Many screenwriters have embraced modern tools over traditional PDFs to craft their film or TV show pilots. SoCreate, the latest entrant in the screenwriting software arena, is challenging established players like Final Draft and Celtx with its fresh approach to storytelling. And, notably, generative AI imagery is involved.
SoCreate offers many of the same features that most screenwriting software offers, such as templates to easily create an industry-standard screenplay with correct formatting. However, founder and CEO of SoCreate, Justin Couto, believes popular platforms are still lacking, particularly when it comes to visual and creative tools.
"When I decided to go to college, I found myself gravitating towards film, which meant I needed to dive into the art of screenwriting. I immediately found the process to be dull and uninspired. It was like, we're writing for a visual medium for movies and TV, but I have to use this archaic black-and-white document with outdated formatting based on the typewriter? I knew there had to be a better way -- a more visual, fun, creative way," Couto told TechCrunch.
SoCreate thinks one of its big selling points is its image uploader tool for screenwriters to incorporate visual concepts into their scripts, including characters, settings, and action moments. Users have the option to upload their own images or select from SoCreate's gallery of illustrations.
Soon, users will be able to use an AI-powered image generator to create imagery, which will be powered by a combination of models, including OpenAI, Stable Diffusion, and others. It's important to note that SoCreate has no plans to offer AI-generated writing tools. The image generator is solely to inspire users while writing and make the process less monotonous.
Another standout feature is "Storyteller," which the platform launched earlier this week. Storyteller is a dedicated hub where users can share their stories in a public library for others to read. This new feature is reminiscent of Wattpad, allowing a community of readers to access scripts for free, written by both established and aspiring writers.
The company believes Storyteller will help aspiring screenwriters market their work more effectively, building a public, "visually stunning" portfolio without needing Hollywood connections that aren't readily available.
However, some screenwriters may prefer not to make their scripts public for fear of being plagiarized. Users have the option to keep their work private on SoCreate, and the platform uses encryption. Additionally, there is a strict policy against plagiarism. It's always advisable to register your work with organizations such as the Writers Guild of America or the U.S. Copyright Office.
"My personal theory and this is not legal advice, is that publishing your work online publicly protects you from plagiarism in many ways; you have timestamped proof that you were the original writer of the work and hundreds or thousands of eyes on the work that saw it on SoCreate first. A PDF doesn't really give you that," Couto argues.
Couto envisions Storyteller to become more than just a reading experience. In the future, it'll add the ability to include AI-generated character voices, sound effects, and background music. Final Draft's latest update includes an option where users can assign characters' voices to read the script.
In addition, readers can leave comments under scripts, giving them the ability to provide instant feedback when previously screenwriters were accustomed to exporting to PDF and emailing it. Users can share a link to any part of their story, from a single piece of dialogue to the entire thing, and readers can write their notes or suggestions without needing a SoCreate account.
Another standout feature is Reading Stats, letting screenwriters see if someone actually read their story, where they stopped reading, how long they spent reading, and where they left comments.
The platform is mainly catered to people writing movies, TV shows, and short films. However, the company is also exploring templates for articles, novels, and short stories, broadening its reach to more creatives.
"Once we nail narrative storytelling, we'll move into new verticals, including business, education, journalism, lifestyle, and research. As readership grows, we'll add subscriptions to access the SoCreate library, and creators will have a new opportunity to earn from their work through revenue-sharing with SoCreate," Couto said.
SoCreate launched last May and has garnered over 1,200 subscribers. Of its users, the platform says that some are writers who produced work for Amazon, Disney, Marvel, and Netflix. It also runs pilots and other programs with select high schools in California and Illinois.
The platform is free for all users, but if they want to access the custom image tool and reviewer stats, they will have to spend $10/month for the Professional subscription. There's also a Personal tier for $5/month, which includes unlimited projects and access to SoCreate's image gallery.
The company closed a $3 million pre-seed round last year and is currently raising a $5 million seed round that will be used for development and marketing.
