I think it’s only appropriate – this being a LA tech blog and all – that we feature the up-and-coming technology I like to call Hollywood 2.0. Hollywood 2.0 is something that has been on the tip of every Angeleno’s tongue for months. Everyone here – and in most other cities – knows about The Writers’ Strike. While everyone else was wondering if they would ever see McDreamy and Meredith Grey lock lips again, some of us were thinking about what this would do for the future of film and television. One person who definitely got it right was Eric MacDonald, CEO and Founder of Zhura.
Zhura is an web-based application for screenwriters. I think everyone in Los Angeles can say that they know at least a writer or two (the barista at Starbucks is constantly asking me to pass along his treatment), and they aren’t usually the most technologically advanced people we know. Zhura gives them a space to write and edit their blog using advanced editing tools, share their scripts privately with friends and colleagues, and collaborate with other screenwriters.
You first sign up for a free account. Then you continue to your personal section, which is your workspace. You use professional screenwriting tools to write and edit your script from any computer. Then you can create a private group, where you can invite your friends and colleagues to view your script. The workspace in this section, allows everyone who was granted access to read and simultaneously edit your script. It also keeps track of who made what correction. Finally, there is the public section. This is where you can apply a Creative Commons license to your script, and open your script up to the public. Then all the Zhura members on the site at the time, can comment on your script, and with the right license, make corrections to it.
There are obviously amazing features on this site. The portability, document sharing, and the edit-tracker, are all very useful. But what interests me most, is the Web 2.0 aspect. This kind of community can really help turn amateurs into professionals. I used to be a member on ModelMayhem, a photography social network site. You post pictures, and photographers, makeup artists, models, stylists, and agents could comment on them. I started on it in the very beginning so I saw a lot of pretty terrible photographers. Occasionally I will go back and look around, and all of the people I dreaded seeing had turned into really amazing photographers! Constructive criticism from people in your industry, can really help someone grow in their field.
In my opinion, a community based on making life easier for screenwriters, will definitely do well. I can’t tell how many times I’ve seen an out of work actress “accidentally” attack a writer in the middle of the street. These guys could definitely use a break. Aside from all that though, I do believe that Zhura will have a very big part in the future of online video. Making a new generation of writers, will result in a new generation of Hollywood. That’s what Hollywood 2.0 means.
xoxo,
Calley
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