When you’re making a film, one of the most important things is to create engaging characters that hold our attention for the entire runtime.
I know that creating characters is not as easy as it sounds.
If you are stuck on character creation and don’t know how to continue, or even if you have an idea in mind but you don’t know where to start, this article is for you.
I will give you 4 easy steps you can follow to guide your thinking process and create engaging characters!
What is an engaging character?
Whether you think of characters like “The Dude” from The Big Lebowski or Hannibal Lector in The Silence of The Lambs, there’s one thing all great characters have in common…
They captivate us.
Whether that is because of their carefree, happy-go-lucky attitude or their cold, sadistic inner world it doesn’t matter.
Even though you may not have much in common with your average super villain, I’m sure at one point or another you found yourself thinking…
“You know, I kinda get where they’re coming from.”
You don’t agree with how they do it but on a base level you understand how they came to their conclusion.
So how do we create characters that demand attention? Here are four quick ways to help develop and create engaging characters.
Step 1 – Name Your Character
Darth Vader. Ellen Ripley. Donnie Darko. Snake Plissken.
You want a simple, cool name that isn’t over-the-top but packs a punch.
There’s lots of different factors to take into account, where your character lives, what they do for a living, their familial background…
Nobody hires an accountant named Ace Ventura — but a rodeo clown named John Thompson would raise a few eyebrows too.
If you can’t think of anything good, steal something better.
Here’s a list of five places I’ve found character names in the past. (Don’t judge me.)
Facebook
Phone Books
Obituaries (Morbid, I know…)
Family Ancestry
College Graduation Programs
Just mix and match until you find something you like.
You can also look up name meanings that match the theme of your story.
Maybe it’s a comedy about a woman winning the lottery.
The name Felicity means “luck or good fortune”, might be a cool easter egg for people paying attention.
Step 2 – Find Your Character’s Voice
Nobody wants to watch a film where everybody sounds the same.
A good test to determine whether there is enough diversity in your dialogue is to remove the character names from above the dialogue in a conversation.
You want to be able to know who is speaking without being told.
Here’s a quick example from Breaking Bad:
“Three entire bags of Funyuns?”
“What? Funyuns are awesome.”
“God.”
“Hey, more for me.”
“How about something with some protein maybe? Something green huh?”
“Man, I’m not getting no service.”
“How are you even alive?”
This is a very basic scene but you can still pretty much tell which character is which because of the unique way they speak.
Ever wondered how film/ TV writers and directors manage to make us fall in love and root for the bad guys?
In this post we will present 8 scriptwriting and directing techniques that are used to make the audience like immoral protagonist.
These 8 techniques are inspired by a psychology theory called Moral Disengagement.
So, we will be driving a new film theory from a psychology theory!
We will be explaining the anti-hero, the moral disengagement theory, and finally our new film theory.
If you wish to skip the psychology and jump right to our 8 directing and screenplay techniques to make the audience root for the bad guys… just click here.
What is an anti-hero?
An antihero is when the main character is actually the bad and immoral guy.
In other words, an anti-hero is when the protagonist has the traits of the antagonist in the story.
An antihero is a central character in a story, movie, or television show that lacks conventional heroic attributes you’d find in a traditional hero.
We are not talking here about the obvious reasons… Because they are the main character because the audience identifies with them, or because they actually have good in them…
First, the protagonist should be relatable. The viewers need to identify with the characters to be able to like them in the first place.
Let’s dive deeper into why the audience root for Dexter and Walter White.
Why they wanted Frank Underwood to reach his goal in becoming the president in House of Cards.
Why we want the members of a mafia to win over other members of the mafia? Talking here about The God Father, Peaky Blinders, Sons of Anarchy…
Theoretically, the audience should not root for criminals, thieves, and mafia members. And the viewers should not fall in love with drug deals, manipulators, and serial killers.
The answer to why we actually root for the bad guys is that we don’t regard them as bad.
The audiences don’t register the criminal acts of the protagonist as immoral or entirely wrong.
So there must be some filmmaking techniques that seem to work in disguising the immoral acts of the protagonist.
Let’s see what psychological mechanisms make us disregard an immoral act.
later, we can use these psychological mechanisms in our screenplay, and even convert them to directing techniques.
Maybe a little vague? bare with us.. we will get there eventually.
Psychology Theory: Moral Disengagement
Moral disengagement is a self mechanism that lets people do immoral actions without feeling the guilt.
There are 8 psychological devices that a person can use to look at an immoral act in a different way.
Through these devices, people can mute their moral censorship. Or, morally disengage.
Briefly, the 8 tools are:
Moral Disengagement Example: Lying
1- Labeling: That is when we give a different and positive name to the action.
We are not lying, we are telling a white lie.
2- Justification: We think that our action serves a bigger moral purpose.
We lie to spare the feelings of others.
3-Diffusion of Responsibility: When many people are responsible for a “bad” action it becomes more acceptable.
Come on.. everybody lies.
4- Distortion of Consequences: When we don’t see the result of the immoral action. Or the outcome of the action is minimized.
My lie did not hurt anyone.
5- Replacing Responsibility: When we blame other people for pushing us to do the action.
My friend made me lie to her.
6- Blaming the Victim: When we see ourselves as victims and that the actual victim forced us to do the action.
7- Favorable Comparison: We look at our immoral act as fair when we compare it to worse action.
He has been cheating on her with her best friend. It’s Okay to lie on him this time.
8- Dehumanization: We don’t see the victim as human.
Filmmaking Techniques: Make the Audience Root for the Immoral Protagonist
We have an idea about these 8 moral disengagement devices.
Now, let’s see how we can use them as directing techniques and scriptwriting tools that filmmakers can use to manipulate the audience into rooting for the bad guys in movies and TV.
1- Labeling
Lead the audience to label these actions in a more positive way.
Or simply let the characters refer to the immoral actions in a different way.
Our first trick to make your viewers/readers accept the bad actions that the protagonist does is a screenplay technique that you can use in dialogues.
For example:
Breaking Bad – Dexter – Peaky Blinders
Dexter is not killing, he is restoring justice.
Walter White is not selling meth, he is making money to provide for his family.
Thomas Shelby is not stealing weapons from the government, he is protecting his family.
2- Justification
Direct the viewers attention to an advantage for the immoral act.
For example:
Let’s say that the main character killed another character (X). The expected reaction from the audience would be dis-like the protagonist.
But, to avoid this reaction and maybe reverse it, you can emphasize the advantages of killing X.
So, let’s make this character X a rapist. He is about to rape a girl. Then, after X is killed, show that the girl is now safe.
Highlight that the girl is saved.
Show less of the negative effects of the killing. Such as the mourning of the family.
3- Diffusion of Responsibility
Another way to make the audience accept immoral acts done by the protagonist is to involve a group of characters in the action.
This way your main character will not be the only one to take the blame.
We say that the responsibility is diffused.
For example: Let’s say the main character is involved in a bank robbery.
To make the act seem less immoral, the robbery can be done by a group of characters including the main.
In this example, a character could threaten the workers with a gun, and another one takes the money. A character makes sure that no one is looking and another waites in the car.
This way, the main character’s action will be more acceptable because he did a small action that lead eventually to the bigger immoral act.
4- Distortion of Consequences
The audience could be lenient towards an immoral act if the negative consequences were misrepresented.
For example:
If the character is selling drugs to another character, don’t directly jump to a dark scene where the buyer is using or struggling from from a drug related problem.
You can choose to show the buyer high in a comedic scene. That is highlighting the positive outcome.
Or
You can show your protagonist/antagonist making use of the money he made. Going on a nice date, paying a debt… That is under representing or even neglecting the actual consequences of the action.
By that, you will be making the audience concentrate on the positive effects, and disregard the immoral act. Thus they will still be liking the immoral character and rooting for him.
5- Replacing Responsibility
Show that another character or organization is responsible for the bad action.
Your character has to commit an immoral act. And you want the audience to still like him and root for him.
Then, lead the viewers to displace the responsibility on the authorities rather than the character who committed the act.
Example:
The protagonist killed another character in the movie or TV series.
Then, you can make the main character a member of a gang, and the gang leader ordered the killing.
But wait… This would not be enough to totally replace the responsibility.
It will help to have a scene where you show that the protagonist disapproves the killing. And that he is obliged to do it.
So imagine that the gang leader threatens to hurt the protagonists’ love interest if he did not follow the killing order.
At this point, the options of the character are very narrow and the killing order must be obeyed.
Finally, and to seal the deal, let the character show some hesitation and internal struggle while committing the act.
6- Blaming the Victim
This technique is to turn the “bad guy” into the victim.
It is actually used almost all the time in movies and TV series. The easiest example is any scenario of revenge.
If a character X inflected severe hurt on your protagonist, the audience will not only accept it when the main character acts immorally towards character X, they will actually be cheering for it.
7- Favorable Comparison
When the antagonist does an immoral act, have a different character do another bad action that results in much worse circumstances.
This way, your viewers will see the crime of the antihero smaller. Thus they will root for the bad guy.
For example, have 2 scenes in the screenplay where the characters are stealing a house:
The main character breaks into the house and restrains the members in it, and steals their belongings.
On the other hand, the opposite character breaks in, kills the members on the first chance, and steals their belongings.
When the viewers compare between these two actions, that of the main character would appear minor and even may seem moral.
In order to promote that comparison, it would help to have the action close in time so that the audiences can easily recall them and compare them.
8- Dehumanization
The audience may excuse an immoral act conducted on an “inhuman” character.
Of course we don’t mean animals when we was inhuman!
Establish within your scenes that the victim is heartless, a criminal, let other characters refer to him with inhuman names (a beast), or let it be a corrupt organization.
To Answer The Question: How to Make The Audience Root for the Bad Guys?
Lead the audience to believe that the “bad” or immoral actions are not really bad.
Ways to make the audience root for the bad guys
This can be done using some screenplay techniques such as giving a reasonable motivation, blaming other characters for the actions of your protagonist, making the immoral action seem minor in comparison to what the antagonist did. You can also play on words by referring to the crime with a positive description and referring to the victim with non-human adjectives.
A significant factor that can make the audience love or hate a movie/series/ or story is the characters. Your viewers should love and relate to the characters to care about the story. So the main thing to plan is creating relatable characters!
In this post, we will be giving 9 screenplay writing tricks you can use to make your characters more relatable to the audience.
We say relatable, NOT Likable.
This is a common mistake many screenplay writers make. Don’t waste time making your characters do good things so the audience or readers like them. Such “angle-like” characters turn out to be flat and predictable.
Whether your protagonist is a mother, teacher, police officer, drug dealer, serial killer, or even a robot… They should be relatable so that the audience would root for them and feel the urge to continue watching to see what will happen to them.
Okay.. let’s get to the point: Here are some screenplay writing techniques that you could use to make the protagonists of your script relatable:
1. Make Your Characters Grey
Characters in your script should never be just evil or just good (black or white)… they should be grey.
That is because you want to make them as human as possible. So even the protagonist should have flaws so people would relate more to them.
All-good or all-evil characters result in flat characters that will seem very artificial.
2. Let Them Save a Cat
Blake Snyder (the author of the famous scriptwriting book Save The Cat) suggests that the protagonist should do something good early on in the script.
Think of it as such: A character walking on the street finds a cat stuck in a tree, so he helps it. That does not have to do anything with the story… It just shows that the character has good in them. Snyder thinks that this would make the audience like the character more.
Of course, the character doesn’t always have to save a cat 🙂
Have the character do something nice and selfless at the beginning of the script.
In Netflix’s House of Cards, Frank actually kills a dog at the beginning of the first episode rather than “saving a cat.” But he kills the dog to save it from misery because it is in pain. Even this act is considered selfless according to the justification of the character.
3. Show Their Passion
To make the characters more human, you should give them something to be passionate about.
Passion can be towards the person the character loves, his dream, family, job, or cause…
In most cases, the character’s passion is naturally present in the script as the character’s goal. But we suggest showing and expressing this passion in the writing so the audience would know clearly about it and feel with the character.
4. Give Them Personality traits
When building your characters, you probably considered their traits: caring, OCD, introverted, funny, honest, sneaky…
Great! Now in the script, try to stick to the character traits you assigned, and to make the character more relatable, you should show them and be truthful.
This will, again, make the character more human.
5. Give Them a Backstory
A tragic or interesting backstory usually makes the audience care more about the character. It makes them interested in knowing more about him and how this backstory affected his life.
That is because they know him more and feel empathetic towards him.
This is how you can create an emotional connection between the audience and the character.
To have your relatable characters, highlight the factor that makes them unique and cool.
If your main character has a superpower, show how cool it is.
If wise, show how he can use his wits to solve problems.
Or if he is a musician, show how the audience is fascinated by his music…
7. Show Them Struggle
This could be the oldest trick in the book of making the audience love and care about your characters.
People like to see the characters on the screen in their lowest stage. They want to see them struggle in their life before they achieve their great goal or overcome the main obstacle.
8. Make them Take Action
Lovable characters take action. These actions should move the story forward and affect the character arc.
If the character just neglects or complains constantly without taking any action, then the audience would be frustrated with the character and would not like him.
9. Let Them Learn
Use the struggles and back story to move the script forward. When your characters learn from their problems and mistakes, this will make them more human.
This will make the audience appreciate and like the character more.
Relatable Characters ARE Indeed Likeable!
If you want to audience to like your protagonist, the character should be relatable. All the techniques we discussed in this article revolve around a primary goal: Make the characters in your screenplay as human as possible.
This is more important than making the audience like the character only because he is good or nice!
This structure is a guide for building a compelling story. The theory consists of a loop of 8 steps:
You (the protagonist), Need, Go, Search, Find, Get, Return, Change.
To simplify Dan Harmon’s Story Circle Structure, the story of the movie can be summarized as such:
Dan Harmon Story Circle Template
8 steps of Dan Harmon’s Story Circle
Step 1: YOU
You refer to the protagonist of the story. In this step, you establish and present the natural world of the story.
Step 3: NEED
The need is the main drive for the character and the story. This stage states what will be going to do throughout the story. He needs to get back to the girl he loves. She wants to save the world. They need to survive the zombie outbreak…
Step 3: GO
Here is where things start to complicate in the story. The protagonist enters an unfamiliar situation and starts to chase after his need.
Step 4: SEARCH
The protagonist will never achieve his need that early in the movie… The Go failed, now he needs to search for a new solution.
Step 5: FIND
Now the main character has found the solution… But things will not be resolved yet. This is the turning point of the story where things usually do not go as expected.
Step 6: GET
Reaching the goal is never easy. In this step, the protagonist will have to face the greatest danger or sacrifice the most important in order to get what he wants.
Step 7: RETURN
The hero’s journey is completed. The protagonist has returned to the starting point. Suffered great loss. But the movie is not over yet… Yes. He now has a new need. But this time, the characters are equipped with the experience they had in steps 5 and 6. This is the climax of the story.
Step 8: CHANGE
The resolution of the final conflict. This is the final showdown where the protagonist puts an end to the conflict once and for all.
Dan Harmon Story Circle Examples
To better understand this story circle we will try to pinpoint its 8 steps in popular movies and Tv series.
Story Circle Examples in Movies
Here is a video by StudioBinder where they used Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight as an example to Dan Harmon’s Story Circle Structure:
Story Circle Example: The Dark Knight
Another example of these 8 story steps: Lion King
Dan Harmon Story Circle Example: The Lion King
Story Circle Examples in TV Series
These 8 story steps can be also applied to TV series.
We can look at the story arc of a single episode. Or the arc of a whole season.
For example, check out these Dan Harmon story circle examples of the pilot episode of Breaking Bad and that of season 1:
Story Circle Example: Breaking Bad PilotStory Circle Example: Breaking Bad S01
Why Use this Narrative Structure?
Dan Harmon Story Circle is a formula for an entertaining commercial feature film. It ensures that there are enough twists and turning points in your script.
When you follow this story circle and have good characters and story. You will also make sure that the hero’s journey in the screenplay is complete.
The audiences are more likely to stay on the edge of their seats when watching your movie.
But, I will say it again… this is NOT a formula to success. Use it only if you think it will help you.
The best uses of Harmon’s Circle would be in the brainstorming phase.
Use this as a template for Dan Harmon story structure:
The protagonist has a need. He goes to search for it. He finds what he needs, but in order to get it, he must face extreme challenges. In this journey, the protagonist returns to where he started, but he gained new experience which will help him change his world once and for all.
This will give you a clear idea about the journey of your protagonist.
After that just write.
You can mix things up, add or remove plot twists. Or even changing the order of events.
We all know that movies can be mostly divided into 3 acts. In this post, we will show how movie scripts can be actually divided into 5 major plot points.
When learning the basics of screenplay structure, writers generally talk about stories having 3 acts. That is a beginning, middle and end with a turning point at the end of act 1 and act 2.
Although it’s important to understand how these two turning points work to drive your story forward, there are really five major plot points that dictate the full structure of your story:
The 5 act structure:
The inciting incident
The lock-in
The first culmination (or midpoint)
The main culmination
The third act twist
These five points are moments that change the momentum of your story.
This narrative structure helps screenplay writers turn the events in the script in a dynamic way. Often by setting the protagonists of the story down a new path or changing their objective.
There are exceptions to every rule but understanding how to use these five moments in your screenplay to help you build the necessary turning points can be key!
1. The Inciting Incident
The inciting incident occurs in the middle of the first act and at the end of your first sequence. It is the first moment that shakes up the status quo.
Before this moment, your protagonist has existed in their own world. But at this point in the story, conflict or big decision presents itself.
The character would not have to decide on what to do next or figure out how to solve the problem. But the audience would start suspecting that there is a big decision coming along the way.
To make this clear consider the movie: The Graduate
Mrs. Robinson asks Ben (a recent college graduate) to give her a ride home where she convinces him to come inside her house and then attempts to seduce him. She then stands in front of him naked and makes it clear that she is sexually available for him. Here, Ben did not give a clear decision about what he wants or what he is about to do… he just nervously tries to escape the room.
At this point, Ben has not entered into a relationship with Mrs. Robinson. However, the door has been open to that very opportunity.
We still have more to come in the first act, but we won’t be surprised when he later makes the call and begins the affair.
2. The Lock-in
The lock-in is the moment at which your protagonist can no longer return to the status quo. Backing out is impossible.
Often the character is literally locked up with handcuffs, stranded, or abducted.
The door which was open to the protagonist earlier at the inciting incident now slams closed behind your character.
This would not only establish your protagonist’s objective but also will drive them forward into the second act.
For example, In the Matrix, Neo meets Morpheus who explains The Matrix is a false reality. Morpheus then holds out two pills: if Neo takes the blue pill he’ll wake up in his bed and believe whatever he wants. But, if he takes the red pill, then he’ll stay in Wonderland and Morpheus will show him how deep the rabbit-hole goes.
Here is the inciting incident.
As we move to the lock-in, Neo takes the red pill.
Clearly, Neo is now locked in. There is no going back. He has liberated himself from the false reality of the matrix.
3. The First Culmination / Midpoint
About halfway through every screenplay, your protagonist achieves their first major success or failure.
This is the midpoint of the 5 major plot point structure.
When the midpoint is a success, then it’s an achievement of a smaller goal on the road to the main objective.
Alternatively, when this culmination (or midpoint) is a failure, it moves your protagonists even farther from their objective.
In Forrest Gump, Forrest accidentally ends up on the stage as part of an anti-war rally and is asked to speak to thousands of people filling the National Mall. Even though the microphone cuts out during a speech, Jenny hears his name and yells out from the crowd. Forrest and Jenny run to each other reuniting in the reflecting pool to the cheers of thousands.
Despite all of his other accomplishments, this is the high point in forest life because, in the end, all he really ever wants is Jenny. She was lost but now she’s found.
4. The Main Culmination
The main culmination can be thought of as the climax of the film.
It is the highest or lowest point for your protagonist so far.
The Climax is usually represented through a major success or failure that brings your character’s second act objective to a close and propels them towards a new goal in the third act.
for example, in The Shawshank Redemption: Andy Dufresne asks the warden to help him get another trial and promised that he won’t reveal the money laundering schemes that he set up for him. The warden reacts by throwing Andy in solitary confinement. Now not only is Andy refused the opportunity to prove his innocence but in the immediate aftermath of this scene, the warden sends the only inmate who can testify in Andy’s behalf to his death sentence.
This is the lowest low for Andy Dufresne. He really is an innocent man and now he has no hope to ever breathe the air beyond Shawshank Prison.
5. The Third-act Twist
The third-act twist occurs approximately halfway between the main culmination at the end of your story.
It is the bone thrown in front of the protagonist to help him achieve his third act objective. This is the moment that changes the trajectory of the character in the final act.
This third act twist is different from the other 5 major plot points because it actually changes the plot.
In Scorsese’s Goodfellows, Henry meets his best friend Jimmy in a diner only to realize that Jimmy plans on having him killed. This unexpected turn of events then forces Henry to cut a deal with the authorities where he rats on his friends and enters the witness protection program.
Importance of the 5 plot points
These 5 major plot points are the building blocks behind three-act structure and sequence construction. Mapping out these points early in your screenplay development process will go a long way to help navigate the writing of your script.
You can check out the article about the 13 beats of the script that expands on these 5 plot points in more detail.
Mainly, the script can be divided into 15 beats or turning points.
We will list and explain them in this article.
What is a “Save The Cat” Script Beat?
A script beat is an event that changes the character or the story.
Blake Snyder studied many successful movies and noticed that almost all have the same narrative structure.
So, he devised an outline from 15 specific beats or story points that every good screenplay should have.
Snyder even numbers the pages in a script that each beat should land on.
Save The Cat Beat Sheet Template
The Blake Snyder (Save The Cat) Beat Sheet
Keep in mind that this is not a rule or a formula!
This structure helps screenplay writers organize the script and helps the audience understand the movie and stay engaged.
The 15 Beats Explained
1. Opening Image
The movie starts with the opening image.
It is a visual that starts the movie and explains its tone.
In your script, this is usually on the first page.
For example, Home Alone is a Christmas movie that starts with bright lights, a tinkly soundtrack, and many decorations.
The Matrix starts with a computer screen and a blinking green line.
From the beginning, we already know that the movie is about tech and computer programming.
Opening Image: The Matrix
2. The Theme Stated
Next, the audience should discover what the moral of the movie is.
In your screenplay, the movie’s theme should be stated early on.
Usually, the hero speaks it out loud.
This can happen through dialogue.
The hero can state the theme: I will save my family, I will get revenge, I want to marry this girl…
The Theme is Stated by Liam Neeson in Taken
In the Avengers, the theme is stated after the arrival of Loki and the destruction of the secret NASA base.
Agent Nick Fury calls Agent Phil Coulson and tells him they are now at war.
This is what the film will revolve around; the idea of conflict and the threat from outside our world.
Remember:Here, we know the theme or tone of the movie and not the central conflict.
3. The Setup
The setup is one of the most critical sections of your script.
It provides the essential context for the audience to become immediately engaged or lose interest within the first ten minutes.
Around page 10, your viewer should learn what the hero’s life is like before the inciting incident that will happen and change the course of events.
The Inciting Incident It is the first moment that shakes up the status quo. Before this moment, your protagonist has existed in their own world. But at this point in the story, conflict or a big decision presents itself.
AVfilmschool
At this third beat, we also find out the needs of our hero.
Here, show what the life of the hero looks like before the conflict happens.
Also, introduce the character that will play the leading role in the story and hint at the upcoming adventure.
4. The Catalyst
Here is the event that sets the hero on their journey.
According to the Save The Cat beat sheet, the catalyst should be around page 12 in your screenplay.
The catalyst or the inciting incident is the event that shakes the harmony and everyday life of the protagonist and shifts it upside down.
This is the main event that will get your audience hooked on the movie.
In Avatar, the catalyst is when Jake gets into his avatar’s body and discovers he can control it and use his legs again.
The Catalyst in Avatar
In The Matrix, the inciting incident is when Neo discovers he is not safe in this computer-generated reality.
5. The Debate
Here the hero hesitates.
He debates internally or externally about whether to make the journey or not.
It’s the chance to bail out before the point of no return.
In The Avengers: The debate is when we are left to wonder if the heroes will come together to help stop Loki.
And here is when Act 1 of the movie is over.
Act 2
6. Break into 2
Breaking into 2 because, at this point, the second act of a three-act structure begins.
Here is where the hero decides to head on the journey.
This will put the plot in motion.
Blake Snyder believes this should happen around page 25 of the script.
The clearest example of this script beat is in The Matrix when Neo decides to take the blue pill over the red pill.
Break into 2: Neo making his choice in The Matrix
In The Avengers, this beat is when the heroes decide to step into the upside-down world where they will have to work together.
7. The B story
Also known as a subplot.
This is a secondary story that holds the audience’s interest while the details of the main plot unfold.
It’s commonly a love story.
Whether between a man and a woman, a father and a son, or two characters destined to become best friends.
Typically, this is around page 30 of your script.
The B story in Thor
8. Fun and Games
At this beat, your audience should explore the world of the movie.
Here scriptwriters can take a short break from building tension and concentrate on showing the fun and exciting stuff about the world and characters they created.
The Invisible Man gets to see what listening to private conversations is like.
The kung-fu kid uses his new mad skills to win some tournaments.
Bank robbers can now swim in a pile of money.
Fun and Games: Money Heist
Usually, these are the scenes that the audience is waiting to see in the movie.
From a marketing perspective you can think of it this way:
Fun and Games are the moments that make the audience decide to watch the movie. But the hero journey and conflict make them continue till the end, and they later recommend the movie to their friends.
9. The Midpoint
This is where things are either at their greatest up or down point.
In the Save The Cat beat sheet, this beat is where the fun and games end, and we return to the high stakes of the main story.
The corrupt investment broker is doing more business than ever and seems untouchable by the authorities. [Greatest up point]
Or
The kung-fu kid is incapable of learning the secret ninja move and has his worst beating to date by the high school star quarterback. [Greatest low point]
10. The Bad Guys Close in
Few beats remaining till the end of the movie. Scriptwriters here should bring their A-game.
The fun ends, and things will start to escalate quickly from this point.
At this beat, the evil forces re-emerge.
Your audience may think the villain is defeated in the fun and games beat… But not yet.
These forces will close in on the protagonist and throw them off balance.
The antagonists can be either people, forces of nature, aliens, or the protagonist’s internal fears and conflicts.
11. All is Lost
At this point in the script, the bad guys deal such an utter defeat to the hero.
This defeat makes it seem impossible for a happy ending to come out of it.
“All is lost” is an essential beat. It will make the audience wonder how they will get out of it.
It raises the stakes, and the more the characters lose, the more pressure for the screenplay writer to deliver the expected ending.
Back to our examples:
The broker can here is caught for making a major illegal trade.
The prehistoric shark breaks through the electric barrier and is now free to pick off the remaining cast one by one.
The Invisible Man is sprayed with ink and loses his exceptional strength.
Usually, the movie’s leading and most devastating character death happens here.
The character that helped the hero of the story and gave him the tools to survive might be killed off, heavily injured, or put in extreme danger.
For example, In The Matrix, this is where Morpheus is kidnapped.
12. Dark Night of the Soul
This is the beat at which the hero recognizes their defeat and loses hope.
This moment sets everything up for the greatest sacrifice the hero will require to correct all the wrongs.
Act 3
13. Break into 3
The end of Act Two and the beginning of the climax.
In this narrative structure, this is the moment where the heroes find a possible solution to the impossible situation they are in.
This solution wasn’t there a moment ago. The heroes will find it by chance, through a sudden event, or thanks to the love interest from the B story.
But this solution they found won’t be easy to execute! It may cost their lives. It may be a long shot. But there’s still a chance that it could work.
14. Finale
This is where it all comes to an end.
The bad guys get killed or defeated from least significant to most important.
The Invisible Man finds the courage to defeat his enemies while covered with ink.
In the best stories, the whole world of the hero changes at this beat.
Things will never go back to the way they were. It’s a new day and a new dawn.
15. Final Image
This is a closing image that shows the audience that the hero’s world has really changed.
Maybe it’s a shot of the cubical office worker finally living his dream of being a ski instructor.
Or
The superhero going to a different universe, leaving the world a better place.
The opening image and the final image have to show contrast and change.
The hero’s journey throughout the movie should have taken them from point A to point B.
Look how the first and final frame of these movies could tell the whole theme of the movie:
First and Final Frame of Black SwanFirst and Final Frame of Bird Man
Should you follow the “Save The Cat Beat Sheet”?
You don’t have to follow these beats by word. And surely you don’t need to abide by the suggested page numbers of each beat.
When you are writing a script, it will be very helpful to organize your thoughts using the Save The Cat beat sheet template.
These beats will ensure that your script is on point and that the audience will be engaged in the movie because there are many turning points and it ensures that a lot is happening.
If you did not follow this Blake Snyder beat sheet, there is a possibility that you will be taking too long to reach the interesting story points of your script. Or there may be a lot of pages where nothing is happening.
You might think that you are building up and preparing for a certain turning point, but the audience may lose interest if you lagged too long.
Finally, although almost all commercially successful movies follow the save the cat beat sheet, there are still good films that completely disregard it.
