Screenplay Video Editing Appliance

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Manufacturer's Site

Screenplay is one of a unique class of products referred to as Video Editing Appliances. Manufactured by Applied Magic of Carlsbad, CA, Screenplay is a "black box", about the size of a standard VCR which contains an internal 60GB hard drive, standard AV/S-Video inputs and outputs on the rear panel, a VGA output, as well as a mouse and keyboard connections. On the front panel are another set of standard AV/S-Video inputs and outputs, microphone input, along with an IEEE-1394 (iLink, Firewire) connection, PCMCIA slot, and CD-Rom drive.

All you need to complete your video editing "studio" is to connect the keyboard, mouse, either a computer or TV monitor, and an Analog or DV video input source. You just turn it on and within minutes you are ready to capture and edit video.

The name, "Screenplay", hints at the filmlike effects which are so easily achieved with this simple-to-use video editing system. The company, Applied Magic, is going after the reliable educational and corporate markets and so the materials and sales pitches gloss over the fact that a home user or amateur filmmaker - or, in some cases, those that are not so amateur - will find the real-time effects capability and ease of use intriguing if not intoxicating. Want to see that cut in black and white? Click click boom. Slow motion? Add in an extra click. Match footage to another camera? You can instantly control brightness, contrast, and hue, easily rescuing most less-than-perfect footage. Dissolves and cuts slide into place and are immediately viewable, completely adjustable, and can even be copied from place to place. Feel like reversing the motion to match another shot? This effect does have to "render", but a few seconds later, it's done.

Although I was testing the Screenplay using just a 15" monitor, the remarkably clutter-free interface held up well even in this relatively tight viewing area.

What is genuinely thrilling for more advanced users is the easy-to-use A/B roll capability. This is a more "esoteric" optional function, primarily of interest to those who run two cameras to fully cover an important event. While not essential, it can provide the average home user with the ability to edit using two tapes shot at the same time from different angles, dissolving or cutting back and forth between the shots.

Screenplay also offers picture-in-picture, stepped motion, inverse black and white, various solarization filters, and sepia tones. It's more than sufficient for creating slick family videos and feeds the secret "But I really want to direct!" spirit hidden deep within many Home Theater aficionados. One downside: it's likely that you'll be running through far more tape than usual once you realize just how spectacular the final videos can look.

Another plus: in Screenplay, all video clips are available to use in several simultaneous projects. Most other editing systems don't allow this easy file-sharing. If you're customizing different videos and want to reuse some footage from another project, it's a snap to do so.

From hook-up to video capture and on to my first "meaningful" edit - something likely to stay in the final project - was less than an hour. Frankly, I've had VCRs which took me longer to set up.

In summary, Screenplay is amazingly fast and flexible with standard edits and transitions, and special effects. Most transitions and effects require no or very little render time. The exceptionally clear user interface allows for a very quick learning curve. Its capability to handle both DV and analog video is a real plus, no need for additional converters, as in a PC that only has DV input. In other words, you can import that old VHS footage with your VCR or the latest DV footage through firewire without any additional conversion equipment.

As good as the Screenplay is though, there are a few factors to take into consideration before jumping in. First, Screenplay may be considered pricey ($3,999.99 msrp) for a one-use system (as opposed to a versatile, but video-friendly PC or MAC). The built-in Titler functions look good but adjustments are limited (though an improved version is rumored to be on the way). The Screenplay is equipped with a CD drive for importing software upgrades, music, and JPEG photo files. However, the CD drive is read-only. Lastly, although the Screenplay works well with DV video input sources, when outputting video, you will get better results using its S-Video outputs rather than the DV output.

However, the few short-comings of the Screenplay are minor compared to its overwhelming advantages compared to other types of video editing systems. After encountering frustation working with both traditional video editing equipment and PC-based systems, I find the Screenplay to be a godsend for those of us that love the creative video editing process but need quick project turnaround time. Whether you are a video professional, a weekend videographer, or just enjoy editing home videos, the Screenplay is definitely one tool worth considering.

~ Robert Silva