Filmmaker's Tool Kit: Creating a Movie with Web 2.0, by Josh Catone

In this post I will show you the tools you need to go from idea to finished film using as many web 2.0 products as possible. In June, I wrote about 8 online video editors that could be used to slice together your masterpiece. But there's more to being Kubrick than editing. You have to write your film, cast it, shoot it, edit it, and distribute it to the masses. Web 2.0 applications and services can help with (nearly) all of these phases.

The tool kit below will help you take your idea from start to finish and fulfill your dream of winning an Oscar (okay, maybe not, but you have to start somewhere). This is film making on a budget.

Writing

Every great movie starts as a screenplay. Writing a screenplay generally requires specialized software to help you adhere to a set format. A copy of popular professional screenwriting software like Final Draft will run you about $180; my favorite screenwriting software, Sophocles, costs $120. Fortunately web applications and opensource are here to help.

• celtx is a great opensource screenwriting suite that runs on Windows, OS X, and Linux. It feels a lot like more expensive pieces of software, and includes a web service that lets writers share and collaborate on screenplays.
• If you want something more web-based, then Plotbot may be more up your alley. Plotbot is an online screenwriting application that allows you to share your workspace with as many other writers as you'd like. This means, for example, that your film's producers could give notes to the writer while working on draft revisions in a completely online environment.
• For Mac users, another low-cost solution is the elegant, downloadable Storyist software, which costs $59.

Cyberian's Note: This is only the beginning of a great posting. Please read and pass along.