Erik Roth, the screenwriter of the 2021 sci-fi hit Dune, wrote the script in an outdated program: Movie Master V3.09. In a video, the celebrated author explained what the reason for his special setup was.
Erik Roth is an American screenwriter who wrote screenplays for Forrest Gump (1994), The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttton (2008) and Dune (2021).
In a YouTube video from September 22, 2014, the screenwriter showed his study and also presented his unusual setup.
According to Vice, the script for the great sci-fi epic from 2021 is said to have been written here, because: The video is from 2014, Rothe wrote the script for the film in 2018 and told Barstool Sports in 2020 that he always I still use the same program as back then: Movie Master.
Here you can see the trailer for Dune: Part Two:
Dune: Part Two – German trailer for the sequel to the sci-fi epic
More videos
“Half superstition, half fear of change”
Erik Roth showed his outdated system (Windows XP) in the video. To write, he used Movie Master V3.09, an equally outdated MS-DOS software – the latter is around 30 years old.
The screenwriter admitted the reason for his particular setup was “half superstition, half fear of change.”
As the video progressed, Erik Roth continued to explain what advantages he saw in his particular setup: He didn’t have his PC connected to the Internet. This gives the author increased security because his scripts are protected from threats from the Internet.
In this YouTube video, Eric Roth talks about his work process. From minute 1:10 he talks about his setup:
via YouTube
But that also has a big disadvantage, as Eric Roth admitted. Due to the lack of an internet connection, he has to send his clients printed copies, which in turn have to be scanned by them in order to be able to use them on their PCs.
Without the rapid email exchange, this would of course take more time, which would make the screenwriter “slower”.
This sometimes leads to sadness and anger among the clients until they eventually reach acceptance, as Erik Roth noted with a laugh.
If you would like to have all the information about the upcoming Dune 2 at a glance, please visit our colleagues at Moviepilot here, who have collected all the important information for you about the upcoming sci-fi blockbuster.
Another advantage that Erik Roth sees in his outdated writing program is the memory limit of 40 pages. The author likes this because it automatically divides his scripts into acts.
This reminds the author to get to the point quickly before the disk space in MS-DOS runs out.
With Dune: Awakening, a major MMO in the well-known sci-fi universe is also scheduled to appear next year. You can find all the important information here:
Dune: Awakening – release, beta, gameplay and more about the new survival MMO