Blake Snyder Beat Sheet


BLAKE SNYDER BEAT SHEET
What is the Save the Cat Beat Sheet and Why is it Popular? 
First up, we need to define a few things. 
What does it mean to save the cat? 
Basically, this is an expression that comes from the fireman going up a tree to save cats in old-time TV and comics. Those heroes always did something to ingratiate themselves with the audience. Like saving a cat from a tree. It's how the people watching knew they were the good guys and to root for them. 
Blake got it from Aliens when Ripley literally saves the cat. And we love her for it.
This recognition of the audience's desires was expanded into fifteen beats that marked as a litmus text Snyder used for his own scripts...and then in what he deemed the Save The Cat Beat Sheet. 
So what is the Save the Cat Beat Sheet? 
Blake Snyder said that all stories are about transformations, so he wanted a beat sheet that reflected that. Let's go through each of his beats and ping on exactly what they mean and reflect in your story. 
These are based on the idea that you're writing a 110-page screenplay. The number after the heading is where you theoretically should be within the page count of your story when you hit this juncture. 
1.    Opening Image (1): How does your story open? What are we looking at? 
2.    Theme Stated (5): What's the driving force behind your story? 
3.    Set-Up (1-10): Meet the characters, understand the stakes, live in the world. 
4.    Catalyst (12): What happens to change the course of events from normal? 
5.    Debate (12-25): This is where the character decides to do something about it. Pressure mounts. 
6.    Break into Two (25): The decision to act is made. And the story sets off. 
7.    B Story (30): What else is happening? Any other storylines we're following? 
8.    Fun and Games (30-55): This is where you deliver the "promise of the premise." All the scenes of exploration and wonder that fit the genre.  
9.    Midpoint (55): Things change. You have the same goal but a new way to get there. 
10.                       Bad Guys Close In (55-75): Your goal is being overshadowed by the antagonist's journey to beating you. 
11.                       All Is Lost (75): Just when you think you might pull it out, your character is served their largest defeat. 
12.                       Dark Night of the Soul (75-85): Your protagonist wants to quit. Everything has gone wrong. 
13.                       Break into Three (85): Something comes back and convinces your character to move forward. 
14.                       Finale (85-110): In the last pages we see everything your characters are willing to do to win this fight. 
15.                       Final Image (110): Like the opening, this is the last thing you see. Give us an image that sums up the movie. 
F
For a writer, it’s exciting to hatch a new idea. Maybe you even have a rockstar logline. But it’s all too easy to take that idea and run, only to stumble at page 30 without a clue of where to go. Don’t worry – this is avoidable. You just need a firm grasp on how to map out your idea. With the right tools, you can see if your idea has the “legs” to deliver a feature-length film to the finish line. How do you do that?
In today’s post, we’ll examine how, with Blake Snyder’s famous “Save the Cat” beat sheet template that revolutionized the industry. Get ready to chart out your idea over 15 unique beats to see if it holds up!

16.        Use a good "Save the Cat" beat sheet example
17.                                               Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet
18.                       Leave a commentGo to comments
19.                       Save the CatThe Blake Snyder Beat Sheet is the best plot structure template I’ve come across.
20.                       It breaks down the three-act structure into bite-size, manageable sections, each with a specific goal for your overall story.
21.                       See my review of the Save the Cat books by Blake Snyder (where the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet originated), and buy the book. It’s a great resource!
22.                       Below is an explanation of each beat. Please see how it works with graphic novels by visiting Graphic Novel Story Structure. Thanks!
23.                       THE BLAKE SNYDER BEAT SHEET (aka BS2)
24.                       Opening Image – A visual that represents the struggle & tone of the story. A snapshot of the main character’s problem, before the adventure begins.
25.                       Set-up – Expand on the “before” snapshot. Present the main character’s world as it is, and what is missing in their life.
26.                       Theme Stated (happens during the Set-up) – What your story is about; the message, the truth. Usually, it is spoken to the main character or in their presence, but they don’t understand the truth…not until they have some personal experience and context to support it.
27.                       Catalyst – The moment where life as it is changes. It is the telegram, the act of catching your loved-one cheating, allowing a monster onboard the ship, meeting the true love of your life, etc. The “before” world is no more, change is underway.
28.                       Debate – But change is scary and for a moment, or a brief number of moments, the main character doubts the journey they must take. Can I face this challenge? Do I have what it takes? Should I go at all? It is the last chance for the hero to chicken out.
29.                       Break Into Two (Choosing Act Two) – The main character makes a choice and the journey begins. We leave the “Thesis” world and enter the upside-down, opposite world of Act Two.
30.                       B Story – This is when there’s a discussion about the Theme – the nugget of truth. Usually, this discussion is between the main character and the love interest. So, the B Story is usually called the “love story”.
31.                       The Promise of the Premise – This is when Craig Thompson’s relationship with Raina blooms, when Indiana Jones tries to beat the Nazis to the Lost Ark, when the detective finds the most clues and dodges the most bullets. This is when the main character explores the new world and the audience is entertained by the premise they have been promised.
32.                       Midpoint – Dependent upon the story, this moment is when everything is “great” or everything is “awful”. The main character either gets everything they think they want (“great”) or doesn’t get what they think they want at all (“awful”). But not everything we think we want is what we actually need in the end.
33.                       Bad Guys Close In – Doubt, jealousy, fear, foes both physical and emotional regroup to defeat the main character’s goal, and the main character’s “great”/“awful” situation disintegrates.
34.                       All is Lost – The opposite moment from the Midpoint: “awful”/“great”. The moment that the main character realizes they’ve lost everything they gained, or everything they now have has no meaning. The initial goal now looks even more impossible than before. And here, something or someone dies. It can be physical or emotional, but the death of something old makes way for something new to be born.
35.                       Dark Night of the Soul – The main character hits bottom, and wallows in hopelessness. The Why hast thou forsaken me, Lord? moment. Mourning the loss of what has “died” – the dream, the goal, the mentor character, the love of your life, etc. But, you must fall completely before you can pick yourself back up and try again.
36.                       Break Into Three (Choosing Act Three) – Thanks to a fresh idea, new inspiration, or last-minute Thematic advice from the B Story (usually the love interest), the main character chooses to try again.
37.                       REPORT THIS AD
38.                       Finale – This time around, the main character incorporates the Theme – the nugget of truth that now makes sense to them – into their fight for the goal because they have experience from the A Story and context from the B Story. Act Three is about Synthesis!
39.                       Final Image – opposite of Opening Image, proving, visually, that a change has occurred within the character.
40.                       THE END

Blake Snyder Beat 

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