Writing a Screenplay: Books and Software (Scriptwriting Programs: Final Draft, MovieMagic)

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Script Search

Adobe After Effects Professional 6.5 (Mac)

Apple Production Suite [Final Cut Pro HD, Motion, DVD Studio Pro]

What's going to help you write a good film? Well, nothing will ever replace a good story, but some things can help you figure out the most effective way to tell that story. On this page I have listed some resources I think can be of benefit to aspiring screenwriters, as well as to people who already have many drafts behind them: Classic short films on DVD and great/successful scripts that let you make your own film school, script authoring software that makes formatting your final draft a breeze, and screenwriting books that deal with story and structure, as well as relate experiences in the film industry and entertainment business that help a screenwriter learn how to market and sell a screenplay or treatment once it is written.

Film History

The Lumiere Brothers'
First Films

Eighty-five of the silent 50-second "actualities" made by the Lumieres between 1895 and 1897, mastered from original 35mm material. An amazing journey through the birth of the motion picture.

Short Film DVD Gems

Landmarks of Early Film, Vol I

A veritable archive of nearly every important film from the birth of the medium, including Edison Kinestoscope films (1894-96), films by the brothers Lumière (1895-97), the magical movies of French special effects pioneer Georges Méliès, documentary "actualities" from 1897 to 1910, and selected short films from 1903 to 1913. Features a hand-colored copy of "The Great Train Robbery" from 1903, and "A Trip To The Moon" by George Melies with its original 1902 narration restored

Lumière and Company

Some of the world's leading directors (David Lynch, Spike Lee, Wim Wenders, Zhang Yimou, John Boorman) use the original Lumiere picture camera to create short films all over the world.