Given the immense volume of quickly-created content on the Internet – automatically generated music, 3D printed combs, etc. – it’s surprising that it took so long for someone to come up with a fast movie creator. Plotagon, currently in beta, is a new free service that allows users to assemble clips in a traditional screenplay format. Just specific the scene, characters, and their actions, and the program will produce an adequately-directed short film. It’s reminiscent of XtraNormal, the skit-creating software that was discontinued in October, but its option to export movies in screenplay format is decidedly film-focused.
It’s… not great right now. Everything is really stilted and there’s only a small selection of content to choose from. It’s like watching an old Nintendo 64 game. In any event, there’s something fun about making a slapdash film in 30 seconds. This isn’t the future of filmmaking, but it’s an interesting starting point for rapidly prototyping movies. The company promises continued support for the software, including future content packs that you can purchase for $10 a piece.
Included below is a sample movie. It’s pretty heinous, but you get the idea.