Movie Outline for Windows

Nuvotech's Movie Outline 3 is a screenplay development tool that uses a technique called step-outlining to help the screenwriter create and build a script, including character development, plot elements, scenes and settings, and even technical aspects like character speech count, scene numbering, and timing.

Movie Outline 3 first opens with a helpful guide that explains how the program works and how you can use it to improve your screenwriting. The interface itself resembles a specialized word processor, which is what it is, essentially, with the usual editing functions. Where Movie Outline 3 differs is its toolbar for creating and managing a step-by-step outlining feature. Following the instructions, we used the navigating Console to create and save a basic outline. We created a character, which we then dragged into the Characters tab to flesh out. One of this program's coolest features is the "FeelFactor" graphic display of plot elements. It can chart rising and falling action, tension, shock, gore, romance, comedy, and other emotional plot elements, making it incredibly easy to balance it all for maximum impact and flow by showing you the "big picture" as you write. Optional tool tips include stylistic recommendations. The Library tab includes sample scripts from hit movies, a helpful extra, while the Step Cards resembles smart notecards.

Movie Outline 3's free 30-day demo disables some features. The full version is $199.99, which is not too much for a sophisticated tool that's suitable for professional screenwriters and wannabes alike. We tested it successfully in both Vista and Windows 7.