Version 0.8 beta builds on top of notebook and several other features introduced in the last release. The latest beta introduces a few new features and sets the stage for a whole new world of features in the months to come.
If you just want to update to the latest version, then you can click on the link below, although we encourage you to take some time to read about all the new stuff in this update.
Table Of Contents
What’s version 0.8 all about?
Over the past year, we have taken time to focus on one thing in each new beta version.
| Version 0.4.x | A brand new and modern UI |
| Version 0.5.x | ZIP file format and stability improvements |
| Version 0.6.x | Index cards on structure, capturing formal structures & introducing templates. |
| Version 0.7.x | New Notebook for capturing notes & research in a structured way. |
With version 0.8.x, we wanted to build initial features that would help set the stage for things like real-time collaborative editing, virtual writers room, secure sharing, peer-review, portal for writer’s portfolio and many more. All of this starts with you being able to sign-up for an account through the Scrite app.
Sign-Up/Login Workflow
Starting with 0.8 beta, users will be asked to sign-up for an account with us and activate their installations of Scrite in order to use many of the features in the app.
Signing up is easy. Simply key in your email-id and let Scrite send you an activation code to your email.
Copy/paste the activation code into the space provided and click on the Activate button.
Once activated, you will be taken to your user profile settings where you can key in your user profile details
Once you save your profile details, your installation of Scrite will be activated with your account details. You can always go back, review and alter this information by clicking on the user profile icon on the top right corner of the Scrite window.
Once activated, all features of Scrite will be unlocked.
NOTE: The Linux version of Scrite works only on Ubuntu 19.04 or later. Please make sure that OpenSSL 1.1 is setup on your computer.
Discord Community
Although technically this is not a feature in Scrite, we do want to introduce this along with version 0.8 beta.
Discord is like Slack, only less restrictive. We now have a Scrite server setup on Discord. By joining it, you will be able to post questions, submit feedback, report bugs, request features, receive news about Scrite and even connect with other Scrite users. We believe that Discord is faster, simpler and a more effective way reach out to us and stay connected with the larger Scrite Users community.
To join us on Discord
- Install Discord App on your Mobile Phone, Desktop or Laptop
- Sign-up with Discord if you have not already done so.
- Join the Scrite Server by clicking on the “Join Us On Discord” link in the User Profile page.
Protect Your Screenplays With Shield
Starting with version 0.8 beta, you can now protect your screenplay such that it can only be opened on systems in which you have logged in to your account.
To lock your screenplay, simply click on the Shield icon on the left corner of the status bar in screenplay tab.
In the resulting dialog box, toggle protection to ON.
You can optionally add email ids of friends or collaborators who you want to authorize access to your screenplay.
Finally click on the check icon to the top right corner of the dialog box and save your screenplay. Since you have turned on protection, Scrite will encrypt the contents of your screenplay. The resulting .scrite file can now be opened only on Scrite installations that have been logged in / activated using your email-id or your collaborator’s email-id. While your collaborators can open and even edit your screenplay, they cannot add additional collaborators or remove existing ones. That right still rests with you. All of this adds a layer of security and protects your work.
Although we cannot guarantee that your screenplays are un-decryptable, it would be pretty difficult for anybody to do so without access to our encryption keys.
NOTE: In version 0.8 beta, we encrypt only the contents written by you in screenplay, structure and notebook tabs. Documents & Photos, used in the title page or attached to notes are not encrypted. In a future update, we plan to encrypt those as well.
Export Character Relationship Graph To PDF
This was a feature requested by a few users over the past few months. You can now click on “Export to PDF” button on the notebook and export the current relationship graph to PDF.
To keep things consistent, the structure tab also sports an “Export to PDF” icon on its toolbar using which you can export the contents of the structure tab to PDF.
New Statistics Report
Version 0.8 beta features a brand new statistics report, which generates a PDF file with insightful statistics. Many of the writers to whom we showed a demo of this feature to, really loved it.
To take this feature for a spin, simply open one of your screenplays or even one from Scriptalay. The contents of the report will be richer if you have act breaks on the timeline and and have also tagged structure elements. But its not absolutely, necessary.
Shown below is screenshot of the screenplay of Knives Out loaded in Scrite. We have inserted act breaks and also marked beats from “Save The Cat” structure.
Now, consider this: wouldn’t it be useful to know insights about your screenplay, like for instance: what percentage of your screenplay is dialogue? Is your story mostly INT or EXT? Who are the most active characters in your screenplay? How long is ACT 1, 2A, 2B and 3? How long is “Fun And Games”?
Those are the kind of insights that Statistics Report provides.
Simply select Reports -> Statistics Report to pull the report configuration dialog box.
In this dialog box you can configure whether you want to include character & location presence graphs, and if you do – how many of them you want.
For now, we have accepted the default values and clicked on Generate. When the PDF got generated, we opened it and saw this:
- This report visually conveys the split between Dialogue and Non-Dialogue paragraphs in the screenplay. That way we will know if the story is heavy on visuals or dialogue or is balanced.
- We can also clearly notice if much of the story happens INT or EXT.
- The timeline showcases how acts, tags and scenes are paced in the screenplay. If one of the acts is too long or two short, we can clearly notice them.
- The character & location presence graphs let us “see” where characters & locations are most active across the entire timeline of your screenplay. Scrite always shows the most active character or location first, then the next one and so on. By default the top 6 characters and locations are picked. By contrasting these graphs with others, we can see how they show up together or play out.
Watch this 10 minute video and hear Prashanth explain the statistics report feature in detail.
What do you think about these feature? Talk to us on Discord, or leave us feedback on the Forum. As we receive feedback, we plan to make this report richer and more insightful.
Download/Update Now!
Within the next few months, we will be moving out of beta. In addition to a free-forever plan, we will also be introducing paid subscription plans which will allow us to invest in, develop and provide you premium features, and support you, the writer, better. As an early signed-in adopter, you will be among the few who can access our future paid subscriptions at a significant discount.
As always, please leave your feedback on the Forum. But from now on, you can also reach out to us on Discord. It is because of all the feedback that the app is improving with each update.