Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need

by Blake Snyder

Overview

Here’s what started the phenomenon: the best seller, for over 15 years, that’s been used by screenwriters around the world! Blake Snyder tells all in this fast, funny and candid look inside the movie business. “Save the Cat” is just one of many ironclad rules for making your ideas more marketable and your script more satisfying, including:

The four elements of every winning logline
The seven immutable laws of screenplay physics
The 10 genres that every movie ever made can be categorized by — and why they’re important to your script
Why your Hero must serve your Idea
Mastering the 15 Beats
Creating the “Perfect Beast” by using The Board to map 40 scenes with conflict and emotional change
How to get back on track with proven rules for script repair
This ultimate insider’s guide reveals the secrets that none dare admit, told by a showbiz veteran who’s proven that you can sell your script if you can save the cat.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781932907001
Publisher:	Wiese, Michael Productions
Publication date:	05/25/2005
Pages:	195
Sales rank:	12,688
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.92(h) x 0.52(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!
TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD
The official stamp of approval of the Save the Cat method from Sheila Hanahan Taylor, producer and development executive for Zide/Perry (American Pie, Final Destination, Hellboy)

INTRODUCTION
Why another screenwriting book? — Some background on the author and the reason for the book — And what does the phrase “Save the Cat” mean anyway?

CHAPTER ONE: WHAT IS IT?
The importance of “the idea” — What is a “logline” and what are the four requirements to creating a better one? — What is “high concept” and why is it still relevant? — Test pitching your movie for fun and profit — Plus five games to jump-start your idea-creating skills.

CHAPTER TWO: GIVE ME THE SAME THING... ONLY DIFFERENT!
All about genre — The 10 genres that every movie ever made can be categorized by — How genre is important to you and your movie — Plus ways to peg every movie’s type.

CHAPTER THREE: IT’S ABOUT A GUY WHO...
The subject is the hero — Why the hero must serve the idea — How to adjust the hero to make your movie idea work better — The myth of casting your movie — Jungian archetypes and why we need ‘em.

CHAPTER FOUR: LET’S BEAT IT OUT!
The beats of a movie as defined by the official “Blake Snyder Beat Sheet” a.k.a. the BS2 — An in-depth discussion of each of the 15 beats found in a successful movie as found in the BS2 — How the beats apply to Miss Congeniality.

CHAPTER FIVE: BUILDING THE PERFECT BEAST
Putting it up on the board — Sectioning off four horizontal rows, one for each section of the movie — 40 index cards and 40 only! — Troubleshooting based on the layout — How a screenplay is like a business plan and how you can create one that sells.

CHAPTER SIX: THE IMMUTABLE LAWS OF SCREENPLAY PHYSICS
Common sense rules of screenwriting based on experience in the trenches of Hollywood, such as: Save the Cat, The Pope in the Pool, Double Mumbo Jumbo, Laying Pipe, Too Much Marzipan a.k.a. Black Vet, Watch Out for That Glacier!, and Covenant of the Arc.

CHAPTER SEVEN: WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?
Despite everything, you’ve written 110 pages of nada — How to get back on track by using 6 fast double-checks on your work: The Hero Leads; Make The Bad Guy Badder; Turn, Turn, Turn; The Emotional Color Wheel; “Hi How Are You I’m Fine”; Take A Step Back — all ironclad and proven rules for script repair.

CHAPTER EIGHT: FINAL FADE IN
Before you send your script out, how can you smooth the way? — Marketing ideas for both the newbie and the established professional that will help you get your script sold and made — Plus personal examples.

GLOSSARY
From A to Z, a review of every slangy STC expression and Hollywood-inside-the-310-area-code term.

Editorial Reviews

One of the most comprehensive and insightful how-to's out there. Save the Cat! is a must-read for both the novice and the professional screenwriter.” – Todd Black, Producer, Hope Springs, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, The Pursuit of Happyness, The Weather Man, Antwone Fisher

“Want to know how to be a successful writer in Hollywood? The answers are here. Blake Snyder has written an insider's book that's informative — and funny, too.” – David Hoberman, Producer, Muppets Most Wanted (2014), The Muppets, The Shaggy Dog , Raising Helen, Walking Tall, Monk (TV)

"You'd have to look far and wide to find a better book to help you achieve your goals. Quite simply one of the most practical guides to writing mainstream spec scripts on the market." – Screentalk Magazine

From the Publisher