Save The Cat! Just might be the most dangerous book out there for writers. And you should read it. But first, you need to recognize how to harness what’s valuable in Save The Cat!, while understanding the principles that make it so potentially destructive. Blake Snyder isn’t dangerous because he is wrong. He’s not dangerous because his ideas about how to build a script around a great premise aren’t brilliant. They are. Blake Snyder is dangerous because he doesn’t teach you how to be a writer. He teaches you how to be a salesperson. What’s Right About Save the Cat!?You’re going to need a lot of money to turn your script into a movie. That’s true whether you are writing a tiny independent film that you are going to shoot in your backyard.
Last week we discussed both the Three-Act Structure and the Hero’s Journey, and now it's time for screenwriter Blake Snyder's ever-so-popular Save the Cat Beat Sheet. (Up next is Hague's Six Stage Plotting Structure) While Snyder's format was designed for movie screenplays, writers have adapted it.
Or the next incarnation of Avatar. Unless you are ridiculously wealthy, or have a generous uncle waiting with a check in his hand, making your movie is probably going to take more money than you have. And that means you’re going to need to convince people that they should put their own hard earned money behind your production. We call these people producers.
They tend to make writers pretty darn angry. That’s because they couldn’t care less about your artistic vision, the integrity of your writing, or how your script is going to change the world.When a producer invests in your movie, he or she is investing in one thing: the chance that your movie is going to put butts in seats. Without butts in seats, your movie is going to lose money. And no matter how brilliant your artistic vision, it’s not going to change the world, make anybody laugh, cry or buy an overpriced barrel of popcorn. Because no one is ever going to see it. And that’s where Blake Snyder is right. No one is going to go see your movie unless the producer knows how to sell it.
That means you need a great premise, that grabs the audience’s attention and makes them want to see your movie. And once they’re in the theater, you’ve got to out-do the promise you’ve made to your audience, so that they can go and talk to their friends about how cool your movie was and drive even more butts to the theatre.The Save The Cat! Approach is to basically turn your script into a giant sales pitch. A living, breathing advertising device that looks so irresistible that audiences can’t help but see it, and producers can’t help but buy it, whether it’s any good or not. Sounds like a pretty good idea, right? Except that it’s not going to work for you. That’s because, unless you happen to be born into a Hollywood family (Snyder’s father was producer Kenneth Snyder) or already have a multi-million dollar hit in your back pocket, nobody who is anybody is going to take a chance on your crappy script. No matter how good the premise is. Selling Out Is For ProfessionalsIt’s true.
Hollywood is filled with writers who sell bad screenplays with great premises, and make a lot of money doing it. And you can too. That is, if you already happen to be a big time writer. The problem is, if you’re like most writers, it probably means that you don’t have a multi-million dollar hit in your back pocket. And in that case nobody who is anybody is going to take a chance on your bad script.This may seem like an unfair double standard. But it’s not.
And if you don’t believe me, just answer this question: Whose next script is more likely to make you money on your investment: Quentin Tarantino’s or Joe Smith’s? You don’t even know what the script is about, but you already know the answer. Tarantino has a whole to point to. Joe just has his script. If Joe is going to convince anyone to take a chance on him, that script had better be good. It had better make them believe in it so strongly that they’d put their own reputation, and their own hard earned money, on the line to make it.The truth is, “great ideas” in Hollywood are a dime a dozen. And so are writers with impressive track records. But genuinely good scripts are incredibly rare. A good script is gold in Hollywood. And you can write one.
Blake Snyder Can Show You How To Sell It. But He Can’t Show You How To Write It.There’s a reason Blake Snyder’s magnum opus was. Whether the movie you’re writing is a deeply moving drama, a popcorn munching action flick, or a teen sex comedy, there’s no short cut around the writing process. At least not if you want to write a good movie. The Four Phases of WritingIn my classes, I break down the writing process into four phases. I’ll be detailing them further in future newsletters, but for now, here’s a brief overview:1.
The ME Draft2. The AUDIENCE Draft3.
The PRODUCER Draft4. The READER DraftWhat Blake Snyder is describing in Save The Cat! Is actually simply the PRODUCER phase of this process: the stage of adaptation and revision that focuses on amplifying the most marketable elements in your screenplay to turn it into candy for producers. It’s a great place to end up.
But it’s a lousy place to start. Don’t Spend Your Writing Life Feeling Like A Used Car SalesmanNo offense to any used-car dealers out there, but you’re not going to break into an industry as competitive as the film industry by peddling a broken down jalopy with a fancy paint job. You may fool your Aunt Ida. But a real producer can tell when an engine isn’t running. Open Yourself To The ProcessIf you let yourself be seduced into thinking about the pitch before you even have anything worth selling, you’re not going to get where you want to go. Just like the kid who talks the most smack on the basketball court is probably not going to the NBA. I’m not sure I agree with this and find it all together fair. Any inexperienced writer would find Blake’s Beat Sheet a great place to start in terms of writing a screenplay from scratch.
What’s the problem with giving inexperienced writers a place to start from? Essentially he was giving people advice on how to write screenplays like you do with your classes and seminars. I’m not a die hard ‘Save The Cat’ fan but I think it’s very simple and comprehensible in a sea of over complicated screenwriting books. Especially ‘Story’!1. Opening Image (1):2. Theme Stated (5):3.
Set-Up (1-10):4. Catalyst (12):5. Debate (12-25):6. Break into Two (25)7. B Story (30):8. Fun and Games (30-55):9.
Midpoint (55):10. Bad Guys Close In (55-75):11. All Is Lost (75):12.
Dark Night of the Soul (75-85):13. Break into Three (85):14. Finale (85-110):15. Final Image (110):. Hi Morgan,Thanks so much for your response.
I actually a big fan of Blake Snyder, and think Blake Snyder’s beat sheet might be a great place to start for a highly experienced writer looking to make his script more commercial. The problem with a beginning writer starting with a pre-determined beat sheet like this is that most beginners do not yet have the craft necessary to control the shape of their character’s journey along a pre-determined path. Instead the writers end up manipulating their characters like marionettes, and losing touch with their own instincts and the inner voices of their characters: the things that ultimately lead you to finding your voice as a writer.
Scenes start ringing false. Choices feel inorganic. Writing gets tight and boring.
And you don’t know why, because you feel like you’re doing everything “right”. I know this because I went through it myself early in my career, trying to work according to pre-determined structures like Syd Field’s 3 Act Structure or Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. It wasn’t until I let go of that and started following my main character in a more organic way that I really started finding out who I was as a writer, and that’s what I’m trying to impart to my students. Pick 10 of your favorite movies, and you’ll probably see that many of them don’t conform to Blake Snyder’s beat sheet at all. That doesn’t mean they won’t hit some, or even all of these notes, but that the writers are finding them, rather than planning them, by listening to the heartbeat of their characters. That doesn’t make Blake Snyder any less valuable– I do think everyone should read this book.
But I strongly believe that it is most valuable as a way for experienced writers to amplify what they’ve discovered, than it is a “good way to start out” for a young writer looking for their voice.Hope that helps!Jake. I must agree with the author of this article, though I feel she is being a little fair on Blake Snyder, whose initials are B.S. Just sayinI believe that man has done more damage to the fields of would-be writers than any other wannabe ‘script guru’, and I will explain why.One of the key reasons for Snyder’s ‘success’ (in terms of selling scripts, not seeing them produced), other than his family connections as the author above has detailed, was that combined with the decade he was most active in: The 90s! Ahhh to be a screenwriter in the 90s one can only dream now. The days of gimmick pitches and relying on utterly inept, coked up execs to fall for the most basic sales tricks, as detailed by Snyder, are long gone.
The 90s was the silly season of script purchases, and, if like Snyder, you were born with a foot in the door, quite happy to sell out completely, and aware of the markers that gave execs wood; and possibly willing to drop some money on a ridiculous gimmick pitch- you would most likely of sold a script back then.Snyder, no longer able to sell scripts after the heady days of the 90s, and frankly not a good writer in the first place, had to re-think his career. Fast forward a couple of years and he’s re-modelled himself as the ultimate script wizard. I might be able to let that slide if it wasn’t for the fact his one and only big studio film was nominated for four razzies, including WORST SCREENPLAY! A monkey on acid could of written that movie.
Probably did.So Snyder is selling old world tricks to a much changed world. He’s offering floppy disk tutorials to the cloud computing generation.I do agree his book can help you with the pitch/sale aspect of the script business, but that is it, and frankly, there is better advice elsewhere, from real writers with oodles more talent and experience. Snyder to me is a conman, a confidence trickster. He’s the sort of chap who would of been selling pyramid schemes had he not of had a Hollywood daddy.However, you see B.S (ha, see what I did there?) everywhere in mainstream cinema, and it’s wholly depressing just look at the end of the year ‘worst films of’ and you can bet your spellchecker a good chunk of those movies followed the ‘Save The Cat’ methods word for word. Am I too harsh?
I think not, but remember, it’s just my opinion. And I don’t pull my punches just because someone is dead. Howl, I was reading through your comments with an open mind, willing to agree with what you were saying when I came across expressions like ‘would of’ and ‘could of’ and then I thought this person isn’t a writer, because your command of grammar is quite frankly laughable. I’m not trying to attack your credibility here, but if you’re writing as someone whom other writers should take note of, then my advice to you would be to get the basics straight and avoid using incorrect grammar which instantly puts you in the category of those who are not very educated.
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Just saying!. Snyder is not even alive, and everyone here is talking about him as if he is alive and breathing. Also, just because a person’s claim to fame is a bad movie script that they sold, does not mean that the person is not a great teacher. At least he has sold screenplays to Hollywood Connections or no connections. Nothing makes me want to puke more than someone who is teaching you how to sell a screenplay to Hollywood, and/or how to write a screenplay, and they haven’t even as much as had a movie produced!!!. I think it’s bizarre that his work should be rubbished here and then on top of that another course is offered based on his failure, even though the article doesn’t blatantly say this. It does come across as though by rubbishing Blake you sell a course.There is really no set format for movies, there are skills to be gained of course, but if something works not based on any format but the content gains interest, then what?To all those who have contributed to the business and have written books that can assist other writers genuinely, my hat goes out to you because this business is really for everyone with a good satisfying story to be told.
Hey my friends,The most important thing about this article worked–we read it ?The title got us here and the article delivered on the title’s promise of the premise.Blake’s amazing contributions to screenwriting, like Final Draft, Scrivener, Movie Magic Screenwriter and Notepad, are only as good as what you do with it.Blake teaches would be writers what some numbers are you can paint. While you’re painting you’ll have discoveries every day. When you know where the lines are you can color outside of them artistically–if it ads value to the final product. Or if you just want to feel cool and you don’t care if you sell something; because, hey, you’re an artist.Blake’s biggest contribution is to the hopes and feelings of would be screenwriters who now see a way to their dreams. Dreams are powerful.
Dreams fuel hope. And for a few that can get a screenplay to the screen so we can all enjoy something entertaining and perhaps feel closer to our dreams.And roughly segueing back to the article’s topic, Snyder did something and made money from it.
Then he wrote a book about how we could do it too. And the book pointed out what worked for other movies! Will any of us not do the same if we’re so lucky as Snyder to have fun in movies, make some money and then discover we want to make more money and at the same time help others?I’m glad Sndyer, Hauge, Field, Truby, McKee, Segar, Edson and a hundred others write these books for us to learn from. We don’t have the luxury to be Tarantino, the Cohen’s or Ridley Scott so that we can get things done on film.All these screenwriting teachers are giving us guides. Their not concrete. They’re guides.
It’s up to us to take advice and do something real with it.Thank you for this article. And thank you to Blake.Warmest,Chris EllerI found the article on LinkedIn where I am Anotheropus. HiI’ve just started to read ‘Save the Cat’ and although I’m only half way thru the first chapter I already have the gist of it – we live in a world where there are upteen million scripts trying to get made and upteen hundred movies that are competing to get watched and I guess his point is to raise the odds by having a great log line and a great hook etc. However, he tries to suggest this is the place to start from which I have problems with.The more I listen to the many various theories out there the more confused I get, every one has their idea on whats importatn and what’s not. One guy says revise revise revise – but what about the law of diminishing returns, if you don’t have something to start with – are upteen more revissions gunna cure all.
Then someone else says – don’t waste your time too much on one script – move on and write something different.I suppose there are some undeniable truths in screenwriting and that is write what you’re passionate about, write what you wanna write and make your characters likeable and real. I guess Krueger professes this and avoid writing to a fixed structure.I’m still keen to finish Save the Cat and I now realize everytime I listen to a podcast or read one of these books it won’t be some magic pill that will make me a super writer. Krueger’s common sense approach to screen writing is like a buoy in a sea of misinformation on the subject of screenwriting. I personally found the book interesting and I don’t have anything published yet.
Even though my story didn’t fall into the exact pages – the book was able to identify a process for closing in on your idea. If writers don’t do the nitty gritty and try to skip steps and stages, like anything else in life, the cracks will show.I think that once you are able to identify why you are writing the work and how it will benefit your audience, there are many books good books that will help; and the best books and courses always create a buzz based on usefulness to the reader.I am truly grateful for everything that has helped me enjoy what I do more.Pingbacks.
Forris Day, Jr. Is an audio book narrator and co-host of the filmmaking podcast “.”You may now rejoice if you are a fan of, because the latest version of the companion software has been released. The software, aptly named, is a total rebuild of the previous version. The new build has tons of new features, most notably the incorporation of the latest STC book called, written by Jessica Brody.
Now novelists can enjoy using this software just like screenwriters have been able to do for years. Hello all you authors out there, it’s nice to see you and welcome to the Save the Cat club.If you are unfamiliar with the Save the Cat!
Methodology I highly recommend you read Snyder’s original book. It’s a fun read and his ideas and thoughts on the process of writing a screenplay are interesting and proven to work. Once you understand the process he has developed, you will understand how to use the software. There is a learning curve to the new version 4, because it has so many new features, but it stays true to Snyder’s book.Visually the software is a virtual cork-board that is divided into four spaces. The top space is for your title and log-lines.
Throughout the writing process you can keep fine tuning your log-lines and titles here.The middle space is for your digital notecards, called “scene cards.” Each scene card represents a scene in your film. They prompt you to to treat each scene as a story on it’s own by making sure you include a conflict and an emotional change for your character. Learn more about that in Snyder’s book. You can include picture’s of the character or whatever you’d like on each card. The cards are “pinned” to the cork-board in this space.Listen to the podcast here:The bottom portion contains more notecards that you save information to, such as websites, research notes, pictures or whatever you need to help you write. You can add or delete these notecards as you wish.The left side of the screen holds “The Blake Snyder Beat Sheet” This space contains all 15 of Snyder’s beats. Just fill in your story elements for each beat here and you are well on your way to writing a winning script.As I suggested earlier, read the book, but fear not if after reading it you can’t remember certain aspects of STC.
There is a help section, located in the top menu, called “Fun” and it has you covered. Here you will find a link to the Save the Cat! Website, a highly detailed “Users Guide,” a tour of the software, advice for writing, and downloadable sample files that really help you wrap your head around the program. It is here that you can also change the theme, or look, of your workspace.If you are writing a novel the concepts are the same but the screen is laid out differently to accommodate the workflow of writing a book.
No matter what kind of writing you do, Save the Cat! 4 can help you. The software enables you to write a movie, a TV show or a novel, but it also is set up to help you write a series, whether it be a movie series, a television series or a novel series.It’s a subscription based piece of software that offers many options; from a 3 month subscription to a full year subscription. There are also 3 tiers of the software designed for either a new writer, an experienced writer and a professional writer. Although I am no pro, I got to poke around on the pro level version, so this write-up is based on that.
The beautiful thing about the subscription based model is that you’ll always have the most up to date version. The updates are super easy to install. The software team is incredibly responsive. They quickly got back to me about several questions I had and helped me with problems I encountered. I feel that they have a product that they believe in and they want us, as writers, to enjoy it.I think any writer who is a fan of Save the Cat! Will enjoy using the software. It makes your cork-board and notes extremely portable.
Sure, using an actual cork-board and paper notecards can work too, but try rolling all of that into your local coffee shop during a writing session. I dare say your Barista will not like it and it will certainly annoy all the other customers too. I’m sure you can see the advantages of Save the Cat! 4 software because it fits inside your computer.Learn more about the softwareGet Blake Snyder’s many Save the Cat!
Books to help elevate your stories!is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to and affiliated websites. One thought on “ REVIEW: The New Save the Cat! 4 Software”.
Bill KCan’t agree with this review. I thought it had so many bugs that it made me feel like a Beta tester. Tech is fast to respond but who wants to keep reaching out to solve problems? I want to be writing.
In my opinion they have taken a very steady and reliable product — STC 3 software — and made it more complicated and unreliable. When they released it, they didn’t bother to include any documentation. They resolved that in the next download, a day or two after release but even then, it seemed detailed on STC ideas more than the actual features of the software. Throughout, the writer of the documentation chose to tell the buyer that (s)he wasn’t going to repeat instructions which were similar from one aspect of the program to another. If so similar, all they had to do was cut and paste and then provide links that took you directly to the application you wanted. Again, all of this was an irritation compared to the constant errors I got when using the program. I bought STC 4 because as a current over of STC 3 they sold it to me for 50% off.
I still returned it for a refund. Too much trouble, as far as I’m concerned. Which leads me to my last point: As the reviewer mentioned, this is a subscription service. However what is not explained is that when you end your subscription, it appears NONE of your work is available to you again. Unless I missed it, there is no way to even print out what you had once the subscription lapses.
To recap: STC 3 – GREAT. STC 4 – Let the Buyer Beware.