Electronic Prompt Book

[Cashwalker]

I've been using a custom-built program for years that does just about everything you guys need. Color Highlights, with note writing/editing, plus integration with effects playback (only sound is implemented, but light control has been on my todo list forever). The only reason why I keep it to myself is because it's not useful if you don't go scanning the script. Scanning with screen resolution (72 dpi) in mind, not print resolution (300 dpi) results in pretty small image files. I've also realized recently, that even if you annotate a blank page, my app can still be useful, so I may make it public at some time.

With eBook devices on the rise, with DRM built-in, it's only a matter of time before the publishers will adapt to the technology. Whether or not they'll let you annotate the digital copy is anybody's guess. I would love to jump onto that gravy-train if it were to seem like a reality.

 

[robartsd]

Digital Restrictions Management is a flawed concept, but I imagine publishers will be willing to try it for scripts. The model for a publisher is likely to be very similar to the model for textbooks - which are seeing some serious experiments. One of the biggest influences on publisher decisions will be how difficult the community makes maintaining the DRM. If the community is constantly pushing against the DRM, then the publishers will likely be weary of providing more works in digital format, but if the community accepts the restrictions the publisher places on digital copies, they will be happy to provide it.

 

[robartsd]

I recently completed directing the lighting for a show using my PowerBook to display the script with my cues added. This was easy to do for me because the script was available on a web site and as a PDF download. (The copyright is held by my church the script is publicly available on the church website - commercial performance requires contacting the church for license, but performance by church units is freely licensed.) I copy and pasted text and marked it up with HTML because I know how to style a web page and could set my browser to full-screen. I found it much easier to follow along on a continuous scrolling screen of light text on a black background than a paper script would be; and I had all the space I could want for notes, because I was inserting them into the document instead of squeezing them into margins.

 

[jglodeklights]

I currently am toying with Microsoft Office OneNote as a tool for creating my book for my lighting designs, and many of the same principles would apply to stage managers as well.

OneNote can import and OCR many different types of files, while leaving margin room to type in notes that you can click-and-drag anywhere on the page, layer if you really want to, and then mark with different colors and flags. By properly customizing the tags, you can view different types of Q's that are in it so as to create Q sheets of sorts. By properly formatting the information, you can also copy and paste the summary Q information into a text editor and then import it into a program such as Excel or Access to create actual Q sheets. Additionally, Microsoft is supportive of cloud based computing and you can save OneNote files to Microsoft Live, where they have web based editing/viewing tools, much like Google Docs.

Best part? It is all AutoSave. Ok, maybe if you make a mistake that isn't good.

 

[gafftaper]

Digital Restrictions Management is a flawed concept, but I imagine publishers will be willing to try it for scripts. The model for a publisher is likely to be very similar to the model for textbooks - which are seeing some serious experiments. One of the biggest influences on publisher decisions will be how difficult the community makes maintaining the DRM. If the community is constantly pushing against the DRM, then the publishers will likely be weary of providing more works in digital format, but if the community accepts the restrictions the publisher places on digital copies, they will be happy to provide it.

Unlike the music and normal publishing industry, the script publishers already have a very tightly controlled small market. 5 companies control the vast majority of the product (Tams, MTI, R and H, Dramatist, and Samuel French). Why would they allow anything to go digital? They essentially have a monopoly, their customer base is forced to work with them, there isn't a pirate bay for musical theater scripts and scores, and the community is so small it's fairly easy for them to police. Plus what happens if you get busted? They black list your theater and you can never do a show by them again. It's too easy for them to maintain things just the way they are and there's no profit motive for them to change.

If anything I look for even more crack downs by them because technology makes it easier for them to find out who is producing their works illegally. Just search the internet to find out who is producing your shows this month. If they didn't pay royalties or buy enough copies of the script call your lawyer and nail them.

 

[derekleffew]

... Why would they allow anything to go digital? ...

Stage Directions | Theatre Publishers Step Up to E-Reader Challenge

 

[robartsd]

Unlike the music and normal publishing industry, the script publishers already have a very tightly controlled small market. 5 companies control the vast majority of the product (Tams, MTI, R and H, Dramatist, and Samuel French).

This is why I compared to the textbook industry which is significantly smaller market than general books (though not nearly as small as scripts)?

Why would they allow anything to go digital? They essentially have a monopoly,

So they won't be forced to by competition, and being a small market the cost of DRM could outweigh reduced incremental cost of duplication.

their customer base is forced to work with them, there isn't a pirate bay for musical theater scripts and scores, and the community is so small it's fairly easy for them to police. Plus what happens if you get busted? They black list your theater and you can never do a show by them again.

I see all this as reasons for them to try digital scripts - it would be hard to get away with pirating scripts for use in a production.

 

[Cashwalker]

Stage Directions | Theatre Publishers Step Up to E-Reader Challenge

Wow... very good article... They're closer to having eBook versions, which means they're open to the idea. But not necessarily interactive scripts like we're envisioning....

 

[Tex]

One of the smaller publishers, Theatrical Rights Worldwide is already offering electronic scripts for perusals with the rights to print reading copies. Their materials also don't have to be returned. I wish all publishers would go this way.

 

[shiben]

This is why I compared to the textbook industry which is significantly smaller market than general books (though not nearly as small as scripts)?

So they won't be forced to by competition, and being a small market the cost of DRM could outweigh reduced incremental cost of duplication.

I see all this as reasons for them to try digital scripts - it would be hard to get away with pirating scripts for use in a production.

I agree. Also, it could totally make a good way for them to get more money. Now, when we photo copy a script, they have no idea. When I make a new e-copy, they do and they can bill for it. Even makes their lawyers need to be paid less, because now instead of trying to sue a place to make them stop or send a letter or whateve,r they just send a bill. Easy cheesy. Probably good for everyone...