Thomas Kane
Final Draft, Movie Magic Screenwriter 2000 (formerly "ScriptThing"), and Scriptware.

Those are the "Big Three" of screenwriting software. When an aspiring screenwriter would ask someone what software program would best help him in formatting his magnum opus, one of those three would be mentioned.

It's time to add another name to the club.

Page 2 Stage by Windward Studios (www.windward.com).

In certain areas, P2S has the distinct advantage. One of those advantages came early on, when I discovered that the product could be electronically downloaded. That's right-when you decide that you want to buy the product, you order it, you get a key to unlock the electronic version, and while you wait for Uncle Sam to deliver the manual and software in the mail, your computer has already downloaded the program for you. You can't do that with Final Draft, Movie Magic, or Scriptware, so that, right there, scores a few points with me. I'm the kind of person who wants immediate gratification, and knowing that I can get a fully-loaded screenwriting software program in mere minutes makes it noteworthy.

But, what about the program itself?

Well, the actual loading of the program took under a minute, and went without a hitch. As someone who had problems galore with other screenwriting programs, that was a welcome relief.

It's a slick program. It's easy on the eyes, and nothing about it proved to be an annoyance. Since you're going to be spending a lot of time with this program, you're going to want it to be aesthetically pleasing.

In submitting a professional screenplay, format is all. So, how well does Page 2 Stage handle that aspect of the business?

Like the Big Three, it formats according to just about any specification that an individual might come across. Margins can be changed and shifted, as can all aspects of the script. Movement is accomplished with TAB and ENTER keys, just as with any of the other programs. It has the typical "pop-up" screens when entering the names of characters and scene headings, and it also "graylines" the choices on the page.

It has four views of the screenplay-normal, page (which shows the printed page view, complete with three holes punched), outline, and index card. Outline and index card are useful in the early stages of creating the screenplay, and movement through those areas performed flawlessly. (In fact, the "index card" shifting in Page 2 Stage was far better than that found in Final Draft. In Final Draft, when a card was shifted, not all of the information made it from Point A to Point B. In Page 2 Stage, each time I shifted a card or scene, all information went with it.)

One problem that I had with it was in the area of the actual page layout. In programs such as Final Draft and Movie Magic, the background color can be changed. For example, I've always enjoyed working on my rough draft with a black background and white lettering. Unfortunately, Page 2 Stage does not allow a user to use any background color other than white. However, unlike Movie Magic, each element can have a color assigned to the font. For example, I can easily make all dialogue show up in green, while all action elements are in red, and all scene headings are in blue. Once that individual preference is made, the format can be saved and loaded for all future scripts. After working with that for a little while, I discovered that I didn't mind having the white background at all.

Another feature that I found useful is the "autosave." After 20 seconds of no typing or 10 minutes of typing, it automatically saves the project. Speaking as someone who has lost too many important pieces of script because of poor planning, that feature alone is worth its weight in gold.

In terms of a learning curve, if you've ever used any formatting software, you can use Page 2 Stage within seconds. And, if you've never used any kind of formatting program, there is an excellent tutorial that will walk you through all of the many features of this package.

In addition, Page 2 Stage flawlessly imported one of my Final Draft screenplays. I simply opened it, walked through the import wizard, and found that the entire process had gone without a single mistake. Anyone who has ever dealt with the problems of importing scripts will find Page 2 Stage to be a delight to work with.

In short, I found Page 2 Stage to be every bit as impressive and comprehensive as any of the more expensive screenwriting software platforms out there. If I were to choose a screenwriting package, I can honestly say that Page 2 Stage would be the one I'd keep on my computer. In an age when some screenwriting software manufacturers seem to be content to rest upon their reputations, it's refreshing to find a company that is actually developing a product that is simple to use, complete in its features, and designed to get you writing your script as soon as possible.

Thomas Kane