To stop the character cont’d in MM, click on Format | Elements Style | Character Names and then click on No Automatic Character Continueds. IF by chance that “radio button” is already checked but that type of cont’d nevertheless appears – i.e., MM is ignoring that selection – click on Extension, then OK, which will close the small window. Then repeat the process to reopen that window and click on No Automatic Character Continueds, then OK. That should fix the problem. YMMV.

BTW, I stopped using MM and had to switch over to FD because MM was randomly deleting text – sometimes just the character name at a dialogue block (leaving the dialogue as an orphan or combining it with with the next character), sometimes the entire dialogue block. Windows XP and Win7. Sure FD crashes sometimes and I’ve had pages disappear (which is why I manually iterate-save regularly), but at least that happens right in front of my eyes so that I know it happened and I can resolve it. With MM, it can happen off the immediate page so I never know w/o having to read through the script just to look for such snafus. I think it has something to do with the repagination process. I know MM is aware of this, but they have no fix.

I’m most interested in seeing if these guys can secure a deal with Netflix in particular. Their open submission seems like a great way to increase their on-demand library while simultaneously giving little indies like this a way to reach a broader market.

Look forward to further updates on their progress!

Anna says, “I don’t think it’s possible to make an itty-bitty feature that makes sense financially.”

I say, “Spending less money has so many valuable benefits (more creative control, less stress, smaller bottom line, etc.) that you can’t just dismiss it like that. Of course there’s no “model”… that’s why they call it “independent” filmmaking.”

Its a sad day when people discourage intelligent & creative marketing of artistic entertainment in favor of the commas & zeroes “model” (read: desperately throwing money at something in hopes of making a profit) that Hollywood generally prefers.

Those of us doing “itty-bitty” films may not be making a mortgage payment (some of us ARE, btw), but we’re paying the rent with films that we’re proud to have our names on. And our investors don’t seem to be disappointed with the returns either, because they keep investing.

I have all faith in The Remnants but …

Isn’t this a contradiction in terms? I don’t think it’s possible to make an itty-bitty feature that makes sense financially.

There’s really no “model” here. They might make enough to buy a sandwich or three, or even a really nice steak.

But no one’s making a mortgage payment.

I know it can be dry, but I find these formatting discussions incredibly helpful.

Have you ever talked about – SAME and – SIMULTANEOUS and things like that? I feel like they can bev very useful, but also feel like I may have overused or misused them.

I looked at your previous formatting posts in the archive — including the one on simultaneity, which seemed to deal more with split-screen and crosscutting — and didn’t find it. Though it’s hard to do a search on the word SAME.

Any thoughts?

Thanks again!

Why the need for a Breakdown? The Producer or Studio will want to know whether your script can be filmed within the typical production costs for the genre, taking into account any attached Actors, Director etc.

Many Producers leave a full Breakdown until the script has been through several revisions as they often need to pay a professional to do it. They therefore rely on experience to estimate whether a script is good and fits their budget. Making it more difficult to track Time of Day means they are less likely to spend time on your script.

Disclosure: WattWenn is Production Scheduling software which can import scripts with properly formatted slug lines like INT. BEDROOM NIGHT to make the Breakdown easier.