select this option and the number of cards across to display via the Step Cards Window by selecting Step Cards from the Options Menu.



Panel Views 75


Maximize & Restore

Double-click on a card or click the Maximize Icon on the top right corner of the card header to zoominto it and display it full screen. In maximized mode you can view the entire outline content of thatparticular step and even view the script and notes content by clicking on the respective header icons.Double-clicking the card again or clicking the Restore Icon will restore the card to its original size.





Using Scene Cards in Full Script Mode

Although Movie Outline's design is based on the principle of step-outlining (working on each stepindividually), when you are writing a script you may want to view cards for each scene rather than each

step in order to get a better understanding of the narrative.

To do this simply double-click on a step in the outline list and index cards for each Scene will appear with a list of scenes (instead of steps) in the right-hand pane.

You will also notice that the Status Bar color changes to purple (matching the scene list and cardheaders) indicating that you are now in Scene Card Mode. You can also change mode by clicking onthe Status Bar's end section which by default displays Step Mode.

Double-clicking on a scene in the Scene List will change the mode back. Holding down the ControlKey (Windows) or Command Key (Mac) while double-clicking will navigate to the respective step andswitch to the Outline Panel.

If you have selected to show Scene Numbers in your script then these will be displayed in the header of each card and beside each scene heading in the Scene List if the Content Icons are visible.

You can maximize a card to view the full script content and display each scene's content by navigatingthrough the Scene List while a card is maximized. PowerView structure colors can also be displayed inthe heading of each card as explained above.



Panel Views 77


Story Tasks

Managing & Remember ing You r Story Ideas

When writing a story, many ideas will pop up along the way about characters and plot points, such as: I must remember to make Jessica find the gun in step 12 or John should meet Mary before he getsmugged . You can't control when inspiration strikes and that's where Story Tasks come in!

Story Tasks Panel

To help you keep track of character arcs, plot devices and story objectives, simply enter the title of thetask in the top text field and the content of the task in the field below and use the Console to add moretasks as you go along. Each task title will then appear in the Task List on the right of your screen.

Organizing Tasks

Click on a Task Title and drag that task into another position in the list or use the Move Task Up andMove Task Down buttons in the Console to move the selected task up and down in your Task List.

Done or To Do?

When you still have to do a task the then Arrow Icon will be displayed by the Task Title. When thetask is complete and you have checked it in the Task List then a Check Icon will display by the TaskTitle. The Status Bar indicates the number of tasks, how many are to do and how many have beencompleted.





Title Page

Title Page Panel

This view allows you to create a Title Page (or pages) for your current project. The Title Page works

as it does in the Script Panel view with most of the same paragraph formatting options except for Screenplay Format and Auto-Complete. The Title Page can be included when Printing or Exportingyour project.

Double-click on ruler will open Script Layout window.



Writing A Screenplay

10





Writing A Screenplay

Screenplay Formatting

What is Screenplay Format?

If you ever want somebody in the film industry to read your story and seriously consider transforming itinto a movie then there are a few rules you need to adhere to. Principally format. Producers, Agents,Readers, Actors and Development Executives - your first audience - need to be able to sit down withyour work and imagine your words transformed into pictures and dialogue on the big screen.

To do this, you have to help them. You have to take away as many obstacles as possible and maketheir reading experience enjoyable, engaging and most of all.. easy. Many people say that the first tenpages of a screenplay are the most important because if you haven't grabbed the reader by then, theymay well put your script down and move on to the next in their pile.

That's where the formatting guidelines come in. Through the years an industry standard has

developed for the presentation of scripts. From size of margins, to page numbering, to placement of text on the page. This all has to be taken into consideration when writing your screenplay so that thereader doesn't have to struggle through your words in order to understand their meaning. The wholeconcept of screenplay formatting is essentially an aesthetic one. To make each page of your scriptlook clear and legible.

What are the Formatting Guidelines?

Included in this Help Guide is a Glossary with a full list of the most common terms used in filmproduction and screenwriting. It's a good idea to read through this and familiarize yourself with thelanguage of film - but it's an even better idea to buy or download screenplays from the web and readas many as you can!

Once you understand the terminology you need to understand the layout. Thankfully, Movie Outlinetakes the complexity out of formatting your screenplay by automatically doing it for you as you typethrough the intelligent use of Auto-Complete and Keyboard Shortcuts. It's a good idea to read apublished screenplay while reading this section so you can see how these formatting rules apply andunderstand them in context.

Auto-Convert & Smart Page Breaks

Along with Auto-Complete and Keyboard Shortcuts, Movie Outline also helps maintain your creativeflow by automatically converting your text to uppercase when typing Scene Headings, Character Names or Transitions, so you don't have to worry about continually pressing the shift key or CapsLock. And if you enter a scene introduction or transition in the wrong element, the text will instantlychange to the correct element and capitalize the first letter of sentences, allowing you to focus on what

really matters – the story.

What's more, Movie Outline automatically adds parenthetical brackets (...) when writing Parentheticalelements, adds Mores & Continueds between dialogue and scene breaks and intelligently wraps your script text when scene action and dialogue has to be split over two pages by linking connectedelements together such as scene with action and character with dialogue making your screenplayan easier read.





Script Elements

Dissect ing A Screenp lay

A screen story is divided into many scenes and each of these scenes is a location. A location whenwritten in a screenplay needs to be described to the reader in a certain way so that they instantlyunderstand the most important three pieces of information about it:

· Whether it's inside or outside

· Where the scene takes place

· Time of day

These elements form the Scene Heading otherwise know as the Slugline or Slug.

THE SLUGLINE

Each scene heading must appear on a single line which contains the location information and time of

day. Almost all sluglines begin with INT. (interior) or EXT. (exterior). There are very few exceptionsexcept when either repeatedly cutting back to a scene or moving through locations within the principlelocation.

For example:

INT. DOWNTOWN BAR - NIGHT

If you have already introduced the DOWNTOWN BAR as a location you can simply use BACK TOBAR as a subsequent slugline. Or if you have introduced a HOUSE as a location and are writing asequence in which a character moves through each room, you can use BEDROOM or LOUNGE asthe slugline in order to maintain the flow of the sequence.

SUPER can also be used to denote superimposed information, such as: SUPER: “Three years later”.

INTERCUT BETWEEN can be used as a slugline for a phone conversation after the location of eachparty is established with prior sluglines. INTERCUT: can also be used to achieve the same effect butas a TRANSITION.

If in doubt, always begin sluglines with INT. or EXT. and end with DAY or NIGHT, unless a special timeof day is dramatically essential, i.e. two lovers watching the sun rise: EXT. BEACH - SUNRISE.

THE SHOT

A shot must not be confused with a slugline even though it appears in capital letters in a similar format. A shot focuses the reader's attention on something specific within the scene, such as a person or object.

For example:

ANGLE ON JACK

C.U. ON GUN

JACK'S POV





Sometimes writers use a shot to draw attention to something, then follow this with a brief descriptionand then write BACK TO SCENE and continue the main scene action.

THE ACTION ELEMENT

This appears immediately after your slugline, is preceded by one blank line and runs from left to rightmargin, spanning the full width of the text on the page. The Action sets the scene, describes thesetting, and allows you to introduce your characters and set the stage for your story. Action is written inreal time. Write cleanly and crisply what the audience sees on the screen. Only create atmospherethrough “flowery” description if that atmosphere is essential to your scene, otherwise it is redundantand slows the script down.

For example: If you're writing a horror and are introducing a haunted house, it is necessary to set thetone and so a few sentences of description adds to the reading experience. It also allows the reader toget a “real time” sensation as if watching the movie on screen. But if two characters are in the middleof a heated debate, keep action description to an absolute minimum in order to maintain the flow of theconversation and scene.

When writing action, the best thing to do is to imagine you are having a conversation with someone

over a coffee and recounting an interesting story. This way you only explain the key points that movethe story along and do not focus on the irrelevant aspects. Try to write in small paragraphs, no morethan four or five lines per paragraph, then double-spacing to the next paragraph. In fact, by isolatingaction and images in their own paragraphs, the writer suggests visual emphasis in the story;subliminally contributing to the visual direction.

Capitalize a character name on introduction only and give them a specific age and gender. Thisinformation is critical for not only comprehension of the story, but casting and budgeting as well.Capitalize all major sound effects, avoid describing clothing or hairstyles, unless it ’s crucial to the storyand do not write action in parentheses after a character name, i.e. GEORGE (lighting a cigarette). Also, try to avoid using the word “camera.” Use “we” instead. For example: instead of “The camerafollows...” use “We follow...”

CHARACTER NAME

This appears in caps, positioned toward the center of the page and is followed by dialogue. Acharacter name can be an actual name (JACK) or description (FAT MAN) or an occupation(DOCTOR). Sometimes, you might have COP #1 and then COP #2 speaking. It is okay to identify thespeaking parts like this, but actors will like you more if you personalize their part with a name. Try to beconsistent. Don't call a character JOE here and MR. JONES there.

DIALOGUE

This appears positioned between the left margin (where sluglines and action are) and the character name margin. Writing good dialogue is an art in itself and sometimes novices tend to over-write it,making scenes slow, chatty and “play-like”. Remember, people don't talk as formally as they write buton the other hand, keep slang and vernacular to a minimum and don’t write out accents or regional

dialects.

Your dialogue should reflect the personality of each character and give an insight into them. Try topersonalize dialogue from one character to the next (but don't over do it) so that the reader candistinguish between the key players in your story. Make it sound real and conversational, so that theaudience feels like a fly on the wall, and try where possible to subtly express inner feelings or conflictsrather than using dialogue that’s too “on the nose”.





Try using Movie Outline's Dialogue Spotlight to isolate dialogue in your script and create unique voices.

People rarely say exactly what they mean. There is always subtext. Even when people are beingcandid, there’s still subtext. Indicate the truth and let the audience fill in the gaps or read between thelines. This is far more interesting than being told outright what to think. For instance, in Jerry Maguire,Tom Cruise's character says “You complete me” rather than “I love you” to Dorothy and this wasset-up earlier through an encounter with a young couple in love who used sign language. The key is tomake the audience think where possible rather than handing everything to them on a plate, and thismeans being clever with your dialogue which sometimes may not even be necessary if the samesentiment or message can be expressed visually.

PARENTHETICAL

Parentheticals (or “wrylies”) appear left indented (not centered) within brackets beneath the character name and are used to express an attitude for the actor who is speaking.. i.e. upset, crying, laughing,irritated, angry etc. Parentheticals should be short, to the point, descriptive, and only used whenabsolutely necessary.

THE TRANSITION ELEMENT

Scene transitions such as CUT TO: and DISSOLVE TO: are optional and when used should beright-indented (but not flush right) and preceded and proceeded by one blank line. When breakingpages, the scene transition must remain with the shot just completed. In other words, it is never permissible to start a new page with a CUT TO: or a DISSOLVE TO:. It must be placed at the bottomof the previous page.

Transitions should be omitted if you are rapidly cutting between scenes, since inserting them woulddisrupt the flow of the sequence; such as in a montage or a chase through each room of a house.Transitions are primarily used to denote a major shift in time or location, and sometimes, like usingMATCH CUT TO:, for effect.

SUMMARY

To instantly grab the reader and keep them page turning, use crisp visual writing in simple sentences,in short paragraphs, with dialogue scenes that are short and snappy and with no mention of thecamera (unless absolutely necessary) and without directing the actors or usurping the duties of thecostume designer, set designer, cinematographer, etc.

Remember, a screenplay is not a literary document. It is a blueprint for a movie. So make it lean andeasy to read. If a brilliant script isn't an easy read, it will never make the first cut. The purpose of thesebasic formatting principles is so the reader can freely focus on your characters and story without beingdistracted by unnecessary description, improper format and convoluted dialogue. And alwaysremember to spell check your script!





Auto-Complete

Let Movie Out l ine Do The Work For You

To save you time and hassle, Movie Outline has a built-in list of pre-defined element values for themost common screenwriting terms and more importantly, it learns as you type. This means thatwhenever you enter a scene heading, character name, character extension or transition, theinformation is stored and then displayed to you in a pop-up list so you can select the same valuewithout having to type it all over again.

Auto-Complete Lists

All of your auto-complete data can be customized by selecting Auto-Complete from the Format Menu.

Here each panel relates to a list of values stored for each auto-completable element. You can addyour own values, modify existing values, delete and clear values or alphabetically sort each list.





Auto-Complete Options

The Options tab allows you to customize how auto-complete works. You can choose which elementsuse the feature, what color the auto-complete text appears in and how to use the auto-completefunctions.

Auto-Complete Character

Enables the auto-completion of Character Names.

Auto-Complete Scene Heading

Enables the auto-completion of Scene Headings.

Auto-Complete Transition

Enables the auto-completion of Transitions.





Guess Next Character

With this checked auto-complete will suggest the next Character Name for the next section of dialogueby intelligently guessing which character the previous character was talking to.

Tab from Character to Extension

When enabled, tabbing after entering a character name will display a list of extensions.

Automatically add Time Separator to Location Auto-Complete

When enabled, the current time separator (usually “-”) is automatically appended to your text whenauto-completing the location of your scene heading.

Show Script Auto-Complete Window

By default, the auto-complete window will always appear when auto-complete is enabled for aparticular element but it is possible to use the auto-complete function and display suggested textwithout the window appearing. If you prefer not view the window then uncheck this option. If the auto-complete window is open and you want to close it, simply use one of the arrow keys or click your mouse on the text field.

Auto-Complete Color

Click the Color Button to select the color of suggested text for auto-complete.

Clicking Reset will reset the color to its default value of gray.





Step Title Auto-Complete

It's also possible to use auto-complete when typing headings for each step on the Outline Panel. Auto-complete is enabled by default but will only function if you click on the Blue Arrow to the right of thefield.

When clicked, a small Script Icon will appear indicating that the Title Field will now function as ascene heading and your text will be automatically capitalized.

Show Step Title Auto-Complete Window

By default, the auto-complete window will always appear when auto-complete is enabled but it is

possible to use the auto-complete function and display suggested text without the window appearing.If you prefer not view the window then uncheck this option. If the auto-complete window is open andyou want to close it, simply use one of the arrow keys or click your mouse on the text field.





Keyboard Shortcuts

Streaml ining The Wri t ing Process

To enable you to write and format your screenplay as smoothly as possible, Movie Outline allows youto move from one element to another within your script by using handy key combinations or “shortcuts”.

Tab and Enter (Windows) / Return (Mac)

When you have completed writing the first element of your script (the Scene Heading) you'll most likelywant to move on to either some action description or perhaps a section of dialogue. You can do thisvery easily by pressing the Enter/Return key. This will automatically move the Caret (Text InsertionCursor) to the position of the next element and change that paragraph's element value to the newelement.

By default, the element that follows the Scene Heading when you press Enter is Action but this can be

changed to any element you choose via the Element Window. Similarly, the default element thatfollows a Character Name when you press Enter/Return is Dialogue but if you press Tab it moves toParenthetical.

Auto-Complete

Tab and Enter are also used in conjunction with Auto-Complete. For instance, when typing a slugline,if you type “I” and auto-complete is enabled, the word “INT.” will be suggested. In this instance,pressingTab will complete the word for you and keep the Caret on the same line so you can continueto write your scene heading. In contrast, pressing Enter/Return will complete the word too but thenmove the Caret to the following line and change that paragraph's element value to the proceedingdefault Action element.

However, when you reach the end of your Scene Heading, pressing Tab or Enter/Return will act thesame by completing the suggested word and then moving on onto the next line of text and defaultelement.

Default Element Tab Key Order with Auto-Complete

Scene Heading Intro > Location > Time > Action

INT. > LOCATION > - TIME OF DAY

Character > Extension > Parenthetical

JOHN > (V.O.) > (weary)

Transition > Scene Heading

CUT TO: > INT. DOWNTOWN BAR - DAY





Default Element Tab Key Order without Auto-Complete

Scene Heading > Action Action > Character Character > Parenthetical

Parenthetical > DialogueDialogue > ParentheticalTransition > Scene HeadingShot > Action

Default Element Enter/Return Key Order

Scene Heading > Action Action > ActionCharacter > DialogueParenthetical > DialogueDialogue > Character Transition > Scene Heading

Shot > Action

Keyboard Combinations

Movie Outline also provides a simple way for you to change paragraph elements or move on to adifferent element other than by using the Element Menu or Tab and Enter. You can do so by using thecombination of the Windows Control (Ctrl) key or Mac Command/Apple key with numbers or Function Keys.

When you hold down the Control/Command key you will see a list of elements and their correspondingshortcut key values in the Status Bar . The numbers [1] [2] [3] etc represent the keys to be pressedwhile simultaneously pressing the Control/Command key.

You can assign different key combinations to different elements via the Element Window. OnWindows, you can assign Function Keys alone to elements but on the Mac you'll still need to pressthe Command Key at the same time as the Function Key. These shortcut keys allow you to move fromone element to another. To change an existing paragraph to a new element press the Shift Key at thesame time.





Headers & Footers

Headers & Footers can be customized for your Script, Outline and Notes but they are only visible for your Script within Movie Outline and for your Outline and Notes when Exporting and Printing.

Headers & Footers Window

Selecting Headers & Footers from the Format Menu will display the following window:

Script Tab

Here you can choose to Show Headers & Footers or hide them in script view. Your choice does notaffect printing or exporting where they can be turned on or off independently via the respectivewizards.

Because Movie Outline was designed for screenplay presentation, the Header On First Page isunchecked by default since the first page of a script is not normally numbered. By default, the FirstPage value is set to 1. Since you can customize your own Title Page (which does not have headers or footers or page numbering) the value set here will always be assigned to the first page of your script.

Inserting Tags

Right-Click (Windows) or Control-Click (Mac) to display a contextual menu with regular text editing

functions including the ability to change text style, font size, text alignment and insert special Tags intoyour headers & footers. These Tags are replaced with their actual values (as defined in the ProjectInfo Window) when you view them on the Script Panel or when your document is printed and exported.

Ruler

By default, the tab positions are set to the left and right margin values of your script page (as defined inthe Script Layout Window) but they can be adjusted by dragging the tabs.





Outline & Notes Tabs

Here you can customize your headers & footers in the same way as your script but by default, the ruler is disabled since the left and right margins will automatically be set to the margins you define via yourPage Setup when printing or exporting. However, you can override this by unchecking Use Default

Margins and dragging the tabs to a different position.

Mores & Continueds

Mores & Continueds Window

Selecting Mores & Continueds from the Format Menu will display the following window:

Dialogue Breaks

Movie Outline will try to stop dialogue splitting across two pages but when breaking the dialogue isnecessary, by default, (MORE) will be displayed below the dialogue at the bottom of the first page andthe name of the character speaking with the text (cont’d) will be displayed at the top of the next page.





You can uncheck these options and customize the dialogue break labels to suit your needs.

Scene Breaks

When a scene continues over to another page, Movie Outline displays (CONTINUED) at the bottom of

the first page and CONTINUED: at the top of the next page followed by a number which indicates thepage count of the current scene being continued. You can uncheck these options and customize thescene break labels to suit your needs.

Page View & Layout

Script View

By default, the view of your script is in page layout mode as depicted below but you can select Normal

View (Format Menu > Script View > Normal View) to display your text without the virtual page.

In Normal View you can disable the red-dotted page break line via Preferences >

Script Options.





Layout

You can configure your page size and margins for print and export by selecting PageSetup from theFile Menu.

Paragraph Formatting

Alignment

Although the default alignment is set for each new element in the Element Window you can change anindividual paragraph by placing the Caret within that paragraph or selecting a block of text andchoosing a new alignment value via the upper Toolbar Alignment Buttons.

Line Spacing & Space Before

You can also set the line spacing and space before value for each paragraph via the Format Menu.

Ruler & Margins

By default, the Ruler is displayed for your Script and Title Page but you can hide it via the FormatMenu.

To adjust a paragraph's left or right indent, simply drag the respective tab along the ruler. To adjustthe left or right indent of all text within a particular element group you can do so via the ElementWindow.



Creating Characters

11





The Wizard is divided into six panel views:

Basics

Here you can enter the primary details about your character, such as name, age, height etc.

Bio

Here you can enter a biography for your character detailing events that will influence the story.

Arc

This section allows you to explain how you expect your character to develop through your story.

Notes

This section is for character specific notes that will affect your story or ideas that pop up along the way.

Interview

This is the most important section of your Character's Profile. On the left of the panel you is a list of key questions, organized into subject groups, that when answered will help define a more roundedcharacter. Think of it as if a psychologist or news reporter was interviewing your character, perhapsbefore the story you're writing began or even after the story's conclusion. Answering these questionswill help you understand the way your character thinks, feels, speaks and reacts to situations he/shewill encounter.





Clicking Back/Next will move up and down the question list.

Questions that have been answered will be highlighted in light blue.





Relationships

When you have many characters in your project it may also be helpful to define their relationships. For instance, “How does John feel about Mary?” and “What is their history?” Simply select a character from the list on the left and enter details about their relationship with the current character on the right.

Understanding these connections will help you create unique voices and more believable relationships.

Clicking Back/Next will move up and down the character list.

Relationships that have been defined will be highlighted in light orange.

Modifying Profiles

Once your characters have been created you can always delete or edit them via the Character Panel.





Character Arcs

Developing Characters

Although the Character Profile Wizard helps you define your characters, people are not static in natureand as such, your characters should constantly evolve as your story shapes them. This progression of character development is known as the “Character Arc”. Movie Outline helps youp plan your principlecharacters' arcs and track where your characters appear and how their arcs change throughout your story.

Character Panel

The Character Panel view is divided into four sections. On the top left is a list into which you can addcharacters to your project. Below this is a small toolbar and below that is a list where you can addcharacters to the current step. In the middle of the screen are four text fields in which you can enter information about the selected character's arc in the current step, and on the right is your outline list.

Adding Characters to the Current Step

One you have populated your Characters in Project list you can then begin to add characters to thesteps of your story in which they appear. Since you may not know this information at the beginning of your project, you should ideally first outline your story and then begin adding characters to steps.





You can add a character to a step by either selecting the Character Name and clicking the Add buttonor by dragging the Character Name from the Characters in Project list into the Characters in Steplist below it.

Similarly, you can delete a character by dragging it back out of the step into the list above it or byclicking the Delete button. To edit a character simply double-click on their name or click the Editbutton.





Tracking Characters

You can easily see in which steps the selected character (in the Characters in Project list) appears byclicking the Show Step Content button in the lower Toolbar. Normally this button opens a new columnin your outline list and indicates with small icons which steps have outline content, script content and/or

notes content but when you are on the Character Panel this column instead displays a Character Iconand Speech Bubble icon with speech count.

You can also track characters by selecting their name in any of the main text fields and then right-clicking your mouse (Windows) or Control+Click (Mac) to view a contextual menu with Character Options. If the Character exists in your project you can either edit it or go to the last or next step that itappears in.





You can also click on the Status Bar while on the Character Panel to jump to the last or next step inwhich the selected character (in Characters in Project list) appears.

Defining Arcs

The four main text fields on the Character Panel asks four key questions about the selected character:

· What do they want or need in this step?

· What do they get or learn in this step?

· What conflict or dilemma do they face in this step?

· How does this step move their story forward?

Answering these questions for each of your principle characters as you write or rewrite your outline willhelp you understand their behavior in a scene and in turn write more appropriate dialogue for them.This process is also very handy in focusing your story and discovering which parts work and which do

not.

For instance, if your hero has a three minute conversation with a waitress in a diner that you thoughtwas important but then find you cannot answer any of these questions about your hero in that stepthen you should seriously reconsider the need for the step. When dealing with film, time is money butmore importantly, unless a step or scene moves a character's journey forward in some way or revealsto the audience something about the plot then it is probably redundant and should either be omitted or rewritten.

There are of course exceptions, especially when dealing with action movies, thrillers, horrors or comedies when the sole purpose of a step may be to either make us laugh, squirm or be wowed byexplosions but even then, the best writers find a way of using these scenes to develop their charactersin some manner.




12






Concept Of Structure

Act I, Act II, Ac t III

Every story has a beginning, a middle and an end. In the beginning you setup your hero and his story,then you throw something at him that is a great source of conflict and takes him into a whole heap of trouble. After facing many foes and overcoming various obstacles the hero saves the day and winsthe girl.

I f only wri t in g a mov ie was that easy...

The thing is, there are many forms of structure and some writers subscribe to one formula, whileothers subscribe to another. Some try not to subscribe to any and see the whole idea of structure as “evil”, feeling that a story should evolve organically without rules confining ideas or obstructing the

creative flow.

In the end, a story should dictate the kind of structure it follows or whether it shouldn't follow a structureat all. There's no point trying to write a comedy and forcing the structure of a thriller upon it - it won'twork. Well, theoretically it won't but I'm sure someone will find a way! Let your characters define thestory and your story define your structure and then use a formula if necessary to tighten your script.

The trick is to initially let the ideas flow without paying too much attention to structure and then in your second pass begin to focus your story and separate the wheat from the chaff.

3 Act Structure

Below is a diagram defining the typical three-act structure of most stories. If a screenplay is 120 pages

long then the first act is thirty pages, the second act is sixty pages and the final act is thirty. But again,this all depends on the genre of film you are writing and the needs of your story. Don't be too pinneddown to these rules at the outset. But if you find your story is not working or your script is 150 pageslong then you know you have made some errors along the way and need to pay closer attention toyour blueprint.





Hero's Journey

Another popular form of structure derived from Joseph Campbell's Monomyth and adapted byChristopher Vogler is the twelve stage Hero's Journey. This is essentially a more detailed Character Arc for your story's hero which is overlayed onto the more traditional three-act structure that many

successful Hollywood movies such as Star Wars and The Wizard of Oz when analyzed appear tofollow.

PowerView

PowerView enables you to view the color-coded structure of your story in a visual manner alongsideyour selected Reference Outline. On the left of the screen is your outline and on the right is your structure key.





PowerView List

Your outline is initially displayed as a list of Step Titles . When you click on the icon beside a Title theStep Content will be revealed. If you click on it again the content will be hidden. Double-clicking a stepalso expands/collapses its content which can be either your outline, script or notes as determined by

your selection in the PowerView Menu. The menu also offers you the ability to expand or collapse allsteps.

Holding down the Shift Key while clicking the mouse on a particular title will jumpto that step in your outline list and flip to the Outline Panel view.

Reference View

You can choose to view the currently loaded Reference Outline within PowerView by either right-clicking your mouse (Windows) or Control+Click (Mac) or by selecting this option from the PowerViewMenu. When you right-click to switch views between user and reference the step that is clicked willautomatically expand to reveal its content, making it easy for you to compare your step with that of your reference step or the content of one draft with the content of another. The current view is

displayed in the Status Bar .

Structure Key

On the right of the PowerView Screen is your Structure Key. This indicates your current StructureTemplate which has a label, color, start point, length and description for each section and sub-section.

A section can be defined as anything you want. Bydefault, Movie Outline utilizes the classic three-actstructure but your story or project could also bedivided into chapters or lessons.

The color for each section corresponds to the color displayed in your PowerView list. The Start Valueindicates at which step number that particular section begins. The length of each section isdetermined by the next start value.

If you drag the window divider to the left you canreveal more information about the sections such aslength and description.

Each section can be customized via the StructureWindow where you can add sub-sections, modifysection headings, adjust section start values andload/save different templates.

An icon beside a section heading indicates itcontains sub-sections. Clicking on the icon willhide/reveal its sub-sections. You can also chooseto show/hide all sub-sections via the PowerViewMenu. Double-clicking on the Structure Key willopen the Structure Window.





Printing & Exporting

PowerView colors can also be utilized in Step Cards and when Printing and Exporting your outline.You can select to print/export each Step Title against a block of color that corresponds to the sectionthat step is in. This feature can help you and others easily identify your story structure when reading

your outline, treatment, script or character arcs. It is also extremely useful during the rewriting phaseof a project.

Structure Window

Although by default Movie Outline uses the classic three-act structure, you will inevitably need to adjustthis template as you develop your story. Double-clicking on the Structure Key list or selecting EditTemplate from the PowerView Menu will open the Structure Window where templates can bemodified.

Parent Section

The list on the top left of the window contains the main sections of your Structure Template. Thesecan be Acts, Chapters, Lessons or whatever your project requires. Each parent section can contain

multiple sub-sections. For example, in the three-act structure, Act Two contains a Turning Point and aMid-Point.





Sub-Section

Sub-sections can be modified like their parent sections. A small colored icon appears beside parentsections indicating that they contain sub-sections. You can add sections and sub-sections by clickingthe Add button or delete them by clicking Delete. You can move sections and sub-sections up and

down within their list either by clicking Arrange or by dragging and dropping them with the mouse.However, parent sections can only be reordered within the parent list and sub-sections within the sub-section list.

Templates

You can loads, save and create new templates or restore the default template by clicking Options.However, when viewing the Reference Outline you can only modify and save changes to the referencetemplate, you cannot load a new template or create one from scratch until your revert back to user view.

Any changes you make to a template will be saved to your Structure Key in PowerView when you clickOK and close the window but you can always undo these changes by selecting Undo from the EditMenu.

Section Label & Description

When modifying or creating new templates enter the label for each section in the Label Field and adescription (if required) in the Description Field. These will be displayed in PowerView Structure Key.

Section Color

When adding sections and sub-sections Movie Outline will automatically create random colors for eachnew section but sometimes these may conflict with other colors in your template or make it hard toread text over them. In this instance, or if you simply wish to change the default colors, click the Color button to open the Palette Window where you can choose another color. Paler colors work best withblack text.





Start & End Points

To make a section begin at an earlier step, click the Start up arrow. To make it start later in your outline, click the Start down arrow. To decrease its length (number of steps in section) click the End

up arrow and to increase its length click the End down arrow. The Step Title corresponding to the startand end of the currently selected section appear over the section color to help you visualize your outline layout.

Structure Map

The color-coded diagram at the bottom of the window displays your current template which will changeas you modify colors, start and end points and add or delete sections and sub-sections, helping yousee a bird's-eye view of your structure.





Structure Templates

Movie Outline includes 5 default templates (.mvt files):

· 3 Act Screenplay

· 5 Act Stage Play· One Hour TV Drama

· Half-Hour TV Sitcom

· Hero's Journey

These sample templates and Structure Maps are designed to help you structure your story and theyinclude comprehensive information about each section, helping you understand how a particular typeof story narrative works. They are, however, merely a guide and should not be rigidly adhered to.Creativity is far more important than sticking to a “formula” but they can help you pace your story andtroubleshoot rewrites. The default templates can be modified to suit your project's needs and you caneven create your own templates from scratch or save templates from one project for use in another.

3 Act Structure

5 Act Stage Play

One Hour TV Drama

Half-Hour TV Sitcom

Hero's Journey





PowerView Menu

Mac Windows

This menu only appears when you are working on the PowerView Panel.

User Outline

Select this to view your own project in PowerView.

Reference Outline

Displays the currently loaded Reference Outline in PowerView.

Outline View

Displays the outline content of each step in PowerView.

Script View

Displays the script content of each step in PowerView.

Notes View

Displays the notes content of each step in PowerView.

Expand Outline

Reveals the content of each step in PowerView.





Collapse Outline

Hides the content of each step in PowerView.

New Template

Opens the Structure Window to create a blank template from scratch.

Load Template

Opens your default template folder to loaded a different template into PowerView.

Save Template

Opens the Save dialog so you can save the current PowerView Structure as a template.

Edit Template

Opens the Structure Window and displays the current template for you to modify as required.

Show All Sub-Sections

Reveals all sub-sections in your Structure Key list.

Hide All Sub-Sections

Hides all sub-sections in your Structure Key list.





SmartSearch

Track Characters, Plot Devices & Keyword s

SmartSearch enables you to keep track of a character, story development, plot device, keyword or phrase through your entire outline and can be invoked either by right-clicking (Windows) or Control+Click (Mac) a selected word in any of the main text fields, by launching the SmartSearch window fromthe Tools Menu or by launching it via the upper Toolbar .

SmartSearch Window

If you have launched SmartSearch via right-clicking a selected word then it will automatically search for

every occurrence of this word through your outline and display the results in PowerView.

If you have launched SmartSearch from the Tools Menu or Toolbar then simply enter the character name or word you wish to track in the text field and click Search. If the word is found then the resultswill be displayed in PowerView. A small blue arrow icon will appear beside every step that contains theword and each occurrence of the word within the step's content will be highlighted in bold blue text.





To clear the icons and highlighted text select Hide SmartSearch Results from thePowerView Menu. Click Show SmartSearch Results to display them again.

Search Options

When searching via the SmartSearch Window you can choose to search either your own project or thecurrently loaded Reference Outline by selecting either User Outline or Reference Outline.

When User Outline is selected you can specify whether to search within your outline, script or notescontent from the drop down menu. When Reference Outline is selected you can choose to searchwithin the Reference outline or script content from the drop down menu. The checkboxes also allowyou to narrow your search to whole or partial word occurrences and whether or not to match case.

If you search your own outline results will be displayed for outline, script and notesif the word is found but you specifically have to search within Reference to displayresults for this view.




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Arranging Steps

When writing an outline and screenplay it's inevitable that you'll need to delete and rearrange the order of your steps as you go along so Movie Outline lets you organize your story in a variety of ways.

Drag 'n Drop

Click on a Step Title in your Outline List and drag that step into another position in the list. This canalso be used for arranging the order of Story Tasks.

Console

Use the Move Step Up and Move Step Down buttons in the lower Toolbar to move the selected stepup and down in your Outline List. This can also be used for arranging the order of Story Tasks.

Step Cards

Movie Outline's most powerful organizational tool is Step Cards. Each step is displayed as a virtualindex card which can be color-coded to match PowerView's current structure template andrepositioned in your outline by dragging it with your mouse to a different position. Similarly, whenworking in Full Script Mode, these index cards become "Scenes" instead of "Steps" allowing you toorganize and view each scene of your script.





Step Cards

Virtual Ind ex Cards

When writing an outline and screenplay you'll inevitably need to rearrange the order of your steps andMovie Outline lets you do this with ease with its powerful organizational tool Step Cards. Each step isdisplayed as a virtual index card which can be color-coded to match PowerView's current structuretemplate and repositioned in your outline by dragging it with your mouse to a different position.

When dragging a card two red arrows indicate where the card will be inserted when you release themouse button. If you drag the card towards the bottom of the screen and there are more cards off-screen then the view will automatically scroll to display the hidden cards. This works the same for scrolling back up.

Color-Coded Cards

Right-click (Windows) or Control+Click (Mac) to view a menu where you can opt to use PowerView'sstructure colors for the heading color of each card. You can also select this option and the number of

cards across to display via the Step Cards Options window (Options > Step Cards).





Maximize & Restore

Double-click on a card or click the Maximize Icon on the top right corner of the card header to zoominto it and display it full screen. In maximized mode you can view the entire outline content of thatparticular step and even view the script and notes content by clicking on the respective header icons.Double-clicking the card again or clicking the Restore Icon will restore the card to its original size.





Holding down the Shift Key while clicking the mouse on a particular card will jump to that step in your outline list and flip to the Outline Panel view.

Using Scene Cards in Full Script Mode

Although Movie Outline's design is based on the principle of step-outlining (working on each stepindividually), when you are writing a script you may want to view cards for each scene rather than eachstep in order to get a better understanding of the narrative. To do this simply double-click on a step inthe outline list and index cards for each Scene will appear with a list of scenes (instead of steps) inthe right-hand pane.

You will also notice that the Status Bar color changes to purple (matching the scene list and cardheaders) indicating that you are now in Scene Card Mode. You can also change mode by clicking onthe Status Bar's end section which by default displays Step Mode.

Double-clicking on a scene in the Scene List will change the mode back. Holding down the ControlKey (Windows) or Command Key (Mac) while double-clicking will navigate to the respective step andswitch to the Outline Panel.

If you have selected to show Scene Numbers in your script then these will be displayed in the header of each card and beside each scene heading in the Scene List if the Content Icons are visible.

You can maximize a card to view the full script content and display each scene's content by navigatingthrough the Scene List while a card is maximized. PowerView structure colors can also be displayed inthe heading of each card as explained below.





Options Window

Select Step Cards from the Options Menu to display this window which allows you to use PowerView'sstructure colors for the heading color of each card and set the number of cards across to display on-screen.




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Reference Plugins

Different genres of movies require different amounts of steps. Dramas are typically around 35-40 stepsbecause they usually have longer scenes than Thrillers, Comedies and Action and Adventure movieswhich are normally around 45 steps with more action and less dialogue.

To help plan your project, Movie Outline lets you simultaneously refer to outlines of feature films andgauge the progress of your own story in contrast to some of the most successful Hollywood movies.

So if you get stuck on step 15 and wonder if your structure is working, simply select your movieReference Outline and see what happens at the same time in this example. For instance, has your antagonist entered the story too late? Or perhaps your Hero has still not had his call to adventure?

By comparing your own character arcs, escalating conflicts, plot points and three act structure with thepros, you'll be able to amend mistakes in your own pacing and produce a well-structured screen story!

Reference Library

Movie Outline comes with 12 free Reference Plugins:

· Die Hard

· Dead Poets Society

· Ghost

· Good Will Hunting

· Pretty Woman

· Scream

· Seven

·

Spider-Man· Terminator

· There's Something About Mary

· True Romance

· When Harry Met Sally

Each plugin contains a brief synopsis and in-depth analysis of each step as well as a color-codedPowerView Structure of the narrative and a FeelFactor graph for the entire outline so you can view thethematic roadmap, building blocks and emotional and visceral engagement level of each film.

Building Your Library

It will soon be possible to purchase plugins from within Movie Outline and automatically download and

install them into your Reference Library. You can also export your projects to the Library in our proprietary plugin format (.mvr file) and view them simultaneously to your current project to compareversions.

Building Our Catalog

We are constantly building our catalog of Reference Plugins and welcome your feedback. If you wishto suggest or request new plugins then please use our online Contact Form and tell us why you thinkthis particular movie would be good for screenwriters to reference so we can make an informeddecision as to whether or not to include it in a future plugin release.

http://www.movieoutline.com/support.html





FeelFactors

Engaging the Audience

While the ethos behind Movie Outline is “keeping it simple” there are times in the developmentprocess, principally when rewriting your screenplay, that you need to take a closer look at your story,structure and pacing in order to make a more engaging narrative and tighter script. For this reason,we've introduced FeelFactors into the creation process to help you visually gage the impact of your story step by step.

FeelFactor Graph

What is a FeelFactor?

A FeelFactor is essentially a way of measuring the level of audience engagement with an element or theme of your story at any given point in your narrative. For instance, if you're writing an action movie

and your first step begins with a car chase, shootout and explosion then you have instantly grippedyour audience and their “Action” FeelFactor level would be high. Or if you were writing a drama andthe first step contains a love scene then their “Romance” and “Passion” FeelFactors for that stepwould be high.





Movie Outline defines 13 FeelFactors:

· Action

· Comedy

· Conflict

· Fantasy· Gore

· Mystery

· Passion

· Romance

· Scare

· Shock

· Tearjerk

· Tension

· Twist

How to use FeelFactors

Ideally, you would write the first draft of your outline and/or screenplay then set FeelFactor levels for each step by selecting a FeelFactor from the list on the left and then dragging the slider to the valueyou feel most represents the degree of audience engagement at that point. Some steps may containmultiple FeelFactors, others may contain none but hopefully by the end of the process you'll have amulti-colored line graph with many highs and lows that visually corresponds to your narrative.

FeelFactor Key

Beside each FeelFactor is a small square with a number that indicates the current level for that factor and a color that indicates the line color that will be displayed in the graph.

FeelFactor Options

Click the Options button at the bottom of the FeelFactor list to display your options:

Isolate Factor Temporarily removes all the other FeelFactor lines from your graph, keeping only the current FeelFactor line visible.Unchecking this option will display all FeelFactor lines again. Youcan do the same thing by holding down the Control Key(Windows) or Command Key (Mac).

User View Displays only your own FeelFactor graph.

Reference View Displays only the currently loaded Reference FeelFactor graph.

Split View Displays both your own graph and the Reference graph on thesame screen.

Hide/Show StepMarker

Hides/shows dotted line that marks your current step positionwithin the graph.

Reset Factor Resets the level of the selected FeelFactor to zero for the currentstep.

Reset All Factors Resets the level of all FeelFactors to zero for the current step.

You can use Print Preview to zoom into your graph and see it in more detail.





Dialogue Spotlight

Creat ing Unique Voices

The key to writing good dialogue lies with creating well-rounded, believable characters. Once youknow your character you can speak for them. But sometimes a writer can forget that they are meant tobe writing dialogue from the perspective of their character and instead use the platform of their screenplay to preach their own point of view. That's not saying that you can't insert your own opinioninto your character's speech but most of the time you'll want to create unique voices that may evencontradict your own personal beliefs. This makes your characters more interesting and the imaginaryworld you're creating more believable, because if everyone sang from the same hymn sheet life wouldbe very boring.

Focusing on your Characters

When you have completed the first draft of your screenplay or during the rewrite stage, you may find ithelpful to use Dialogue Spotlight to isolate a particular character's dialogue throughout your script.

Select Dialogue Spotlight from the Tools Menu to open the Spotlight Window.

On the top of the window are three drop-down menus:

· Select Character - Lists characters in your project (as defined in the Characters Panel)

· Include Extensions - Character Extensions such as V.O. (voice-over) or O.S. (off-screen)

· Talking To... - Characters the selected character is talking to in your script



Proofing Tools

15



Proofing Tools 129


Proofing Tools

Spelling

This facility enables you to check and correct your spelling throughout your project.

Spell check works in three ways:

· Live Spell Checking

· Checking Selected Text

· Checking Through Text

Live Spell Checking

If Check Spelling as you type is checked in Preferences then when Movie Outline discovers amisspelled word it will underline it with a squiggly red line. If you then right-click (Windows) or Control+Click (Mac) on the word a Contextual Menu will display a list of correctly spelled alternatives for your misspelled word.





Selecting a word from this suggestion list will replace the misspelled word with your choice. The menuwill also allow you to Ignore All future occurrences of this word in the current project session or Learnthe word; meaning Movie Outline will add it to your User Dictionary.

Checking Selected Text

If text is selected when you launch Spell Check, either via the menu or toolbar, then Movie Outline willautomatically look up the word in its dictionary. If the word is found you'll be informed either that the “Spell Check is Complete” or you will be asked whether or not you wish to continue checking to the endof your Outline List, Task List or Title Page. If the word is not found then Spell Check window willdisplay a list of correctly spelled suggestions for your misspelled word.

Checking Through Text

If you launch Spell Check from the Options Menu and text is not selected then you can select theparameters of your spell check and click Start to begin. Movie Outline will then analyze all of your text,

either from the current insertion point or from the current step/task or from your first step/task andwhen a misspelled word is found that word is highlighted and a number of suggestions are listed as analternative.

Spell Check Options

Before you commence a spell check you can specify where you wish to check. Start From gives youthe option of either starting your check from the current step/task or from the first step/task in your outline/task list. You can also select from the drop-down menu which panel to spell check: your Outline, Script, Notes, Story Tasks or Title Page. As you change panels the menu will automaticallyupdate to the current panel.

Misspelled Word Options

When a misspelled word is found and a list of suggestions are displayed you can either keep the bestselected match as identified by Movie Outline, select your own match from the list or enter your ownreplacement word in the Change To text field and then click one of the following buttons:

Ignore to ignore the highlighted word and continue the spell check.

Ignore All to ignore every occurrence of the highlighted word and continue the spell check.

Replace to replace the highlighted word with the selected suggestion and continue the spell check.

Replace All to replace all occurrences of the misspelled word in the current panel and continue thecheck.

Learn to add the highlighted word to your User Dictionary and continue the spell check.



Proofing Tools 131


Resuming Spell Check

If you modify text during a spell check and click Resume then the Spell Check Options window willappear and give you the choice of either resuming the check from a selected point or canceling it.

User Dictionary

When you choose to Learn a misspelled/highlighted word either via the Spell Check window or Contextual Menu then your word is added to your User Dictionary and ignored from that point on for

the current spell check and all future ones. You can also add words to your dictionary, for instance,the name of a character or a slang word you often use, by selecting this tab on the Spell Check

window, entering a word in the text field and clicking Add. To remove a word from your dictionaryselect it in the list and click Delete.

Thesaurus

During a spell check, you can also look up a word in the Thesaurus by either selecting a word from thelist of suggestions or entering a word in the Change To text field and then clicking the Thesaurus tab.If the word is found then a list of “senses” are displayed along with definitions, examples of context,synonyms (similar words) and antonyms (direct opposite word) for each sense.





Double-clicking on any word within the Thesaurus results screen will look up the clicked word anddisplay all the above information for it.

Thesaurus

Selecting this option from the Tools Menu or upper Toolbar displays the Thesaurus window.



Proofing Tools 133


If text was currently selected in any of the main text fields then this word will automatically be lookedup in the Thesaurus and if it is found then a list of “senses” of the word are displayed along withdefinitions, examples of context, synonyms (similar words) and antonyms (direct opposite word) for each sense.

Single-clicking on any word within these results will display a list of synonyms on the right of thewindow for that word. Double-clicking on any word within the results will look up the clicked word anddisplay all the above information for it. You can also enter a word in the text field and click Look Up to search for it.

Undo / Redo

Enables you to look up the last/next word searched for and re-display the results for that word.

Replace

Replaces the nearest word to the insertion point or the selected word in the main screen's current textfield with the word displayed in the Thesaurus window's text input field.

Contextual Menu

You can also view a list of synonyms or launch the Thesaurus by right-clicking (Windows) or Control+Click (Mac) on a word or selected word in any main text field in the main screen. Selecting asynonym from the list will replace the nearest word to the insertion point or the selected word with your selection.

Word Count

Selecting this option from the Tools Menu displays the Word Count window which displays statistics for the number of words and characters in any selected text, the current step and your full outline, scriptand notes.



Printing 135


Printing

Print Wizard

When you are ready to share your project with the outside world, this handy wizard will guide youthrough the various options available. Since a project consists of many elements such as script,character profiles and FeelFactor graphs, you can select exactly what content to include and how todisplay it.

Selecting What to Print

Listed on the left of the wizard are the elements of your project that can be printed. Select an elementand if you choose outline, script or notes you'll then need to select the steps you wish to print. If youchoose Character Profile or Character Arc you'll need to select characters.





Text is printed for Character Profile and Character Arc in the Outline Panel Font& Size.

If you choose Dialogue Spotlight you'll need to select a character from the drop-down menu. Text isprinted in the current Script Panel Font & Size.



Printing 137


If you select FeelFactor you'll need to select from a list of FeelFactors and then whether to print your own outline, currently loaded Reference Outline or both in a single split view graph.

Once you have made your selections, click Next again to be presented with the Print Options panel.

Print Options

The options displayed vary depending on the element you are printing.

Content

· Title & Content - prints both the title and content for each step/task

· Title Only - prints only the title for each step/task.

· Content Only - prints only the content for each step/task.

Document Information

· Title Page - includes your title page in the printed document.

· Header - includes a header at the top of each page in the printed document.

· Footer - includes a footer at the bottom of each page in the printed document.

· Scene Numbering - includes numbers beside scene headings in the printed document.

PowerView

· Parent Sections - includes parent sections such as Act I, Act II in your printed document.

· Sub-Sections - includes sub-sections such as Turning Point I in your printed document.

· Structure Key - includes a color-coded structure key in the printed document.





Step / Task Title Format

· Step Numbering - includes a step number beside each step title in the printed document.

· Bold - prints each step/task title in bold.

· Underline - prints each step/task title underlined.

· Uppercase - prints each step/task title in uppercase.

Step / Task Title Color

· Default Color - prints each step/task title in its default color.

· Custom Color - prints each step/task title in the color you choose from the palette.

· PowerView Color - prints each step title its corresponding section color.

· PowerView Block Color - prints each step title over a block of its corresponding section color.

Character Profile

When printing a Character Profile your options relate to the profile information you wish to print.



Printing 139


Character Arc

When printing multiple Character Arcs you can select how to arrange each arc within the printeddocument, such as grouping each arc together in each step one character at a time or one question ata time or by printing each character's arc from the first step to the last step in your outline, onecharacter at a time.





Story Tasks

When printing Story Tasks you can select which tasks to print such as all tasks, only those checked or unchecked or selected tasks. If you choose Selected Tasks then you will be required to click Next in

order to select from your task list those tasks you wish to include in the printed document. You canalso organize your tasks by grouping completed and uncompleted tasks together, labeling taskscomplete or uncompleted or not labeling tasks.

Printing Your Project

When you have completed the wizard and selected all your options, click Preview to view how your printed pages will appear or Print to select a printer and output your document.



Printing 141


Print Preview

When you have selected all your options from the Print Wizard you can preview how your printedpages will appear via the Preview Window. The toolbar at the top of the screen allows you to flipthrough pages and customize the view. Some buttons may temporarily be disabled depending on the

state of the other buttons.

Toolbar Buttons

Print

Opens the printer dialog for you to select a printer and output your document.

Page Setup

Opens the Page Setup dialog for you to adjust the layout of your document.

First Page

Displays the first page.

Previous Page

Displays the previous page.

Next Page

Displays the next page.





Last Page

Displays the last page.

Single Page View

Displays one page on-screen

Two Page View

Displays two pages on-screen.

Full Page View

Fits the entire page on-screen.

Page Width View

Fits the width of the page on-screen.

Zoom Menu

Select a zoom level or enter a value to zoom into or out of the currentpage.

Zoom In

Zooms into the current page. Clicking the mouse on the page alsozooms in.

Zoom Out

Zooms out of the current page. Right-clicking/Control+Click on the pagealso zooms out.

Full Screen View

Hides task bar/dock and displays preview full screen. Click again torevert to normal view.

Goto Page

Jumps to the page you enter in this field.

Close Preview

Closes print preview.



Printing 143


Page Setup

Select this from the File Menu to display a dialog in which you can configure your page size andmargins for print and export.

Click Reset to reset the margins to their default values.

Project Info

Select Project Info from the Options Menu to display a window into which you can enter informationabout your project for your own reference as well as for Printing and Exporting. You can also insertthis information into your Headers & Footers using special <Tags>.





Project Title

The title of your project.

Author

The author(s) name.

Creation Date

The date the project was created or last modified. Upon opening a new project the current date isautomatically entered into this field.

Copyright

Copyright information about your project.

Genre

The genre of your story i.e. Horror, Thriller, Action-Movie etc.

Theme

A brief explanation of your story's principle theme or thematic subplot.

Logline / Synopsis

A brief synopsis of your story or a pitch, i.e. Two cops go head to head over a beautiful female thief.



Import & Export

17





Import & Export

Import Options

Opening Documents From Other Programs

Movie Outline can open a variety of file formats that have been saved in other word-processingprograms and convert them into project files.

Import As New Outline

If you have written an outline in another program Movie Outline will automatically be able to convert itinto a new project without losing its outline formatting, provided the original document's sectionheadings begin with either a number and space, a number and full stop/period, a number and bracketor it's all in uppercase.

1 Section Heading1. Section Heading1) Section Heading1} Section Heading

1] Section HeadingSECTION HEADING

If you select to split the outline into steps (as explained below) then each section heading will becomea new step and the text between each heading will form the content for each step.



Import & Export 147


Import As New Script

If you have written a screenplay in Final Draft ® 8 then you can import it directly into Movie Outline byselecting this option from the File Type menu. If however you have written your script in an earlier version of Final Draft ® or another formatting progam such as Movie Magic ® Screenwriter then you must

first export the file (save as) a Plain Text File from within the original program, then select Import AsScript (Plain Text) and Movie Outline will automatically analyze the text and re-format it as ascreenplay.

Split Into Steps

If selected, this option splits either your imported outline or script into steps. For outlines thestep-splitting process follows the rules as explained above, for script, Movie Outline considers eachnew scene to be a step.

By default, scenes that begin with “Back To...” (such as “Back to Apartment”) will be not be considereda Scene Heading and therefore will form part of the previous scene's step content but if you wishMovie Outline to create new steps out of “Back To...” then you can enable this option via Preferences.

File Type Menu

Here you can select the kind of file you wish to open. Movie Outline accepts Plain Text (.txt), RichText (.rtf), Adobe PDF and Final Draft 8 (.fdx)

Encoding Menu

By default, Movie Outline will expect that a document being opened on Windows will haveWindowsLatin1 encoding and on Mac will have MacRoman encoding, but if you are opening adocument that was created on another platform then it may be necessary to select a different encodingto ensure the text is interpreted and displayed correctly within Movie Outline.





Export Wizard

Saving You r Project In Other File Form ats

When you are ready to share your project with the outside world, this handy wizard will guide youthrough the various options available. Since a project consists of many elements such as script,character profiles and FeelFactor graphs, you can select a file format, exactly what content to includeand how to display it.

Selecting What to Export

Listed on the left of the wizard are the elements of your project that can be exported. Select theelement you wish to export, then a File Format from those listed on the right of the window and clickNext. The next screen's contents depends on the element you select. For instance, if you havechosen to export your outline, script or notes then you will need to select the steps you wish to exportas depicted below.



Import & Export 149


If you choose Character Profile or Character Arc the next screen requires you to select characters.

Text is exported for Character Profile and Character Arc in the Outline PanelFont & Size.





If you choose Dialogue Spotlight the next screen requires you to select a character from the drop-down menu. Text is exported in the current Script Panel Font & Size.

If you select FeelFactor the next screen requires you to select from a list of FeelFactors and thenwhether to export your own outline, currently loaded Reference Outline or both in a single split viewgraph.



Import & Export 151


Once you have made your selections, click Next again to be presented with the Export Options panel.

Export Options

The options displayed vary depending on the element you are exporting and the file format you areexporting to. For instance, if exporting your outline to a plain text file then you will not be able tocustomize the color or style of your step titles as you would if exporting to a rich text file, PDF or HTMLweb page. Listed below are the various options available for most exports but as explained, somemay not always be available.

Content

· Title & Content - exports both the title and content for each step/task

· Title Only - exports only the title for each step/task.

· Content Only - exports only the content for each step/task.

· Layout - retains the screenplay formatting when exporting your script to a plain text file.

· Secure - allows the contents of an exported project to a Reference File to be viewed but not copied.

Document Information

· Title Page - includes your title page in the exported document.

· Header - includes a header at the top of each page in the exported document.

· Footer - includes a footer at the bottom of each page in the exported document.

· Scene Numbering - includes numbers beside scene headings in the exported document.

· Bookmarks - includes bookmarks in a PDF file for each step and PowerView section.





PowerView

· Parent Sections - includes parent sections such as Act I, Act II in your exported document.

· Sub-Sections - includes sub-sections such as Turning Point I in your exported document.

· Structure Key - includes a color-coded structure key in the exported document.

Step / Task Title Format

· Step Numbering - includes a step number beside each step title in the exported document.

· Bold - exports each step/task title in bold.

· Underline - exports each step/task title underlined.

· Uppercase - exports each step/task title in uppercase.

Step / Task Title Color

· Default Color - exports each step/task title in its default color.

· Custom Color - exports each step/task title in the color you choose from the palette.

· PowerView Color - exports each step title its corresponding section color.

· PowerView Block Color - exports each step title over a block of its corresponding section color.

Character Profile

When exporting a Character Profile your options relate to the profile information you wish to export.



Import & Export 153


Character Arc

When exporting multiple Character Arcs you can select how to arrange each arc within the exporteddocument, such as grouping each arc together in each step one character at a time or one question ata time or by exporting each character's arc from the first step to the last step in your outline, one

character at a time.

Story Tasks

When exporting Story Tasks you can select which tasks to export such as all tasks, only thosechecked or unchecked or selected tasks. If you choose Selected Tasks then you will be required toclick Next in order to select from your task list those tasks you wish to include in the exporteddocument. You can also organize your tasks by grouping completed and uncompleted tasks together,labeling tasks complete or uncompleted or not labeling tasks.





Saving Your File

When you have completed the wizard and selected all your options, click Export to open the Save As

dialog and enter the file name for your new document. Click Save and Movie Outline will create thenew file and (if Open File After Export was chosen in Preferences) open the document. If you haveselected not to open the exported file then Movie Outline will display a dialog with its location on your computer.

When exporting to HTML you have the option of splitting your web page into multiple pages bychecking the Split into multiple HTML pages option which is enabled by default. This option isadvised because some browsers may have difficulty displaying large files. It also makes it easier toread a large document.



Import & Export 155


File Formats

Movie Outline can export selected elements of your project to various file formats as set forth below:

Plain Text

This type of file has the extension (.txt) and can be opened and edited in various other word-processing applications such as Microsoft® Word. This format does not support styled text andlayout but when exporting a script with the layout option checked, Movie Outline will retain screenplayformatting.

Rich Text

This type of file has the extension (.rtf) and can also be opened and edited in various other word-processing applications such as Microsoft® Word. This format supports styled text and layout.Your project's Title Page and Headers & Footers can also be exported to this format.

Adobe® PDF

This type of file has the extension (.pdf) and can be opened by Adobe® Acrobat Reader . This formatsupports styled text and layout. Your project's Title Page and Headers & Footers can also be exportedto this format as well as a PowerView Structure Key and step block colors if selected via ExportOptions.

HTML Web Page

This type of file has the extension (.html) and can be opened by web browsers such as InternetExplorer and Safari, allowing you to upload your project to be viewed on the internet. This formatsupports styled text and layout and can include a PowerView Structure Key and step block colors if selected via Export Options.

Final Draft ® 8

This type of file has the extension (.fdx) and can be opened by Final Draft ® 8 and other applicationsaccepting this xml format.

Scheduling Format

This type of file has the extension (.sex) and can be opened by scheduling and productionmanagement programs such as Movie Magic™ Scheduling, Gorilla Software and Showbiz Scheduling.

Movie Outline Reference File

This type of file has the extension (.mvr) and can only be opened by Movie Outline and viewed fromthe Library within the Reference Section of the program. Saving your outline or script in this formatretains text style and layout, PowerView Structure and can also include FeelFactor data but no other project information is retained. If you select the Secure option then the contents can be viewed butnot copied.





Project Info

Select Project Info from the Options Menu to display a window into which you can enter informationabout your project for your own reference as well as for Printing and Exporting. You can also insertthis information into your Headers & Footers using special <Tags>.

Project Title

The title of your project.

Author

The author(s) name.

Creation Date

The date the project was created or last modified. The current date is entered for new projects.

Copyright

Copyright information about your project.

Genre

The genre of your story i.e. Horror, Thriller, Action-Movie etc.

Theme

A brief explanation of your story's principle theme or thematic subplot.

Logline / Synopsis

A brief synopsis of your story or a pitch, i.e. Two cops go head to head over a beautiful female thief.



Step Editing

18





Step Editing

Find & Replace

Selecting this option from the Edit Menu or via the upper Toolbar displays the Find & Replace window.

Enter a word or phrase in the Find what text field and click Find Next to search for the word withineither your Outline, Script, Notes, Story Tasks or Title Page, as set in the drop-down search locationmenu. If the searched word is found then Movie Outline will display the current step or task in whichthe word first appears and select the text in the corresponding text field.

Replace

If you enter a word in the Replace with text field and click this button then the original word will bereplaced with your chosen word and if Continue Search after Find & Replace is enabled viaPreferences then the search will automatically resume from the point onwards until the word is foundagain.

Replace All

If you enter a word in the Replace with text field and click this button then every occurrence of thisword in your selected search location will be replaced with your chosen word. This facility is useful if you realize you have made the same spelling mistake a number of times throughout your project andwant to correct the error, or if you wish to change the name of a character or location wherever itappears in your project.

Start Over

Select this to begin the search again from the selected search start point as defined in your searchoptions.



Step Editing 159


Search Options

Here you can choose to start your search from either the current step/task or first step/task in your outline/task list. You can also narrow your search to only finding whole words that match and matchingcase.

Goto

Selecting this option from the Edit Menu displays the Find & Replace window and Goto Panel. Selecta step or script page to go to from the drop-down menu or enter a value in the text field and click Goto.

If on the PowerView Panel, Goto will expand the selected step, revealing itscontent.

Insert Symbol

Choosing this option from the Edit Menu displays the Symbol window which allows you to select aspecial character and insert it into the current text field.





Merge Steps

Selecting this option from the Edit Menu displays the Merge Steps window which allows you to select anumber of steps in your outline and merge these into a single step.

When a merge occurs all outline, script, notes, formatting and style are merged along with whichcharacters were in each original step but each character's step specific arc data and FeelFactor datais not included in the merged step. This action can be reversed by selecting Undo Merge Steps fromthe Edit Menu. This option is disabled when viewing the Script Panel or Scene Cards in Full ScriptMode.

Copy & Paste

Select these options from the Edit Menu to copy the entire contents of a step or task to the clipboardand paste (insert) them into another position in your outline or task list. You can also use Keyboard

Shortcuts.



Step Editing 161


Contextual Menus

Right-clicking (Windows) or Control+Click (Mac) on any textfield within Movie Outline will display a menu with a list of

options related to the nearest word or selected text in thatfield.

Most menus will display editing functions as depicted below,such as Undo / Redo, Cut, Copy, Paste, Clear and SelectAll.

Some fields may display Style and Alignment sub-menuoptions.

If the nearest word to the insertion point or selected word ismisspelled the menu will display a list of correctly spelledalternatives as explained in the Spelling section.

If the word is in the Thesaurus then a sub-menu and list ofSynonyms (similar words) will be displayed as explained inthe Thesaurus section.

If the selected text matches the name of a character youhave added to your project then the menu will display aSelected Character sub-menu where you can choose toedit the character's profile of go to the next or last step inwhich that character appeared, as set and explained in theCharacter Arcs section.

You can also SmartSearch a selected word via the menu and display the results inPowerView.





Keyboard Shortcuts

Action Mac Windows

Add Step / Task Cmd + K Ctrl + K

Delete Step / Task Cmd + L Ctrl + LHighlight / De-Highlight Step / Task Cmd + F6 Ctrl + F6

First Step / Task Cmd + Option + Arrow Left Ctrl + Alt + Arrow Left

Step Back Cmd + Option + Arrow Up Ctrl + Alt + Arrow Up

Step Forward Cmd + Option + Arrow Down Ctrl + Alt + Arrow Down

Last Step / Task Cmd + Option + Arrow Right Ctrl + Alt + Arrow Right

Copy Step / Task Cmd + D Ctrl + D

Paste Step / Task Cmd + R Ctrl + R

Change Panel View Option +(Arrow Left / Arrow Right)

Alt +(Arrow Left / Arrow Right)

Undo Cmd + Z Ctrl + ZRedo Cmd + Shift + Z Ctrl + Y

Cut Selected Text Cmd + X Ctrl + X

Copy Selected Text Cmd + C Ctrl + C

Paste Text Cmd + V Ctrl + V

Paste As Script Cmd + J Ctrl + J

Insert Special Character Cmd + M Ctrl + M

Find & Replace Cmd + F Ctrl + F

Goto Cmd + G Ctrl + G

Bold Text Cmd + B Ctrl +B

Italic Text Cmd + I Ctrl + I

Underline Text Cmd + U Ctrl + U

New Project Cmd + N Ctrl + N

Open Project Cmd + O Ctrl + O

Save Project Cmd + S Ctrl + S

Print Cmd + P Ctrl + P

Character Profile Wizard Cmd + W Ctrl + W

Dialogue Spotlight Cmd + T Ctrl + T

Zoom In to Script Cmd and "+" Ctrl and "+"

Zoom Out of Script Cmd and "-" Ctrl and "-"

Exit / Quit Cmd + Q Ctrl + E

Undo & Redo

Movie Outline's unlimited undo facility (accessed via the Edit Menu or Contextual Menus) recordsevery action made during a session (be it typing, adding a character or replacing a word etc) by savingthe project's state before the action is made, giving you the peace of mind that every mistake can becorrected and every action reversed, even after a save.



Preferences

19





Preferences

General

Selecting Preferences from the Options Menu (Windows) or Movie Outline 3 Menu (Mac) displaysthe Preferences window which is depicted below with the General options panel selected.

Show Reference List on Reference Outline Load

When enabled the Reference List will automatically display when a new Reference Outline is loaded.

Show Reference Panel on Reference Outline Load

When enabled the Reference Panel will automatically display when a new Reference Outline is loaded.

Show Tips on First Add Step of each session

When enabled the Tips window will open the first time you add a step in a new session.

Auto-Save

Enabled by default, this feature automatically saves your project at the selected interval (as set in thedrop-down menu). This facility is useful if there's a power failure or your computer unexpectedlycrashes and forces Movie Outline to close before recent project modifications have been saved.

Ask before Auto-Save

When enabled, this will prompt you for confirmation before saving recent changes to your project.When unchecked, Movie Outline will automatically save the current project without asking you.



Preferences 165


Load Last Project on Startup

When enabled, this will automatically load the last project you were working on when the applicationlaunches.

Recent File Menu

Select from the drop-down menu the number of recently opened project files displayed in the FileMenu.

Auto Backup

Enabled by default, this feature automatically saves a copy of the last saved project file to a backupdirectory (as set in File Locations) every time you save your project. This facility is useful if youaccidentally save changes to your project then realize that the changes you made were wrong. In thisinstance you can simply navigate to the backup directory, find the last saved backup file and re-open it

as a new project.

Play Sound on Console Action

When enabled this option plays sounds to indicate actions made via the Console.

Lock PowerView Parent Section when editing Sub-Sections

When enabled this option keeps sub-sections within the bounds of their parent sections as defined inthe PowerView Structure Window. This means that the size of a sub-section can only be increased upuntil the end point of its parent section. If this option is unchecked, then the parent's section becomes“flexible”, meaning that its end point will continue to increase as its last sub-section's end pointincreases.

Check for Update every week

When enabled Movie Outline will automatically check on startup whether a newer version of thesoftware is available and give you the option to download it. If you disable this option then you canalways Check For Updates yourself via the Help Menu.





Editing

Selecting Preferences from the Options Menu (Windows) or Movie Outline 3 Menu (Mac) displaysthe Preferences window which is depicted below with the Editing options panel selected.

Smart Cut & Paste

When enabled, cutting selected text from a text field or pasting into a text field will automaticallyremove duplicate blank spaces between words that would normally be left after the cut or paste action.

Overtype Mode

When enabled and the Insert Key is on then any text typed in a main text field will replace the existingtext that proceeds the insertion point as opposed to inserting the typed text before it.

Continue Search after Find & Replace

When enabled, Movie Outline will automatically continue its search for a word after making areplacement.

Check Spelling as you type

When enabled, Movie Outline underlines misspelled words with a squiggly red line.

Ignore UK English Spelling Variations

When enabled, Movie Outline will ignore common spelling variations between US and UK English suchas "realize" and "realise", or "neighbor" and "neighbour".



Preferences 167


Paste As Script when in Script Mode

When enabled and writing in Script Mode on the Script Tab, Movie Outline will automatically analyzeyour clipboard text and convert it into screenplay formatted text when pasting text that has been copiedfrom another program. This option will be ignored when you copy and paste from within Movie Outline.

In this case the original style and formatting of the copied text will be pasted exactly as it was.

Retain Script Format for element drag, cut & paste

When enabled and writing in Script Mode on the Script Tab, Movie Outline will retain the formatting of elements that are being dragged, copied or pasted in or over other elements in order to preserve thecorrect screenplay format.

This also means that when you drag, copy or paste partial dialogue or parenthetical text, Movie Outlinewill automatically add the associated character name to the text when it is inserted into its newposition. Similarly, if a character's name is removed from its associated dialogue, Movie Outline willreplace it so dialogue and/or parenthetical is not orphaned.

Auto-capitalize first word of sentence

When enabled, Movie Outline will automatically capitalize the first word of every sentence as you type,unless you have enabled Except when directly preceded by Shot.

File Locations

Selecting Preferences from the Options Menu (Windows) or Movie Outline 3 Menu (Mac) displaysthe Preferences window which is depicted below with the File Locations options panel selected.

Project Directory

The location on your computer where you wish to save your project files - by default this is set to:





My Documents > Movie Outline Documents > Projects (Windows)Documents > Movie Outline Documents > Projects (Mac)

PowerView Template Directory

The location on your computer where you wish to save PowerView Template files - by default this isset to:

My Documents > Movie Outline Documents > Templates (Windows)Documents > Movie Outline Documents > Templates (Mac)

Default PowerView Template

The default PowerView Template for new and imported projects. By default, this field is left blank andthe classic 3 Act Structure is used.

Auto-Backup Directory

The location on your computer where you wish to backup your project files - by default this is set to:

My Documents > Movie Outline Documents > Backup (Windows)Documents > Movie Outline Documents > Backup (Mac)

Browse Location

Click the (...) browse button beside each text field to select a new location for any of the above options.

Fonts & Sizes

Selecting Preferences from the Options Menu (Windows) or Movie Outline 3 Menu (Mac) displaysthe Preferences window which is depicted below with the Fonts & Sizes options panel selected.



Preferences 169


Select from the drop-down menus the default font and text size you wish to use for new and importedprojects. The font and text size can be changed for each project via the respective panel view.

PowerView

PowerView automatically displays text in the current outline, script and notes fonts (as defined on their respective panel view) but you can change the default text size for new and imported projects and alsochange this size for each project via the Font Size Menu on the PowerView panel.

Script Options

Selecting Preferences from the Options Menu (Windows) or Movie Outline 3 Menu (Mac) displaysthe Preferences window which is depicted below with the Script Options panel selected.

Show Page Break on Normal View

When enabled, a red-dotted line indicates the position of each page break on the Script Panel andTitle Page when these views are displayed without the virtual page around them as set in the FormatMenu.

Break Dialogue & Action at Sentences

When this and Script Mode is enabled, Movie Outline intelligently breaks sections of dialogue andaction at sentences when a paragraph of text continues over two pages, so that your script isformatted correctly.

Reset Style for New Element

When enabled, starting a new Element resets the text style instead of retaining the previous element'sstyle.





Reset Headers & Footers on New Project

When enabled, Headers & Footers will be reset to their default values for new and imported projects.

Reset Margins on New Project

When enabled, Margins will be reset to their default values for new and imported projects.

Reset Element Values on New Project

When enabled, Elements will be reset to their default values for new and imported projects.

Reset Dialogue & Scene Breaks on New Project

When enabled, Mores & Continueds will be reset to their default values for new and imported projects.

Scene Numbering

Here you can set the default style, left and right margin values for the scene numbers that aredisplayed beside scene headings in your script. If you enable Use for New Projects then thesevalues will be applied for all new project files unless you load another project with different values andthen click OK or Reset.

Auto-Complete

Selecting Preferences from the Options Menu (Windows) or Movie Outline 3 Menu (Mac) displaysthe Preferences window which is depicted below with the Auto-Complete options panel selected.



Preferences 171


Auto-Complete Character

Enables the auto-completion of Character Names.

Auto-Complete Scene Heading

Enables the auto-completion of Scene Headings.

Auto-Complete Transition

Enables the auto-completion of Transitions.

Guess Next Character

With this enabled auto-complete will suggest the next Character Name for the next section of dialogueby intelligently guessing which character the previous character was talking to.

Tab from Character to Extension

When enabled, tabbing after entering a character name will display a list of extensions.

Automatically add Time Separator to Location Auto-Complete

When enabled, the current time separator (usually “-”) is automatically appended to your text whenauto-completing the location of your scene heading.

Auto-Complete Color

Click the Color Button to select the color of suggested text for auto-complete.

Clicking Reset will reset the color to its default value of gray.

Step Title Auto-Complete

It is also possible to use auto-complete when typing headings for each step on the Outline Panel.

Auto-complete for the Title Field is enabled by default but will only function if you click on the BlueArrow to the right of the field. When clicked, a small Script Icon will appear indicating that the TitleField will now function as a scene heading and your text will be automatically capitalized.

Show Step Title Auto-Complete Window

By default, the auto-complete window will always appear when auto-complete is enabled but it ispossible to use the auto-complete function and display suggested text without the window appearing.If you prefer not view the window then uncheck this option.





Show Script Auto-Complete Window

By default, the auto-complete window will always appear when auto-complete is enabled for aparticular element but it is possible to use the auto-complete function and display suggested textwithout the window appearing. If you prefer not view the window then uncheck this option.

If the auto-complete window is open and you want to close it, simply use one of thearrow keys or click your mouse on the text field.

Import & Export

Selecting Preferences from the Options Menu (Windows) or Movie Outline 3 Menu (Mac) displaysthe Preferences window which is depicted below with the Import & Export options panel selected.

Consider “Back To...” Scene Heading on Import

When enabled, a line of imported text that begins with “Back To...” (such as “Back to Apartment”) willbe considered a Scene Heading and its paragraph element will be set to this value. Furthermore, if the Split Into Steps option was checked on the Import window then this element will be added as anew step with the paragraph of text that follows it in the original imported document becoming that newstep's content.

Add Characters to Project on Import

When enabled, Movie Outline will automatically add a new character to the imported project for everycharacter name it encounters during the Import As Script process.

Sort Characters on Import

When enabled and the Add Characters to Project option is also enabled then Movie Outline willautomatically sort the list of imported characters alphabetically when the import is complete.



Preferences 173


Open File after Export

When enabled, Movie Outline will automatically launch a newly created file after a successful Exportaction.

Encoding Options

Here you can select which encoding to use for export to HTML, Rich Text and Plain Text files. If youare normally working with files on the same computer or computers with the same operating systemand region settings then you will not need to use this feature. However, if you commonly exchangedocuments with users on different platforms or in different parts of the world then you may need tomanually select different encodings to ensure that text is displayed correctly when the document isopened. PDF documents should display as you see them but some languages may require specificfonts to be installed on your computer.

Step / Scene Mode

Selecting Preferences from the Options Menu (Windows) or Movie Outline 3 Menu (Mac) displaysthe Preferences window which is depicted below with the Import & Export options panel selected.

Highlight Scene Heading on Scene Navigation

When enabled and working in Full Script Mode, Movie Outline will highlight the scene heading that youhave navigated to using the Scene List.

Highlight All Empty Steps

When enabled and working in Full Script Mode, Movie Outline will display empty step markersindicating which steps do not currently have script content.





Show Step Division Lines

When enabled and working in Full Script Mode, Movie Outline will display step division markersindicating the beginning and end of steps.

Scene Heading Navigation Animation Speed

This slider controls the speed of the scene heading highlight explained above.

Link Script Position with Card View Scene List Index

When enabled (by default) and working in Full Script Mode, Movie Outline will synchronize the index(current scene position) of the Scene List between Script Panel and Scene Cards.

This means that if you navigate to scene 33 on Scene Cards then switch back to the Script Panel, thescript position will also be at scene 33. However, following the same example with this option disabledand your script position will be in the same place you left it unless you have rearranged your SceneCards.



Glossary

20





Glossary

Glossary of Screenw ri t ing Terms

Action

The scene description, character movement, and sounds as described in ascreenplay.

For example:

The sounds of TYPING rise above all the rest asMAX sits at his computer writing his essay. Hestops to sigh. Looks at what he's written.Reaches over to the mouse. Highlights it all.

And erases it.

AERIAL SHOT

Use only when necessary. This suggests a shot be taken from a plane or helicopter (not a crane). For example, if a scene takes place on a tall building,you may want to have an aerial shot of the floor the action takes place on.

ANGLE ON

A type of shot. This usually occurs in scenes taking place in large settings.

For example: if you're at a playground and little Billy is playing in the grasswhile his sister Jenny is playing on the structure. To get from a detail shot of Billy playing to Jenny playing you'd use "ANGLE ON STRUCTURE" to suggest

a new shot featuring Jenny. You're still in the same location, but the director knows to point the camera a different direction.

Note: this is often implied by simple scene description. Use ANGLE ON withgood purpose.

Beat

Many scripts will use the parenthetical (beat) to interrupt a line of dialogue. A"beat" suggests the actor should pause a moment, in silence, beforecontinuing the scene. "Beats" are often interchangeable with ellipses "..."

b.g. (background)

Used to describe anything occurring in a rear plane of action (the background

as opposed to the main action or attention is focused in the foreground). Always use this term in lower case initials or written in full ("background"). For example: two people talk as Bill and Ted fight in the b.g.

Character



Glossary 177


In a screenplay, the name appears in all caps the first time a character isintroduced in the "Action." The character's name can then be written normally,in the action, the rest of the script.

For Example: The limo pulls up to the curb. DAISY, an elderly woman sits in

the car as MORGAN, the driver, steps out and opens the door for her. Daisy isdressed in evening-wear, ready for an Opera. Character's names alwaysappear in all CAPS when speaking.

For Example:

DAISY You've been a darling, Morgan. Here's twenty dollars.

CLOSE ON

See also INSERT and Shot.

CLOSE ON is a shot description that strongly suggests a close-up on someobject, action, or person (an expressive body part such as the face, or a fist).

May also be seen as CLOSEUP / C.U. or CLOSE SHOT

CLOSER ANGLE

We move in for a new angle nearer to the subject. This is more of an editingterm, but can be mentioned in the screenplay when necessary.

CONTINUOUS





Sometimes, instead of DAY or NIGHT at the end of a SLUGLINE/LocationDescription, you'll see CONTINUOUS.

Basically, continuous refers to action that moves from one location to another

without any interruptions in time. For example, in an action movie, the heromay run from the airport terminal into a parking garage. The sequence mayinclude cuts, but the audience would perceive the action as a continuoussequence of events from the terminal to the lobby to the street to the garage tothe second floor to a car etc. CONTINUOUS is generally optional in writing andcan be dropped altogether.

For Example:

INT. AIRPORT LOBBY - DAY

JANET looks over her shoulder. The MEN IN BLACK are still after her, toppling innocent passersby

and sending luggage flying across the linoleum floor. Janet faces forward again and nearly runssmack into a nun. She apologizes and pushesthrough the glass doors.

EXT. STREET - CONTINUOUS

Janet stumbles to the curb, stopping short ofthe honking traffic. As a bus flies by, blastingher with wind, she steps out into traffic. A carSWERVES to avoid her! She GASPS, looks back. Themen in black are there.

Here CONTINUOUS is used for the slugline (EXT. STREET - CONTINUOUS)and represents no time passing between changes in location.

CONTRAZOOM



Glossary 179


The Hitchcock zoom, also known as the contra-zoom or the Vertigo effect is anunsettling in-camera special effect that appears to undermine normal visualperception in a way that is difficult to describe. This effect was used by AlfredHitchcock in his film Vertigo. It rarely appears in a screenplay.

In the Hitchcock zoom, the setting of a zoom lens is used to adjust the field of view at the same time as the camera moves towards or away from the subjectin such a way as to keep the subject the same size in the frame throughout.

Thus, during the zoom, there is a continuous perspective distortion, the mostdirectly noticeable feature of which is that the background "changes size"relative to the subject. As the human visual system uses both size andperspective cues to judge the relative sizes of objects, seeing a perspectivechange without a size change is a highly unsettling effect, and the emotionalimpact of this effect is much greater than the description above can suggest.

The Hitchcock zoom is commonly used by film-makers to represent thesensation of vertigo, or to suggest that undergoing a realization that causes

them to reassess everything they had previously believed. A notable use of thiseffect is in Jaws when Chief Brody sees the mayhem in the water from thebeach, or in Goodfellas, where director Martin Scorsese uses the Hitchcockzoom in a scene during the climax of the film: Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) andJimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) are sitting in a restaurant, talking. Henryrealizes that Jimmy is setting him up and betraying their lifelong friendship; asthis happens, the perspective in the background changes in a slow, gradualmanner.

CRAWL

This is a term used for superimposed titles or text intended to moveacross/up/down/diagonally on screen. For example, the text at the beginningof Star Wars movies "Crawls" up into infinity. Or, the written words "(crawl)" in

Unforgiven.

CROSSFADE:

This is like a "Fade to black then Fade to next scene." In other words, as onescene fades out, a moment of black interrupts before the next scene fades in.It is not to be confused with DISSOLVE, since CROSSFADE always involves ablack or blank screen.

CUT TO:

The most simple and common transition. Since this transition is implied by achange of scene, it may be used sparingly to help intensify character changesand emotional shifts. The transition describes a change of scene over thecourse of one frame.

Dialogue

Very simply, this is what people are supposed to say according to the script.

Director





The person who visualizes the movie based on the script, creates shots,suggests how the actors should portray their characters, and helps to edit thefinal cut. Basically, the person in charge of putting converting a script into amovie.

DISSOLVE TO:

A common transition. As one scene fades out, the next scene fades into place.This type of transition is generally used to convey some passage of time and isvery commonly used in montages such as seen in Bugsy .

Dolly

A mechanism on which a camera can be moved around a scene or location.Simple dollies involve a tripod on wheels. Dolly shots are moving shots.

ESTABLISHING SHOT

A shot, usually from a distance, that shows us where we are. A shot thatsuggests location. Often used at the beginning of a film to suggest where the

story takes place. For example, if our story takes place in New York, we mightuse a shot of the Manhattan skyline as an establishing shot.

EXT.

Exterior. This scene takes place out of doors. This is mostly for producers tofigure out the probable cost of a film project.

EXTREMELY LONG SHOT (XLS):

Means the camera is placed a very long distance from the subject or action.Generally, this term would be left out of a screenplay and left to the director todecide. Use only when necessary.

FADE TO: / FADE IN:

See also DISSOLVE TO:

This is commonly used as a DISSOLVE to a COLOR. Commonly, you'll seethis as:

FADE TO:

BLACK

FADE IN:

NEXT SCENE

This usually suggests it's not the end of the movie, but it is the end of a major movement in the film. The "Next Scene" is often days, months, or years after the previous scenes. Sometimes titles will appear in the blackness to declare apassage of time. But this transition is often a sign of a major shift in time or emotional status for the main characters. It may also be used to suggest acharacter has been knocked out or killed. Fade In is also sometimes used atthe start of a screenplay.



Glossary 181


FAVOR ON

A particular character or action is highlighted or "favored" in a shot. The focusis basically centered on someone or something in particular. Use only whennecessary.

Feature Film

In the olden days of cinema, people watched a series of short films. Then, asfilms became longer, they would watch some short films and one long film. Thelong film became the main attraction, hence the term feature film. Today,feature films are generally defined as any film at least one hour long thatpeople pay to see.

FLASH CUT:

An extremely brief shot, sometimes as short as one frame, which is nearlysubliminal in effect. Also a series of short staccato shots that create a rhythmiceffect.

FLASHBACK:

Sometimes used as a transition or at the start of slugline to denote a sequencethat happened in the past. This can be followed by BACK TO PRESENT DAY if required or the writer can use PRESENT DAY as the time of day at the end of the proceeding slugline instead of just DAY.

FREEZE FRAME:

The picture stops moving, becoming a still photograph, and holds for a periodof time.

INSERT

When a writer pictures a certain close-up at a certain moment in the film, he or she may use an insert shot. This describes a shot of some important detail in ascene that must be given the camera's full attention for a moment. Inserts aremainly used in reference to objects, a clock, or actions, putting a key in a car'signition.

For example: if there's a clock in the room. the writer might have reason for theaudience to get a good glimpse of the clock and as such would use an insertshot to suggest the director get a closer shot of the clock at a particular point inthe scene.

Note: often; writing important objects in CAPS will convey their importance inthe scene and give the director more freedom and a greater feeling of importance. Use inserts only when truly important.

INT.

Interior. This scene takes place indoors. This is mostly for producers to figureout the probable cost of a film project.

INTERCUT: / Intercutting





Some scripts may use the term INTERCUT: as a transition or INTERCUTBETWEEN. At this point, two scenes will be shown a few moments each, backand forth. For example, if Laura is stuck in her flaming house and the firedepartment in on the way, a screenplay may call for intercutting between theflames closing in on Laura and the fire fighters riding across town to save her.

Note: this is a style that can be written around with standard scene breaks. It'smore to prepare the reader for the upcoming slug line bonanza.

INTO FRAME:

See also: INTO VIEW:

The audience can only see so much through the window of a movie screen.Use this term to suggest something or someone comes into the picture whilethe camera stays put. It's like a character or object coming from off stage in thetheater. For example: Forrest Gump sits on the bench. OLD WOMAN INTOFRAME. She sits next to him.

INTO VIEW:

See also: INTO FRAME:

The audience can only see so much through the window of a movie screen.Use this term to suggest something or someone comes into the picture whilethe camera pulls back (pans, etc) to reveal more of the scene.

Iris Out

See also WIPE TO:

Also written as: IRIS FADE OUT or IRIS FADE IN. Used at the end of Star Wars scripts, this term refers to a wipe from the center of the frame out in all

directions. It's as if the iris of a human eye were opening for dimly lit situationsto take us into the next scene or the ending credits as is the case with Star Wars.

JUMP CUT TO:



Glossary 183


A transition which denotes a linkage of shots in a scene in which theappearance of real continuous time has been interrupted by omission. Imaginesetting a camera down to film a person. You record him for five minutes. Butas it turns out, you have only a one minute time limit on your project. You have

no special editing tools, just a couple of VCRs. But you realize that most of theimportant stuff is said in a few short moments. If you cut out the unimportantparts and edit together the parts you want based on a single camera angle, youwill have what are called jump cuts. Transitions from one moment to the nextwithin a scene that appear jarring because they break the direct flow of filmictime and space. This transition is usually used to show a very brief ellipsis of time.

A good example of Jump Cuts can be seen in the movie Elizabeth when thequeen practices her speech. The jump cuts make us disoriented and nervousalong with the queen, giving us the tension and humor of the situation as if itwere an out-take reel. Bad examples of Jump Cuts would be in B-movies likeMothra where they don't have the money to get scenes from various angles, sothey cut from one important moment to the next from the same angle.

LAP DISSOLVE:

See also DISSOLVE:

A transition between scenes that is achieved by fading out one shot while thenext one grows clearer.

MATCH CUT TO:

A transition often used to compare two completely unrelated objects. It's film'sversion of metaphor. This involves cutting from one object of certain color,shape, and/or movement, to another object of similar color, shape, and/or movement. For example, a circular saw to a child's merry-go-round.

A commonly studied example of match cutting comes from 2001: A SpaceOdyssey. The classic cut comes towards the beginning of the film. After theapes have used a bone as a weapon for gathering food, an ape throws thebone into the air. As it falls, we match cut to a space ship carrying nuclear warheads. Both the bone and the ship are of similar shape and color, and bothhappen to be moving towards the bottom of the screen. The cut relates all of technology to the development of weaponry as it cuts out all of human history.

MATCH DISSOLVE TO:

See also MATCH CUT TO: / DISSOLVE TO:

This contains similar qualities to the MATCH CUT. A match dissolve involvestwo objects of similar color, shape, and/or movement in transition from one

scene to the next.

For example: if Scene A is following (tracking) an arrow whizzing through theforest, one might match dissolve to a tracking shot, in Scene B of a bulletwhizzing through the inner city.

Montage





From the French term "to assemble". In film, a series of images showing atheme, a contradiction, or the passage of time. This film style became commonin Russia in the early years of cinema. Russians were the first to truly useediting to tell a story. Some early examples of montage include City Symphony's and Man With a Movie Camera. Modern day examples can be

seen in Goodfellas and Bugsy .

MOS

Mit Out Sound (Original German) Moment of Silence (Made up Englishmemory device). Now hardly ever used.

O.C. / O.S.

Off-Camera or Off-Screen. This is the abbreviation sometimes seen next to theCHARACTER'S name before certain bits of dialogue. It means the writer specifically wants the voice to come from somewhere unseen.

Pan

See Also: Swish Pan

Camera movement involving the camera turning on a stationary axis. Imaginestanding in one spot on a cliff in Hawaii. You want to absorb the view so you,without moving your body or feet, turn your head from the left to the right. Thisis the same effect as a pan.

Parenthetical

If an actor should deliver his or her lines in a particular way, a screenplay willcontain a description in parentheses to illustrate the point. Parentheticalsshould be used only in cases where a line of dialogue should be read in someway contrary to logic. If used too often, actor's and director's egos get hurt, andthings get messy. It should not be used for action description.

For Example:

JULIE

(calmly) I hate you. I hate you. I hate you.

POV

Point of View. The camera replaces the eyes (sometimes the ears) of acharacter, monster, machine, surveillance camera, etc. As a result, we get tosee the world through the sensory devices of some creature. This can be usedto bring out the personal aspects of a scene, or it can be used to build horror and suspense. An example of horror and suspense in POV can be scene inthe opening shot of Halloween.

PULL BACK:

The camera physically moves away from a subject, usually through a zoom or dolly action.

PULL FOCUS:



Glossary 185


The camera focus changes from one object or subject to another.

For example:

PULL FOCUS TO INCLUDE POLICE CAR IN B/G.

PUSH IN:

The camera physically moves towards a subject.

REVERSE ANGLE

Often used to reveal things for comic or dramatic effect. Could be described asa counter POV shot. Basically, the script suggests the camera come around180 degrees to get a shot from the "other side" of a scene. For example, in theThere's Something About Mary script, Tucker is playing a joke on Mary in her office in one scene that the writers didn't want to reveal right away. They use a

REVERSE ANGLE to show that he's got two tongue depressors in his upper lipto represent teeth. This reverse angle is used for comic effect.

Scene

An event that takes place entirely in one location or time. If we go outside frominside, it's a new scene. If we cut to five minutes later, it's a new scene. If both,it's a new scene. Scenes can range from one shot to infinity and aredistinguished by slug lines.

Shooting Script

This is the truly final draft used on set by the production people, actors, anddirector to make the movie from the screenplay.

Shot

One image. If there's a cut, you've changed shots. Shots can range from splitseconds to several minutes. Shots are generally chosen by the director although the writer can use capital letters to suggest where the camera shouldbe. When a writer absolutely must have a certain shot at a certain moment in afilm, he has a few options each described in detail elsewhere in this list:INSERT, ANGLE ON, and CLOSE ON.

Slug Line

The text in all CAPS at the beginning of a scene that briefly describes thelocation and time of day.

For example:

INT. JIMMY'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Note: sometimes sluglines are abbreviated to something as simple as "LATER"or "BEDROOM" to maintain the pace and flow of a sequence.

SMASH CUT TO:





An especially sharp transition. This style of cut is usually used to conveydestruction or quick emotional changes. For example: If you were writing ahorror movie but wanted to lighten the gore at the beginning, you might have:

EXT. FOREST - NIGHT

A YOUNG GIRL races away from her tormentor butthen trips and falls. The KILLER enters theforest clearing, taking a moment to savor thisdeath. The Girl shakes her head, as if beggingfor the killer to change his mind. But no, hecloses in, a black cloaked arm raising the knifeinto the air. The knife catches the moonlightfor just a moment before it races downwards.

SMASH CUT TO:

EXT. HIGH SCHOOL COURTYARD - DAY

It's a bright and beautiful morning and a bunchof kids wander the courtyard on their way toclass.

The sudden shift from a dark forest to a bright schoolyard on the first stabwould convey the distress of the murder without showing it.

Note: this transition is often a director's choice. As a writer, use this sparingly if

at all.

Spec Script / Screenplay

If a writer finishes his/her own screenplay outside the studio system (it isn't anassignment) then sends it to the studios for consideration, it is a spec script.

SPLIT SCREEN SHOT:

The space of the frame is split into two, three, or more frames each with their own subject. Usually the events shown in each section of the split screen aresimultaneous. But Split screen can also be used to show flashbacks or other events. For example, two people are talking on the phone. They're in differentlocations, but you wish to show the reactions of both simultaneously. SplitScreen is used prominently in 24 to show simultaneous action and events

unfolding.

Steadicam

A camera built to remain stable while being moved, usually by human hands.Occasionally, seen in scripts to suggest a handheld shot be used in a scene,although a steadicam is smoother than a regular handheld shot and as suchproduces a different result.

STOCK SHOT:



Glossary 187


Footage of events in history, from other films, etc. Basically, anything that'salready filmed and you intend to be edited into the movie. For example, the Austin Powers movies use stock footage for comic effect. Some old B fi lmsuse stock footage to keep their budgets low.

SUPER:

Abbreviation for superimpose. The superimposition of one thing over another in the same shot. Sometimes TITLES are superimposed over scenes. Or aface can be superimposed over a stream-of-consciousness montage shot.

Swish Pan

A quick snap of the camera from one object to another that blurs the frame andis often used as a transition. Sometimes called a FLASH PAN. Cuts are oftenhidden in swish pans, or they can be used to disorient or shock the audience.

TIGHT ON

A close-up of a person or thing used for dramatic effect. A tight frame encloses

a subject with very little space surrounding it. Not in common use. Use onlywhen necessary.

TIME CUT

When you want to cut to later in a scene, you have the option of writing TIMECUT as the transition. For example, if two people walk into a restaurant andtheir conversation is important at first then veers off into topics not important toyour story, then you might want to time cut from the drinks to the main courseand then again to paying the check.

Tracking Shot (Track, Tracking, Traveling)

A tracking shot involves a camera following a person or an object. As long asthe camera isn't locked down in place by a tripod, for example, and is following

(tracking) a subject, then it's a tracking shot. For good examples of trackingshots, watch the one take episode of The X-Files, any episode of ER or thefirst shots of Touch of Evil and The Player .

Trailer

In the olden days of cinema, the advertisements for upcoming attractions wereusually played after the end of the movie. Hence, they became known astrailers. But, as credits reels have grown in size over the years, audienceswould often leave before watching these advertisements and "trailers" became"previews." But the name is still in common use. A trailer is a theatricaladvertisement for an upcoming film attraction.

Transition

These describe the style in which one scene becomes the next. Usedappropriately, these can be used to convey shifts in character developmentand emotion. In other words, a CUT TO: is not required at every scene change.Some major transitions include CUT TO:, DISSOLVE TO:, MATCH CUT TO:,JUMP CUT TO:, SMASH CUT TO:, WIPE TO:, and FADE TO:. Occasionally awriter will make up his own transition. In these cases, the transition is usuallyself-defined (such as BRIGHT WHITE FLASH TO: suggests whiteness will fillthe screen for a brief moment as we pass into the next scene).

V.O.





Voice Over. This abbreviation often appears beside a CHARACTER'S namebefore their dialogue. This means the character voices that dialogue but his or her moving lips are not present in the scene. Voice-over is generally used for narration, such as in the beginning of The Mummy. Or a character's inner thoughts said out loud such that only the audience will hear.

WIPE TO:

A transition in which one scene "wipes away" for the next. Imagine Scene A iswater and Scene B is the substance underneath. A wipe would look like asqueegee pulling Scene A off of Scene B. These usually suggest a passage of time from one scene to the next. The most common and obvious example of

wipes is in the Star Wars franchise.

ZOOM:

The image seems to close in on a person or object making the person or object appear larger (or smaller) on screen. Technically, the lens mechanicallychanges from wide angle to telephoto or vice versa. Notice and recognize thedifference between a zoom and a push in (camera moves closer to subject).Use zoom only when necessary.



Updates

21





Updates

Check For Upd ates

Connect to the internet and select Check For Updates from the Help Menu to see whether a newversion of Movie Outline is available. If an update is available you will be redirected to our website todownload it.

When you replace Movie Outline with a newer version your user preferences willremain intact.



Support

22





Support

Comprehensive information is contained in this guide which can be accessed by pressing F1

(Windows) Cmd-? (Mac) or selecting Movie Outline Help from the Help Menu.

If you cannot find answers to your questions within this guide then here are your other options:

· Getting Started

· SmartHelp

· Online Knowledge Base

· Online Support Form

· Email Support

· Telephone Support

Getting Started

This guide can be accessed from the Help Menu and is intended as an introduction to Movie Outline'skey features. It also tries to give you an idea of how best to use Movie Outline to create your screenplay.

SmartHelp

This can be turned on or off via the lower Toolbar question mark button or via the Help Menu. WhenSmartHelp is active you can view context sensitive help in the Status Bar when you move the mouseover any control or field within the main window.

Online Knowledge Base

Visit our Knowledge Base to view answers to the most frequent questions about Movie Outline.

Online Support Form

Visit our Support Form to contact us with general feedback, technical questions, sales queries, bugreports or anything else you have to say about Movie Outline. Technical Support, however, is onlyavailable to Registered Customers.

Telephone Support

Phone support is available on 1-800-475-1797 during business hours (10am-5pm EST) Mon-Fri. Thisnumber is toll-free for U.S. and most Canadian residents but for callers outside the US and Canada

international toll fees may apply.

http://www.movieoutline.com/support.html

http://www.movieoutline.com/kb.html



Support 193


Support Window

Select Support from the Help Menu to open the Support Window which displays information aboutyour product and support contact information. When your software has been Activated, your SerialNumber will appear in place of the word DEMO.



System Requirements

23



System Requirements 195


System Requirements

Windows ® System Requirements

· Microsoft Windows® 2000/XP/Vista/7 operating system.· 56 MB of available hard drive space

· 1 GHz CPU or higher

· Intel Pentium/Celeron Compatible Processor

· 512 MB RAM

· VGA or higher monitor resolution (800x600 minimum)

Macintosh ® System Requirements

· Mac OS X 10.4 or above operating system

· 80 MB of available hard drive space

· 1 GHz CPU or higher

· PowerPC G4, G5 or Intel-based Processor · 512 MB RAM

· VGA or higher monitor resolution (800x600 minimum)





Index

- 3 -3 Act Structure 72

- A - About Movie Outline 59

Action 81

Activate 12, 59

Activation 22, 24

Activation Key 24

Activation Limit 24, 29 Acts 105

Add Step/Task 46

Add Task 77

Adding Characters 55, 67, 96, 100

Alignment 84, 94

Analyze Dialogue 126

Analyzing Story 40, 123, 124

Applications Folder 20

Arranging Steps 117

Arranging Steps/Tasks 46

Auto-Backup 164, 167

Auto-Complete 63, 85, 89

Auto-Complete Preferences 170

Auto-Save 164

- B -Buy Now 22

- C -Caret 89, 94CD 20

Character 81

Character Arc 96

Character Arcs 67, 100

Character Panel 100

Character Profile Wizard 55, 96

Characters Panel 67

Check For Updates 59, 190

Christopher Vogler 105

Collapse Outline 58

Color-Coding 111

Console 34, 35, 46, 117

Content Field 34, 63

Content Icons 56Contextual Menu 129, 132

Contextual Menus 161

Copy Step/Task 160

CPU 195


Creating Projects 38

Cross-Platform 8

Customizing Elements 84

- D -Deactivate 59

Deactivation 22, 29

Delete Step/Task 46

Delete Task 77


Dialogue 81

Dialogue Breaks 92

Dialogue Spotlight 55, 126

Disk Image 20

Divider 47

dmg 20Drag 'n Drop 117, 118

- E -Edit Menu 52

Element Menu 44

Element Window 84

Elements 54, 89, 176

Encoding 146, 172

Enter Key 89

exe 20Expand Outline 58

Export 50, 71, 78, 91, 106, 143, 148, 156

Export Wizard 148

- F -FeelFactor Graph 124

FeelFactor Key 124



Index 197


FeelFactor Panel 68

FeelFactors 124

File Format 146, 148

File Formats 155

File Locations 167

File Menu 50Final Draft 40, 146, 148, 155

Find & Replace 158

Finder 20

Font Menu 44

Font Size Menu 44

Fonts & Sizes 168

Footer 135, 143, 148, 156

Footers 54

Format Menu 54

Full Screen 141

Full Script Mode 35, 46, 48, 56, 65, 74, 117, 118,160, 173

- G -Getting Started 31, 59

Glossary 176

Goto 159

- H -Hard Disk Space 195Header 135, 143, 148, 156

Headers 54

Headers & Footers 91, 143, 148, 156

Help 192

Help Menu 59

Hero's Journey 105, 111

Highlight Menu 44

Hollywood Script Express 50

HTML Web Page 155

- I -Ideas 77

Import 50, 146

Import & Export 172

Index Cards 118

Insert Symbol 52, 159

Installation ID 24

Installing 20

Integrated eStore 22

Internet Download 20

Interview 96

Introduction 8

Isolate Dialogue 126

- J -Joseph Campbell 105

- K -Keyboard Combinations 89

Keyboard Shortcuts 80, 84, 162

Keywords 114

Knowledge Base 59, 192

- L -Language Settings 172

Library Panel 71


Line Spacing 54, 84, 94

Live Spell Check 129

Load Last Project 164

Lost Serial Number 24

- M -Macintosh 8, 195

Manual Activation 22, 24

Margins 54, 84, 94, 143

Merge Steps 52, 160

Misspelled Word 129

Monitor Resolution 195

Monomyth 105

Mores & Continueds 54, 92

Movie Genres 69, 123Movie Magic 146

Movie Outline Help 59

- N -New Features 10

Notes 77

Notes Panel 66





Novel 8

- O -Operating System 195

Options Menu 56

Organizing Outline 38, 117

OS X 20, 195

Outline 146

Outline List 34, 63

Outline Panel 63

- P -Page Breaks 92

Page Layout 54, 93, 143

Page Setup 50, 141, 143

Page Size 143

Page View 54

Palette Window 42

Panel Views 47

Paragraph Alignment 42

Parent Section 108

Parenthetical 81

Paste Script 52

Paste Step/Task 160

PDF 155

Plain Text File 146, 155

Plot Devices 114

PowerView 106, 108, 114, 118, 135, 148

PowerView Menu 58, 112

PowerView Panel 72

Preferences 35, 56, 164

Presenting Project 40

Print 50, 78, 91, 106, 143, 156

Print Preview 135, 141

Print Wizard 135

Printing 135

Profile 96Project Info 56, 91, 143, 156

Purchase 12, 22

- R -RAM 195

Recent File List 50, 164

Redo 162

Reference File 155

Reference Library 71, 123, 155

Reference List 63

Reference Outline 63

Reference Panel 69

Reference Plugins 8, 59, 69, 71, 123Reformat Hard Drive 29

Region Settings 172

Register Script 50

Relationships 96

Replace All 158

Return Key 89

Rewriting 33

Rich Text File 155

Ruler 54, 65, 78, 91, 94

- S -Sample Project 31, 59

Save 50

Scene Breaks 92

Scene Cards 35, 74, 118, 173

Scene Heading Animation 173

Scene List 35, 74, 118, 173

Scene Navigation 46, 173

Scene Numbers 35, 54, 74, 135, 148, 169

Scenes 33, 38

Scheduling 40, 148, 155Screenplay 8

Screenplay Format 65, 80, 84, 176

Screenplay Writing 38

Screenwriting Terms 176

Script 146

Script Elements 81

Script Layout 93

Script Mode 54

Script Panel 35, 65

Script Preferences 169

Script View 56, 93Serial Number 22, 24, 29

Setup File 20

Setup Wizard 20

Short Story 8

Shot 81

Sitcom 111

Slugline 81

SmartHelp 48, 59



Index 199

SmartSearch 55, 114

Sort Characters 55

Sounds 164

Space Before 54, 94

Specal Characters 159

Speech Count 56, 100Spell Check 129

Spelling 55, 129, 166

Split Into Steps 146

Stage Play 8, 111

Star Wars 105

Start Menu 20

Status Bar 35, 48

Step Cards 117, 118

Step Cards Panel 74

Step Display 63

Toolbar 42, 44

Tools Menu 55

Track Characters 114

Tracking Characters 100

Transfer Activation 29

Transition 81Treatment 8

TV Drama 111

- U -UK English Spelling 166

Undo 162

Uninstalling 20

Updates 59, 190

Upgrade 12, 22

User Guide Movie Outline 3

Documents

Transcript of User Guide Movie Outline 3