ScriptThingTM for DOS and Windows®
The Thing for Writing Scripts on the IBM PC

With so many programs out there, why have writers like Ron Nyswaner (writer of Philadelphia), Carolyn Shelby & Christopher Ames (co-screenwriters Class Action), Rob Hedden (Friday 13: Jason Takes Manhattan), production comapanies like Agamemnon Films (Alaska), Trilogy (Outer Limits), Alliance Entertainment (Due South, Taking the Falls) and many more chosen to use ScriptThing?

Because it's the best.

"ScriptThing is the Learjet of Screenwriting software: Smaller, faster, more capable. By comparison, everything else is the Spruce Goose."  -  James Andronica, Mirage

"ScriptThing is dead simple to learn, easy to operate, incredibly flexible and frighteningly ingenious... which is why our show now owns nine copies." - Paul Haggis, Writer & Executive Producer Due South

"ScriptThing saved my ass!  Don't try this in your own home... but on Castle Rock's ALASKA we had more than 12 sets of revisions by 3 different writers, including myself.  My assistant and I handled all of these personally using ScriptThing with ease." - Fraser Heston, director Alaska, Needful Things & Treasure Island

"ScriptThing for Windows is the latest development in the evolution of screenwriting word processors. It is even easier to learn and use than its DOS predecessor, if that's possible. Anything you need to do in writing and formatting your script is only a mouse click away." Steve Marshall, co-creator Live Shot

"I've been a writers assistant for 10 years and this is just the kind of program I've dreamed about. I am VERY HAPPY!" Betty Arnold

"ScriptThing is the Easiest Software I've every used!" - Christopher Tellez
ScriptThing's interface was designed by a produced writer and former script coordinator to be the fastest, easiest program out there.  No other program offers the combination of speed, features, ease of use and flexibility of ScriptThing.   Whether you're writing features, MOWs, sitcoms, hour dramatic, plays or Interactive Media projects, ScriptThing is the program for you.

Real-Time Page Breaks handle all the MOREs, CONTINUEDs, Scene Numbers and more, on screen as you write and edit, so your script is perfectly formatted and ready to print at all times!  And text entry is as easy as two keystrokes.  TAB takes you to a Character Name, ENTER takes you to most everything else. All that's left are the words in between.  And that's just the beginning.

Sure, I know you're saying that every program has people saying "it's the best," "nothing else compares," so how do you know who to believe? Well, there are three fundamental things to evaluate in any software program: interface, features and reliability. So let's take a look at ScriptThing.

What's better about ScriptThing?  It's all in the details.  
For example, when you press TAB in ScriptThing, you're always instantly put into a Character Name.   Type a letter and a Menu pops up with all the names in the script that start with that letter.  Sounds a lot like those other programs, I know, but there are some important subtle differences.

Character Name Entry - the differences:

1. Unlike other programs that do this type of thing, this list of Names in ScriptThing is completely dynamic, automatically listing only the names actually in your script at that moment.  So if you completely delete a character from the script, change the spelling of a name, or simply fix a typo, unlike other programs there's no need to manually go into a list and edit it, as ScriptThing's list is updated automatically.
2. When other programs pop up this type of Character list, they typically either leave you at the top of the list or always highlight a specific name.  However, with ScriptThing's unique SmartTab feature, the last name that you used which begins with the letter you typed is automatically highlighted.  So if you have LARRY, LINDY, and LISA in your script and this is a scene with LISA, then the first time she speaks you'll press TAB + "LIS" and press ENTER, but the next time, you can just press TAB +"L". Other programs make you press TAB "LIS" every single time.
3. In addition to the TAB key entry, ScriptThing gives you the option to enter Character Names by pressing ALT+ANY LETTER and the first name that begins with that letter (or any name you select) is instantly inserted as a Character Name and you're left in Dialogue, ready to go.

Scene Heading Entry - the differences:

1. ScriptThing offers you more ways to get into a Scene Heading than anyone else:
   • Type INT. or EXT. on any blank line and it will instantly make it a scene heading, capitializing it, spacing it correctly, and even numbering it if desired
   • Press ENTER in any blank Action Line and it will pop up a Menu of initial Scene Heading text like INT. and EXT. and you can select the one you want with a single keystroke
   • Press CTRL+I for INT. or CTRL+E for EXT. and you're instantly in a Scene Heading with the desired text already typed in for you
   • Enter a Transition (either by typing it on a blank line, pressing CTRL+T or any of several other ways) and the Menu of Initial Scene Heading Text is automatically popped up for you
2. Once you're in a Scene Heading, a Menu of all the unique locations already in the script let's you enter whole locations with a tap of a key or two.
3. Once a location is entered, select the Time of Day from a Menu with only a single keystoke, and the Time of Day is put in with however many dashes you desire, and you're in Action ready to type away.

And this type of attention to detail runs through every aspect of ScriptThing. Like the Timed Backup having a unique "Busy Delay" which will delay the backup for up to two minutes while you're typing so that it doesn't interrupt your train of thought. Or when you retrieve a script having it automatically leave you exactly where you were when you exited it, rather than simply at the top.

"Sometimes I have to wonder if it really does read minds, as it knows exactly what I want and does it before I have the time to tell it to... this level of freedom must be experienced to be truly appreciated." - Jerry Burger

First and foremost, your scriptwriting word processor has to be great word processor.
Which is why ScriptThing offers you the Word Processor features that you've come to expect, but which not every program has...

• Cut & Paste with Windows Style Text Selection (DOS & Windows)
• Multiple Open Documents (in DOS it requires XMS Memory)
• Save Blocks of Text as separate files without having to exit the current script
• Undo Support (in DOS it requires XMS Memory)
• File Merging
• Soft-Hyphens, Hard Dashes, Hard Spaces & Hard Returns
• Real-Time Spell Checking with Auto Typo-correction, Auto Sentence & Character Name Capitalization, and (Windows Only) Auto Sentence Spacing
• Spell Checker with 110,000+ words, and supplementary dictionaries
• Thesaurus
• WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) display
• Real-time Page Breaks - all the page breaks are put in as you type, not as a background process or separate step, so the total page count displayed at all times is ALWAYS correct and you'll never have to wait for the pagination to finish
• Timed Backup with Busy Delay
• Goto Function moves you INSTANTLY anywhere in the script
• Export script to ASCII, Rich Text Format (MS Word format), Scriptware Tagged, WordPerfect
• Import your old Scripts via ASCII, and the Windows Version can also directly read the following formats: Movie Master, Scriptware Tagged, & Rich Text Format in addition to supporting cut & paste importing with other Windows Programs
• Full Mouse Support
• User Definable Screen Colors
• User Definable Keyboard Layout (movement & deletion keys)
• Built-in Screen Saver (DOS ONLY)
• Search and Replace - with options for automatic matching of Case, searching for whole words only, prompt on replacement, (the following are Windows ONLY) searching backwards, entire document starting from anywhere, automatic return to starting position when search fails
• Tiny File Size - 120 page script takes up 110K in the DOS version, 150K in the Windows Version

The following features are ONLY in the Windows Version

• Drag'n'Drop Editing with User Configurable Mouse Text Selection Options
• Multi-Click Text Selection
• Right Mouse Pop-Up Menu (or PowerPanelTM)
• Access to any TrueType Font
• Multiple Window Interface
• Alias Substitution Text-- type as few as two letters and have it instantly expand to any word or phrase for you, right on screen
• Direct FAXing through Windows faxing software
• WYSIWYG Print Preview with zooming
• Zoom the text on-screen from 50-150% without affecting Printing
• Substitute ANY font for Courier New on-screen without affecting printing
• Courier Old TrueType font is shipped with the program to let you print in a nice dark Courier Font instead of the rather thin Courier New, or use your printer's own built-in Courier if you desire.
• Use of Windows Clipboard allows cut & paste importing/exporting with other windows programs
• Icon Buttons for easy access to common editing features
• Support for European A4 paper with a simple mouse click

But it's more than just a Word Processor, of course, it's a Script Processor...
"ScriptThing shines in the design extras" - Micheal Heiss, Video Systems Magazine

• True Real-Time Pagination instead of background or "post-processing" pagination means that when you cut, paste or edit your script, all the page breaks, MOREs, CONTINUEDs, numbering and all, are instantly updated--you'll never have to wait for the pagination to catch up to you.
• User Lists - let you define ALL the text the program inserts, from MOREs to Times-of-Day, it's all under your control.  Need to write in French or any other foreign language?  Pas de problem.  
• Pagination Overrides - want to override the breaking of a specific block of dialogue for dramatic flow?  No problem, with ScriptThing you're always in charge.
• Cheat the Lengths of Individual Pages (Windows ONLY) - want to squeeze another couple of lines on a page so that your "END OF ACT" isn't by itself on it's own page?  It's only a mouse click away.
• Cheat the Length of your entire Script (Windows ONLY) - can't bear to cut anything out of your 125 page opus?  Well, just cheat the line spacing and print it out as 118 pages!  And without taking a ruler to the script, you simply cannot tell the difference.
• Cheat the Margins of Individual Elements - need to Squeeze some more text on a line? It's easy.
• SmartCheck finds common formatting errors before you print - go to print and ScriptThing's unique smartCheck Feature scans the entire script for common formatting errors such as a character speaking twice in a row (a common editing error), extra blank elements, and more.  And it'll scan the entire script in about a second, saving you the hassle of printing out your script only to find out you have a formatting error on page five and you have to reprint nearly the entire script after you fix it.
• View as Index Card Mode - lets you literally view and print your script as if it were on index cards, an invaluable tool in outlining and rewriting.  Or shuffle the cards with drag'n'drop and have it instantly reorder your script to match the card order.  And the Windows Version allows you to actually write and edit outlines on the cards themselves, print them with any font or layout, and whatever edits you make on the cards are instantly applied to the outline itself.
• PrintThingTM, the Portable Printing Solution - gives you the freedom to print your ScriptThing scripts anywhere without having to load the enire the program.  It's a stand-alone printing program that's completely transportable, take it and your script and you can view and print your script anywhere.  Or even modem it across the country or across the world and anyone can view and print the script perfectly.
• ZapSave means the fastest saving and retrieving in the business, and the smallest file size.  An entire 120 page script only takes up about 110K in the DOS Version and 150K in the Windows.
• Full Production Features - A&B Pages/Scenes with Double Locking, multiple pass "Fixing" of A-Pages, Scene and Page Omitteds, Auto-Revision marks, multiple Revision Mark levels for Animation Production, A1 or 1A numbering, user definable letter Skip List, and much more.
• Unparalleled Production Breakdowns
  • Sort the breakdowns by Script Order, INT. vs EXT., by Location, by Time-of-Day, or by Character Name--and unlike other programs, ScriptThing will list ALL the characters in any scene, whether or not they have dialogue.  And if you choose anything other than Script Order, you can even do a secondary sort by any of the other choices.  
  • When it calculates the eighths of a page, you have the choice to define 1/8th as the standard 1", but as most people are getting more than 8" of text on a page these days, you also have the option of defining it as a truer 7 lines equals an 1/8th.
  • When it gives subtotals for 1/8ths, it has the option of totalling all the rounded 1/8ths or adding up all the lines in the group and converting that directly to 1/8ths, giving you a more accurate number.
  • Time of Day Normalization means that if you have a Time of Day with CONTINUOUS, or LATER or SAME, ScriptThing will automatically pick up the previous scene's Time of Day for the breakdown
  • Direct Export to Movie Magic® Budgetting (Windows Only)
• Formats for Interactive Media (DOS Production Version & Windows ONLY) allow you to write non-linear scripts in our own format, designed in collaboration with working interactive writers and executives at Time-Warner Interactive Group
• Script Analysis - gives you statistics about your script, how many dialogue lines, what the longest one is and where it is, how many parentheticals, the number of Characters and unique locations in your script and more.
• And more!

System requirements:
ScriptThingTM for DOS (Freelance & Production) - IBM or compatible, 286 or better CPU, 640K RAM, hard disk with 2.5 Megs available, DOS 3.0 or better, Mouse or other pointing device optional

ScriptThingTM for Windows^® - IBM or compatible, Windows 3.1, 95 or NT, 486DX or better, 4 Megs RAM, hard disk with 5.5 Megs available, Mouse or other pointing device

Copyright © 1996 ScriptPerfection Enterprises.  All Rights Reserved