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.
