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| Plotagon |
Writing a screenplay is not easy. The writer has to transfer
the scene from his or her imagination to paper. Once the screenplay is written,
the only way to know if the scene was actually complete or needed to be
rewritten was seeing the actors play the scene out. Or is it? Now, there is an
app for that, and it is called Plotagon.
The creators of Plotagon refer to it as “the magic typewriter”. It is software for Mac and PC computers designed to make it easy
to write a story, and immediately watch it as an animated film. Plotagon is
still in beta testing, and it is free to download. It is designed to be simple.
It allows you to choose from The Sims like
characters and locations your story is set in. The characters actions and cues
come directly from the screenplay you write in the program. The characters can
only speak English, but the creators are working on French, Spanish, and German
languages. According to their website, Plotagon will continue to be free even
when it is out of beta testing. It is not available for any mobile device. The
finished movies can only be uploaded to Plotagon’s website. However, the movies
can be shared on Facebook and Twitter. It does not import any screenplays, but
it will export them.
What does this mean for Hollywood and the filming industry?
Despite its limitations, Plotagon will be a great way to be able to do a test
run of a television series or movie. It will provide the writer the opportunity
to “beta test” his or her screenplay before showing or pitching the final
screenplay. It will be wonderful to know what was wrong with your scene or
scenes beforehand. Plotagon will allow professionals and amateurs to create
screenplays quickly and more efficiently.
The advancement of technology continues to impact industries and the way they do business. It is no surprise someone created a software program, such as Plotagon, to increase productivity and workflow in the entertainment industry. Although the software can run the lines animated, as opposed to using actors, I wonder how effective the software will be in translating the human emotion portrayed by real-life actors when conducting run throughs. However, I can see how tactful such a software as this can be to the screenplay industry.
ReplyDeleteThis is great news, Nikki; thank you kindly for sharing! I am currently writing a book that I eventually want to turn into a screenplay and this application would be a great way to develop my characters and their interactions in real time. I think that Plotagon would be much bigger if they offered an endless amount of story settings for all genres. I also hope they can muster up an iPad version which I think would be phenomenal. Best of luck to you in the rest of the program!
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