by Blake Snyder
When I spoke at Screenwriting Expo in 2008, I titled my talk “Supercharge!” I was gathering notes for this chapter, too, and knew I'd be using that part of my life as an example, and as inspiration. I remembered keeping my diary, and that ridiculous — seemingly — first entry. I dug the orange notebook out and read through it in the nostalgic way we do, thinking about that day, that meeting, that thought that seemed so vital at the time. And then perusing further, I found an entry that startled me:
“As part of giving back for achieving my goals, I will write a book about how to write a screenplay,” I declared. “It will have the Rules of Screenwriting as I've discovered them and be called ‘ The Method: The Ultimate Screenwriter's Guide by Blake Snyder.’ Here are things I will talk about [that I] learned…”
► Turn, Turn, Turn
► The Pope in the Pool — exposition
► Eyepatch and Limp — characters
► Dialogue — “Hi, how are you? I'm fine”
Again, let me emphasize, I hadn't sold a screenplay when I wrote those words. Yet within that entry is the beginning of what I would write about years later in Save the Cat! I also note that right below that entry, written as an afterthought, was this:
“Needs better title.”
No kidding.
It had been 10 years or more since I'd picked up that notebook and glanced through it, and again, I can't express the outrageousness of making the claim. And yet, seeing it now, I also know that it was the other part of the training I had received that summer. The idea of achieving the impossible, of turning something intangible into something concrete, is real.
And forever surprising.
I have a whole new set of goals on my wall now — some that shock even me. But right next to them is my second card listing:
► Discipline
► Focus
► Positive Energy
Because one card without the other is just wishing.
And you never know where this stuff will take you.
Because of Save the Cat! I've taught all over the world. The ultimate trip, so far, was Beijing, China. By invitation of officials there, who'd read my book and were inspired by it, I was asked to lecture to the top filmmakers in the country. Along with my translator, Feng Wen, and with a lot of help from American producer Kevin Geiger, the trip was a great success.
I even have slides!
Just hanging out with my Cats!
What an amazing ride!
I walked The Great Wall with my two books. I toasted Mr. Jing, a key figure in the Ministry of Culture who decides which 20 American films are shown in China each year (as he told me, Mr. Jing can get anyone in Hollywood on the phone any time). And I taught the principles of communication that Cat! is known for, and showed why the simple tools it examines apply all over the globe.
That's our world now. And that's our market.
Yet the underlying principles are the same everywhere.
Because we are human, all of us — all over the globe — are drawn to stories of transformation. And part of transformation is death. That's what this book has really been about, if you haven't guessed, that moment where we are faced with a brick wall — the death of loved ones, or the death of our old ideas — and we must embrace the new to survive… and thrive. Hitting the wall in a script is good for us because it makes us more human; any death we experience, and any failure will — that's why we must embrace it, even look for it, and always be ready to go beyond.
During a break in my lectures in Beijing, a film student asked to speak to me and told me that I'd gotten it wrong.
I had said that the “Save the Cat!” moment was about the hero doing something nice that made us like him. But in Chinese, the phrase means something else. It's not that the hero saves the cat; it's that by saving the cat, the hero gives the cat a new life. And by doing so, she told me, the hero gets a new life, too.
My hesitation to reply wasn't that I didn't understand.
It was my being amazed by where life can take us.
For me, a guy very interested in transformation, I am always looking for the death of old ideas. And I hope you are, too. Because accepting the change that we all seek — both as writers telling stories and as audiences viewing them — is the point where we can begin to create a new life, a life beyond our wildest dreams. It starts with that moment, getting the direst possible news, or failing miserably and thinking we'll never succeed, or worse, getting everything we think we want and finding it's not what we wanted at all. For just around the corner from that, if we're lucky, is something remarkable, something miraculous.
And that's the transformation I wish for you.
glossary
FINAL TERMS
OF ENGAGEMENT
FROM THE LAND
OF THE 310
ATTA BOY ► This is my buddy Mike Cheda's term for that little bit of encouragement every creative person needs… before we rip his or her effort to shreds. For example, “I love what you did here, and here, but…” Surprisingly controversial in that writers feel it's merely a dinner mint given us on the way to the gallows, but for me, I need a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down.
AT HOME, AT WORK, AND AT PLAY ► The world of the hero needs to be set up when we start every story. And even though not every story has these scenes exactly, it must in some form. Think about the Set-Up for Russell Crowe in Gladiator: At work, he's a great Roman General; at home, his wife is waiting; at play, the after-party of his troops’ Teutonic victory reveals the depth of friendship for him in the ranks. These “Ats” show a hero's life.
BOUNCING BALL, THE ► What do I pay attention to when I hear or read someone's story? It's the introduction of, set-up for, and changes that happen to the hero as he transforms and grows. The “bouncing ball” I'm following is not plot, but the character at your tale's center, and the changes that occur to him along the way. Keep your eye on the bouncing ball — that's the story.
COVERAGE ► Talent agencies, producers, and studio executives don't always read the script, but have it read or “covered” by a reader. The problem for you is… coverage travels fast. Names of scripts and grades assigned them are logged and not always kept private. Letting just one industry official read your script may mean the entire town has access to his assessment. Not to get you too paranoid, but a virgin script has power that degrades every time you hand it off to someone to read… so do so wisely.
DOUBLE BUMP ► This is my magic getter-out-of-trouble when a plot with either a lot of “pipe” or a hero who must be pushed requires a couple of nudges to move into Act Two. Normally, only one “invitation” is required at Catalyst, something done to the hero. But if you need a second at Break into Two, bump away!
DOUBLE DIPPING ► This is the no-no managers and their clients should avoid. It means a manager takes both a 15% manager's fee and a producer's fee for a script that he helped to set up. It's one or the other, never both. Along with the “reading fees” that some agents request to vet a script, about as despicable, double dipping will lead to pained cries of “conflict of interest”!
DRAFT AND A SET, A ► Typically this is the agent's term for a standard rewrite deal. It means you will get to write one “draft” of said script, plus a “set” of polish notes. This does not necessarily guarantee anything other than a minimum of both work and payment for it – provided you show up with a smile and do your best.
ELEMENT ► This is the project booster that can get a movie made or a script read. It can be an actor, director, financier, or special effects house — anything tacked onto a screenplay that makes it seem easier to make or pay for. An element is not always the dream it seems, as sometime other elements object.
ELEVATOR PITCH ► Be advised: There is no elevator. This is the imaginary situation where you have two to three floors, about 20 seconds, to tell your movie idea to the imaginary executive who rides in these elevators. Can you fascinate him or her — fast — without resorting to pushing th
e Emergency Stop?
EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL ► These are the twin skeins of action found in the Bad Guys Close In section of a script in which both external and internal pressure is applied to make our hero change — exactly what he is resisting! Having a sense of oncoming “death” in the All Is Lost moment, heroes resist both the external and internal, but cannot do so for long.
FORCED CONFLICT ► Why do so many movie scenes involve two characters shouting at each other? Why do strange encumbrances occur to “force” those characters to even be there — trapped… and screaming? It's because the screenwriter needs to amp up the conflict of EVERY scene, because conflict is why we came. If it's not in every scene, the audience will… zzzzzz…
“FORCE IT!” ► This is the handy phrase I use in class and in working with writers to get them to “hit their marks” as dramatists. We don't care if you the writer think it's obvious or overly simple or clichéd or any number of excuses… hit your marks! When you feel you can't, try harder. We the audience expect drama, we expect to see transformation, we expect a story!
“HERE'S THE BAD WAY TO DO THIS” ► The other handy phrase that goes along with “Force it!” is the one that lets reluctant writers off the hook. Are you stalled, mired in not having a solution to a story point, character arc, or way to tell the theme? Give yourself an excuse to present a solution that might sound lame with “Here's the bad way to do this.” It might even be great!
IN PLAY ► The heady cry that goes out along Agency Row that some hot bit of talent may actually be open to new representation. Let the wining and dining begin! If you're a writer, a milder form of this frenetic buzz may also be heard. Normally agents don't poach another agent's roster, but a well-placed rumor or an out-and-out phone call from the talent's other reps (lawyer, manager, personal trainer) may mean the pursuit can begin.
MOMENT OF CLARITY, THE ► Every hero has a period of collapse around All Is Lost. Boom. He's done. And in Dark Night of the Soul, since we've got his attention and he has nowhere else to go anyway, this is the moment where the “penny drops” and he says: “I get it!” This beat reveals all the hero's flaws in his own eyes, and though it looks like he will never get a chance to capitalize on this… we know better, don't we boys and girls?
ON THE VERGE OF… ► The “Hamburger Helper” for loglines kicks off any one-line plot with a sense of where the hero is, and what he wants from life when this movie starts. It also implies that the ending will be 180 degrees opposite by the time the story's over — because changing one's goal, and ideas, is the point of any tale we tell.
OPEN ASSIGNMENTS BOOK ► It's a binder really, three-hole punched and constantly updated by assistants at most talent agencies and management companies to track which studios are looking for which writers for which projects that need fixing. Sometimes it's a polish, sometimes a “Page One,” and sometimes dozens, yes, dozens of writers will apply for the assignment.
PACKAGE ► This is kind of an ’80s or ’90s phrase, very Mike Ovitz, very CAA, but it still applies. Usually a management firm or agency doubles or triples its fees by tacking on other elements to a project they represent. Having inside knowledge and a relationship with producers and studios helps create packages.
PITCHES, REWRITES, AND GET-TO-KNOW YA'S ► There are three different types of meetings a writer will be sent out on by an agent. If you have a movie pitch, but no script yet, the writer will be matched up with a producer who will “take it in” to a studio, hopefully for a sale. Rewrites are projects that may not be in the Open Assignments book, and Get-to-Know Ya's are casual get-togethers that can lead to business, and get serious fast, if the parties involved click.
SELLING PAST THE CLOSE ► When you've finished your pitch, and said everything you need and planned to say when you prepared it, shut up. Smile. Sit down. Think about stuff you have to buy at Whole Foods. Think of anything but adding to the pitch you just made. If you've done your job, you're done. The ball is in their court. If you make a peep now you are… making a mistake.
SHARD OF GLASS, THE ► A blind spot or flaw the hero is not aware of, that sharp-edged incident, bad behavior, tough truth, or wrong done that the hero swallowed a long time ago. By the end of your tale, your hero must look at this flaw and deal with it in order to transform… and become something glorious!
SMELL OF THE RAIN ON THE ROAD AT DAWN, THE ► I can be driving down the street and see a guy with a t-shirt and think “ That's a movie!!” Is it? Doubtful. It may be the start of an idea, the story you tell on Letterman about how you got the idea, but for now it's that thing all creative people get — if they're lucky — the beginning of art, but in and of itself, only interesting to you.
SPIDERING, HALF-STEPPING, AND BLURRY BEATS ► The “beating out” process can include some missteps. These terms describe three different ways to not tell your story. If you are suddenly telling a soap opera, that's Spidering. If you are moving your plot forward an inch at a time, that's Half-Stepping. And if you are making your plot points so slight we can't see them, especially at Midpoint and the major Breaks, that's Blurry Beats. All three revolve around fear. Trust your story and your skills!
SPINE OF THE STORY, THE ► How the hero begins, changes, and grows throughout a story — that's the spine, the thing writers and audiences track to make sure they are witness to a well-structured tale. The five questions to ask to straighten any spine are: Who's the hero? What's the problem? How does the story begin and end? What are the tangible and spiritual goals? What is the story “about,” what is its theme? Answer these and win.
STEALTH PRODUCERS ► Often a manager will put up his “shingle” (a company brand that says you're open for business in Hollywood) and attract writers to manage their careers. Not so fast! Many times these managers want more, including being “attached” as a producer to any script or project you're working on. All well and good. And very helpful. Just make sure it's okaywith you.
STORMING THE CASTLE ► You're in Act Three and you don't know how to finish your story. This five-point plan can help sketch out any ending. Ever since posting this on my blog, I get emails from screenwriters asking: “What's my castle?” and “Who's my princess?” They may not be actual places or people, but the objective of every hero and every Finale is the same. And identifying the objectives is key to figuring out how to sum up any story.
STORY SCOLIOSIS ► If you have extra scenes in your screenplay that don't seem to fit; if you have D, E, and F Stories that are really interesting, but not quite germane; if you have a hero who only changes a little tiny bit in the course of your story; or if you're still going back and forth about your theme, blending three or four together… you have a crooked story spine that needs to be put up on the rack and stretched into shape. So do it.
TANGIBLE AND THE SPIRITUAL, THE ► There are two stories in every story: the thing that's happening on the surface, known as “plot,” and the thing happening below the surface, known as “theme.” The surface world is all material, tangible with concrete goals, obstacles, and consequences. The goals are all specific too, such as winning a trophy, a girl, or a legal case. The below-the-surface world is the spiritual part; it is the lesson the hero learns from the plot — and the real story. Remember: A Story = plot = wants = tangible. And B Story = theme = needs = spiritual.
THROWING IT OVER THE WALL ► This is my buddy Jim Haggin's term to describe getting a script to a studio so they can buy it, the idea being so good that if you “throw it over the wall” surrounding the studio, someone in charge will come across it and buy it. Not always true — especially in the 21st century — for while “concept is king” and always will be, the number of scripts and the changes in the business dictate every script that goes up for sale now be as “ready to shoot” as possible.
TOO PLAIN, TOO COMPLICATED, AND HIDING THE BALL ► This is the cry of development execs — and we the public — when a concept fails to fire our imaginations. As writers we are forever pitching, from initial query letters and
email queries, to in-the-room presentations, to the poster and trailer used to tell the public about our brilliant notion. But if you don't excite, your pitch is too plain. If you confuse, instead of inspire, your concept is too complicated, and if you are not telling us the whole story (for fear of “giving it away”), you are hiding the ball. Try to avoid these common pitfalls.
TRANSFORMATION MACHINE, THE ► Story is the ultimate transformer, and the machine that we put our heroes through to force the change makes it easier for us because it allows us to break the story down and put it back together — even while blindfolded. Each section of the story machine, from its Opening Image to Midpoint to “Moment of Clarity” to “Final Exam” to Final Image, demands change. And we must bend our stories to make sure each of these sections is being satisfied, so our hero, and our audience, are wrung out by the end.
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
In his 20-year career as a screenwriter and producer, BLAKE SNYDER sold dozens of scripts, including co-writing Blank Check, which became a hit for Disney, and Nuclear Family for Steven Spielberg. His book, Save the Cat!® The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need, was published in May 2005, and is now in its eighteenth printing. The sequel, Save the Cat!® Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter's Guide to Every Story Ever Told, and software, Save the Cat!® The Last Story Structure Software You'll Ever Need, are also bestsellers. Along with guiding screenwriters, novelists, and other creative thinkers, Blake's method has become the secret weapon of many development executives, managers, and producers for its precise, easy, and honest appraisal of what it takes to write and develop stories in any media. Blake was a proud member of the Writers Guild of America, west. He passed away suddenly on August 4, 2009, but he lives on in his films and his books, in the advice that will never grow old, with the spirit that will continue to thrive and inspire. His story resonates with all who loved him, and your stories will resonate thanks to his love for you. Blake's vision continues on www.blakesnyder.com.
