1.) Final Draft 8
The premiere screenwriting software for both novice and pro. Screenplays follow a standard format. You can't change that and it's a pain in the butt to format it yourself. It takes away from your flow. And when your muse is in high gear who needs sand in your wheels? Put simply, Final Draft formats and paginates to Industry standard as you type! It also has a number of tools to help you do what your trying to do-- create that stellar movie. There are other programs out there, but this is the most popular one among industry pros.
Starts at $89.95. The complete program costs $250 but for the ease at which it lets you work it's money well spent.
2.) Making A Good Script Great - by Linda Seger
A screenwriter, Hollywood consultant, and frequent keynote speaker, Dr. Seger has put out one of the best books on screenwriting ever. She tells you what you need to know to write that winning screenplay and she does it an easy to understand way. She has other great books that follow, but it all starts here.
Cost $14.95
3.) The Screenwriter's Bible - by David Trottier
The most practical book on screenwriting out there. As it says, 6 books in one:
A screenwriting how to
A step-by-step workbork
The industry-standard formatting guide
A spec writing guide
A marketing plan for today's market
A resource directory and index
All for $19.95. I can't recommend it enough
4.) The Screenplay Workbook - by Jeremy Robinson and Tom Mungovan
Self-proclaimed as "the writing before the writing," the authors are pretty much on the money. It's full of useful worksheets to help you with detailed character and story development. Easy to use, very practical, and very helpful for getting into your characters and your movie.
Cost $18.95
5.) Save the Cat - by Blake Snyder
This book gives you the quick and dirty on what needs to happen on page 5, page 15, page 30, etc... It is a book on formula, but if you do it right its seamless. And seamless makes it okay. A must have as a quick reference.
Cost $19.95
6.) Movie Outline 3.1
This software is also for developing and formatting your screenplay to Industry standard. This program also uses step-outlining to build your story scene-by-scene. It also allows you to compare the pace of your script with the outlines of successful Hollywood films. Timing really is everything.
Starting at $89.95
7.) Visual Thesaurus
Interactive dictionary and thesaurus software program. It creates word maps with related words and meanings. "Works like your brain, not a paper-bound book." If your stuck for words look no further.
Cost $29.95
8.) Narrator for Macintosh
Of course, you need to have a Mac computer. But if you do, this text-to-speech program allows say it instead of write it. Additionally, it lets your hear text read aloud in different voices. How cool is it to hear your story (works for novel writing and short-story writing as well) being told in voices other than your own? What's more it has options to export to iTunes and AAC sound files for use with other sound playing software.
Cost $34.95
9.) A subscription to Script magazine or Creativescreenwriting.
Both these magazine run neck-in-neck in giving the latest screenwriting tips by industry screenwriters, directors, and moviemakers. The gems are the advice from writers who are out there selling scripts and working in the Hollywood trenches themselves. In other words, you get the lowdown from people who live it. Enough said.
Subscription for one is just about $28 for the year.
10.) The Hollywood Creative Directory
In a nutshell, this is the largest address book for the film, television, and new media industry out there. It puts over 11,000 producers and executives at your fingertips. It's been the insiders guide for the past 20 years. If you've got something to sell, here's where to find the people to sell it to.
Cost $59.95
So, there you have it. In my humble opinion, the top 10 things an aspiring screenwriting could use to break into the business and hopefully stay there. As an aspiring screenwriting myself, I'll keep you posted. Of course, Joe Esterhaus once said all a screenwriter really needs is a pencil and paper.
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