Released in 2005, Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat! is a relatively simple screenwriting framework that boils down any typical Hollywood movie into 15 beats/plot points. Much like an actor hitting his mark in front of the camera, a movie attempts to hit all of the 15 beats below.
What are ‘Save the Cat!’s 15 Beats?
Glad you asked. According to Save the Cat Goes to the Movies, these beats/events are:
- Opening Image – This is fairly self-explanatory; it’s the scene in the movie that sets up the tone, type, and initial salvo of the film, a “before” snapshot—and the opposite of the Final Image. (This usually occurs on Page 1/Minute 1).
- Theme Stated — Also easy. Usually spoken to the main character, often without knowledge what is said will be vital to his surviving this tale. This is what your movie is “about.” (By Page 5/Minute 5)
- Set-Up – The first ten pages of a script must not only grab our interest – and a studio’s reader – but introduce or hint at introducing every character in the A story. (During Pages/Minutes 1-10).
- Catalyst – The telegram, the knock at the door, the act of catching your wife in bed with another – something that is done to the hero to shake him. It’s the movie’s first “whammy.” (By Page/Minute 12).
- Debate – The section of the script, be it a scene or a series of scenes, when the hero doubts the journey he must take. (By Pages/Minutes 12-25).
- Break Into Two – Act Two, that is; it is where we leave the “Thesis” world behind and enter the upside-down “Anti-thesis” world of Act Two. The hero makes a choice—and his journey begins. (By Page/Minute 25).
- B story – The “love” story traditionally, but actually where the discussion about the theme of a good movie is found. (By Page/Minute 30).
- Fun and Games – Here we forget plot and enjoy “set pieces” and “trailer moments” and revel in the “promise of the premise.” (During Pages/Minutes 30-55).
- Midpoint – The dividing line between the two halves of a movie; it’s back to the story as “stakes are raised,” time clocks appear, and we start putting the squeeze on our hero (es). (By Page/Minute 55).
- Bad Guys Close In – Both internally (problems inside the hero’s team) and externally (as bad guys take tighten their grip), real pressure is applied. (During Pages/Minutes 55 – 75).
- All is Lost – The false “defeat” and the place where we find “the whiff of death”—because something must die here. (By Page/Minute 75).
- Dark Night of the Soul – Why hast thou forsaken me, Lord? That part of the script where the hero has lost all hope. (During Pages/Minutes 75-85).
- Break Into Three – …but not for long! Thanks to a fresh idea, new inspiration, or last-minute action or advice from the love interest in the B-story, the hero chooses to fight. (By Page/Minute 85).
- Finale – The “Synthesis” of two worlds: From what was, and that which has been learned, the hero forges a third way. (During Pages/Minutes 85-110).
- Final Image – The opposite of an Opening Image, proving a change has occurred. And since we know that all stories are about transformation, that change had better be dramatic! (By Page/Minute 110).
Since its release, Save the Cat! has divided the screenwriting (and broader film) communities with one half thinking it’s a clever framework for creating/analyzing a film, and the other half believing that it’s a recipe for creating formulaic Hollywood dreck.
I can see both sides of the coin here. Here are my thoughts.
The Positive Side of Save the Cat!:
Save the Cat! (or, really, any framework) answers Hollywood’s favorite request of “similar yet different.’” The “similar” is the framework; the “different” is that particular screenwriter/filmmaker’s take on it.
Remember, film is a collision of commerce and art; when presenting a product to the masses, commerce demands that a certain product adhere to certain pre-established guidelines, but art infuses it with originality and nuance.
With its emphasis on formula, STC also does its industry readers favors. Imagine that you’re a development executive with a weekend read of 15 scripts. Yes, you have to read 15 110-page screenplays in addition to networking drinks on Friday night, hitting a Saturday morning SoulCycle, and a Sunday evening movie out (plus laundry, grocery shopping, etc). If you had that volume of work, wouldn’t you want to be able to see which writers were hitting the marks and which weren’t?
STC is a courtesy to mass audiences. If you think about it, having strangers take two hours out of their lives to congregate in a dark room with other strangers to watch a story made from pictures is a gigantic ask. In general, people want a sense of certainty that they’re going to have a good time and/or not be confused by the story. Any mainstream Hollywood film removes that uncertainty by presenting stories in such clear formats.
The Negative Side of Save the Cat!:
STC can be a recipe for contrivance. Great storytelling originates from the collective unconscious. Before adhering to some format, an author should listen to his character(s) first to see where they want to go and then figuring out how to best hammer out the structure/the beats/etc. Otherwise, people run the risk of having certain events are just going to pop out of nowhere without any proper story logic.
STC may also stifle creativity. Some of the greatest screenplays and movies in American and world cinema do not fit neatly into a pre-fab framework (and with good reason); rejecting a formulaic screenplay theory creates magic, uncertainty, and a sense of something new. The most resonant films capture the spirit of the times from which they came.
So, is STC Still Relevant in 2024?
Although it may have its downsides, Save the Cat! remains relevant because almost every major motion picture still follows it OR keeps its deviations to a minimum.
As an interesting experiment, I’m going to be tracking how Save the Cat shows up in some of the greatest screenplays of the modern era. I’m aiming to release a new blog article every Sunday for this year which analyzes how one of the WGA Top 101 Screenplays either adheres or deviates from Save the Cat!
Yes, I’m calling it Save the Cat Sundays and while I’m neither 100% pro or against the work, I’m deeply curious as to how this formula shows up.
Blake Snyder’s “Save the Cat!” has divided the screenwriting community for almost two decades. Is it still relevant?