Save the Cat
Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat books are arguably the most popular, accessible and easy to use resource for screenwriters of the last twenty years. So popular that there’s been a backlash against them in some quarters (see the comments section).
I especially like his ten story types or “genres”. They fit really well with my approach of focusing more on getting the core idea of a story right, which is much harder than it looks. My book and online community are all about that.
Save the Cat’s “Beat Sheet” is also a popular tool for analyzing and developing three-act story structure in screenplays. It builds off other three-act structure paradigms and overlaps with most of them. Here is my own paraphrased and augmented explanation of the fifteen “Beats” some of which I’ve blogged about separately (links in the beat names):
Target page numbers are in parentheses, and examples from the movie Legally Blonde in ALL CAPS.
1. Opening Image (1):  The audience is first engaged with something compelling that sets the tone – and we begin to see how things as they are right now (they will be clearly different at the end).
2. Theme Stated (5): Usually spoken to the main character in a snippet of dialogue, this gives a sense of the deeper issues that this story is “about.”
3. Set-Up Section (1-10): We meet the main character, who is living a compromised life in some way, while dealing with problems – and has something about them we can respect or like. We get a broad enough sense of their “status quo” life to feel we understand them, and can begin to care about them. We see the world through their eyes, and will for the rest of the movie — meaning we mostly get what they are thinking, feeling, wanting and trying to achieve, from scene to scene. There are no big crises yet – but examples of life as it is. (The first act presents the “thesis” of their current life.)
WE MEET SORORITY GIRL ELLE, AND SEE THAT SHE’S A GOOD PERSON BUT KIND OF SILLY, NAÏVE, WITH A LIMITED VISION OF WHAT HER LIFE COULD BE.
4. Catalyst (12): An event rocks the main character’s world completely, and sets in motion the central problem of the story. It’s an external problem (not just internal, about thoughts and emotions) that demands to be dealt with now – it has clear and present stakes we can identify with and feel.
WARNER BREAKS UP WITH ELLE.
5. Debate Section (12-25): The main character questions what has happened, tries to figure out what to do, and often seeks to avoid the true “call to adventure.” But they don’t just talk: they take initial logical actions to try to fix things, which fail, narrowing their options.
ELLE REELS FROM THE BREAKUP, TRIES TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO, FINALLY DECIDES TO TRY TO GET INTO HARVARD LAW, AND BEGINS THE WORK NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE THAT.
6. Break into Two (25): The main character enters an “upside down world” – where they’re completely out of their element. This is a new arena for them, where they’re overmatched as they attempt to confront their story problem. (They will stay in this “antithesis” to their normal life until the Break into Three.)
ELLE ARRIVES AT HARVARD LAW, HAVING BEEN ACCEPTED.
7. B Story (30): A second story begins, which will run parallel to the “A Story”, and interweave with it throughout the rest of the movie. The theme and the character’s inner journey tends to be explored here. (Often it’s the “love story,” or deals with some relationship issue. Like the “A Story,” it’s about a problem that builds and develops. It can’t just be a relationship that’s going well.)
ELLE MEETS PAULETTE, WHO HAS HER OWN PROBLEM WITH MEN.
8. Fun and Games Section (30-55): The entertaining aspects of the story’s premise are explored (in scenes that might make the movie trailer) – highlighting the main character’s unlikeliness for this “upside down world” – which are fun to watch, but NOT fun for the main character, who is essentially in HELL until the end of the story.
LIFE AT HARVARD IS HELLISH FOR ELLE, AND WARNER IS ENGAGED TO SOMEONE ELSE — WHO GETS HER KICKED OUT OF CLASS, AND TURNED INTO A LAUGHING STOCK. SHE WORKS TO FIND HER PLACE THERE, WITH EMMETT’S HELP.
9. Midpoint (55):Â The stakes are raised: the problem becomes more focused, more serious, more important and urgent.
ELLE GETS THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK ON THE BIG CASE WITH THE FITNESS QUEEN, ALONGSIDE WARNER – THERE IS NOW A LARGER FUTURE POTENTIAL FOR HER, AND SHE’S DOING SOMETHING WITH BIG CONSEQUENCES FOR OTHERS.
10. Bad Guys Close In Section (55-75): There may be no specific “bad guys,” but the PROBLEMS should get worse and worse – the main character seems to be failing in their approach, and/or is facing more and more seemingly impossible obstacles. Things escalate with their antagonistic forces, often with a “punch-counterpunch” feel (their relationships with allies tend to break down, too). Note the page count here — this section, along with Fun & Games, Finale, Set-up & Debate are made up of multiple scenes, and represent big chunks of the movie.
WORK ON THE CASE IS DIFFICULT, AND THEY SEEM TO BE LOSING. ULTIMATELY, THE PROFESSOR HITS ON ELLE.
11. All Is Lost (75): The story seems to be over, and the main character seems to have no hope now. The main problem of the story seems to have been answered in the negative. Everything they were trying has failed, and they have no other options. Things are worse than ever before.
ELLE IS OFF THE CASE, AND IS GOING TO LEAVE IN DISGRACE.
12. Dark Night of the Soul (somewhere between 75 and 85): The main character reels from the “all is lost” – and there’s often a “whiff of death.”
ELLE IS HUMILIATED, BELIEVING SHE NEVER DESERVED TO BE HERE AFTER ALL, AND IS QUESTIONING WHO SHE IS.
13. Break into Three (85): A new idea, a new hope, a new plan for solving the story problem emerges (often the A Story and B Story “cross” – the B Story should also be unresolved and at its worst).
ELLE WILL GET BACK ON THE CASE THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF HER FRIENDS (INCLUDING PAULETTE, WHO SHE HAS HELPED), AND EMMETT.
14. Finale Section (85-110): A five-part challenge akin to “storming the castle to rescue the princess.” The hero fails at first, and is pressed to their absolute limit – forced to confront their own demons, and possibly change their approach to life – before the story problem is finally resolved.
ELLE WORKS TO WIN THE CASE. THIS ULTIMATELY GETS WARNER’S ATTENTION, BUT SHE DOESN’T WANT HIM ANYMORE – SHE DISCOVERED A NEW VERSION OF HERSELF, AND THE LIFE SHE WANTS.
15. Final Image (110):Â Reflecting the new status quo now that this story is over.
Thanks for being an advocate for STC. It’s very helpful and I think many writers dismiss or condemn it without really understanding the structural basics it outlines. Great writing can be born from it, just as much as poor writing.
Can you find these 15 elements in a short story?
I would say that typically no, but some of the key ones would be there — such as the Catalyst and then the overall focus on a problem/goal that’s building in the middle toward a crisis of some kind, and then a final resolution. So to the extent that the 15 beats describe the basic, classic arc of a narrative (which they do), then yes. But some of the specific beats (and of course the page counts) might not show up in quite the same way.
You people have to stop thinking this book is going to get you anywhere. Hollywood has been on to this book for almost 15 years, and they don’t like it. Good scripts don’t come from this method. Call up any of the legit lit. agencies and ask the assistant who answers the phone their opinion of this book — they’ll be glad to tell you.
Here’s my take on this:
Using any of the tips or the Beat Sheet in SAVE THE CAT will in no way guarantee or automatically result in a good script. The ideas it presents are more the basic language of screen storytelling. I believe most great/successful scripts and movies abide by most of what Blake Snyder talks about in his book, but not necessarily because they read it. Rather, SAVE THE CAT builds to a large extent on what other people have written about for years, about three-act structure and other aspects of the craft. It’s not an extraordinarily new or unique “method” — just a new way of talking about how movie stories tend to work, with a few new tidbits added to a body of knowledge about structure (and other concepts) that already existed. And I think this makes for an accessible and useful resource for writers — especially writers starting out, who might not understand some of the basics.
I believe the scripts that industry people react to as being “bad SAVE THE CAT scripts” are ones in which the story and writing aren’t impressive, but it’s really obvious that the writer(s) read SAVE THE CAT, because they have a “theme stated” on page five, a “catalyst” on p. 12, a “break into two” on p. 25, etc. So if one reads a lot of those kinds of scripts, it’s easy to blame SAVE THE CAT as a soulless formula that results in uninteresting scripts that are all kind of the same.
I think it’s really hard and rare for a script to break through and be one that such professional readers will really love. It needs an original voice, authenticity, etc. that go beyond what SAVE THE CAT (or any book) can provide. But that doesn’t mean that such great scripts won’t tend to follow most of the ideas in SAVE THE CAT. It’s just that one won’t notice so much, because they’re caught up in the story and writing. None of it feels artificial or forced.
And that’s what I’d say about any book or method of instruction about writing: that at best, it’s one of many potentially helpful tools that can help build a writer’s education and craft. But it will not, in and of itself, be the reason a writer succeeds (or fails) with any given script.
Thanks, Erik. Nilton
This is very interesting.
Is there a chicken and egg situation here at all? Is it not possible that a good dramatic screenplay will naturally approximate these beats to a large degree? Perhaps it will misplace some but, even if so, why could the movie not be told that way? Even if the cat isn’t saved or the dog isn’t kicked at the appropriate time.
Can you offer any examples of hit movies that do not conform to these beats? Or do we just ‘manage to find’ the beats in all films to confirm the theory?
Thanks Paul!
Yes a good dramatic screenplay will naturally approximate these beats, and experienced writers who have never heard of SAVE THE CAT has been doing so for years, and yes, they can be misplaced somewhat depending on the story and page count.
I think most successful movies do conform to most of these beats, as they pretty much just describe classic story structure as it’s been practiced for centuries — with just a few added specifics that seem to especially apply to the movies of our day.
I’m sure there are some out there that are exceptions in some significant way — though I don’t have any off the top of my head to offer…
How about ‘Sicario’?
In this film, the main character stops being the main character as another one takes over. I found this very refreshing precisely because it almost never happens. Would this fly in the face of the saving felines recipe?
I confess I haven’t seen it, but based on the Wikipedia synopsis, it sounds like Kate remains the main character throughout. If not, that would be very unusual, I agree. Psycho is probably the best-known example. SPOILER ALERT: They murder the main character mid-way through!
I would basically say that if you change main characters, either the main story goal has been handed off from one to the other, and most of the “Beats” would still be there, or you’re starting a new story, essentially, with a new main character, which might have its own beats. (And both “stories” would still need to earn the audience’s emotional investment, which is a lot of what those beats, and the “Saving the Cat” moment, are really all about.)
Hey Paul
you can see the Save the Cat beat sheet of Sicario on the STC website: http://www.savethecat.com/beat-sheets/sicario-beat-sheet
Thanks for this. Very well-explained and cleared up some confusion for me. I sailed through my outline!
You’re welcome and I’m glad you found it helpful, Leslie!
I really appreciate this breakdown on the beats. I have a much firmer grasp on them now, and the examples were very helpful. Thanks!
Some of you may also be interested in my daughter’s video in which she illustrates how Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet works for Monsters Inc. Really entertaining piece of work – by an eighteen-year-old! Take a look:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aafzvsnWJKQ
Wow! Your daughter surely got tremendous talents! Like father like daughter!.
THank you.
That was great. Your daughter is both lovely and talented. I subscribed to her channel and look forward to more
This has helped me tremendously! I’m a Creative Writing student at Full Sail University and we have read Save the Cat as part of our curriculum. Your interpretation is spot on and so much easier to understand.
#4 Catalyst – you have put this into complete perspective for me. I am working on my first novel (sci-fi/romance), that I also hope to write a screenplay for, and I have ideas to put into the story but they were sort of jumbled in my head. But when I read #4, I had an epiphany!
Thank you!
Hi There,
I know that these page counts are approximate, but I’d be curious to know your thoughts on the approximate timing of a 90 or 100 page script (as opposed to a 110 page script).
If the final image took place on 90 or 100… what would be the timing of the midpoint, all is lost moment , and new plan moment — without it all feeling too rushed. Would 55, 75, 85 still work? Would love your thoughts.
ALSO–In terms of “all being lost,” if the midpoint is a downer… does all is lost HAVE to be an upper? Or can it be a downer as well?
Thanks in advance for your help! Your site and this article is terrific!!
Beth
Thanks Beth!
With a shorter script, I would just recommend pro-rating the page counts down by whatever percent shorter than 110 it is. The only one I’d be careful with is the Catalyst — if it comes before page 10, there’s a risk that the audience doesn’t have enough attachment/investment in the main character first. I wouldn’t skimp on Set-up.
As for All is Lost, it is ALWAYS not just a downer, but the story should seem OVER, with no hope left. The false victory can come just prior to that, but that doesn’t mean the whole beat turns into a “positive”. (In general, the “positives” should be very limited in a script, and always followed by more problems. Only the very ending can be truly happy.)
First of all Erik, LOVE your work! Thanks for taking the time to help others! Following your footsteps, I figured I’d leave this link for the Snyder Beat Sheet Calculator to address the OP’s issue of different length screenplays…
http://www.beatsheetcalculator.com/
Thank you and God bless. The info was very helpful.
Yo Erik, I am probably being anal about several gaps in the page counts, but perhaps this will shed further light on structure. (I realize the beats are all approximate). What happens on page 11? Why doesn’t set-up just go to 11? Is there supposed to be a transition page or two from set-up to catalyst that isn’t the set-up anymore? More important, I assume that the break into two at page 25 really is a 15 page break that takes us to the B story on page 90. But why is the break into three INCLUDED in the finale section when the first break stands alone? Is it supposed to be a quick transition? and the first break an extended one?
I think that’s a good question about the Set-up — maybe it should go to page 11. I have wondered that myself.
Great question about the Break into Two, as well. I don’t know if that was intentional on Blake’s part. I guess I see the Fun and Games and B Story both starting right after the Break, somewhere in the page 25-30 area.
I don’t think this was intentional on Blake’s part, to create these seeming gaps. But I’m not sure. I’m actually surprised no one has asked me before!
Erik,
Thank you so very much for taking the time to write such an informative helpful article. You are always a pleasure to read and learn from. Keep up the good work!
This one is such a simple brilliant guide.
Many many thanks
Ian
You’re blueprint is easy to grasp and understandable. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I’ve taken classes that spent eight weeks getting to the points that you lay out in a few pages. Most excellent.
Wow! Perfect. I love things broken down and easy to assimilate. I will use this for sure when writing my next script. Thank you for your kindness.
This helps a lot, Erik. Thanks for providing this.
As always, very useful Erik. Thanks for posting this.
This now makes more sense. Thank you, Erik!
Erik – Like your other fans, your tips and observations invariably provide valuable insights I can apply to my writing, so I’m hopeful that might have suggestion for my current dilemma – all the parts are there and in the right sequence, yet it isn’t as compelling as it should be. Any thoughts…?
I’m e-mailing you directly to discuss…
thank you for the helpful comments on Beats. May I ask: in a Monster In the House tale, where SIN is needful, like GREED in Alien, can the Call to adventure be an offer which is a Temptation, like working with a sleeze because you need the $?
I could see that potentially working. I’d need to know more specifics to really assess it…
Thanks for the kind comments, everyone — I’m glad you’re finding it useful! 🙂
Thanks for all the great advice and sharing your knowledge, Eric. It’s made all the difference. I’ve felt like I’ve been ‘outside the room, looking in'(re: understanding screenwriting), but your STC references have welcomed me through the door. I get it now! Thanks again~
Wow! Great! I also teach a screenwriting class. Your E address and website will be given to all students. Blessings to you.
Robert Carl Johnson
Producer / feature film writer
thanks for this again Erik, I love your articles and newsletters, question: How loose can the pages be ? for example? does the all is lost HAVE to land on page 75- can it be around 77 or 78 or 68-69 or is that messing up the map completely
I don’t think one has to be that rigid with the page counts, especially if you’re within six or seven pages like you’re saying here. I think it’s important that the Catalyst be around p. 12, though, because too much earlier and we don’t know or care about the main character enough yet, and too much later, and we might be impatient for the story to start.
I spoke with Blake about this very subject. He always mentioned the page counts are merely approximate suggestions. If a script is 90 pages or 150 pages, the position of the beat will change.
Thanks for this article. I am amazed of how I have accomplished this with my script of The Presidents’ Agenda. Keep on with the good work! Take care!
Louis Michael
Excellent summary and exemplification, Eric!
How can these 15 beats be applied to the minimovie method where you break down the entire story to 15 page sections, or reels, and have something happen at the end of each in order to keep the flow going and script reader/audience interested?
I haven’t personally studied or worked with the mini-movie method, but I would say with the beat sheet, you kind of also have big moments at regular intervals like that — for instance, Catalyst, Break into Two, Midpoint, All is Lost, Break into Three, etc. I like the STC approach in that it takes the story as one organic whole, and I think there’s less risk of it feeling episodic or disconnected. But I would assume that the two ways of looking at story could probably be overlaid on top of each other, and both be useful.
I’m interested in hearing if anyone else has experience with this…
This is SO helpful, thank you! It is always good to ‘see’ what things mean. Keep them coming, please.
Good look, Erik. This really helps. I think you’ve just helped me discover a way to resolve this problem i’ve been struggling with — with my first feature i’m writing.