Trelby’s open source screenwriting software has an intriguing story. Blyte was originally a commercially built screenwriting product by Osku Salerma but after disappointing sales, Osku abandoned the project but open sourced it in 2006 . This strategy was to see Blyte updated and maintained by the community. Unfortunately though nobody invested time into advancing the product, so it just sat on the sidelines with little love and fanfare.

Fast forward to 2011 where a couple hero’s emerged to put the technology back on the map. Anil Gulecha was the screenwriter/developer who initiated the rebound initiative with Salerma. They decided to call the new product Trelby, tweak the functionality and design, and of course leave it open to any developers who want to iterate on the code. Trelby launched earlier this month, and it runs on both Linux and Windows.

Screenshot of Trelby below

Trelby Features

• Screenplay editor: Enforces correct script format and pagination, auto-completion, and spell checking.
• Multi-platform : Behaves identically on all platforms, generating the exact same output.
• Choice of view: Multiple views, including draft view, WYSIWYG mode, and fullscreen to suit your writing style.
• Name database: Character name database containing over 200,000 names from various countries.
• Reporting: Scene/location/character/dialogue reports.
• Compare: Ability to compare scripts, so you know what changed between versions.
• Import: Formatted text, Final Draft XML (.fdx).
• Export: PDF, formatted text, HTML, RTF, Final Draft XML (.fdx).
• PDF: Built-in, highly configurable PDF generator. Supports embedding your chosen font.
• Free software: Licensed under the GPL, Trelby welcomes developers and screenwriters to contribute in making it more useful.

Want to write your next script using Trelby? Great! You can download the software here.

Or if you want to get a better sense for Trelby before downloading it, then check out the screen shots. You can follow Trelby’s progress via their Twitter account or their blog. And if you are a developer and are interested in iterating on Trelby then you can contribute your code.

Jeremy Campbell Lists, Production Tool, resources Anil Gulecha, Blyte, filmmaking, open source, Osku Salerma, product, screenwriting, script writing, software, Trelby, videomaking

I recently got my hands on the new Celtx iOS App and within a couple hours of downloading it I wrote a script for a 5 minute short film called “Fire.” I was at first hesitant about a screenwriting app for my iPhone 4, but in my first couple minutes of using it I knew I could actually create quality scripts just as fast as using Celtx software on my computer. Now I can write or edit a script anywhere and at anytime which is a very liberating feeling.

Celtx Script 2.0 launched on August 1st, and the product already has positive reviews and a solid 3.5 star rating. The thing I really like is that the app syncs with the Celtx software on my computer, which is a big time saver.

Below are the features included in the Celtx app

• Screenplay, AV, Stageplay, Audio Play, and Comic formats.
• Sync scripts with Celtx desktop software and/or Celtx Studios.
• Smooth and rapid scrolling through long scripts.
• Element transitions match Celtx desktop software.
• Preserves script markup from Celtx desktop software.
• Write in portrait and landscape mode.
• Email scripts as PDF and text files.
• Universal App – can be downloaded and used on all of your iPod, iPhone, and iPad devices.

The cost of the app is $9.99 which is on the high side for an iOS app, but with all the time you will save and the new content you will write (that perhaps otherwise wouldn’t have ever existed) for your projects, I promise it’s well worth the price. If you aren’t ready to write scripts on your mobile device just yet, then if you haven’t already be sure to download the Celtx software for your computer.

Have you written or edited a video or film script on your mobile device before?

Jeremy Campbell Mention, New Project, Production Tool, product app, Apple, August 1st, Celtx, Celtx 2, Celtx App, Celtx Script, film script, filmmaking, iOS, iTunes, pre-production, product, release, screenwriting, script

Because we are an influencer, innovator, and evangelist in the filmmaking industry we were sent a copy of the new book “Mastering Celtx” by Writers Guild of America member Terry Borst. Celtx is the top product for managing your film and video pre-production, and also any kind of other professional writings you may do.

This fantastic book includes: The Evolution of Pre-Production, Getting Familiar With Celtx, Project Navigation, Creating and Editing Production Film Scripts, Script Breakdowns, Reinventing Project Scripting, Storyboards, Sketches, Calendaring and Scheduling, Sample Projects, Creation and Admin, User Interaction, Sketch Images, Celtx Community, and other related topics. The book is also very visual with lots of great Celtx screen shots, which was a good idea so readers can learn very easily.

We have read it over, gotten value from its contents, and now want to give the book away as a gift to one of our Spidvid members. If you want to win this book, be sure to get a Spidvid account, and then let us know why you deserve this book more than anybody else. You can tweet us, post on our Facebook page, email us, or comment below to enter. Tell us a story and emotionally engage us to maximize your chances of winning! We will announce the winner tomorrow on July 26th so enter NOW!

P.S. We will throw in a few Spidvid stickers (as modeled below by this little guy) inside the book as well!

If you are a Spidvid member you should be using Celtx for your collaborative projects. Celtx is the perfect pre-production tool to complement your Spidvid projects, and any other film project you want to successfully bring to fruition.

Jeremy Campbell Give Aways, Production Tool audio play, author, book, Celtx, comic book, contest, film, film production, free, giveaway, Mastering Celtx, new media, novel, pre-production, product, screenwriting, scriptwriting, software, story, storyboard, Terry Borst, theatre, video

I’ve always been kind of obsessed with stickers. As a kid I would find and buy all kinds of stickers, and then look for interesting places to place them. Most of the time I would end up violating my parents fridge, freezer, furniture, floors, walls, lights, and even vehicles, as older stickers tend to not peel off so well years later.

In any case I thought that I would combine my obsession of stickers with my obsession of Spidvid together to create Spidvid stickers. These stickers will have a nice glossy finish, will be a size of 2″x4″, and will peel off easy and fairly clean if one needs to be removed for whatever reason.

There are three ways you can get yourself some Spidvid stickers.

#1. Tweet - send out an update on your Twitter account which includes @spidvid, and make it creative. An example could be “My life will be complete if I get some cool stickers from @spidvid.

#2. Request on Facebook – Simply go to our Facebook fan page and post a sticker request comment. An example could be “I’m a big Spidvid fan, and would love some stickers for my laptop and iPhone.

#3. Email us – Head over to our contact page and shoot us an email. Say hi and that you want some stickers, and provide your mailing address so we can ship some to you.

If you use option #1 or option #2 above we will follow up with you to get your mailing address. For now we are limiting Spidvid sticker shipments to North Americans only. If you live outside of North America and desperately want some stickers, we will make a special exception if you are willing to create a video of yourself using the stickers in creative, remarkable, or unusual ways.

Our hope is that a good percentage of people who receive Spidvid stickers will upload pictures and videos of themselves, showing off how they are putting the stickers to good use. We may even offer prizes to those who showcase their passion for Spidvid via uploaded content, and as voted on by the online community.

Don’t wait, make your Spidvid sticker request right now on Twitter, Facebook, or through email.

Jeremy Campbell News free, fun, passion, pictures, product, promotion, spidvid, stickers, video