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The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS

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Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS

#3
post #2

Also using an IBM Model M keyboard, it would seem.

To be fair, I think a lot of today's software is also written on a Model M, even if it's plugged into the latest and greatest. I really enjoy mine, I know a couple other co-workers who have one too

Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS

#4
There's something to be said for the focused nature of older technology. If you were to set me the task of writing something long-form, and told me the faster and better I did it the more I would be rewarded, I'd be doomed with a modern laptop or a smartphone. My favorite writing tool is, frankly, an IBM TransNote from 2001.

Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS

#5
On the one hand, as a technologist, this pisses me off because we've advanced so far in the field of word processing. Autocorrect, holding more than 40 pages in memory, cut/paste, etc. Why does this Luddite persist in the old ways?!?!?!

But as a writer who knows the pains of distraction... maybe he's on to something?

Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS

#6
Would have been nice to hear about the actual process. How is the screenplay disseminated afterwards? Printed out and retyped by an intern on a modern machine or what? What is Movie Master, who made it, what are the features? Right now the article is nothing more that 'lol man used old software'.

Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS

#7
post #2

Also using an IBM Model M keyboard, it would seem.

To be fair, I think a lot of today's software is also written on a Model M, even if it's plugged into the latest and greatest. I really enjoy mine, I know a couple other co-workers who have one too

I wrote a lot of code on a model M at my first job. I should probably get another, that thing was phenomenal.

Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS

#10
What I like about this is the 40 page limit. He actually considers it a kind of feature, and this arbitrary limit has contributed to his works.

One would think that if 40 pages comes to full, the writer would just find a way to extend it, but instead he didn't bother and shortened instead.

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