[libreoffice-marketing] Re: Marketing suggestion: enable screenplay formatting with LibreOffice

Le 2010-11-13 21:17, Alan C. Baird a écrit :
> Proposal for significantly enlarging LibreOffice's user base with Screenwright(R)
>
> 13 November 2010 by Alan C. Baird, prizewinning writer and creator of the
> Screenwright(R) screenplay formatter [winner of the Sun/OOo CIP award]
>
> http://w.9TimeZones.com/avails.htm
> http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/project/scr2
> http://development.openoffice.org/awardees-2008.html
>
> Executive Summary: enable screenplay formatting in LibreOffice to distinguish it from OpenOffice.
>
> Pitch: Every aspiring screenwriter has a movie in his/her head that needs to get down on paper. 
> However, some film production companies won't accept a script submission if the formatting is even 
> ONE POSITION off! So ensuring that screenplays are formatted correctly is an obsession of 
> screenwriters everywhere. But formatting a script can be an expensive proposition; 78 commercial 
> formatters are listed at The Writers Store. A screenwriter could easily spend $200 or more on 
> software, just to get a screenplay into acceptable shape.
>
> UNLESS s/he uses LibreOffice in conjunction with the Screenwright(R) screenplay formatting template.
>
> We all want our scripts to be eligible for the next multimillion-dollar spec auction, so some of us even carry our latest 
> screenplays in our glove compartments, on the off-chance that we might meet someone who can help. In the movie "Monster In A 
> Box," Spalding Gray talks about one of his trips to Los Angeles: «I had no idea how difficult it would be to find people not 
> involved in the film industry until I got out there and saw a special on television - in which they were interviewing people in 
> the parking lot of a Shop Rite supermarket. As people came out with their groceries, the interviewer would go up to them and say, 
> "Hi there, good morning! Tell us, how's your film script going?" And everyone said, "What?! How did you 
> know?" Right up to the cashier.»
>
> If the Screenwright(R) screenplay formatting template can be included as an integral part of the 
> upcoming LibreOffice release, it will send a clear signal--to filmmakers in particular and to the 
> Entertainment sector in general--that LibreOffice is ready to address the industry's unique 
> text-processing and -formatting needs. News travels fast among members of the Entertainment 
> industry, and they tend to be the gatekeepers and style leaders for the culture at large.
>
> Historical context: OOo Writer is the first (and for now, the only) full-featured word processor 
> that will easily format a screenplay at no cost whatsoever. But it requires a template download. If 
> LibreOffice wants to capitalize on this unique opportunity, the template could be integrated in the 
> upcoming LibreOffice release.
>
> Alan C. Baird
> Mesa, Arizona USA
> acbaird@yahoo.com
>
> Extra: using your iPod to write screenplays.
> [You can also use your iPhone, thumb/flash drive, mp3 player, or favorite USB storage device.] It's 
> a snap:
>
> A) At the bottom of your iPod's "Summary" tab in iTunes, check the "Enable disk use" box, and click the 
> "Apply" button.
> B) Download and install the latest free OpenOffice.org (LibreOffice?) Portable suite on your iPod.
>     http://portableapps.com/apps/office/openoffice_portable
> C) Download and install this free scr2.ott template on your iPod.
>
> When we stay in Tucson with my wife's friend--who has a Windows computer, but no Internet 
> connection--I keep myself entertained by working on my latest screenplay or just kicking back and 
> listening to some music (perhaps Mark Knopfler's Screenplaying). I can also use the iPod to revise 
> my script on the public computers in: (1) my local library, (2) London's Heathrow airport, (3) 
> Beijing's cyber-cafés, etc.
>
> PS: My iPod is one of the smallest models, an old 2GB Nano. I had already loaded nearly 18 hours of 
> music (201 songs) and 33 photos onto it. Now that it contains the OpenOffice.org (LibreOffice?) 
> Portable software and my screenplay, it still shows over 606MB (33%) of free space.

Neat! This is a really extraordinary template! Great work Alan! I am 
very interested in expanding our templates repository and this is 
exactly the kind of template offering that I was advocating in another 
one of our threads on creating "Template Teams". It has been quite a hot 
topic and I am quite encouraged by the feedback and suggestions. You may 
be interested in reading the thread here: 
http://www.libreoffice.org/lists/marketing/msg00745.html

We should maybe first discuss the merits of having default extensions 
installed on the LibO distro. We have spoken about LibO bloat on one of 
our discussions, but it was mostly about extensions. However, we should 
also include templates into the debate. Of concern is many of our 
members have dial-up / cellphone connections. All of the added bells and 
whistles add up to quite a large download. We really do have to keep an 
eye on this.

I, for one, am an advocate of "the user should always be in charge" of 
his LibO distro. I think in this case I would still vote to have the 
template stored in the LibO repository and interested users would then 
be able to download the template from the LibO Template Repository (yes, 
there will be such a beast). IMO, most users downloading a specific 
template would normally cruise the rest of the repository and take note 
of the different templates available to the distro and hopefully 
recommend the distro + OtherInterstingTemplate to someone else. Thus 
creating some self-marketing. A form of self-advertising.

The Screenwright template fits well with my suggestion of creating 
"Template Teams". Template teams would be comprised of specialists (such 
as yourself) who would create specialized templates for the LibO distro. 
The team would also be a sub-group of the marketing arm of LibO and LibO 
marketers would then carry through with strategic marketing of these 
templates. For example, a marketing campaign would market your extension 
to screenwriters. I believe this tactic would most likely create a 
larger buzz that just loading the extension with LibO by default.

A couple of comments about your template. Have you installed the 
template on the latest LibO version? You should test it on LibO and on 
each released version. Note that we are about to release the next beta 
version (if I am correct). On the Screenwright template site, some users 
were asking for a short primer on how to use the template. Is there one 
available? I also notice your facebook site 
(http://www.facebook.com/screenw) has an "Instructions for dummies?" but 
there is really no instructions there. I really would encourage a primer 
for beginners, just to set them on to the right path. Thereafter, 
reading up on screenwriter books, would be the obvious next step. I 
don't think users are really expecting/looking for much in a primer.

Also, could you test the upload of your template into our Drupal 
repository? We have a test site and the templates section has been 
completed and ready for tweaking. We would really be interested in your 
impression both from a template developer point of view as well as a 
"user downloader" point of view. You can reach the test site here:
http://www.libreofficeaustralia.org
Create an account and you will then be mailed a password.

Thanks for the amazing contribution.

Marc






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