Movie Outline is a word processing program to step outline a cinematic story and format a screenplay. It was created by Dan Bronzite, a produced UK screenwriter. It was released in 2004 as an outliner but has expanded its features in later releases. The software is based on the principle of step-outlining, whereby a writer creates their story step-by-step before writing the screenplay. This essential process is sometimes overlooked by the novice writer who may prefer to jump headfirst into writing their full screenplay before properly planning their story structure. However, this approach normally results in more rewrites in the long run. One of Movie Outline's features is its "Reference Plugins" which allow comparison of the progress of the writer's story with outlines and analyses of Hollywood movies.
Program features
Step outlining - allows development of the story, script and characters step-by-step.
Automatic script formatting - automatically formats the script as it is typed through auto-complete and keyboard shortcuts.
Character development - allows creation of character profiles.
Color-coded story structuring - the story and script can be structured into color-coded acts and the structures created can be saved as templates. Software includes sample templates such as the Hero's Journey and the classic three-act structure.
Dialogue focus tools - this feature allows isolation of voice-over or dialogue between two characters allowing creation of unique characters and consistent voices.
Story analysis tools - uses "FeelFactors" to analyze the pacing of the story through a visual graph.
Reference movie breakdowns - includes outlines and analyses of successful produced Hollywood movies.
Drag and dropindex cards - organizational tool that allows rearrangement of the story structure.
Cross-platform - documents can be exchanged between Windows and Mac platforms.
Import and export - imports plain text documents that have been written in standard word processors or other script-formatting software and automatically reformats them to industry standard screenplay format. Exports documents to many file formats including Rich Text, HTML, Adobe AcrobatPDF and Movie Outline's own secure reference format.
History
Movie Outline was launched in early 2004 for Windows purely as an outliner. In 2005 Version 2 was released along with a Mac OS X version, adding new features including structuring tools and a story tasks "to do" list. In 2007 Nuvotech Limited released Version 3 at the Screenwriting Expo in Los Angeles, California. This incarnation had evolved into a fully fledged screenplay development application that now included professional script formatting features and character development tools. The product was well received by users and reviewers and highlighted the importance of outlining to the screenwriting community. In 2010 Version 3.1 was released with over and although it was technically a major upgrade Nuvotech offered it for free to its existing users. In 2017 Nuvotech re-launched Movie Outline under the new brand name of with a slate of new features including a dedicated Novel Mode, Night Mode, Unicode and right-to-left language support, WYSIWYG Dual Dialogue, global Scratch Pad, new templates and a brand new modern interface design.
