Page2Stage

Here's a real value for any screenwriter who doesn't have a lot of money to spend on big-name screenwriting software. Page2Stage is free, and best of all, it's a highly functional program with everything you need to turn out your screenplays.

With Page2Stage, you can write spec scripts for feature film, sitcoms (film and tape formats), or stage plays. Page2Stage doesn't have production capabilities, but writing spec scripts (screenplays for submission) doesn't require those features anyway, so if you aren't involved in the production aspect of the movie, you aren't going to need (or miss) production features.

Page2Stage combines the best features of word processing and scriptwriting software. Like all good script formatters, Page2Stage formats your script as you type, leaving you free to concentrate on the writing process rather than the mechanics. Page2Stage also allows you to customize script styles to suit your needs. There are a number of pop-up lists available, which you can customize, that allow you to enter scene elements with nothing more than the enter key.

One of the stand-out features of Page2Stage is its view modes. You can choose between normal, page, outline, or card view. Your script can be edited in all of those views, and Page2Stage always displays the timing of your script, which allows you to monitor the length of individual scenes and the overall screenplay.

Page2Stage comes with an impressive number of report features, including scene report, character report, and a note report. There's also a scene detail feature that provides statistics for your entire script. Additionally, Page2Stage includes a concordance report that keeps track of unique words in your script and the number of times they're used. There's also print preview, spell check, a thesaurus, and other standard word-processing features.

Moving from element to element is handled a bit differently in Page2Stage and takes some getting used to, but once you've gotten a handle on it, you should have no trouble working with the program at all.

I particularly like the Page2Stage interface. It's uncluttered, easy to navigate, and features a nice set of icons. Page2Stage is a stable, well-designed program available free via download. Page2Stage is only available for Windows, but has been translated into several languages.

Page2Stage doesn't remember view preferences, so each time you start up, you have to set it all up again. It's a minor inconvenience, but one that annoys the hell out of me. Still, if you're on a budget, free is free.

Page2Stage is available here and brought to you by Winward Reports.

If you're looking for a decent free scriptwriting program and you don't require production features, Page 2 Stage is a good choice for you.