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Mac OS X  |  Business / Productivity  |  Word Processing  |  Montage  |  it's all about the money

Montage

Montage

Create, edit, and manage your own screenplays.

Version:  1.5.4

   [ Views: 584 ]

it's all about the money

Feedback Type:  Commentary

Contributed by: thestuntman Wednesday, October 03 2007 @ 04:40 PM PDT

Product Platform: MacOSX

Used Product For: 1-6 months

Recommend Product: NO

I would love to replace my Final Draft with this, but this is a $50 program charging $140 for itself. Of course, Final Draft is a $50 program charging $225 for itself -- but Final Draft & Movie Magic Screenwriter came into existence when software was a rare and treasured thing. Now, in the freeware/shareware era, that business model is archaic. However, they cornered the market and no one has forced them adjust their price. They are professional programs. But come on... in today's world, they're both just specialized word processors with old code. Finally, along comes a lean mean Mac-only Montage and it got me excited. At $50 it would be a nice kick in the pants to the big two. It could sell to pros with its bonus features and hobbyists alike with it's friendly pricing. Instead, they over-priced it, edging out the dabblers and making the pros stick with the industry standard -- after all, it's still an investment to make. I've been waiting for them to get more realistic about pricing... but they won't budge. So Montage remains just a cheaper version of the other two that isn't proven or cross-platform... but has some bonus features. Sad, really.   

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Comments

3 comments |

it's all about the money - mwray222-100000000000000000000000000206551

I'm curious, and I say this respectively, how did you arrive at your suggested $50 price?

Logan
Mariner Software

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Saturday, October 06 2007 @ 07:09 AM PDT


why $50? - thestuntman

i arrived at $50 through a simple process. If it's a simple program for play, i peak at $15. if it is a useful utility i peak at $25. if it is a specialized program for professional use, i peak at $50. of course there still exists the old guard of major work-related investments like microsoft office, adobe cs, etc. but even they have new world replacements on their heels that adhere to a more modern model of quantity, box-less, direct-from-developer sales. writer's tools have always run cheaper than business and graphics programs except for the venerable screenwriter's tools. but that's changing as well. scrivener is an able screenwriting program with great idea organizing at $35, and celtx is a cross-platform solution with a multitude of outlining and production features for free. montage offers a professional, mac-like veneer, great support, and some unique features... but it seems lost in the fuzzy transition between the old guard and the new guard of software sales.

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Sunday, October 07 2007 @ 04:31 PM PDT


it's all about the money - writestuffla1

Dave, I couldn't disagree more. Montage isn't perfect, but both Final Draft and Screenwriter suffer from excessive bloat. Too many bells and whistles make the creative process more confusing.

The fact of the matter is while most writers use Final Draft by virtue of the fact that they have just been around longer, from a production standpoint, shooting scripts are exported into MM Screenwriter for tagging and breakdowns for actual production use. Ask Script Supervisors. They don't use Final Draft. Final Draft has rested on its laurels for too long and has stopped being innovative a long time ago.

The update to Montage 1.4 is much improved. It's come a long way in a very short time. For the beginning screenwriter who just wants to get a script down and doesn't want to be confused or overwhelmed, Montage does the job just fine.

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Wednesday, February 27 2008 @ 11:15 PM PST