Almost all movies have a similar narrative structure.. they follow what’s called the Save The Cat beat sheet template. So how can we use this structure to understand movies or write our own scripts?

You might not believe that a movie’s script should have a structure. You have the story in your mind and you want to write it as it flows in your head.

That’s Okay… but remember that almost all commercially successful movies follow the same narrative structure.

You may know this structure as the 3 act structure, the 5 act structure, or the 13 beat structure.

In this post, we will be discussing the script beats. A narrative structure known as the Save The Cat beat sheet, or Blake Snyder 15 beat sheet.

Mainly, the script can be divided into 15 beats or turning points which we will be listing and explaining in this article.

A beat is an event that changes the character or the story.

A writer by the name of Blake Snyder developed what’s called the Blake Snyder beat sheet. It is an outline of 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.

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 in the movie.

So… what are these 15 beats of the Save The Cat beat sheet?

Act 1

1. Opening Image

The movie starts with the opening image. A visual that starts the movie and explains the tone of the film.

In your script, this is usually on the first page.

for example, Home Alone is a Christmas movie so it starts with bright with a tinkly soundtrack and lots of decorations.

The Matrix starts with a computer screen with a blinking green line. From the very first beginning, we already have an idea that the movie is about tech and computer programing.

2. The Theme Stated

We discover what the moral of the movie is.

In the narrative structure, the theme of the movie should be stated early on. Usually, the hero actually articulates it.

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 that they are now at war. This is what the film will revolve around: the idea of conflict and the threat from outside our world as well as from within.

Remember: Here we know the theme or tone of the movie and not the main conflict.

3. The Setup

The setup is one of the most important sections of your script because it provides the essential context needed for the audience to become either immediately engaged or lose interest within the first ten minutes.

Around page 10 we should learn what the hero’s life is like before the inciting incident that will happen and change the course of events.

We also find out the needs of our hero.

At this stage, show what the life of the hero looks like before the conflict happens, introduce the character that will play the main role in the story, and hint to the upcoming adventure.

4. The Catalyst

This is the event that sets the hero on his or her journey.

The catalyst or the inciting incident is the event that disrupts the protagonist’s status quo.

It is the main event that will get the audience hooked to the movie.

In Avatar, the catalyst is when Jake gets in the body of his avatar 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, arguing internally or externally about whether to make the journey. It’s the chance to bail out before passing 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.

Act 2

6. Break into 2

It’s called breaking into 2 because this concludes the first act of a three-act structure. Here is where the hero makes the decision to head off on the journey. This will put the plot in motion.

Blake Snyder believes this should happen around page 25 of the script.

The best scene to identify 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 that’s between a man and a woman, a father and a son, or two characters destined to become best friends.

This is around page 30 of the script.

We don’t need to give examples for this beat. It is out there in every movie.

8. Fun and Games

This is where a movie explores the realities of the story’s main concepts.

The Invisible Man gets to see what it’s like to listen in on private conversations. The kung-fu kid gets to use his new mad skills to win some tournaments. The corrupt investment broker gets to enjoy the fruit of his ill-gotten gains.

This is the excitement that the audience was sold on and came to see. It’s because of the tension of the hero’s quest that the audience stay and later recommend it to their friends. But the “Fun and Games” are the moments that made them watch the movie in the first place.

9. The Midpoint

This is where things are either at their greatest up point or the greatest 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 to be untouchable by the authorities. 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.

10. The Bad Guys Close in

This is where the evil forces re-emerge after being frustrated or seemingly defeated during the fun and games section. These forces will close in on the protagonist and throw them off balance.

The evil forces (or the antagonists) can either be people, or forces of nature, or 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 that a happy ending can still come out of it.

This is a very important beat that will make the audience wonder: How will they get out of it? It raises the stakes and the more the characters loose, the more pressure for the screenplay writer to deliver the expected ending.

Back to our examples, the broker is caught on making a major illegal trade. The prehistoric shark breaks through the impregnable electric barrier and is now free to pick off the remaining cast one by one. The Invisible Man is sprayed with the ink from a thousand permanent markers.

Usually, the main and most devastating character death of the movie 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 point at which the hero recognizes his/her defeat and loses hope.

This is the moment that sets everything up for the greatness of sacrifice that will be required by the hero to right all the wrongs.

Act 3

13. Break into 3

The end of Act Two and the beginning of the climax.

This is the moment in the narrative structure where the heroes stumble upon the elusive answer to the impossible situation they are in. An answer that wasn’t there a moment ago but through a sudden revelation often thanks to the love interest of the B story crystallizes in their mind.

It may cost their lives. It may be a long shot. But there’s still a chance at work.

14. Finale

This is where it all comes to ahead.

The bad guys get killed off or defeated from least important to most important.

The smug District Attorney is dealt a decisive blow by the corrupt investor’s lawyer and our investment broker goes free on a technicality. The Invisible Man has found the courage to defeat his enemies covered from head to toe with Sharpie.

In the best stories, the whole world of the hero has changed. 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 reveals that the hero’s world really has changed.

Maybe it’s a shot of the cubical office worker finally living his dream of being a ski instructor. Or the superhero having discovered his/her calling now out saving children from poorly designed play equipment.

The opening image and the final image have to show contrast and change. The journey of the hero 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 Swan

First and Final Frame of Bird Man

Conclusion

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 a lot is happening.

If you did not follow this Blake Snyder beat sheet, there is a high probability 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, but here are still good films that completely disregard it.

If you like to learn more about Blake Snyder’s Save The Cat book, you can find it on amazon: