Subtext is an ambitious design project to explore a humanist approach towards employing artificial intelligence to aid screenwriters in the development of their work whilst keeping their intentions in tact, and never removing them from the helm of the writing process.
Background
The Writers Guild of America as per their May 2023 contract negotiation proposals (and subsequent strike action), rejects the use of AI in the writing, or rewriting of literary material covered by their minimum bargaining agreement.
Goals
Design a screenwriting application that aids writers in the rewriting of their screenplays without running afoul of the WGA’s stance on generative AI. Ensure that the design remains a clean and approachable layout.
Interviews and Research
I conducted a market analysis of the leading screenwriting programs to help define UI improvements; and then interviewed 6 writers across a range of professional writing experience to explore how AI could benefit their writing process.
Tackling the AI Boogeyman
Adhering to the WGA’s ban on generative AI, I put aside solutions that involved “Magic Rewrite Buttons”, in favor of a textual analysis tool to help diagnose problems involving story structure and unmotivated character inconsistency.
Subtext's premiere feature, powered by AI analysis, is a footer window that offers writers a graphed overview of character arcs based on what a writer has written. It also provides actionable suggestions about where the selected character and the overall script might be structurally lagging.
A script reader that touts true-to-life vocal synthesis, allowing writers to hear their work read back to them as if they had assembled a group of actors for a real table reading session, helping ensure that their dialogue comes across as true to life as possible.
Subtext is designed to be web-first and always online, enabling an immediate cloud-save workflow that securely stores your work with every keystroke, eliminating the fears of losing work to a glitchy desktop client because you forgot to spam Ctrl + S.
(Trust me, if you've ever lost data with Final Draft, you'd be over the moon with Subtext.)
I designed a component library, and design system that focused on moving beyond the clutter in currently available screenwriting software; positioning Subtext as the clean, approachable, and accessible solution for the next generation of screenwriters.
Our workhorse - used for all screenplays. Huge shout out to Alan Dague-Greene and John August for its creation.
