Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need

I bought this book cause I've had some ideas floating around in my head that I wanted to see if I could perhaps make into a screen play. I have no formal education in screenwriting and the information I do know about writing a movie, I learned from online resources. So for a beginner like me this book was filled with TONS of useful information how I could turn a basic idea in my head into a fully fledged movie script. I was debating on which book to buy to help me get started and bought this one because every online resource I looked at, all of them mentioned this book. Some people bashed it but I think that's cause they're more advanced writers and have their own formula for coming up with the structure for a movie. What I like about this book is that it takes out the guess work for you. It lays out a structured outline for you to follow. Snyder created what he calls the Blake Synder Beat Sheet and literally every movie I could think of follows its formula. He tells you "you should introduce your main character by this page, set the theme of the movie by this page, create a conflict by this page, etc..." Snyder also uses movies as examples, showing how they followed this tempo. He has good ideas on how to create meaningful, 3 dimensional characters and even how to create a B story that helps the main story flow better. I wouldn't have thought of any of this had I not read this book. What I don't like is how Snyder is sometimes a little too "by the numbers" when it comes to writing a script. He literally says the break from act 1 to act 2 HAS to happen on page 25. Not page 24, not page 26 but on page 25. I don't agree with that. While you obviously don't want it to come too early or too soon, I don't see a need for it to happen on exactly page 25 of every single script ever written. He goes to make it sound like the big wigs at studios reading your script will toss it in the garbage if they don't find it on page 25. That's simply not true and I feel like it's forcing people to pace THEIR story at HIS speed. He also goes on to bash other great movies cause they didn't follow HIS pace. This guys claim to fame is writing Disneys "Blank Check" mind you. I don't believe in making others look bad to make yourself look good and that's kind of what he does for a bit in the book. He disses movies like Dantes Peak, Memento, Along Came Polly, etc.. but raves about other mediocre movies like 4 Christmases and miss congeniality cause they followed his cookie cutter methods. So to sum it up, I'm glad I bought this book because I did learn a lot by reading it. I definitely feel more confident in writing my script now and figuring out how to fill in the blanks when I wasn't sure in what direction the story should go in. While I don't think his "by the numbers" method is ideal for every script, it does help me know how to set my own pace for my own movie so I don't get carried away with one act of the story over the other. If your a beginner like me and are looking for a little guidance on how to create a story, this book is a great help!

If you’ve been writing fiction for any length of time, you’ve probably heard about Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat series of books. They’re books that were originally written to help screenwriters improve their craft, but became quite popular among writers of many creative disciplines because they provide a very accurate, concise, and some would even say easy plot model. As you know, constructing a plot from nothing can be difficult. These books, especially the first one, provide a way to do so without inducing paralyzing anxiety. I dare say that they’re a necessity for every writer who wants to get published. What’s In Save the Cat? A tabby cat dangling from a rope, with the words "Save the Cat: the Last Book on Screenwriting That You'll Ever Need" above it.In Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting That You’ll Ever Need, Snyder describes 15 “beats” or benchmarks that every plot needs to have, no matter the medium it’s displayed in. Whether words or moving pictures are used to tell a story, it should always start with an opening image and progress through Theme Stated Set-up Catalyst Debate Break Into Two B Story Fun and Games Midpoint Bad Guys Close In All is Lost Dark Night of the Soul Break Into Three Finale Final Image All of these benchmarks—aptly described in the book—should lend themselves towards showing the main character doing something, being proactive. This could mean saving a cat, going with Hagrid to Hogwarts and leaving a known life behind, or undergoing a makeover to become an undercover beauty queen. It’s the essence that defines who the hero is and makes the reader like him or her. Who Would Like Save the Cat, And Why? As mentioned, anyone who’s serious about writing The Greatest Book of All Time. It’s designed, Snyder says, primarily for writers who intend to pitch/query agents in mainstream movie-making and publishing. I think that’s because it’s based on the premise that you’ll use one- to two-sentence descriptions of each of those beats to pitch to agents. Although there are many, many plot models out there—three-act structure, hero’s journey, dramatica, etc.—this is the one I’ve found to be the easiest and smoothest. It’s a compromise between totally outlining and just “pantsing” it: enough structure (and the right kind of it) to get your story started, but not so much that it overwhelms your creativity before you even start writing a book. It’s also very helpful in showing the main character proactively progressing through the book’s plot, not just reacting to various crises. Find the full review of this book, as well as many other writerly advice posts, at HeadOverTales.com.

This was a very enjoyable and informative read. I've read a few books on screenwriting as part of my reading about writing in general, and the author of this book, the late Blake Snyder, is correct in his early statement that many of those other books, though excellent resources, -do- hold a reverence for film that perhaps obscures and interferes with their ability to give advice. I'm thinking of Robert McKee's 'Story,' right off the bat. Not a bad thing, and of course you'd want someone to be reverential of the medium in which they choose to work. But it's refreshing reading a more light-hearted approach that still takes the craft just as seriously. There are many who oppose what they see as the rigidity of Snyder's approach. These people are even called out in the text: 'But what about Memento?' these people ask. As in: what about movies that don't follow this structure? Being as Snyder died in 2009, I think I can answer the this criticism thusly: Christopher Nolan directed Memento in 2000. Since then, he's directed Batman movies and Inception. Wonderful, successful, creative movies, but also movies that lean more heavily on the structure outlined in this book than Memento. And I would argue that more people have seen Memento since then in a quest to watch all of this very successful director's past work than saw it before he started writing his creative scripts in a more structured way. Basically, I think people who think that learning techniques that other people working on the craft employ will ruin their 'art' aren't really as artistic as they think they are. It's something you always hear. If your 'artistry' is so fragile that it would evaporate after hearing about three act structure, maybe you're not the cinematic Picasso you fancy yourself to be. Another criticism is that Blake Snyder only had two scripts produced. Neither, admittedly, a very artsy film: 'Stop or my Mom will Shoot' and 'Blank Check.' Two things: Snyder says that family comedy is the type of movie he writes. Both of these were profitable movies in that genre and though they came out in like 1989 and 1993, lots of people have still heard of them 25 and 21 years later, so they have had a bit of lasting impact. Secondly, Snyder has had an enormous amount of scripts BOUGHT, including one from Steven Spielberg for one million dollars. I've seen criticism from people that seems to equate scripts produced to scripts bought, and say he wasn't so successful as a screenwriter that they need to listen to him. That's fairly ridiculous. What are the percentage of people who set out to be screenwriters who even get one film produced, let alone two? Not very high of a percentage. And the number of screenplays sold that get produced is equally low. So it evinces a fairly amateurish understanding of the industry to not grasp these points. And I'm saying this as someone who doesn't write screenplays, only novels and short stories. Even in my reading, I've learned as much. But that is all more defense of the utility of the book than review. There are a number of helpful terms, in addition to 'Save the Cat,' such as 'Pope in the Pool,' that are easily remembered and express important points for any writer, whether their working on screenplays or manuscripts. This book was well worth the time it took to read it and the money invested, and I'm certain I want to move on to Snyder's other two books. Recommended for anyone interested in storycrafting of any sort.

Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat, is a no-nonsense, industry insider look at Hollywood screenwriting. "Blank Check" and "Stop or My Mom Will Shoot" are the sole films in his filmography, but the book states he’s written and sold several scripts that were never made (including one for a million dollars to Mr. Spielberg). Snyder dismantles how Hollywood works and lays it out for the reader to see. The book doesn’t lie to you about your prospects of actually selling a script, but Snyder does his best to share his industry insights with you. The chapters are clearly titled and the table of contents includes a short summary for easy rereading. There’s also a glossary at the back that helpfully defines the entire screen writing lingo use throughout the book. Snyder also created several helpful resources that can be quickly referenced during the act of actually working on a script. Notably the ‘Blake Snyder 15 beat sheet’ which provides a quick and dirty outline of the 15 different story elements a good story has. While the writing is very casual and easy to understand, unlike most books on telling stories, its usefulness as a writing tool is limited. The author speaks of the bits and bobs that make movies work, which though obviously useful for analyzing films, lends little to the art of actually writing a script. Snyder speaks of how to make snappy ironic taglines, but never shows how to give the story heart. The first tip the book gives is to include a ‘Save the Cat’ scene, to make the main character likeable, but there’s so much more to developing a likeable character than that. For instance, if an unlikeable jerk ‘saves a cat’ in the first scene of his film, that doesn’t make him any more likeable in the long run. Majorly, this book assumes the reader has already mastered the basics of story writing. That’s a fair assumption to make, given that screenwriting in and of itself is a subset of story writing. However, given that this book is a best seller, and those who have themselves mastered storytelling fundamentals like world building and characterization are a minority of the population, it does a disservice to the majority of its readers. That said, he never pretends it’s a book designed to help everyone. I would postulate its Snyder’s own wit and the likableness of his writing style that propelled the book to best seller status. Understandably given the context, Snyder emphasizes how to get a script sold. That’s well and good for people looking to break into the industry, but is next to useless for people who just want to make movies out of their garages. Thanks to the internet, indie movies are cropping up all over the place, and those screen writers aren’t going to care about how to make a good pitch. Frankly the charm of many of these independent films is that they aren’t formulaic. It’s important to remember; ‘easy reading’ or in this case watching means ‘damn hard writing’. While this book is a good read, I have my doubts anyone actually sold a screen play using these hints. Or at the very least, anyone who has would have been able to regardless. Snyder’s own filmography speaks for itself.

This Is It: the screenwriting book I have needed for years! About three years ago, a family member and myself began (what we thought was) a sci-fi genre of movie that we were able to write a knockout beginning for, but then we floundered. We have been sitting on our idea ever since: stuck like an elephant in the mud. I had heard about this book, but I finally took a chance. I wasn't on page ten of this book when I yelled: "THAT'S what is wrong! That stupid screenplay we started three years ago isn't a SCI-FI movie, it's a MONSTER IN THE HOUSE!" Now suddenly we can see the whole movie from beginning to end. I would venture to say that the restructured way in which Blake Snyder has you understand the chronometer of what you are writing and who you are actually writing for would be necessary for any aspiring fiction novelist, as well. I am only about a tenth of the way through the book, but it is already the best ten bucks in writing advice I have ever sprung for. Heck, even a barista-style coffee is almost as much these days. Forget AI-"written" books, music, and advice! Save the Cat is a masterclass written before the days of AI by an actual, successful human screenwriter who, before he passed, had earned millions in the business and generously took the time to document and share his knowledge and expertise: a measly ten bucks for pure writer's gold.

Really a good book that a friend recommended. Takes off where Syd Fields finished.

Anytime someone can write a book and present ideas in a fresh way, then that book is helpful and worth a look. This book is a fast read and entertaining. There's a few ideas in here that I haven't seen expressed in the same way before. The entire concept of saving the cat is not a very new one, but Synder makes a better point out of the concept here. Your hero needs to do something that tells us something about him, okay, got it. Here, Synder gives that theory a name, the Save the Cat scene. His theories are clearly and insightfully expressed and he has a direct friendly way of talking to the reader with a bit of comedy. This all adds up to a quick and fun read. Another thing to keep in mind is that some people are totally against any type of formula writing. If you're one of those writers stay away from this book. Remember that the formula is not to help structure the story itself, rather it's to structure the pacing. Believe it or not movies have a very tried and true structure and if you want to break out of that mold you better just start ramming your head into a brick wall because you have a better chance of busting through that wall than the Hollywood wall with your spec. I once asked a professor about a poem we were studying, how much of the poem was by chance and how much was by design. He frowned and said "nothing, it's all his design." And another thing, remember that your goal as a spec screenplay writer is to get something sold! That's it! Why the hell are you worried about it getting made and people ruining your beautiful work of art? You can do whatever you want to do with my 120 pages AFTER I get my check for half a mil! Can any of you out there really say that M. Night is a good writer? Hell no! But for the millions of people that didn't see the end coming in the Sixth Sense (a movie that had about 6 plot lines, one of which didn't start until act 3!) those are the ones going to see his next opus of crap and that's why his stuff sales. What about Akiva Goldsman? Look up that one on IMDB and you'll be scratching your head. How can anyone survive after Batman and Robin (it's because of what came before BTW)??!! Sell something, then worry about it getting made, then worry about the fact that Synder has only had two movies ever made. He's sold 13!!! 'nuff said! How many Goldsmans (13), Goldmans (30), or Koepps (24) (all those numbers are produced) do you think Hollywood has? After all that go here: [...] and have a laugh about the writers strike.

love the book! now to get back to reading and cooking science and forensic science music I can't help so please get used to it when it goes back to normal!

Comprei para dar de presente. A pessoa gostou bastante.

Like all good stories all the elements in this book have been heard before. the structure is not unique, but it is delivered in a different way. The different way that Blake is trying to get across is the essence of good writing! This is not a quick fix! For those who have read other screenwriting theory books in the past the honest truth is that this book isn't going to tell you anything ground breaking. If you are looking for an easy way to make, write and sell a billion dollar film this isn't going to magically make one appear on the table. However, it is a great read and it will take you through a very logical approach to screenwriting, It emphasises certain areas you may have overlooked as minor detail and tells you that these are the key to getting it all right a. It is also all written in a very readable way. This isn't a book of theory that will beat you over the head until you are sick of hearing terms like 'three act structure.' It is a book of good advice from someone who has been there and lets face it Blake Snyder is a legend!!! The Blake Snyder beat sheet looks like a very useful resource, though I can't say I have tried it yet. Overall this has been an incredibly useful read to me if only to bring me back to basics and get me fired up again for a new batch of writing. This book would be invaluable for new writers and is still well worth a read for those who have been doing it for years. If nothing else Blake seems like a friend who is here to help you through and in the world of writing that is a precious thing to have!

A lire en anglais (car la traduction française est nulle). Je l'ai lu déjà 2 fois, et j'y reviens régulièrement. On peut appliquer les conseils... ou pas. C'est un bel outil de travail, plus simple d'accès que Story de Robert McKee. Complémentaire. Je l'offre régulièrement (j'ai déjà dû l'acheter 2 ou 3 fois !)

Your don’t need this

Dieses Buch ist auf english, es gibt auch eine deutsche Version.