Almost all movies have a similar narrative structure. They follow what’s called the Save The Cat beat sheet template.
This post will discuss the beats in a script and the Save The Cat structure.
This narrative structure is also known as the Blake Snyder 15 beat sheet.
Blake Snyder is the author who wrote about this script formula in his book: Save The Cat.
So how can we use this structure to understand movies or write better scripts?
You may know it as the 3 act structure, the 5 plot point structure, or the 15-beat structure.
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
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.
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…
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
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
