Interview with Guy Goldstein

Guy Goldstein lives in Austin, Texas, and writes screenplays and software. 

His major contribution has been the creation and distribution of an excellent, free, screenplay-writing software package called WriterDuet. He also offers a service called ReadThrough, which enables a writer to hear a screenplay read out loud.
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• Where were you born, and where did you grow up?

I was born in Schenectady, NY, but it's unclear if I've grown up.

• What kind of a family did you grow up with?

Well, since they're likely reading this... an interesting one. I worked at my family's business from a very young age, traveled the world, and got the impression that I could do anything. I have since learned better.

• Where did you go to school?

Three years of public school, four years home-schooling, community college essentially replaced high school, then I graduated from Carnegie Mellon University at age 19. To me, what kids learn is less important than that they enjoy learning it.

• What was your first paying job (in any field)?

Tutoring math and computer science at the community college. What a nerd I... was.

• You used to build compilers for the embedded software industry. What took you away from that?

It's a long story. A long, boring story. The short (and less inflammatory) version is that I fell in love with screenwriting, and started building software for my own use. When I found other people wanted it, I figured I'd fund my company with the first million I made off selling a screenplay, and act responsibly with the second million. (Ferraris are very safe!) The checks should be here any day now...

• You were living in southern California. What made you move to Austin, TX?

That's an even longer, slightly less boring story, but I'm saving it for my screenplay titled "When making sense stops making cents" (not really) (unless you like it). Austin has an excellent indie film scene and a brilliant tech sector. But most importantly, the people are wonderful and the atmosphere is relaxed. It's the perfect spot for my software, screenwriting... and life.

• You are offering a free software package for screenwriters, WriterDuet.com. What was wrong with Final Draft that you thought you could improve on it?

There was no good way to collaborate on a script. I couldn't get CollaboWriter to work, and other screenwriting programs that claimed to be collaborative had serious limitations (e.g. you couldn't write simultaneously, or if you did, one author might lose their changes). 
    I wanted to make a real-time collaborative screenwriting app that just worked. But once I was building WriterDuet, there were so many things I had been frustrated by in Celtx, Final Draft, etc. The interfaces other programs had were non-intuitive for beginners. Dual dialogue should look right and still be editable. You should be able to hide all but the scenes you're working on. The change history for each line should be available. Scene lists should be better. Grammar checkers should find mistakes like "it's" vs "its." And you should be able to import and export different (competitive) file formats!
    I set out to make the best screenwriting program available. I wanted to make writing as fun and engaging as possible. And I wanted all writers to have professional quality, fully-functional screenwriting software... for free.

• Plus you have a complementary business, ReadThrough.com. Tell us a little about how that works.

Most screenwriters have been involved in a script read-through (or table-read), and know how valuable those can be. They probably also realize how difficult read-throughs are to organize.
    ReadThrough.com is a free website where you can upload your script and select from volunteer actors all over the world. You save money by not printing scripts, buying snacks/water, and save a headache by not hunting down and scheduling all your actors.
    ReadThrough.com is not intended to replace live actors reading a script together, but it's a fast and convenient way to hear early drafts. You can revise your script (and replace actors) without redoing parts that haven't changed. And if you want to listen to a script in your car, at the gym, etc., ReadThrough has excellent quality computer voices to instantly perform your script. All for free.

• When did you first take an interest in films/stories?

I've acted since I was five, and my older sister writes (excellent) musicals that I grew up performing. I transitioned into improv for a few years, then noticed I had control issues and wanted to hold both sides of the conversation. Writing a screenplay is a lot like being a dictator. (There goes my romantic life.) More importantly, I've always been fascinated by how stories reveal truths and challenges within my own life. I love movies that expose new (or hidden) feelings, and when I write, every character exposes a bit of who I am. Banging on a computer is like hours of therapy... And I should probably write more.

• What was your first spec script about?

Non-violent zombies reanimated as slave-labor. When a "zob" is shot down, a depressed human detective becomes the leader of an increasingly bloody equal rights movement.

• What are three things you wish someone had told you about screenwriting when you were starting out?

1) No matter how good your writing is, it needs to be better. Find faults in yourself, 'cause everyone else will.
2) Read scripts from movies you love, and analyze why they work.
3) Write short scripts and film them with friends. If you're writing a feature, film scenes from it.

• If you had to suggest just one screenwriting book to a newbie writer back in Adelaide, which one would it be?

Save The Cat! by Blake Snyder.

It's a fast and very focused read. You don't need to follow every screenwriting "rule," but break them for good reasons, not because you're too artistic (i.e. lazy) to learn from others.

• What are your ten favourite movies of all time?

Harvey (1950)
Fight Club (1999)
Murder by Death (1976)
The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997)
The Matrix (1999)
Goodfellas (1990)
Miller's Crossing (1990)
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

• What’s next for Guy Goldstein?

Improve WriterDuet and ReadThrough! The next big feature is an online/offline desktop app for WriterDuet, but I'm always listening to feedback from writers who use the products. Got a suggestion? E-mail me! guy@writerduet.com
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ReadThrough

ReadThrough is an online program which provides voices for your screenplay characters. The program was created by Guy Goldstein, a software engineer based in Austin, Texas, who wants to be a screenwriter. He also wanted to hear the screenplays he wrote read aloud by appropriate voices. No existing software would allow him to do all the things he wanted to do. So he wrote his own program.

And gave it away for free. Here. (Same as with WriterDuet. The dude keeps busy.)

I had played with Speech Control in Final Draft, and Speak Text in Movie Magic Screenwriter previously. Neither appealed to me. American accents on voices that were too young or too old for the Australian characters I had imagined... No thanks. I'd stick to my imagination, or live reads.

ReadThrough is different, though. It allows for voice actors from across the world to volunteer their voice skills. Screenwriters can listen to voice samples of hundreds of people and select ones that would suit the characters in their scripts. Professional actors looking for work have signed up, as well as many amateurs.

I listened to all those who claimed to be able to do an Australian accent. All the usual half-baked cockney sounds emerged, but zero genuine Australian accents. That's a problem that can be solved over time, especially once Australian actors hear about this opportunity.

I decided to test ReadThrough by uploading a screenplay I had written for a short film. At the same time I would volunteer my reading skills and select myself as one of the readers. How hard could it be?

Once I'd worked my way through the registration process, and selected some other people (and myself) as readers, I attempted to record my role in the screenplay. The script opened on page nine, even though my character had lines on page one. Nothing I tried would get me back to page one. Very frustrating. In the finish I gave up.

A few days later I received a flurry of e-mails informing me of the progress of one of the readers I had invited to participate. When she had completed the process I went to have a listen, but discovered that the entire screenplay had been recorded, mostly by computer voices. I had a quick chat with my reader by e-mail and she reported that she'd taken part in several recordings and never had a problem, so we can assume that I made a blunder somewhere.

Funny thing is, even though I didn't like the voices, I learned a few things. Like, I have a lousy voice for radio; and I speak too slowly for movies; and I had left one of my characters with but a single line of dialogue. That line consisted of just one word, which was butchered by the computer reading.

Anyway, give ReadThrough a go, you might be surprised by what you learn.
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P.S.  One of the nice things about ReadThrough and WriterDuet is that the creator of these programs is both accessible and helpful. After this post appeared, Guy Goldstein responded with the following explanation of my difficulties in using ReadThrough.

About it opening at page 9 - I suspect the issue is that ReadThrough opens up to the most recent page you were on, regardless of what role you're recording (though if you've never visited before, it'll start you on the first page you have dialogue). You should definitely be able to get to other pages, though - were the slider and arrow icons not working? In the recording box you can quickly arrow through all your lines, and in the main script you should be able to get to any page.

As for most of the roles being recorded by computers, I can understand how that's confusing/not good, but I'll explain what we do. Since actors don't perform the script instantly, we always fill in roles by computer voices to start you off. As actors finish and you select them (plus click the button to perform the read-through), the computer voices are replaced.

Free screenwriting software - updated

We talked about free screenwriting software back in February 2013, and mentioned products such as CELTX, Rough Draft, Free Film Project, Page 2 Stage, Plotbot, and Trelby. Now there's another one, called WriterDuet.

It was created by Guy Goldstein, a software engineer based in Austin, Texas, who wants to be a screenwriter. He also wants to collaborate online, in real time, with other screenwriters. No existing screenwriting software would allow him to do all the things he wanted to do. So he wrote his own.

And gave it away for free. Here.

I've played with it and, apart from having to look in different places for familiar controls, it seems to work just fine. The other plus is that the guy writing the program is accessible and responsive. Contact him: guy@readthrough.com
 
WriterDuet. Give it a try.