Dramatica
Pro 4.0
I know,
I know, I hear you. Your stories can't be predicted. Your ideas are
outside-the-box. Yeah, yeah, mine are too, but this program is fun to
use. The pitch is--Dramatica is a writing partner, you turn to it with
your characters and storylines, and through a series of thought-provoking
questions, the program prods you to think about your story's structure,
and based on thousands of examples, it suggests which parts of your
story might be inconsistent or in need of structural tweaking.
My
initial reaction to this was one of shock and horror. "I cannot
be essentialized!!" I cried. Bit it turns out that the program
is a lot like someone who reviews grant proposals. You sit down to write
a grant, grumbling because you don't want to oversimplify your concept
to get money from a bunch of doddering yes-men from [fill in agency
here]. But the fact is, the act of putting the idea in the form of a
grant proposal forces you to be clearer, and the act of consulting with
people who have seen untold zillions of proposals gives you perspective.
You can take the suggestions or leave them as you wish, but more often
than not, your idea is better because of the process.
The
new version features plain language in place of over-complicated terminology.
And the scary part is when you're done, you've got a complete step outline
that you can import directly into Screenwriter 2000.
Pros:
Whole lot of fun. Helps to get your head straight. Interfaces directly
with Screenwriter.
Cons:
You'll get sucked into the storyforms and might not get any writing
done.
The
Verdict: Cut! Print it! (Doesn't get any better than this.)
For
information about the UFVA (University Film & Video Association),
click here.
Download
Demo | Buy
Dramatica Now
