(Mostly) Automatic HTML Screenplay
Since I had to spend Father’s Day away from my dad(s), I occupied my time with this little conundrum: How to export a Movie Magic Screenlpay and post it into WordPress without having to type in all of the elements?
The result is a handy-dandy combo of tools I have collected here.
The included files are an amalgam of other tools, cobbled together to create (almost) automatic conversion. You can either post your screenplay in a WordPress post like this:
But to what end? But to what end!?!
Or, you can create a screenplay page that formats and prints (almost) correctly like this.
You must have Movie Magic and Microsoft Word to utilize the conversion macros, but the Screenplay Page template and CSS files can be used independently to write a script in WordPress.
Let me know what you think, if it works, etc.
Tags: Site_Updates, Writing.
7 Comments so far
It’s a great start, Nicholas. I haven’t had the chance to test it out #– my WP installation is rickety #– but I noticed a few things in your CSS that you might want to look at.
* You need an extra line between action lines.
* The first letter of a parenthetical should be lowercase.
And in your sample on this page, there’s an extra return before the parenthetical.
But it’s a great beginning. If you’re looking to really push the CSS, I’ve seen examples online where people use the “page” features of CSS to actually handle on-screen page breaks and page numbers.
By John August on 06.20.05 @ 10:43 am
Thanks John!
1) Modified the macro to double space between action lines
2) There’s not a way to lowercase the first letter of parentheticals, but I can start typing them correctly to begin with (if they didn’t begin with a parenthesis I could do it with a pseudo-element)
3) The extra line was a goof on my part#–it’s fixed
4) I’ve included page attributes to set margins and isolate widows and orphans, but currently only Opera supports the attribute that makes it possible
(Sigh) I’m a geek.
Nicholas hollered back on 06.20.05 @ 4:48 pm
Yes you are a geek, but I love you and want to come see you soon!
By Larey (Lynsey) on 06.22.05 @ 3:40 pm
Total geek. But that’s completely okay, seeing as how you have to be one to keep up with technology these days. Do you ever think that technology has maybe begun to go too far?
By Taryn on 06.23.05 @ 2:44 pm
I think technology has definitely gone too far in a lot of ways. But in some ways, it’s really improved life. I hate cell phones now, but I love being able to talk to my family even though I’m a thousand miles away. It’s a trade-off.
Nicholas hollered back on 06.23.05 @ 5:32 pm
Hi, I arrived here by doing a search on screenplay style blogs. I am using Blogger.com and I don’t think CSS style templates work properly. I tried using John August’s coding and won’t do it right. Any ideas?
By The Moviequill on 08.05.05 @ 6:45 pm
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