Celtx Studio, Celtx Script and Pre-Production Workflow

A visit this week to the Film Program at Santa Fe Community College (SFCC), specifically Film 239, Producing and Directing the Independent Film. Not surprisingly, students were particularly interested in how Celtx facilitated the pre-production workflow by enabling script breakdowns and the generation of production reports. (Of course, all of that is explored in great detail in chapters 5, 7 and 11 of Mastering Celtx).

Since I had just scripted a 90-second promotional video for my university department, it was easy to pull up the script in the Celtx Studio I’m currently using this semester, and demonstrate breaking down the script, filling out breakdown sheets, and generating script reports and production reports.

Tomorrow I judge a business video competition being held more than an hour away: while being driven to the host hotel, I’ll be able to revise the promo script using the Celtx Script app. (Always try to be chauffeured places: you’ll be more productive!)

One of the Film 239 students asked: “Why bother using anything but Celtx for script development and script breakdowns?” And if you’re an indy media maker, that’s the right question to ask. Mastering Celtx will detail the answer.

Additional Instructional Resources for MASTERING CELTX

Additional instructional resources to aid faculty in using Mastering Celtx in the classroom are now available! If you’re thinking of adopting Mastering Celtx, contact your Cengage Learning sales rep and request the instructional resources! (What?! You don’t have a Cengage sales rep? Click here to find a rep: they’ll be happy to talk to you!)

Celtx for Film Crews

Had the opportunity this past Monday night to visit a Film Crew class being run out of the Film Program of Santa Fe Community College in New Mexico — and talk about Celtx and how it can aid script breakdowns and production scheduling (including generating daily call sheets, printed schedules, and so on). The students had previously done a script breakdown by hand, so the advantage of using Celtx to do the breakdown was obvious.

Film crew trainees are also very interested in how scripts are written (even if they’re not planning to write any themselves), and as one student said to me afterwards, “I didn’t think writing a script could be so easy!”

Thanks to instructor Kelly Bahr for the invitation to show off a few of Celtx’s features and talk about Mastering Celtx to her students!

Celtx Shots: A Quick Review

Just had a chance to play around this afternoon with Celtx Shots, the new iPhone/iPad app that allows you to storyboard (and by extension outline) and block sets for your time-based media project on your mobile device.

Celtx Shots fully exploits the iPad form factor, and its combination of features makes for a powerful tool.

New Celtx App Dropping November 10

This Thursday Celtx will be releasing a new iPad app to advance 21st century media storytelling. Although we’re in the middle of an academic semester (with students writing dozens of scripts while using Celtx), we’ll have a looksee and report on the new app as soon as possible.

Podcast – MASTERING CELTX discussed on “NM Film Works”

You can catch the podcast of September 10′s NM Film Works radio broadcast, where I discuss Celtx and Mastering Celtx with host Trish Lopez of the New Mexico Film Office, and how Celtx can help facilitate the development and growth of homegrown media and ad-hoc production shops.

On the radio with MASTERING CELTX

I’ll be back on local radio in Northern New Mexico this weekend, discussing Mastering Celtx.

The radio show is called NM Film Works, hosted by Trish Lopez of the New Mexico Film Office. Air times and stations:

• Santa Fe and surroundings: Saturday, September 10 at 11am on 1260-AM
• Albuquerque and surroundings: Sunday, September 11 at 12noon on 1350-AM.

Sadly, there is no live online streaming, but the show will be archived online early next week, and I’ll post the location for online playback then.

Celtx Script for Less Than $5

You can’t beat this:  the Celtx Script app in the iTunes store for less than $5. Get on your iPad (or iPhone) and go write a script — for about the price of a grande latte. (You’ll have a little more money left over for Mastering Celtx then!)

Author on Panel at ABQ Film Festival Saturday September 20

The author of Mastering Celtx will be on a panel along with members of the DGA, IATSE and SAG to speak about “Working With Unions”, this Saturday, September 20, 9:30-10:30am at the Albuquerque Hyatt Regency, as part of the Albuquerque Film Festival. The panel discussion is open to the public, and if you’re attending the Film Fest, stop on by and say hello — talk about Celtx, screenwriting, entertainment guilds, or anything else…

Celtx Studios in the Classroom

If you’ve ever taught a writing or screenwriting course, you know one of the central challenges is the collection of student work, and distribution of reviewed student work.

Traditionally, students would hand in assignment printouts to you; you’d mark them up; then you’d return them.