SceneWriter Pro v 3.5
1. Out of the box
1.1 Installed tutorial doesn’t work
The tutorial that was packaged with SceneWriter Pro v 3.5 didn’t work. I had to go back to their web site and hunt down the
online version, fortunately there was one–a very basic one.
1.2 Help doesn’t work
Can’t hit F1, can’t click Help…nothing.
2. Pros
2.1 Forces the writer to outline.
2.2 Autoscene
Pressing Shift+Enter, or Ctrl+I causes SceneWriter Pro v 3.5 to insert an auto- numbered scene. The writer can then, later, go back and rename the scene. This makes the fact that the writer is forced into outline mode seem almost tolerable. There will still be something of a steep learning curve for top-down thinkers like me.
2.3 Editable INTROs
Supposedly you can edit the INTROs. I tucked this item under pros because it doesn’t yet seem to be a flaw, though why one would need such a thing I can’t say.
2.4 Price
Even at $49.95 SceneWriter Pro v 3.5 is a sweet deal, but for a limited time they are offering a deep 60% discount. That beats the crap out of the nearest (price wise) competetor. If I remember correctly: Movie Magic is around $100.00, Final Draft is $179.00, and Writer’s Blocks is nearly $300.00.
2.5 Don’t have to hold down Shift.
One cool thing is that I don’t have to hold down the shift key to type a slug line, character line, or other uppercase element. Things that must be up cased are handled automatically.
2.6 Notes everywhere!
Scene notes, character notes, project notes. There are more than enough places to compartmetalize your information.
2.7 Schemes
3. Cons
3.1 Forces the writer to outline.
3.2 Fancy-schmancy slug line editor.
The slug line editor is just over done. While it isn’t difficult to get the hang of (after all you can just type your way through the drop down lists) I wish I could just turn them off, or only call them up when I need them. That is the key point: I need to be the one making decisions as to when I want a drop down list.
3.3 Tutorial refers to "Options" menu, but I can’t find it.
The tutorial, in several places, refers to an Options menu, but I can’t locate it for the life of me.
3.4 Freakin’ "Apply Changes" gizmo.
‘K I know I’m an idiot, over the years Microsoft has managed to convince me of that, but dude, either save the goddamned changes or don’t–just quit telling me about it.
3.5 While editing, the Enter and Tab key swap functions.
I guess it is because I am used to Movie Magic, but I found this frustrating. From the slug line you press enter and you are whisked to the Direction line, thence to the Character line at the mere press of a tab key.
Every time you press a key the damned thing changes function; difficult to learn and remember.
3.6 Schemes
I list this in both pro and con because I am sure some folks will like it, but in my opinion the time spent developing this little feature could have been better spent elsewhere. The default Scheme is called full, and means that every goddamned window is open. After tinkering a bit with them I discovered that I like the classic scheme best. The scheme called The Page is just unuseable.
4. Result
Overall I give SceneWriter Pro v 3.5 an A for effort. The price and feature set are just right for someone trying to break in to the business, but if I were to move away from Final Draft or Movie Magic I’d probably just switch to Word. This product won’t convince many FD or MM users to make the downgrade, and most cheepskate (like me) will hunt for a free alternative, of which there are many, but I am sure there is a market–somewhere.
