Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter's Guide to Every Story Ever Told

by Blake Snyder

Overview

In the long-awaited sequel to his surprise bestseller, Save the Cat!, author and screenwriter Blake Snyder returns to form in a fast-paced follow-up that proves why his is the most talked-about approach to screenwriting in years. In the perfect companion piece to his first book, Snyder delivers even more insider's information gleaned from a 20-year track record as —one of Hollywood's most successful spec screenwriters,—giving you the clues to write your movie. Designed for screenwriters, novelists, and movie fans, this book gives readers the key breakdowns of the 50 most instructional movies from the past 30 years. From M*A*S*H to Crash, from Alien to Saw, from 10 to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Snyder reveals how screenwriters who came before you tackled the same challenges you are facing with the film you want to write—or the one you are currently working on.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781932907353
Publisher:	Wiese, Michael Productions
Publication date:	10/01/2007
Pages:	287
Sales rank:	532,090
Product dimensions:	6.08(w) x 8.92(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Blake Snyder (1957-2009) worked as a screenwriter and producer for twenty years. His book Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need and its sequels have guided screenwriters, novelists, and other creative thinkers for years and continue to be bestsellers. His methodology is also used by many development executives, managers, and producers due to its precise, easy, and honest appraisal of what it takes to write and develop stories in any medium.

George Newbern has appeared in Father of the Bride, Father of the Bride II, Evening Star, Adventures in Babysitting, and many other films. On television, he has had roles on Scandal, Friends, Nip/Tuck, Hot in Cleveland, CSI, and more. He is also known for providing the voice of Superman in Justice League and for narrating audiobooks.

Table of Contents

Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements Foreword In which producer Sheila Hanahan Taylor (American Pie, Final Destination) confirms the success stories of the Save the Cat! method and tells how this may be the best Cat! yet. STC! 2: The Introduction Why a sequel? — “Genre” and “Structure” — Plus some Final Words that define terms used throughout the Cat! series. Chapter One: Monster in the House The definition of one of the most popular story types ever, plus breakdowns on Alien, Fatal Attraction, Scream, The Ring, and Saw. Chapter Two: Golden Fleece How Jason and the Argonauts begat The Bad News Bears (1976); Planes, Trains and Automobiles; Saving Private Ryan; Ocean’s Eleven; and Maria Full of Grace. Chapter Three: Out of the Bottle Magical analyses of movies using magic: Freaky Friday (1976), Cocoon, The Nutty Professor, What Women Want, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Chapter Four: Dude with a Problem The “dude” is an innocent and in big trouble in Three Days of the Condor, Die Hard, Sleeping with the Enemy, Deep Impact, and Open Water. Chapter Five: Rites of Passage Growth through pain in stories where “transition” is the obstacle: 10, Kramer vs. Kramer, Ordinary People, 28 Days, and Napoleon Dynamite. Chapter Six: Buddy Love The broad range of “love” stories include The Black Stallion, Lethal Weapon, When Harry Met Sally..., Titanic, and Brokeback Mountain. Chapter Seven: Whydunit The “detective” seeks the dark side and discovers “us” — as seen in All the President’s Men, Blade Runner, Fargo, Mystic River, and Brick. Chapter Eight: Fool Triumphant This “fish out of water” tale stars an underdog we overlook in Being There, Tootsie, Forrest Gump, Legally Blonde, and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Chapter Nine: Institutionalized Who matters most, the individual or the group? It’s Man vs. “the herd” in M*A*S*H, Do the Right Thing, Office Space, Training Day, and Crash. Chapter Ten: Superhero Extraordinary man faces the ordinary world... and its Lilliputians in Raging Bull, The Lion King, The Matrix, Gladiator, and Spider-Man 2. 277 afterword So what about Ghost? — How to best use this book to create any story you’re working on and make it resonate! Glossary Redux Even More Terms from the 310 Area Code — An updated slangfest of Cat! phrases explained once and for all, including such new terminology as the “chase to the airport,” the “button,” the “Half Man,” and the “eye of the storm.” About the Author