What would you guys say would be the right program for me as I see you have mentioned a few here.

P.S. I use a Mac computer not window based PC

Thanx alot. You can also, if you so wish, respond to me directly at
josh.emerson777@gmail.com

Hope that helps.
Logan

Since the reason I need software is to edit and collaborate with a group of PC-loving writers already established in the industry, I’m afraid that I’m going to have to use what they use (Final Draft…) Is there any chance holding off to version 2.0 will allow the import/export of change tracking? And is version 2.0 expected to ship later in ‘08 or in ‘09?

-Mike

Best,
Logan Ryan
Mariner Software

Does anyone know what Mariner’s typical upgrade prices/policies are?

Yes, there’s a way to go on the feature front, but for the creative writer it’s better than FD. The Full Screen mode and scene and outline modes are ideal in that regard. I far prefer to get drafts done in Montage over FD.

As a producer I’ll export to FD and use that in production situations, at least until I get a look at 2.0 and what that brings.

Scrivener is great but is more of a general writer’s tool. Montage’s focus is firmly on the screenwriting business.

Finally, I certainly don’t miss the authorisation process FD had me go through, I have lost authorisations when Hard disks went south on me before. FD were difficult to deal with and in the end unsympathetic on one particular occasion, essentially forcing me to upgrade to a new version. This was their suggestion to restore my authorisations. I’ve owned FD from version 4. After a customer has been a regular purchaser and upgrader, to treat them as if they were possibly telling lies was just a relationship breaker.

Thanks for the support.

Logan

Don’t let anyone run-you-off here. I want to hear what everyone has to say, and make my own decisions.

Even though Montage doesn’t have all that FD and SW has to offer, they have make sales in order to continue to improve their product, as long as, I get free (or at least reasonably priced)upgrades–I’m happy to be a part of their evolution. Glad to see Montage giving FD and Screenwriter some competition. I’m buying Montage today and look forward to new features in future versions.

I recommend buying a “Pro” app if I was spending hundreds of hours on a screenplay. In fact, I own all three, Montage, Final Draft and Movie Magic. Wouldn’t it suck to submit a screenplay that you’ve spent hundreds of hours writing, that wouldn’t even get read just because the formatting wasn’t the industry standard?

I guess a “free” or cheap app is actually really expensive

Montage is innovating and putting a pretty face on the previously stagnant and ugly screenplay software market. Outlines and structure based writing have been around in other programs for awhile but never in the major screenwriting programs. Movie Magic just added outlining and FD has announced they are adding it to their next version. The net result of this competition is that the writer wins.

Geez, maybe I should stop posting comments as well

Great review, BTW. I don’t write scripts, just novels, unpublished (still). Todd’s also created a good app (StoryMill) for that purpose. I’ve toyed with it and Scrivener (among other ‘writing’ apps) and will decide what to use when I start my next book. I’ll read the reviews (sans comments) at that time.

Cheers,

My comments were meant to help my fellow consumers. I was simply pointing out that there are other options that are much more affordable for those people who might balk at Montage’s price tag. My point the whole time was simply that with other apps out there (Scrivener, $40; Celtx, free), Montage should offer QUITE a bit more in functionality, experience, and usability to justify the $140 price tag. Sure, they’re targeting the professional writers, which makes sense, because most students and hobbyists wouldn’t spend $140 I don’t think. But the question is, will professionals who can afford to spend hundreds of dollars go for Montage, or something else that has stood the test of time or is considered the industry standard (for example, Final Draft).

I hope Montage develops more, especially considering the competition that’s out there. Competition is always a good thing as it forces developers to improve their products, giving end users a better experience.

Thanks.

I really don’t think that Montage is that expensive for what it is.

Todd Ransom
Montage Development

Pitch our product? What are you talking about? That was hardly a pitch but more like a clarification of a point.

And I’m sorry if you think it’s in poor taste but I believe we are respectfully and professionally stating our case that we do not agree with some of the points of this review. Last time I looked the First Amendment allows us to do this.

Logan Ryan
Mariner Software

As I said before, Montage 1.0 is targeted at the professional spec script writer. With 2.0 we are planning to expand this to support production scripts as well. If you think Scrivener is a better value then by all means buy it but I think you will find Keith is much less committed to the screenplay market than we are.

Todd Ransom
Montage Development

Montage has some features that are really slick, for example, auto-detecting scenes, characters, locations, and so forth. I can go to the character list and see all characters, which scenes they’re in, put in notes for each character. Very nice.

However, Montage leaves a little to be desired in the interface, compared to Scrivener. For example, in Scrivener, when I’m typing dialogue, I hit enter, then hit enter again and it brings me back to action mode. Montage doesn’t do that. Hitting enter twice after typing dialogue brings up a menu, asking me to hit a command key sequence to proceed. This is a bit unwieldy from a usability standpoint.

My point is this (and backing up what Dave said): Montage has priced itself out of the hobbyist’s budget, while at the same time not giving people much reason to choose Montage over other competitors such as Scrivener ($40). Scrivener is really very good, and does pretty much anything a hobbyist writer would want. Montage offers some nice features, like I mentioned above, but not for $140!

And by the way, the $175 retail price reference to both Final Draft and Movie Magic Screenwriter, is a bit low. Check their web sites, check the Apple Store…

Final Draft – $229
http://www.finaldraft.com/purchase/

Screenwriter – $225
http://www.screenplay.com/p-29-movie-magic-screenwriter-6.aspx

Montage – $140
http://www.marinersoftware.com/sitepage.php?page=104

We even have a competitive upgrade path that thousands of FD and Screenwriter customers have already taken advantage for $99!

Yes, there will always be freeware and products that “claim” they support screenwriting with a “feature.” Our theory is the screenwriter who is interested in enjoying a true “Mac OS X experience” will be able to figure out the differences, especially when compared side-by-side.

Logan Ryan
Mariner Software

Seriously though, we chose to target Montage 1.0 at the spec script writer. But even though the vast majority of scripts never make it to production, we always get these comments. So look for improved support for production features in 2.0.

Monitoring forums and blogs is just a way for us to keep up with what our customers want and respond to criticism. We don’t mean to sound defensive.

Anyway, if any of you would like to help us bring innovation to this stagnant market segment we would love to have you participate in our beta program. If you are interested, come see us at http://marinersoftware.com/sitepage.php?page=120

thanks,
Todd Ransom
Montage Development

Pages and Scrivener both have screenplay templates included. They work well enough in my experience. I’m not sure if Word has one by default, but free templates exist online.

There are also free online screenwriting tools like scripped.com and zhura.com