More Than Just a Plaything - Screenplay by Applied Magic

The Box

The front of the device features a set of inputs (composite RCA, S-video, DV-1394 and microphone) as well as a CD-ROM, which can be used to upgrade the software and add third-party effects, graphics, fonts, video and audio files. The rear panel offers the same inputs as well as outputs, audio aux, European TV connectors (SCART-out), VGA (for the computer monitor), Ultrawide SCSI II (for additional hard drives), PS/2 connectors for mouse and keyboard, serial port, fuse and power switch. All connectors are labeled with picture icons (to facilitate international sales), which I found a bit confusing at first.

Complete instructions are provided for installing and operating the system, with over 90 fully illustrated pages. I would prefer to see more tutorials for the beginning user to learn nonlinear editing. The documentation, which comes in a compact looseleaf binder is getting too big for the binder and should be repackaged or bound with larger rings.

Applied Magic seems very dedicated to improving their product with software upgrades that are free and continually improve the operation of the program. Version 1.3 for instance, came out in February, 1.4 in late May and 1.5 in late July. While the upgrades are welcome, we had the feeling that their frequency signified a rush to market and that some improvements were being made that should have been included in the first version.

The keyboard is proprietary, printed with special keys to match Screenplay functions. One of these keys is essential in turning the off, much like in Windows, where one is obliged to go through a shut down procedure to allow the system to examine the drive(s) for un-closed files. Once fully understood, the keyboard serves to duplicate all mouse functions so that editor's who prefer to work with exclusively with a keyboard, can do so easily.

Installation of the system is very easy. Connection diagrams are the best part of the documentation, and show numerous setups that will fit any user, regardless of his investment in peripheral equipment. If all you have is a camcorder and TV set, you can edit with Screenplay.

Acquiring Assets

The aforementioned faults aside, turning on Screenplay produces one of the intuitive, complete and well designed prosumer NLEs I have ever seen. The screen is divided into three major areas; Preview Window, Clip Window and Timeline, with three side tabs that switch between the major functions of Setup, Editor and Titler. Setup, for instance, allows the user to configure the program to work in any one of seven languages including French, German, Spanish - even British and US English (color-colour)!

To acquire assets, simply click the red "record" button beneath the Preview screen. The edit windows disappear, a full screen image from source is displayed and a host of slider controls appear as overlays, offering extensive image control capability. Users will be pleasantly surprised by what they find in these controls. Although highly intuitive and extensive, clicking and dragging on most will reveal even more parameters that may be scrolled into view.

This tendency to offer rich control choices supports my belief that Applied Magic's engineers are dedicated to providing professional level tools within the shell of a low cost, prosumer box. In fact, it would not surprise me if a fully professional box was not in Applied Magic's near future plan; this unit has the makings of it. Suddenly, this review became a lot of fun while I switched from screen to screen to explore the hidden depths of each control window. This took quite awhile!

For instance, in the capture window, which is divided into three areas (Capture Tracks, Source and Capture Quality), adjust both the level and mix of incoming stereo audio, adjust video levels, contrast (RGB levels are controlled elsewhere in the editor screen) brightness, contrast, and saturation, and in the next version, Applied Magic promises remote DV camera/deck source control. Capable of reading VITC and DV timecode, the system offers capture displays such as the current clip duration (which increments as you record), the total duration of all recorded clips, the remaining time on the hard drives (which changes as you adjust the capture quality).

Our test unit came equipped with an inboard Seagate Medalist Pro 9 (ST39140LW) 9 gigabyte drive, but I would recommend the optional 18 gig drive. You can also add up to 13 additional outboard drives, such as an externally powered array. You can set the capture quality at any of fsix levels, though their names were somewhat amateurish - "Broadcast (which allowed 32 m. of record time on the naked hard drive), Commercial, Corporate, Professional, Home and Demo (which allowed 115 m.)." In all honesty, on prosumer monitors, capturing footage from a Betacam BVW40 deck, I didn't see all that much difference between the levels down to "Home," and would assume that in a pinch, an event videographer could use "Home" for a wedding where the guests refuse to go home.

A unique feature is Applied Magic's, "White MagicTM" key, which asks the user to click on an object which is the color white on the screen and the system automatically white balances the entire scene. Nice touch for a prosumer editor that copies the routine in most cameras (except prosumer cameras don't always get it right, which is why this feature is good) for getting the color adjusted accurately.

Leaving something behind for the Professional Screenplay version, Applied Magic does not include batch capture capability.

Character Generator

In my opinion, character generation takes up a larger portion of prosumer productions than professional productions and in anticipation of that need, ScreenPlay offers a really powerful character generator with only two shortcoming - the system does not seem to kern letters (kerning allows the user to adjust the space between letters). That said, ScreenPlay's character generator offers some sophisticated features.

Currently, eight fonts are included, and the user can import any True Type fonts via the CDROM. Sizing may be set up to 148 lines and enhancements include color palette selection, edge (with color), bold, U/L, italics, drop and soft-edge shadow (with color with transparency and height controls). Detail sliders for each control allow the shadows and edges to be finely adjusted.

Conversely, controls on the screen, such as Move Graphic Forward (and Back) did not seem to have a function and were not mentioned in the documentation. Later we learned that these controls allow you to reorder the layers of multiple titles and box objects to generate complex titles - a very nice touch.
Once typed, text can be moved anywhere on the screen with mouse drags. Double clicking a title allows it to be edited. In order to place characters accurately over video, the user must shift into the Edit window. I would prefer that all typing, sizing and layout of text be allowed over video in the Character Generator module, but you could call me picky for insisting it be so.

The Editing Process

Moving to the editor, the interface is extremely intuitive and nearly all the functions could be figured out by an experienced editor in a matter of an hour or so. Captured clips appear in a Clip Window and clips can be divided using the split/break key or button. There is only one Clip Window, however, and so the user cannot make "bins" for various categories of clips (such as, "b-roll," "interviews," "exteriors.") Unlike professional NLEs, the information for each clip cannot be parsed like a databse for obtaining textual information.

Trimming clips is achieved in a window called "Details" or by the keyboard. Trimming revises the clip's duration in the bin and, if already on the timeline, in the timeline. In order to hear scrubbed audio that is attached to video, the user must hold the CONTROL key. Audio scrubbing "on" should be a default.

ScreenPlay uses a standard timeline design, except that the timeline is called a "storyboard." I find this confusing. A storyboard is a panel of drawings that depict a movie, often used to describe a TV commercial or feature film. A timeline is the graphic representation of a show on a nonlinear edit system. Keeping terminology consistent in our industry is a good thing, and changing this misnomer will help ScreenPlay look like a more professional tool.

Clips are dragged to the single-track video timeline where all clips appear as standard-sized picons, separated by brown spaces. The brown spaces indicate a cut unless they contain an effect which is dragged there from one of three effect style bins. The Transition bin contains 50+ effects (another 80 - 20 from Pixelan Spice Rack and 60 from Rapid Transit - can be installed for free from an upgrade CD), the Special Effects bin contains 8 motion effects, the Color Effects bin contains 21 gamma style effects, totaling 160 base customizable real-time effects shipped with ScreenPlay.

Transitions include the usual range of 2-D wipes and dissolves, with a few page curls thrown in for good measure. The page curls are a bit lame, being only 90 degrees to the picture edge and therefore, not that dimensional. Color Effects allow the associated clip to be colorized in various ways. Special Effects is a collection of 8 flips, mirrors, rotates, strobe, 24fps film style, and 3 styles of slow motion. Fast motion is not yet one of the 8 motion effects, but this will be a after market product later in the year.

The really unique and outstanding feature in the editor is a "details" window that changes for each tool that is being used, including trimming, effects, graphics, etc. In one effect, the Details window might reveal methods for changing the duration while in another effect the Details window might have a method for changing the angle of a wipe. It's a lot of fun to explore and as each free revision is delivered to the editor, the fun will continue for some time.

In addition to the video track, Screenplay features three more tracks; one for Graphics and two for each audio track. Graphics that are added to the timeline below video clips are assumed to be keys or supers and appropriate Detail controls provide adequate luma control. Chroma keying is not a feature of the graphic track keying. Using draggable "node" controls, the user has infinite control over the density and transition of supered graphics. A title may be faded in, out and in again if desired.

Audio may be spit from video and rejoined. Audio clips may be captured without video using the inboard CD player or through the I/O jacks and appear as audio-only clips in the Clip bin. Again, node controls are offered to control gain. Pan controls are offered but they can't be enveloped like the gain can.

To play the timeline, simply place the cursor wherever you want to begin and press the play button. Scrubbing the timeline with audio works as expected.

Clips on the timeline can be dragged with the mouse to other points on the timeline, copied and pasted or deleted.

Outputting and Archiving

Once your edit is ready to be committed to tape, the operator presses the Master key (the documentation didn't say where it was - it was on the keyboard) which shuts down the edit interface and turns all outputs. While this conveniently allows you to use multiple recorders at each output, I would rather have at least one screen (the computer screen) monitor the cursor moving across the timeline. In this way, if there is a problem in the edit, I can note where, on the timeline the problem exists and correct it later. Since ScreenPlay is designed to be a single screen editing system, you have a choice of a preview window with editing functions or a full screen window without editing functions. The full screen window can be toggled on with the "Full Screen" key, without initiating a dump to tape.

Once an editor is finished with an edit and the product delivered to client, it's good to be able to archive the production. Usually, we archive first, within the system for a few weeks while the client decides if there are any "billable overage" changes to be made. Then, as new jobs demand hard drive space, we dump the older edit into some form of permanent offline archive.

The backup on ScreenPlay is very advanced. A timeline can be archived as a "Full Backup" which digitally transfer all source frames to the backup disk media, OR "Optimized Backup" allow a storyboard/project the archived using only the frames needed plus a customizable handle length. Note: Backup options are listed only if you attached a backup drive, which can be a normal SCSI drive or removable media like JAZ or Castlewood's ORB drive.

Up to six simultaneous timelines may be stored on the system at one time.
The user merely switches between them instantly. This is a feature we could use on a few professional systems I could name! If you want to copy elements from one timeline to another, simply select the items you wish the copy or cut (the shift key enables multi-select just like Windows) and press the CUT, COPY & PASTE keys on the keyboard as needed. The clipboard functions are also listed in the menu by right mouse clicking on the selected items.

A limitation of Screenplay, however (and you could say this is just a limitation you live with in the prosumer world), is that there is no batch capture to store a list of acquisitions and there is no floppy drive to store the edit decision list (EDL) or any apparent means in the software to identify an EDL file for extraction.

Summary

Applied Magic is certainly a player and they've put a lot of sweat and ingenuity into ScreenPlay, whose unique qualities will set industry standards within the turnkey prosumer NLE marketplace. This product could be your best bargain and best choice NLE, the above limitations being taken into consideration

My suggestion: Make Screenplay one of your first choices. Get your dealer to let you demo it for awhile. Open the documentation and check out every page with the program. If it matches up to your expectations, I think you've got a winner. If it doesn't, tell the dealer you'll be back in a month or two and give Screenplay a second chance. They may have solved whatever problem you think you had. Things are moving fast at Applied Magic.