Collection of Tools & Utilities/Collection of Tools and Utilities.iso/edit/vde164cs.zip/164C-SP.DOC

Text File | 1992-10-03 | 33KB | 687 lines

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V D E 1 6 4 C S P
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Screenplay Macros for Eric Meyer's
Video Display Editor, Version 1.64c



                                NOTES TO VERSIONS 1.64b AND 1.64c

This latest version of the VDE-SP macros for writing and printing screenplays
has a couple of minor improvements in the macros themselves, particularly in
those that set different margins. It occasionally happened, when a single line
of description or dialogue was mistakenly reformed, that it could not be
reformed correctly by the use of the ESC-0 or ESC-2 macros. The fixes in this
version work pretty well to eliminate the majority of such cases, although I'm
not sure they do in all. A similar problem occurred sometimes with the
reforming of the trailing piece of dialogue after a page break. Again I'm not
sure whether the fix works in all cases, but it certainly does in most.

In addition, I have added some batch files which the curious user can employ
to test VDE-SP without going to all the trouble of completely installing a
program. See QUICKSTARTING VDE-SP below.

For all of these fixes and innovations I am indebted to Joel Anderson, who
solved some of the problems and put me on the right track on the others. He
also thought of the quickstart batch files.

Improvements to the macros of v1.64c are largely internal - a number of the
macros have been shortened, which allows more room for customized character
name macros - but a feature has been added which lifts the cursor to the
middle of the screen on the exercise of any macro.

In addition I have added a DUMMY character name (type ESC-D to see how it
works), which makes it easier to add character name macros to VTK (textfiles
created with VMC) files - just copy the macro for DUMMY and adjust the key and
name to suit. In my personal batch files I load the relevant VTK file for the
particular project along with the actual text files so I can easily switch to
that file, add one or more character names macros, and, by shelling out via
ALT-R, compile a new VDK file, load it with ALT-U, and continue working.

The function key overlay file, VDF, also includes my macros for running
ShareSpell on the F11 key and calling up a timed and dated notes file on F12.
These will have to be rewritten to reflect your system's path or they can
simply be deleted if you have no use for them.


                                                         NOTES TO VERSION 1.64

In VDE 1.64 the 'place mark' commands have been revised to remove confusion
between them and the ^Z character (1Ah). ^KM (not ^PZ) now sets a place mark.
^QM (not ^QZ) goes to a place mark. The mark displays as a highlighted '!.' ^PZ
now inserts an actual ^Z, as you would expect. Since these were used in some
of the macros of VDE-SP 1.63, they have had to be changed for v1.64.

Also in v1.64 the definition of 'ASCII document' has been 'corrected.'
Filemode /A is now truly ASCII text, and therefore will NOT interpret control
codes as printer commands, allowing them to display and print directly. A new
filemode /D (Document) is now the default; it DOES interpret control codes (as
/A used to do). Since underlining or italics are often used in screenplays,
VDE-SP should now be installed with the new 'document' mode as the default.

In v1.64 of VINST, the printer driver option for 'Reserve header space?'
option has been replaced (and thus there is no longer an 'R' option in the
Print command ^KP). Instead there are two new driver settings, 'Top margin if
header used' and 'Lines between header and text', which in combination offer
more flexibility. These should

                                                         NOTES TO VERSION 1.63

These screenplay macros have been revised to take counteract a new feature in
version 1.63 of VDE, which automatically runs whichever macro is assigned to
ESC-0. In earlier versions of VDE-SP ESC-0 was used to position the cursor to
write a character's name and change the margins to those for dialogue. Since
that clearly causes problems if it runs automatically every time you load VDE-
SP, I have switched ESC-0 with the former ESC-1, which merely resets the
margins to those used for description and action. Those who have been using
the macros will probably find it only takes a few minutes of working with the
new set up to get used to it.


                                                                  INTRODUCTION

VDE-SP is a set of macro and function key definitions that makes Eric Meyer's
Video Display Editor into a screenplay processor which writes, formats, pages,
and prints out screenplays in standard industry format.

VDE allows you to define ten macros you invoke by typing the ESCAPE key and
any one of the ten numeral keys from 1 through 0. VDE-SP uses all ten of them.
Only the five macros ESC 1, 2, 3, 9, and 10 are used for writing the
screenplay. ESC 4 through ESC 8 are used afterward, for paging. In addition
eleven of the 40 function keys have been programmed to be helpful, though they
aren't strictly necessary.

The files produced by VDE-SP are simple ASCII files, nearly WISYWIG (What You
See Is What You Get), and with no embedded control codes other than occasional
^S underline codes. They are compatible with Scriptor (c) and can be imported
into other MS/DOS (c) word processors such as WordStar (c), Microsoft Word
(c), or WordPerfect (c).


                                                          LIMITATION OF VDE-SP

VDE-SP does not number shots. If you find that necessary - it usually isn't
for reading scripts - you either have to do it by hand or run your finished
VDE-SP files through Scriptor (c).


                                                    WRITING AND EDITING MACROS

Here's what the five writing and editing macros do:

ESC 0 sets wide margins for scene description and action at columns 1 and 60
and reforms the paragraph under the cursor to conform to the new margins.

ESC 2 sets narrow margins for dialogue at columns 11 and 44 and reforms the
text under the cursor.

ESC 3 inserts a parenthetical, or "wryly." Type the text you want inside the
parentheses, delete the space before the close parenthesis, and exit with ^X.
If there is dialogue text beyond the parenthesis, it will be reformed to the
dialogue margins.

You continue in dialogue with no further command. Pay no attention to the fact
that the cursor is column 1 - the margins are still set for dialogue.

VDE-SP doesn't set special margins for parentheticals. They are positioned at
the first tabstop, within normal dialogue margins. If your parenthetical is so
long you have to wrap it with a carriage return to a second line, you can do
that, but you should consider going back to description margins and writing it
out as a sentence.

ESC 9 spaces down two lines and types CUT TO in the correct position for a
transition, at the third tabstop. CUT TO is the only transition I ever use -
to suggest a radical change in time or place. You can use DISSOLVE TO or FADE
OUT by typing F7 (function key 7) or F8 respectively. These work the same was
as ESC 0.

If you really want to get wild and use something like CHINESE DOLLY TO, do it
by hand. Just type two carriage returns, three tabs, and type whatever
transition phrase you like.

ESC 1 sets dialogue margins and positions the cursor to the point where you
type the character's name. As with ESC 9, you may do ESC 1 at the end of a
block of description or a block of dialogue, the result is the same.


                                                                 FUNCTION KEYS

Eleven function keys have been programmed.

F1 puts the line ahead of the cursor into upper case. This allows you to type
the character's name or a shot line in lower - or in upper and lower - case,
then upcase it all retrospectively, so to speak, with a single keystroke. It
makes no difference whether you do this before or after typing the carriage
return aft