The Best Movie Magic Scheduling Alternative

StudioBinder is the leading film production software in the industry, and a powerful Movie Magic Scheduling alternative. If you want to buy MMS, just read our review first.

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StudioBinder Film Scheduling Software - Stripboarding vs Movie Magic Scheduling

DIFFERENT APPROACHES

Movie Magic Scheduling is isolated data entry. StudioBinder is mission control.

Movie Magic is a desktop scheduling and breakdown software that provides filmmakers with tools to generate production documents.

Every line of data, no matter how redundant, must be manually entered into breakdown sheets and stored offline — there is no cloud access. This means versioned PDFs are generated and manually distributed.

StudioBinder offers comparable features to MovieMagic Scheduling but since it is a modern, cloud-based solution, it's possible to share and collaborate on stripboards, breakdowns and reports, anytime, anywhere.

Furthermore, StudioBinder a Movie Magic Scheduling alternative with a more complete offering, extending to shot listing, storyboarding, call sheets, calendars, and more. 


Bottom Line:

Movie Magic software is good for isolated data entry.

StudioBinder is a collaborative A-to-Z solution for production teams.

Feature by Feature


Software Features

StudioBinder

Movie Magic Scheduling

Import Scripts (FDX, PDFs, etc)

Script Breakdowns

Stripboard Scheduling

Reports (DOOD, etc)

Contact Management

Call Sheets (Create, Send & Track)

Shot Listing

Storyboarding

Screenwriting

Script Sides

Production Calendar

Secure File Sharing

Tasks & Collaboration

User Experience

StudioBinder is more robust & intuitive

StudioBinder is known for its modern, intuitive design. Everything is exactly where you'd expect it to be.

No special training is required to begin.

You get a lot of video production management features that Movie Magic Scheduling simply does not provide

Fewer licenses. Quicker results.

Better experience.

StudioBinder Film Production Scheduling Software - Team Collaboration

Movie Magic Scheduling Vs StudioBinder

Film scheduling for teams

Movie Magic Scheduling and StudioBinder both offer a Stripboard shooting schedule builder. However, Movie Magic Scheduling is notoriously difficult to learn and navigate. Furthermore, Movie Magic is not based on collaboration, and requires costly desktop licenses for every user (nearly $400 per license). The software has not been updated in over a decade, and by modern standards is obsolete though it's still widely used by studios.

StudioBinder's film scheduling is simply easier and better for teams. It accepts Final Draft files, PDFs, Fountain formats and more. Each scene is auto-populated upon import and requires no redundant data entry.


Better Collaboration

Movie Magic Scheduling stripboards are offline and isolated whereas StudioBinder can be securely shared and accessed from anywhere online.

Share stripboards, get feedback and comments from your team, create tasks and mark them as completed. This alone is a major differentiator since it allows you to collaborate with a wider array of production staff to create more thorough schedules.

Video Tour


Create Shooting Schedules in StudioBinder

Feature by Feature


Scheduling Features

StudioBinder

Movie Magic Software

Script Import

Banners & DayBreaks

Estimated Times

Auto-Reordering

Boneyard

Reports

Screenplay Sync

Easy Sharing

Tasks & Comments

Spin-off Call Sheets

View & Edit Screenplay

Synced with Breakdowns, Shot Lists, Call Sheets and more

Interface Comparison


Best Alternative to Movie Magic Scheduling 6 Shooting Schedule Software
StudioBinder Free Shooting Schedule Software - Assign Film Location

Interactive Demo


Baby Driver Stripboard | Made in StudioBinder

Script Breakdowns

Break down scripts faster, together

Movie Magic Scheduling offers a script breakdown feature, but it's a far cry from the experience you get with StudioBinder.

Breaking down a script with StudioBinder is much quicker


Quicker Tagging

Movie Magic Scheduling doesn't have a script breakdown tagging interface, which means you must open a script PDF on your desktop, and manually type in each element in Movie Magic Scheduling.

StudioBinder allows you to view the entire scene script, and simply click-and-drag to tag elements so you always have context.


Quicker Organization

Movie Magic Scheduling forces you to enter every detail in the script including scene numbers, heading information, location, and set. StudioBinder auto-populates these sections from your script.  


Quicker Collaboration

Movie Magic Scheduling is offline. Breakdown approvals, and minor adjustments will require in person meetings new PDF versioning to simply review the progress.

StudioBinder is cloud-based and you can share entire breakdowns with remote collaborators with granular access permissions. Since the breakdown is securely shared online, you know everyone's looking at the latest version at any moment.

Video Tour


Create Script Breakdowns in StudioBinder

Feature by Feature


Breakdown Features

StudioBinder

Movie Magic Scheduling

Import Script (FDX, PDF, etc)

Color-coded tagging

Customizable Categories

Various Reports

Script Interface

Click-and-Drag Script Tagger

Predictive Tagging

Tag All Mentions

Scene Notes

Scene Moodboards & Videos

Sharing & Permissions

Tasks & Team Collaboration

Interface Comparison


Best Alternative to Movie Magic Scheduling - MMS Script Breakdown
StudioBinder Script Breakdown Software - How to Break Down a Script

Interactive Demo


Baby Driver Script Breakdown | Made in StudioBinder

Call Sheet Creator

Industry call sheets, only with StudioBinder

Movie Magic does not offer a call sheet builder.


Automated Call Sheets

StudioBinder auto-populates call sheets with data from your stripboard and breakdowns with shoot locations, elements, scenes, advance schedules, and more.  StudioBinder's predictive call sheets save hours of effort with a click, allowing you to fine-tune the call sheet as desired.


Personalized Call Sheets

Call sheets are personalized to every recipient. You can include personalized notes and file attachments like maps and detailed parking instructions. The call sheets are integrated with Google Places and DarkSky Weather APIs to that provide Google Maplinks and up-to-date weather changes.


Send & Track

PDFs are generated and attached to personalized emails along with an RSVP button, and text message reminders. StudioBinder tracks the delivery status, view counts, and RSVPs of every call sheet so you have total visibility to ensure every call sheet is received and opened.

Video Tour


Create Call Sheets in StudioBinder

Interactive Demo


"Feature Film" Call Sheet Template

"Photoshoot" Call Sheet Template

Track Delivery Status

Don't Stay in the Dark.
Track Your Call Sheet Delivery.

Call Sheet Confirmation and Distro Sheet - Track Call Sheet Distribution with StudioBinder
Buzzfeed White

“StudioBinder is an invaluable tool for our production workflow. The sleek design and smart features like call sheet tracking bring organization, efficiency and automation to our shoots, and greatly increases our productivity.”

Senior Producer, Trevor Fernando

Shot Lists & Storyboards

Shot lists and storyboards, only with StudioBinder

Movie Magic Scheduling does not have a shot list or storyboard feature. This means you'll need a separate application to plan, describe, and carry out your creative goals during your pre-production and on set.

Since the scheduling of your production can be dramatically affected by the estimated prep and shoot times of shot lists, we've seamlessly woven in shot listing into the scheduling functionality.


Collaborate Better

Invite directors, DP's (or anyone) to collaborate on shot lists. Select from over 70+ unique shot specs (or input your own). Upload references images, preview scene scripts, and share storyboards with a click.


Schedule Better

Estimate the prep and shoot times for every shot. Group them into setups to track total time needed, and ensure you can make your days.

Video Tour


Create shot lists and storyboards in StudioBinder

INTERFACE COMPARISON


StudioBinder vs. Movie Magic Scheduling - Shot List Creator and Storyboard Examples
StudioBinder Free Shot List Software - How to Make a Shot List - New Shot List
StudioBinder vs. Movie Magic Scheduling - What is a Storyboard? Shot List Creator
StudioBinder Free Storyboard Software and Creator - Storyboard Template - 2-Column View

Interactive Demo


PLAN YOUR MOVIE

Production Calendar

Movie Magic Scheduling does not give you the ability to build Gantt Charts, Calendars focus purely on shooting rather than your entire company. 


Better Layout

Movie Magic Scheduling calendar layout is limited, and does not provide a workflow tab to track and sort events, or dependencies that inform your order of operations. You also cannot add individual tasks to your events.

StudioBinder gives you multiple layout options. 


Better Versioning

Movie Magic Scheduling makes it difficult to create and navigate multiple versions of your calendar, which means fewer options for game plans.

StudioBinder lets you build new versions and templates with one click.


Better Collaboration

Movie Magic Scheduling doesn't allow you to leave comments, create tasks, attach media files, or assign team members to your events. 

StudioBinder gives you all of  this and more. 

Feature by Feature


Calendar Features

StudioBinder

Movie Magic Scheduling

Color Labels

Create Events

Set Working days

Media Attachments

Event Comments

Event Tasks

Workflow Tab

Event Dependencies

Save Template

New Version

Interface Comparison


Best Alternative to Movie Magic Sceduling 6 - Production Calendar
StudioBinder Free Production Calendar Software and Gantt Chart for Filmmakers

Interactive Demo


Touring Man Production Calendar | Made in StudioBinder

Screenwriting Software

Screenwriting solution, only with StudioBinder

Celtx provides a free scriptwriting solution that's both collaborative, but the user experience doesn't come close to StudioBinder's screenwriting software.


Industry Standard Format

Celtx Studio shot lists and storyboards give you fewer opportunities to describe and plan your creative goals. Sections can't be customized to your desires. Our shots lists allow you to create setups and estimated times for each shot.


Collaborative Screenwriting

Celtx shot lists and storyboards have smaller view windows when working on your boards. Also, Celtx Studio limits your ability to change aspect ratios, page layout, custom numbering, or to quickly rearrange frames on your storyboards. 


User Friendly Experience

Celtx Studio shots listing forces you to link shots to specific moments in your scripts and their storyboards are disconnected from your scenes. Our shot lists and storyboards automatically calculate the estimated times you add to each shot or setup, giving you an accurate timeframe for each on the day. 


Interactive Demo


Touring Man Screenplay in StudioBinder

Contact Management

Contact manager, only with StudioBinder

Movie Magic Scheduling does not have a contact management feature.

This means you'll need a Movie Magic Scheduling alternative to organize contacts like talent, crew, clients, extras, location managers, etc.

StudioBinder provides a master contact book where details are stored securely from each and every project you produce. Easily reassign existing contacts to new projects with just a few clicks.

Also, StudioBinder's integrated messaging system helps you send styled production updates that feature your production or company letterhead. 

File Management

File sharing, only with StudioBinder

Movie Magic Scheduling does not provide shareable file storage. 

StudioBinder offers a robust media library and file storage feature.

This means you'll need to use yet another software to securely upload and preview deal memos, financial documents, permits, invoices, headshots, etc.

View, crop, and rotate files all within StudioBinder. You can also invite your team to shared folders, where they can add and edit files together. Use comments to gather file specific feedback.

A major part of production is document and media management. Something you only get with StudioBinder.

Tasks & Calendars

Collaborate in context

Movie Magic Scheduling is a single-serve software that is isolated to offline use.

StudioBinder provides a sidebar on every page to create tasks in context. We think it's more valuable for team members to see (and check off ) tasks while on the relevant page (e.g. call sheet, stripboard, breakdown, etc.).

StudioBinder aggregates all of the tasks in a unified, kanban-style task board where the stage and status of tasks are neatly organized into columns.

Celtx Studio vs StudioBinder Film TV & Video Production Project Management Software - Film Project Management Expanded View

MONTHLY & ANNUAL PLANS

Flexible pricing

StudioBinder offers monthly or annual pricing plan in case you’d like to pay once every twelve months. Pay for the whole year and get a discounted rate.

How about another perk for going annual?

Like any company, our pricing may change as StudioBinder’s feature set evolves and improves. When you purchase an annual plan, you’ll be locking in your current discounted rate for the next 12 months.

THE BOTTOMLINE

Why go with a Movie Magic Scheduling alternative?

The short version?

StudioBinder is a modern Movie Magic Scheduling alternative. It's better choice for studios and production companies who want a more intuitive all-in-one solution to collaborate on projects.

You’ll have better status tracking. Stress-free call sheets, creative tools like shot lists and moodboards, better task workflows, project management, total integration, all built to elevate your team’s productivity.

 

StudioBinder is best if…

  • You want quick and accurate breakdowns & scheduling
  • You want online collaboration with an A-to-Z solution
  • You want highly integrated functionality between features


Movie Magic Scheduling may be a better choice when…

  • You want an isolated offline experience
  • You don’t need more than breakdowns and schedules 
  • Film project management and communication are not a priority

Customers

Trusted by the Best

Modernizing production workflows at renowned studios worldwide.

CBS Interactive Uses StudioBinder's Video, TV & Film Production Management Software
BuzzFeed Uses StudioBinder's Video, TV & Film Production Management Software
Lionsgate Uses StudioBinder's Video, TV & Film Production Management Software
ESPN Uses StudioBinder's Video, TV & Film Production Management Software
AwesomenessTV Uses StudioBinder's Video, TV & Film Production Management Software
Defy Media Uses StudioBinder's Video, TV & Film Production Management Software
Legendary Pictures Uses StudioBinder's Video, TV & Film Production Management Software
NBC Universal
Comedy Central
Jupiter Entertainment Uses StudioBinder's Video, TV & Film Production Management Software
Shopify Uses StudioBinder's Video, TV & Film Production Management Software
Cartoon Network
Solution Icon - Shooting Schedule

The best alternative to Movie Magic Scheduling

Import scripts and reorder scenes to make a schedule. Add day breaks to mark shoot days. Spin-off call sheets when you're done.

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