Skip to main content

Here’s Amazon’s plan for generating original content for Prime Video

amazon storywriter screenwriting
Belchonock/123RF
Have an incredible story to tell? Think you have what it takes to be the next David O. Russell or Aaron Sorkin but haven’t quite gotten around yet to writing the opening scene of your Hollywood hit?

Perhaps Amazon’s new writing tool might give you the push you need. Called Storywriter, the free cloud-based software package offers an easy way for screenwriters to get their masterpiece on the page.

Actually aimed at writers of all levels – not just first timers – the new software provides an industry-accepted layout for movie and TV screenplays, with text automatically formatted as you type, an important feature that means you can get on with the business of putting your ideas on the page instead of fiddling about trying to get it looking right.

Amazon’s trumpeting its new software as “an alternative to costly industry options,” although there are of course other free options out there.

Write online and have your script saved in the cloud as you work. Can’t access the Internet? No problem, offline use of the software is possible, too, with a free installable Chrome app for Mac and PC. Other features include the possibility to import and export PDF, FDX, and Fountain formats.

Of course, with the ecommerce company investing ever more heavily in original programming for its Prime Video service, Amazon is hoping its new writing tool will help it pick up a few awesome scripts from not only established writers, but new ones, too, with all completed work able to be submitted to the company via Amazon Studios, its content development division.

Commenting on the launch of the new software, Amazon Studios VP Roy Price said his company is “dedicated to producing high-quality, original films and television series that customers love, and enabling more writers to obtain access to creative resources will ultimately help us discover great new talent.”

Price highlighted kids show Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street as a production that came to it as a script submission, describing it as “a testament to the open door process.”

Amazon says it’s “always on the lookout for compelling new voices and interesting characters in series and movies that have the potential to become hits.”  It already accepts original scripts for feature films, primetime comedy series for adults, series for children between the ages of 2-14, and from now it’s looking for great drama series submissions, too.

It also said it’ll no longer take a free option on script submissions, “thus allowing Writers Guild of America and the Animation Guild members to submit their original material through the online submission process.”

So if you’ve had an awesome idea bouncing around in your head for a while but have been spending your time honing your procrastination skills, perhaps now’s the time to put pen to paper fingers to keyboard.

You can check out Storywriter by logging into your Amazon account from this page.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
The best thrillers on Amazon Prime Video right now
Four people sit at a table in Marrowbone.

When it comes to new and classic thriller films, one of the best streaming platforms for indulging in the genre is Amazon Prime Video. Since the service’s inception, Prime Video has been accruing a massive library of titles. These heart-pounding films and thoughtful think-pieces cover all walks of life, from modern times to ancient settings. And it’s our job to make sure you’re watching all the best thriller flicks Prime has to offer! 

Each month, we update this roundup to throw the spotlight on a handful of new Prime Video thrillers that we think are well worth a watch. So be sure to check back in a few weeks to see what’s been added, as well as what’s been removed.
Amazon Prime may have a robust catalog, but it doesn't have everything. Luckily, we've also curated roundups of the best thrillers on Netflix and the best thrillers on Hulu.

Read more
Check out this great movie before it leaves Amazon Prime Video next week
Multiple actors as Mr. Blue, Green, Grey, & Brown discuss how to leave the subway tunnels in The Taking of Pelham 123.

Among the many frustrating things about the modern streaming landscape is that, in addition to not knowing what to watch, it's also difficult to know when you'll actually be able to see it. Although Amazon Prime Video has plenty of great movies, those movies come to the streamer and leave it seemingly at random because of complicated rights agreements that no regular person should ever care about or understand.

It can be hard to make sure you catch a great movie before it leaves, which is why you should definitely make time to watch The Taking of Pelham One Two Three before it leaves Prime Video at the end of April. The movie, which tells the story of a MTA train heist in 1970s New York, holds up remarkably well 50 years later. Here are three reasons you should check it out.
It's a perfectly paced heist movie
THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE (1974) | Official Trailer | MGM

Read more
5 movies leaving Prime Video in April 2024 you have to watch
Robert De Niro standing tall in a tuxedo looking menacing in a scene from The Untouchables.

Amazon Prime Video is a treasure trove of movies and TV shows. While some require an add-on subscription to a service like Paramount+ or AMC+, others are available as part of your Amazon Prime subscription. Keep in mind that now you need to pay a small fee on top of that to get access ad-free. But either way, the movies that come with that base subscription are available to you at any time. That is, until they’re gone.

Movies come and go on Amazon, so you’ll want to keep track of expiring titles. There are five movies leaving Amazon Prime Video in April that you’ll want to watch before they go. They’re all fabulous films that range from the 1980s up to the 2010s and feature A-list talent. Check these out before they are removed from the service before the end of the month.
The Big Short (2015)
The Big Short Trailer (2015) ‐ Paramount Pictures

Read more