Sometimes you get big, positive surprises. I got one last week when I stumbled across a program I had never heard about before.
Making TV programs, you need to plan your production and write a script. There are a few programs out there that do this, but they are any good at all, they cost money. The program I found last week is the first Open Source program of this kind that I have heard about.
Celtx, which can be found on http://www.celtx.com/ is a pre-production tool that is built on the same code enginge as the Mozilla products.
It has story development tools, script writing and a calendar for the project schedule. You can add video and audio clips to the scripts and print customized reports. And on top of all this, a special server has been set up online that allows users of Celtx to share their production planning with other members of their team.
The features are good, the layout is nice. Of course, the calendar is a straight port of Sunbird, no need to change anything that is already working!
The users have already made a contribution to the project in the form of a portable version of the program. Some users, including myself, have asked for a version that can be put on a USB flash drive so you can bring it with you in your pocket. One of the users took that challenge and based on work already done for the Mozilla products, he came up with a portable Celtx. After contacting the team behind Celtx, I understood they are thinking about making an official portable version. Open Source works!
I really like this product and it will become a permanent part of my software collection. Now I am just hoping they will implement something to make it work for planning multicamera recordings as well. Keeping my fingers crossed…
If you like this idea, you can download it and give it a try. They are at version 0.9.5.1 , so it is still a very young product. Join their forum, add requests for new features. This is how open source programs are developed, and it is the perfect chance to get the tool you always wanted!
UPDATE: Volda University College (Norway) is now installing Celtx on all PC’s in their media education. They are teaching journalism for newspapers, radio, TV and have a separate education for documentary production and animation.
The Celtx blog made a comment about this article.
