There are several Emacs modes for screenwriting.
The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS
191–200 of 224 posts
Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS
#192There'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.
There's a whole cottage industry now of electronic typing devices with no internet connection. They seem to be particularly helpful for creative people.
There's a big overlap between 'making creative connections between seemingly unrelated ideas' and 'easily distracted'. There's a ton of literature out there about how to keep to the craft and not get stuck. Simplified electronic devices seem like a good tool for that toolbox.
The ones I've seen look like a sawed off typewriter with an eInk display above the keys. But there are also tablet tablets that are just a screen with an erase button, not unlike those wax and plastic boards they sold for kids prior to iPads.
Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS
#193Earlier quoted context omitted.
In terms of sheer productivity for an uninterrupted, expert user it's hard to beat the pre-Windows office suites. Yes it would take you weeks if not months to master WordStar or Lotus 1-2-3 and it was quite expensive and not everyone in the company could have it on their machines. But those who did would leave today's Google Docs users in the dust for any data entry task longer than 15 minutes.
> In terms of sheer productivity for an uninterrupted, expert user it's hard to beat the pre-Windows office suites. There basically aren't pre-Windows office suites. There are pre-Windows standalone productivity software products, but agglomeration of this into office suites is mostly a post-Windows phenomenon.
Lotus had a whole suite of office products for DOS. Lotus Works was amazing.
Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS
#194Earlier quoted context omitted.
I feel like Twitter does this for me. I'll go over the limit on a long tweet, and I'll go back and trim and exchange long words for short ones and remove words that don't contribute anything. The result will fit, and basically say the same thing. I've never had to fundamentally alter the meaning of a tweet, I just make it shorter, which is a healthy writing exercise.
I often find that to be true, too. However, there are cases where there isn't enough space to articulate an idea. In those instances, I've tended to not Tweet at all . Twitter is just a poor tool for communication of nontrivial ideas.
Yeah there's a pretty big difference between limiting yourself to 280 characters, and limiting yourself to 40 pages. Limiting yourself is great. Handicapping yourself is bad. I find the character limit in Twitter also contributes to society's increasingly poor grammar, as well.
Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS
#195On 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?
Regarding autocorrect: Maybe not outsourcing your literacy to a machine might have something to do with retaining the capacity to write.
Because you've never made a mistake when typing? Associating auto-correct to literacy is as stupid as it comes. Maybe come up with a better argument next time?
Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS
#196"on an ancient beige mechanical keyboard"
That is an IBM Model M, probably the best computer keyboard ever made; I wouldn't be surprised if besides the software it also played a role in helping to write the screenplay. That keyboard is simply an amazing piece of hardware; I have two, one is dated early 90s and carries a Lotus 1-2-3 v2.2 sticker on it, just to say...
Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS
#197Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS
#198There'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.
> There's something to be said for the focused nature of older technology.
For one, it is unlikely that it'll rise up and try to enslave humans.
I guess the writer took the lessons of the Butlerian Jihad to heart.
Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS
#199"on an ancient beige mechanical keyboard" That is an IBM Model M, probably the best computer keyboard ever made; I wouldn't be surprised if besides the software it also played a role in helping to write the screenplay. That keyboard is simply an amazing piece of hardware; I have two, one is dated early 90s and carries a Lotus 1-2-3 v2.2 sticker on it, just to say...
The model M is my favorite keyboard and I own a stash of them large enough to last me for my whole life. That is to say, I own one model M keyboard.
Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS
#200Earlier quoted context omitted.
I loved the Lynch version. I wonder if this one will be even better?
It is different. Less bizarre but better production value.
One thing I liked about Lynch's version was that the settings/sets made the universe feel old and decadent. Good feeling for an aristocratic setting of Emperors and Houses.