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Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Needx$11.92
  (207 reviews)
Best Price: $19.95 $11.92
This ultimate insider's guide reveals the secrets that none dare admit, told by a show biz Veteran who's proven that you can sell your script if you can save the cat!
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Customer Reviews
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Unbeatable
By A5GPH59NDWJRB on 2005-08-25
A fast-paced and entertaining read, this book could help you look at your craft in a whole new way.
This is a book that doesn't get bogged down in rules and formulas. The funny thing about it is that it all feels like common sense... except it's "common sense" that most of us haven't thought about before! How do you make a "tough guy" character likeable? How do you paint mental pictures when pitching a script? Practical answers abound in this book.
Blake is a guy who really, seriously walks up to total strangers and says, "Hi. I have an idea for a movie. Can I tell you about it and you tell me what you think of it?" He does this even though he's already sold million-dollar scripts to Disney and Spielberg. It's this never-ending quest to learn more about the audience and more about what makes movies work that is so clear in Blake's book.
He does an excellent job of explaining things in ways that'll stick in your mind-- funny little phrases and lists that are off-beat enough, yet simple enough to remember while you're plotting out your next script. I felt like I was in the hands of a very capable teacher, and a real pro.
No matter how many (or how few) screenwriting books you've read, this one is worth buying. It offers a valuable perspective from a writer who is eager to share, never condescending, and knows his stuff. I give it two thumbs up!
Marie Jones, AbsoluteWrite.com book reviewer, states:
By A225H01JA1PAH0 on 2005-06-19
OK, maybe not the last book you'll ever need, but if you are a screenwriter or play one on TV, this just may be the BEST book you'll ever need, or read, on the subject of how to break into the big screen big time as a writer of tall tales.
Blake Snyder is a working, selling writer himself, so that gives the reader a true inside glimpse into what it's like, what it takes, and what to expect on the long road to screenwriting stardom. Many screenwriting how-to tomes are written by guys and gals who have few or no real studio credits, so with this book you can be sure you are getting the info direct from the source of a successful member of the Hollywood elite.
Snyder starts out with a bang, describing how important a good title, pitch and concept are, and giving tons of useful advise for whipping those log lines into shape, the best shape ever in fact, for as the author points out, many industry powerbrokers won't even look beyond a log line...so it better be good. Damned good. He then discusses how to make your story like everything else out there, only different, and if you can come to understand that paradox, you will be a success indeed.
We also learn about the importance of creating characters that fit certain archetypes, like the hero and the villain, and how the use of Jungian archetypes can help you shape and mold real people that resonate with the audience. Also covered is the importance of knowing your genre and how to best amplify the style of that genre.
Another chapter deals with the author's own system of breaking a script down to 15 beats, and how every successful movie fits this same beat system. We also learn the art of building scenes and the use of those wonderful index cards for moving and changing scene progression, as well as following the basic rules of a great story, rewriting and reshaping the script, and of course, what the heck to do with the darned thing once you've finished. I really appreciated the glossary of screenwriting and industry terminology, something every writer should know (or at least pretend to know in meetings).
Although this book does follow the mold of many other screenwriting books before it, focusing both on writing and marketing the script and including summaries and exercises for the reader to expand their understanding, the difference that makes this book stand out is the honesty and directness of the author in giving the reader every best chance to comprehend and conquer the inner and outer workings of screenwriting. "Save the Cat" (I'll let you find out what the title means on your own!) doesn't hold back on doling out the solid advise, and presents it in a way that will not only inspire screenwriters, but also make them more aware of just how hard it really is to succeed. No sugar-coating here, but plenty of motivation and great info packed into one book.
So, "Save the Cat" may not be the final screenwriting book you will ever need, should for some reason the entire industry change and adopt some bizarro new standard of screenwriting that will require you to learn the metric system and Pig-Latin. But barring a drastic reshaping of the industry standard (I think most execs are too lazy to change much of anything), this is no doubt the one book that will do more to help you achieve success and get your two-brad-bound puppy through the door than any other I've read so far. And believe me, folks, I've read them all.
FADE OUT.
No way.
By A1SB8WE0V0H44S on 2007-01-13
After reading all the glowing reviews of this book, I stopped into a bookstore and flipped through a copy tonight. I sat and read for a good 30 minutes or so and got a good feel for what Snyder has to say. You should do the same before buying this if you are thinking of adding to your bookshelf.
First, Snyder does an excellent job of not sugar-coating what Hollywood is all about. He focuses a bit too much on formula -- any scriptwriting book that tells you the exact page on which something should happen should be approached with an open mind. However, Snyder is mostly right: this is Hollywood. Like it or not, there are formulas, and low-risk, high-return ventures are the way of the world. A lot of bad scripts get greenlit and make millions. But that doesn't mean they were any good.
Snyder's book breaks down what will sell in Hollywood, even listing story beats that should happen within certain page ranges. At least he's flexible there (unlike Lew Hunter), and Snyder's writing is breezy and to the point, not bogged down in theory. His principles for writing include lots of hints such as "Turn, turn, turn," which is his shorthand for keeping the story moving and accelerating. That's a good, albeit unoriginal tip. I own a couple dozen screenwriting books. I don't find much new in Snyder's.
Unfortunately, he seems to have an axe to grind with "arthouse" films such as Memento, to which he dedicates a few pages to bashing. He even includes his e-mail address and a comment daring readers to contact him to debate Memento's merits. He knocks the film because it had a weak opening weekend and closed early, and he says, "I know how much that film made," as if all blockbusters are good stories, and a movie that makes no money in box office receipts is somehow his trump card for showing you what a good story is or is not. Any screenwriter or film student or fan can tell you: good stories and box office receipts don't always meet logically. Memento is an example of this, and Snyder appears to know this. He makes no mention of Memento's home video receipts, which outstrip its box office by a large margin. Sure, one can pick apart Memento's fairly weak story (watch it in chronological order using disc two and see for yourself how nonlinear storytelling makes that whole movie work), but people paid to rent and own it anyway. That has merit. Snyder overlooks that completely.
Good for Mr. Snyder for knowing about money and what will sell. He apparently has sold many, but only a couple were made into films, which tells me he's been living off option money and turnaround purgatory for most of his 20-year career. That certainly is better than me and most other writers, but still nothing to shout from the rooftops.
I wonder why he's so threatened by films that don't make that much money. Could it be that "arthouse" films often don't worry about box office receipts and stay true to film as an art form, and develop a following based on artistic merit and critical acclaim rather than selling out to the lowest common denominator? Memento's director, Christopher Nolan, went on to direct Batman Begins, so I'd say Snyder's criticism of Nolan's work is a bit off, especially considering one of Snyder's two big screen credits is Blank Check, which he co-wrote.
Snyder's other title? It jumped out at me. I'll try to remember the exact phrasing here, for full effect:
"While I was writing the first draft of 'Stop, Or My Mom Will Shoot'..."
No kidding. The guy wrote (actually, co-wrote) Stop, Or My Mom Will Shoot. Don't believe me, look him up.
This guy needed help writing Stop, Or My Mom Will Shoot?
Curiously, the back of the book only mentions Blank Check specifically, and omits Stop, Or My Mom Will Shoot. Hmm. I wonder why.
Yeah, okay, it sold, and yeah, it made SOME money on the road to Hollywood flop infamy, and yeah, that's one more film than I've sold in my lifetime, so I have little room to criticize Snyder the screenwriter, but how dare he knock Christopher Nolan, considering his own resume. Snyder's probably hoping nobody puts this together, because he sort of looks like an overstuffed Hollywood idiot: one who has capitalized on Hollywood's need for formulaic tripe because that's what sells more tickets to the masses. That, or one who got away with one of the biggest box office flops in Hollywood history and somehow still has work.
Seriously, if my resume included 'Stop, Or My Mom Will Shoot,' I think I'd just hang it up.
Snyder simply confuses "what will sell" with "what is a good story." His definition makes those two one in the same, and he's incredibly off base. He may have the receipt figures to "prove" his points, but just because you rooked a million people who walked out unsatisfied and ten dollars short before the critics could warn people doesn't make your film a success, especially when your film has a strong opening weekend and then word of mouth and critical reviews kill it before the second weekend. Or before the first, as was the case with 'Stop, Or My Mom Will Shoot.'
If you're into screenwriting for the money and don't mind adhering to formula and writing Hollywood cinema, then this is probably a good addition to your library. Snyder openly says this is a book for mainstream cinema writers.
However, if the demands of Hollywood don't concern you and you write what you love regardless of whether you can market it to Hollywood (independent directors, film students and so on), then this is most certainly NOT a good find, and don't let the glowing reviews fool you. You might get some use out of it, but it won't be your primary, and there are plenty of books (anything by Linda Seger, for example) that present this information better, and without all the bashing of little films.
Put simply, Snyder is not interested in storytelling so much as storySELLING. The top grossing films of any year are not always the five nominated for Best Picture. Many of them are derivative, formulaic, and forgettable. Kind of like this book.
I reshelved it and walked out. I hope this helps you, but hey, if you don't believe me, flip through it yourself.
EDIT 8/22/08: Since I wrote this review, Christopher Nolan has written and directed one of the highest grossing films of all time: The Dark Knight. Blake Snyder has done, well, nothing since Stop or My Mom Will Shoot in 1994 (other than this book).
Comments below are saying I'm bitter. Go ahead and read Snyder's bitter resentment of Memento and consider how much money Nolan's films are making now. Then tell me who's bitter.
Aptly titled and Aptly Subtitled
By A3QG32P5IF3JAK on 2006-10-11
The "Save The Cat!" title refers to a method of presenting your protagonist that draws the reader into the protagonist's personal story, even if the protagonist isn't actually very likeable!
It is, simply put, have him do something viewers feel a nice person would do -- i.e. "save a cat."
I just saw a jeans commercial where a bunch of guys go out on a clothesline to save a dog in order to impress some girls. It's as if the writer of that commercial had just read this book and spoofed it. It works.
The method for finding the correct action to introduce a particular protagonist is explained in spare and direct detail in this book, as is every other point in this book.
And that brings us to the sub-title. It is indeed the LAST book you will need (and you do need it) to create saleable screenplays.
That means it isn't the first one. This book summarizes and organizes, rearranges emphasis, and illuminates all the myriad other techniques taught in other books.
This book won't do you any good if you can't read a novel or watch a movie and identify the protagonist, antagonist, theme, Conflict, climax, resolution, denoument, and trace the plot, differentiating it from the story, and identify sub-plots, B-story, & C-story.
It won't do you much good if you can't write a story smoothly incorporating those basic elements, most especially conflict. (not necessarily a script, but a STORY. This book doesn't teach storycraft.)
You have to master all that storycraft first -- including spelling, punctuation and grammar (both common English grammar and script-ese.)
But this book will draw a picture in your mind -- give you the image of exactly what it is you are trying to learn from all those other books on crafting a story for the screen, and save you lots of time as it points you to exactly what you must learn.
Once you've mastered what all the other books have to teach you, and then you read this book again -- WOWWWWW!!!
SAVE THE CAT! is the AHA! book at the end of the learning cycle.
But it's more than that. This is actually a thumb-reference book, a volume you keep on your desk and refer to over and over as you are laying out the structure of your screenplay from basic concept to blocked scenes.
This slender volume, in ultra-condensed form, delineates most of the criteria that you must meet in order to produce a saleable screenplay.
It's a checklist reminding you of everything you already know about story telling -- but keep forgetting when you write. Keeping it on your desk and referring to it often can cut your production time in half by saving you many mistakes at the conceptual level.
This is the book you will keep after you've thrown all the others into the recycle bin or given them to the library.
But this is not the place to start if you haven't yet learned to turn a story on a clean conflict.
Jacqueline Lichtenberg
This Book Is Aweful!
By A4QQOVI3ABVBN on 2005-10-25
This author talks a big game, that he is a successful screenwriter and that this book offers advice from one who is successful as opposed to someone who theoretically understands screenwriting but hasn't sold anything. Well, this book just sucks! This author may have sold stuff, but based on what he has had produced, and the constant pitches he makes (an example: The presidents helicopter crashes behind enemy lines and the president has to capture Osama Bin Laden, called "Chickenhawk Down" and is pitched as "Galaxy Quest" with George Bush - and he can't understand why this didn't sell (By the way, how is that concept remotely like Galaxy Quest, which was a funny comic parody of Star Trek) . This man is a hack! When you put down a film like Momento and praise "Legally Blonde" as one of the greatest titles for a film in years, it is astonishing! I should have guessed it was going to be bad based on his two produced films, "Blank Check" and "Stop, or my Mom will shoot" (which was one of the two films that has almost destroyed Sylvester Stallone's career) then there really isn't anything more to say. You may be making money pal, but your films are disposable trash.
I would have given this no stars if Amazon would have let me.
- Taking Blake Snyder down a peg
By AN2QSG9R0F4BA on 2006-05-27
I feel obliged to give this book 1 star for two reasons:
1. It's fairly obvious that Mr Snyder has asked all his friends to dump 5 star reviews on the amazon.com website
2. His book really isn't interesting
- Are You Kidding Me?
By A24O0U49SMSTPF on 2006-10-24
Are you guys kidding me with all these five star reviews? I mean the book was amusing and all, but basically it's just another how-to-write-a-script formula. Allow me to pull a few quotes from Robert McKee's "Story":
Story is about principle, not rules.
Story is about eternal, universal forms, not formulas.
Story is about thoroughness, not shortcuts.
Story is about mastering the art, not second-guessing the marketplace.
"Save the Cat" however IS about rules, formulas, shortcuts and second-guessing the marketplace. Do yourself a favour and toss aside this lightweight recipe book. You deserve better.
- How to Write More Hollywood Schlock
By A36GEKAFA4RBAU on 2006-01-28
I should have known it when I saw that the author's big credit was "Stop or My Mom Will Shoot" - a film that even it's best poster was painful to watch. If you've been attracted to screenwriting from those films that have made big impressions on you for being unique and as close to true art as film can get, please, please, PLEASE forget about getting this book! If you'd like to try your hardest to get your name on a box in Blockbuster - *any* box, go right ahead. This is a how-to guide to writing an incredibly formulmatic screenplay. The kind of movie that makes me wonder why I'm even bothering to spend two hours whatching a film. Every tip is presented in the light of how to get your script sold, no matter what. You must do this and this to be sold today, you must create the mediocre scripts that are getting produced. This may be viable advice but it seems more to me to be the perfect guide for a screenwriter who hasn't sold anything in years and his mortgage is bearing down on him. He's stuck, foreclosure is in 90 days and he must write. No genie is there, this book is. It'll get your item sold, you just might want to use another name. If you are someone who still has a decent day job and is writing to dream, please pickup a copy of Syd Field's "Screenplay" and try your best to write something great. 99.9% of the aspiring writers will fail in either case but if you manage to be that 0.1%, at least you'll have something that your children will watch with something other than a pained half-laugh on thier faces.
If you can pick though this book and find the 5% that is universal good advice, go for it. The same 5% is in all the other solid screenwriting books and they're not quite so insulting to boot.
- Save Your Money!
By A1FRHS095FS95R on 2007-01-07
This had to be one of the worst screenwriting books I've ever read. I think Blake Snyder must be, personally, writing all of the reviews. Save The Cat! was just too paint-by-the-numbers to be helpful. If you need more proof of how bad the book is just look at Snyder's produced writing credits: Blank Check and Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. It would be hard to come up with a worse pair of movies.
- Author writing own reviews?
By AO6MJJSSYVYKY on 2007-03-08
Have you noticed how all the reviews of this book are 5 stars and have you noticed how every review tells you "to buy this book!" I don't think I've ever seen that on Amazon before, even with the best books out there!
I really don't recommend buying this book. The advice really isn't very good. When the guy's only two credits are "stop! or my mom will shoot" and "Blank Check", enough said! Don't emulate him. Try 'Story' by Robert Mckee or 'The Devil's guide to Hollywood' by Joe Eszterhas.
- Good Breakdown of the Hollywood Formula
By A3UQ7PUS9F5ROF on 2005-12-27
This book definitely has some usable information, and its breezy tone makes for easy reading, but it's by no means the last book on screenwriting you'll ever need. Blake Snyder has certainly made money in the industry -- good for him -- and if that's all you're looking to do, then this is the perfect book for you. Not to say that I wouldn't love to make a living in this industry, but -- call me a naive idealist -- I'd rather do it by having a really good movie made out of my screenplay than by selling a formulaic spec script that never even gets made.
Don't get me wrong, I am no elitist who eschews the Hollywood formula; it has its merits and its uses. I've enjoyed many a formulaic movie and have no problem using those formulas when they work for me. However, I'd much rather have a movie like "Memento" to my credit than "Miss Congeniality"... even though, as Snyder points out, "Miss Congeniality" grossed far more at the box office.
The bottom line? If you're like me, writing something a little outside the mainstream, I do actually recommend this book (albeit with a little hesitation): his "rules" might inspire some ideas and, among other things, his breakdown of the beat sheet is useful (but be warned that you may find yourself a little annoyed at times). If you're a little more mainstream than me and want to write a Hollywood blockbuster, then I HIGHLY recommend this book for you; in your case, it may well be the last book on screenwriting you'll ever need. HOWEVER, if you have no intention of going the Hollywood route, or if you think that the Hollywood formula is cheesy, tired and/or a total sell out, I suggest that you avoid this book... you'll just end up throwing it against the wall with great force.
P.S. For those reviewers who seem to think that people who want to write indie or artsy films must be arrogant and/or not serious about writing a salable script, I have to wonder what you think about film festivals like Cannes and Sundance. (Just file that under "Things that make you go hmmm...")
- Better Than Some
By ART2HYH9NF9RZ on 2006-02-23
Hmm... I'm not quite sure how best to review this book. Was it an enjoyable read? Yes... I read it in one sitting and, by and large, found it entertaining. Was it informative? Sort of... a lot of the information can be found in other screenwriting books, but the author has some interesting spins on much of it (and "Save the Cat" has become part of my vernacular much as "Jump the Shark" did when I first heard that phrase, as in: "That guy that I was crushing on had a 'save the cat' moment when he leapt to my defence but he 'jumped the shark' when he didn't tip the waiter on our first date").
So why only three stars? Mostly to balance the overenthusiastic reviewers who seem to forget (or not care) that the book focuses on Hollywood comedies that won't strain your brain. If I were only reviewing it for that genre, I would give it four stars. But, in my opinion, the book fell short on the other genres. Hence the measly three.
- This are the Rules.
By A3NIQK6ZLYEP1L on 2007-11-14
The Rules of Movie Making. Well, screenwriting, anyway. Blake Snyder knows what he is doing, he has work out there. Yet...none of the work he has out there is interesting to me. He writes family films, mainstream films, to make money. He does not hide this fact - you write screenplays to make money. Which is true when you want to eat.
But many of the films I love don't follow the rules, or don't follow all the rules. True, I also think Signs was a very, very bad film. But even if they had followed his Rules, it would have still been a very, very bad film. You should get this book to, at least, know the Basic Rules. Even if you plan to break them.
Liked the cover. And liked the humor. But I don't think film making is a science as much as a mixture of science and art. Rules help you stay on course but they don't tell you where you are going. YOU need to decide on where the film is going.
- How to be a successful Hollywood hack (no small feat!): may be the last book on screenwriting you actually need
By AGVWTYW0ULXHT on 2006-10-12
This is a very good book on the craft of writing scripts that get sold, and if that is your aim (and what screenwriter doesn't want to sell a script?) this is an important book to read. Blake Snyder knows the territory. He makes a very good living selling scripts and has created a user-friendly guide to the process that has worked for him. I have read most of the other "classics" in the field, and this is very likely the best if what you want is both a clarification of the mindset of those who buy screenplays and a set of reliable strategies for appealing to them. Even if you never plan to write a screenplay, I would recommend this for someone who is interested in how Hollywood works.
While the book is very well written -- Mr. Snyder knows how to make his point both clearly and cleverly -- I had an uneasy feeling while I was reading it. He illustrates his points with some very exceptional (and some not so stellar but reasonably successful) films, and I believe he convincingly shows that some of the best Hollywood films are in line with the strategies he suggests. At the same time, nothing he writes begins to suggest what the difference is between the very best films and the generic and forgettable films that "work" but have nothing special to recommend them (I guess that is what I mean by describing them here as the product of "hacks"). The criterion he continually points to is just that the films he admires were in fact sold and recuperated their investment. That is no small accomplishment, and Blake is to be congratulated for having written two films (and some smaller projects, including so-far unproduced films) that appear to fit this bill -- and especially for making clear that there are some more or less reliable guidelines to getting there. Still, as everyone knows (and this is what lies behind the usual critiques of Hollywood type films) there are a lot of films that do get made and even make money that will nevertheless be forgotten very quickly, and will never win awards or the admiration of critics. This book is not aimed to do anything more than help you in creating the latter. Blake Snyder's own films, while certainly evidence of craft and skill, are obvious examples: I can't believe that "Stop or My Momma Will Shoot!" or "Blank Check" will ever be on anyone's top 100 films list, or will ever stand out as films that were "worth" making apart from the fact that they earned back their investments.
A lot of reviews are written here by people who have attended Mr. Snyder's seminars, and who obviously like him. He does seem like a charismatic (even if a bit self-important) man from the way he writes, and you certainly can learn a lot from his book. After reading this book, though, I would strongly recommend honing the strategies he outlines by watching the very best Hollywood films in the genres you choose to write in, films that are both "successful" and admired. What you will find is that while they usually do fit the strategies he encourages, there is usually much in them that a studio executive would not likely have embraced willingly and yet somehow is the special thing that makes the film stand out. In addition, it would be well worth your while watching the very best films made outside the Hollywood tradition (films from the Criterion collection of dvds would not be a bad place to start), many of which deliberately eschew the kinds of strategies Snyder suggests and yet have stood the test of time and stand as enduring examples of the power of the cinema (-- Snyder acknowledges that there are critically acclaimed films that don't fit the mold -- he uses Memento as his example -- but thinks he clinches the point about the value of his methods when he reminds us that these films rarely make as much money as more mainstream fare; he misses the point that while Memento was no cash cow, it will continue to be watched twenty years from now, and it did recuperate its costs and did fairly well for an indie; and introduced the world to a talented director who has since gone on to create extremely successful commercial films that are much less generic than most mainstream Hollywood fare). While Blake Snyder's book may well be the last book on screenwriting that you really need (since what all of us aspiring writiers really need is just to write and rewrite and get rejected and reflect on what went wrong and get advice from writers we admire and keep writing), still the guidelines he offers are only a starting point for understanding and creating unforgettable films that are worth making and that the world really needs.
- Amusingly Enough...
By A33QALS9ASXLA0 on 2007-04-17
If one takes the time to IMDB the authors name, one will find two movies listed - Blank Check and Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot - amusingly enough... the latter won an award for -worst- screenplay. If you don't believe me, look it up yourself.
The internet has given us such a glistening monolithic world of exploration to traverse - one only needs to type in the appropriate words.
- Buyer Beware
By A2BQA9CWAQA6JM on 2007-07-09
Heads up: suspicious 5-star reviews, glowing with cliched hyberbole. If you click on any of the "See all my reviews" link, you'll see that most of the reviewers have written only one review -- for this book! The 1-star reviews may be more truthful and telling.
- re-name the book
By A1OLQB095FD7JJ on 2007-10-03
The book should've been named "How to take the joy out of screenwriting."
Although Blake Snyder is at the top of the screenwriting industry (he has had two spec scripts that have been made into movies), it is fortunate that he wasn't born during the Renaissance and wound up teaching artists how to precisely paint.
Perhaps everything he states in the book may be the absolute gospel in Hollywood (ala Syd Field/Robert McKee at al), but Blake Snyder believes all screenplays must be severely structured:
- The script must have precisely 40 scenes for some unknown reason
- the theme of the script must be made by page 5
- the catalyst (a life-changing event) must occur precisely on page 12
- the hero finally making the decision to act must be on page 25 (end of act one)
- the B story of a script must begin around page 30
- there must be an identifiable midpoint (exactly on page 55 of a 110-page script) where the hero peaks or the world collapses all around the hero or vice-a-versa
- the hero's "All is lost" scene must be on page 75
- and so on.
True, he reveals previously unknown industry secrets such as all scripts must have a terrific logline, a great title, a likeable hero (thus the title of the book), and must have conflict.
On the plus side, the book is certainly well organized and extremely well written. Is it worth shelling out 3 bucks on E-bay? Check your public library.
- the only screenwriting book by an actual WRITER
By A2TL5NLUA0GGRA on 2005-10-26
I have taught screenwriting for ten years. I'm a WGA lifetime member. Three of my feature scripts have been produced. SAVE THE CAT may not be the last book you'll need, but it certainly is the first.
It's the only book I know of that's written by a successful writer. Blake Snyder understands how Hollywood works. He understands storytelling. He really, really understands screenwriting... and at the end of the book, the reader understands it too.
SAVE THE CAT is clear, makes perfect sense, and has revolutionized my classroom. My students are turning in better structured screenplays than I've ever gotten before. They think the book is fantastic.
Screenwriting books abound. A few are very good. This is the best one.
- If you want to SELL screenplays, this is the book for you
By A2DLOH0VC1T1PR on 2007-05-08
I am a screenwriter, and, yes, I actually make a living selling screenplays. If you want to write a screenplay that everyone loves and nobody buys, read something else. However, if you actually want to write a screenplay that earns you money, "Save the Cat" is where you should begin. Is it the last book on screenwriting you'll ever need? Probably. But after you read this book, it's not the last book on screenwriting you'll ever want. That's because Blake's insight and humor will leave you wantting more from this author. It's not that he needs to change any of his advice (he definitely doesn't), but he is apparently taking the lessons taught in "Save the Cat" and showing how they apply to theatrical releases. I can't wait.
As for his resume, anyone who knows anything about screenwriting knows it's extremely difficult to sell a screenplay, even more difficult to get a movie made, and nearly impossible to have anything to do with the script once it leaves your hands and lands in the director's paws. Blake's imdb credits might not be your favorite films, but he is one of the few, if not the only, screenwriting authors who have sold anything much less gotten it made.
After years of reading virtually every screenwriting book and attending a host of seminars, I can assure you there is nothing better for your career than this book. This is hands down the best book I've ever read on screenwriting. Hell, I even bought the software.
- A Saving Grace
By A1F6CK0UCXTXCI on 2006-02-22
So here's the deal: there are too many books -- and people -- out there who are sure that they have the answer for what it takes to write a great screenplay. "Just read my book and a $100 million gross is only 9 months away."
Please.
Screenwriting is, arguably, the toughest of the writing disciplines. It's a combination of experience (living a rich life), roll-up-your-sleeves craft (a blacksmith pounding metal) and spirited, original thinking (i.e. creativity). It's Apollo and Dionysus getting along for months at a time.
Those realities aside, Blake Snyder aims to simplify the brutal challenge of writing a screenplay -- particularly the studio, high-concept comedy. One of the assets of his book, "Save the Cat," is its lively, charming writing. Another is that Blake is in the trenches writing and selling screenplays: he knows what it takes to write and sell a screenplay and he is comfortable enough with himself -- and generous enough -- to share his ideas through his book, as well as through his workshops.
In "Save the Cat" you will find an enjoyable read on film structure, genre and character. For me what was most valuable is the nuts and bolts of being able to crystallize your story in a "logline"; he calls it the DNA of your story, and he shows you how to do it. It's tough work but it's analogous to the dribble-before-you-shoot school of basketball. If you can't state the essence of your story in two sentences, you don't know your story, and by no means should you be typing "Fade In:"
You may wonder, "Well I only see two produced credits on IMDB for him; what makes him think that he knows. . . "
Let me bring you in on a little secret: there are hundreds of screenplays that are commissioned (for major money) by the studios every year, but that doesn't mean they're going to make it to a theater near you. That's just a fact of life in Hollywood, but Blake is a working (and well paid) writer; and this is his gift to screenwriters.
Interestingly, "Save the Cat" has knowledge and insights that can help first-time writers as well as experienced pros looking for a little boost, perhaps a different perspective on playing the Hollywood game. There's a lot of something in there for everyone.
Might I also add that if you have the opportunity to participate in one of his seminars, hurry up and do so (www.blakesnyder.com). Blake has one workshop in particular where you bang out a step-outline (or beat sheet) of your story over the course of two days. It's an exhausting weekend, but Blake is an inspiring type who can draw the bones of your story out of you so that you walk away with tangible results that you can apply to your writing the next day.
- Save Your Screenwriting Career!
By A2G1W0VKQASGJ2 on 2005-10-26
Blake Snyder has written one of the most simple, straightforward, inspiring and entertaining screenwriting books in recent memory. Sure, there are other more 'literate' screenwriting books, those that are full of deep thoughts and compelling ideas, those that cause you to search your soul and summon your shadow to the surface! And most -- if not all -- of those authors have never sold a single script to Hollywood!
Don't get me wrong, I love to wax philosophic about the greater possibilities of screenwriting and filmmaking as much as the next arteest! But if you want to actually sell scripts in this town, so that you can have the cash and cache to write the Great American Screenplay...read, memorize, and apply the industry truths contained in this tome!
You will not only learn how to save the cat, but you'll also save time, suffering, and very likely your career.
- The ONLY Screenwriting Book You Need!
By ATNDFNFU8GZ1Z on 2006-06-14
I'll be honest, over the last decade I've been a professional screenwriting student. If there's a screenwriting class available, I've taken it. If there's a book, I've read it. I've completed a few scripts, none has sold, but I feel like each was better than the last. At this point, I didn't think I needed any more schooling and I certainly didn't think I'd ever read another "how-to" screenwriting book. Then I picked up SAVE THE CAT. And I couldn't put it down. Mr. Snyder has boiled down the essence of his years of experience (successes and admitted failures) into a colorful, lively, brilliant book that's as fun to read as it is informative. He gives real-world insights (unlike most "how-to" authors and script teachers, he's a working and produced screenwriter) and offers fantastic tools to help navigate you through the inner workings of writing a screenplay. Knowing what I've now learned from this book, I am re-tooling one of my past screenplays and writing a new one... and for once I am actually excited about the prospect of finally going from a professional student to a professional writer.
- This Book Saved My Life!
By A188XSNUKC869T on 2006-07-26
First off, I don't usually write rave reviews or a headline like the one above. And maybe a part of my loving this book is that this book came at the right time in my writing life. Which is to say that it's possible that other books would have impacted me the way that this one did. Having said that, I can only say that after reading it, I feel certain that I will finish a script I was totally stymied on.
I do not like many movies, and I like precious few commercial ones. So I have been quite resistant to thinking in terms of loglines and the correct page numbers when your "beats" must occur. As a result it was hard for me to relate to portins of this book -- e.g. Blake's rapture over the title "Legally Blond" or his excited beat-by-beat breakdown of "Miss Congeniality," a movie he obviously likes and that I haven't seen but know I would hate.
But after reading this book, I figured, what the hell (when you're stuck, you'll try about anything). I'm going to try to create a logline for my movie. And guess what? I couldn't do it. I couldn't come up with a succinct way to describe my movie, as Blake suggests in the book.
My first reaction (lasted about a month) was: who cares? The movies I love can't be described in a logline. End of story. But then as I kept pushing myself to create a good logline, I started to realize that my movie was muddled. And this had a lot to do with why I was stuck. So I kept re-working my logline until my logline met Blake's conditions for a good logline. And this led to me seeing my story more clearly.
Is my story now more commercial, less artistic? I don't know. Less original? I hope not. All I know is I'm moving forward. And I can't help but give this book a lot of credit for this.
- This is the one that made everything click
By AJZISE82P8JIC on 2006-07-27
Maybe you're like me: You've read all the screenwriting books you're "supposed" to read; you know the ones I'm talking about. And you have all this information swilling around in your brain about genre and character and structure ... yet none of it gels in a way that is remotely useful when it comes time to sit at the keyboard. You're missing some elusive something that will make it all fall into place, some secret alchemy that those successful ratbags know and are deliberately keeping from the rest of us.
That was me. Completely stalled, wracked in a frustrated limbo of knowing I have what it takes, but crippled and unable to move. In desperation, I finally decided to find a writer's group or a professional mentor, no matter what it cost. Then I read this book; and this book is both. And more.
Never has a book made such an immediate and profound impact on me. Any one of the sections would be worth the price in itself. The chapter on genre was the most brilliant and insightful I've ever read: after months of going around in circles trying to figure out whether the piece I was working on was a DramaCrimeActionComedy or not, I had almost given up on the concept altogether. Then I read Snyder's 10 "home-made" genres that group films not by their section in the video store, but by their stripped-down, broad story-type. It's a total paradigm-shift that's been beautifully honed to perfection. And it's just one of many sections that for me was the intellectual equivalent of taking off tight shoes.
I could go on, but I'm not going to. If you've ever wanted to have someone sit next to you while you write, someone who can finally give you the goods - not a dry academic or a smug industry-type but one of the alchemists who writes and sells spec scripts for a living - then for the love of Mike, buy this book.
It's subtitled, "The last book on screenwriting you'll ever need." A bold statement, but for me, absolutely true. And I have a feeling that if I'd bought this one first, it would have been the ONLY one I'd have ever needed.
- Wanna make some money writing scripts? Keep reading "Save The Cat".
By A26T2QC862TRZ6 on 2006-10-13
So, you've read McKee and perhaps been to his seminars and studied character development and scene structure and all that other necessary "writer" stuff and maybe you've even written a screenplay or two that friends told you were "really something special" and "neat!" and maybe you've even got an agent and had those scripts passed around town - and passed ON by everyone in town, much to your and your agent's dismay. Perhaps you're sitting in your kitchen with a half-empty bottle of vodka staring at the WGA-West logo screensaver you made for your computer slowing moving around the desktop wondering "what went wrong?". At about this time an angel should appear floating above the Donald and Daisy Duck salt and pepper shakers holding a copy of "Save The Cat! The Last Book On Screewriting You'll Ever Need." The angel will smack the bottle of vodka out of your hand and replace it with the book, placidly telling you to stop whining and read. Within the covers of this blessed little tome lies the answer to your question. The angel then stuffs a bill for $13.57 in your front pocket and disappears with a *pop* and a faint whiff of patchouli. Sheesh. Angels.
But seriously.
I love this book. A few of the other reviewers have used the phrase "a-ha!" and that's what this book was to me. It was so plain! So obvious! So maddeningly simple! So logical. Blake has just said in a very understandable way what's what with the whole "how do I crack the commercial, sell-able script nut?!?" And that's what this book tells you.
I recently took the Robert McKee 3-day seminar and it was incredible. I highly recommend it. Then I recommend taking all the stuff that McKee teaches you and apply it directly to what Blake teaches you and you can't freeking lose. If you can write a story, and by that I mean "a GOOD story in the classical idiom", and if you can structure that story according to the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet, then you can make money as a screenwriter.
This book is not about the art of storycraft. It's about the craft of screenplay structure. Which is an art in and of itself. I think. So, I guess it's really about the art of screenplay structure. Or the craft. Which ever you prefer. That's not the point. The point is...oh heck, just get off my back, ok? Read the book. Sell a script for a change.
Cheers,
Joe Whyte
Walt Disney Feature Animation
- Great ideas, CONDESCENDING attitude, not enough details - basically an outline. fast interesting read.
By A7SQXASFDQ3N1 on 2007-02-09
I don't know what to say I'm mixed in how I feel about this book. Positives - it is an entertaining fast read,a nd I thought it was very helpful to me personally, it was good at getting my attention. Negatives, his attitude which is condescending in general, combative, egotistical, arrogant, etc. need I say more? He certainly spends a lot of time plugging movies he's written, but I don't want to spend my money on too much advertising. I also thought the book really skimped on the details. Like when he described the Monster in the House genre - I was really interested in knowing more - and he wrote a paragraph or two and said he could write a whole book - well couldn't he have said a little more about it in this book? He didn't offer much about it. I guess what I didn't like was the RIGIDITY like the stuff that page 25 HAS to have this or page 75 HAS to have that or you need to have a do over, and that you HAVE to follow the silly structure that he outlines. Well not all stories work out like that, and the structure he outlines seems too contrived to me to be realistic. I don't know. He did get my attention and a number of ideas went through my head. I kept thinking the whole time I read this "He must really think I'm stupid" Mr. Snyder I AM NOT STUPID!!!! if I was stupid would I be reading your book? Unbelievable. Definitely not the last book you'll ever need, I can't believe he said that. How many books did he read before he learned what he did? Crazy. But I really enjoyed reading the book, even despite his attitude which I didn't like at all. I learned things I didn't know before so that made it worth the money to me.
- A great picture of a cat, and a How-To for predictable screenplays
By ANYZ0KMHNQMDL on 2007-10-13
There is one major problem I have with this book: The author uses examples that are Hollywood's greatest films like Miss Congeniality and Blank Check and avoids the trivial commercial garbage like Chinatown or Apocalypse Now. There is even a great blurb about Momento that ultimately says that 'if the suits don't understand it, then it must be garbage.'
Bad examples aside, here are the two points I agree with: today's Hollywood is concerned with two things, the log line and the poster. The current thought is that if they can get butts into seats on opening weekend they will have ripped off most of the suckers before bad word of mouth can spread.
So maybe the title should read 'How to Make More of the Same.' The problem is that these types of books get into inexperienced hands and are taken as gospel truth killing anything that doesn't follow the model. Script readers in this town are full of the same soundbytes taken from the three gospels of McKee, Field & Snyder.
Okay, so I liked the book and suggest that any serious screenplay writer out there read it along with all the others. But don't read this one first! And don't bother reading it twice. You may end up thinking that hit films are due to formula instead of MASSIVE advertising campaigns. On that note, a must read is Marketing to Moviegoers by Robert Marich.
Much of the information is opinion that could have been in an article of a screenwriter's magazine. In essence it could have been a pamphlet that accompanied Syd Field's Screenwriter's Handbook and I wouldn't have noticed a difference. I would give this book away after my first read, but you might have to pry the Screenwriter's Handbook from my cold, dead hands.
Just like my review, it's long-winded and full of contradiction, but might be of some use to somebody.
- A Must for All Storytellers
By A2BPC3PKHPJOL2 on 2008-03-03
I'm a published author who has also done some professional screenwriting. The biggest problem in fiction writing today is the lack of structure. A whole lot of writers know jack about how to create conflict and keep the story moving forward -- that is, while they write pretty prose and can meander like nobody's business, they can't write a plot to save their lives. Or if they have a forward-moving story, their characters are simply dragged along. It's no wonder that the best modern fiction book I've ever read -- The List of 7 -- is by Mark Frost, the screenwriter who gave us Twin Peaks.
Although ostensibly about how to write Hollywood blockbusters, Blake's book is one of the best I've ever read about how to create structure in stories. His section on the types of stories is genius. It's true that there are a limited number of story types that we tell, but I'd never seen them broken down this way. I compared my published stories, as well as scripts that I either optioned or that had place highly in competitions. with Blake's story types. I also compared them to his approach to story breakdown. I was totally blown away to see that they all fit. I'm now looking at my work in progress to see if it measures up and finding that Blake's insights are priceless.
The only bone I had to pick with Blake was his section about Double Mumbo Jumbo. I write a lot of horror and dark fantasy, genres that typically ask a lot of readers in terms of suspension of disbelief. I think Spider-Man is a bad example of what he's talking about, which is the inherent danger of blending genres. It's extremely hard to do well, which is why you don't see it often on screen. So, while I disagree with the example, what he's saying is absolutely true.
And while he at times conflates commercial success with critical acclaim, his intent it seems is to get the reader focussed on what's worked for the industry -- something that screenwriters really need to understand. Because unless you're writing for yourself and making your own movies, it's all part of learning about how to engage the industry. And, from what I've learned in my experience, that's critical.
- really bad stuff
By AWGIO7JUR23V1 on 2008-05-12
This type of books is Hollywood's main enemy. The type of books that make readers feel it is okay to not risk anything and just go for plain formula that has sold in the past.
Really bad stuff.
- An Amazing Find!
By A3QDYCK7A0HOOC on 2008-06-30
After spending enormous amounts of time in the screenwriting section of many bookstores and libraries, Save the Cat was the first book I came across that I actually found helpful! Most of the books I had tried before that droned on and one about the basics of how to write a story. These other books assumed that I didn't know what an antagonist or protagonist was. I wanted a book that went beyond "teaching me to write" and instead helped make my writing better - and this is exactly what Save the Cat did!
This book takes a look at structure, but also at loglines and subject matter - things that could not be found in other books. The tone of the book is probably it's strongest point - Blake Snyder writes as if he's talking directly to you, like he really cares about helping you as a writer. The rules and structure guidlines are helpful and down to earth instead of reading like a textbook.
This is a book that I have read more than once. When I feel blocked or in need of inspiration, I read a couple of chapters in order to wake up my imagination. The chapter on loglines is a great place to start and come back to if you feel that there's something majorly flawed with your story that you just can't quite pinpoint.
While I used this book to improve my writing, it is set-up to so that beginning writers can also benefit from it. A friend of mine has a kernel of an idea for a story, but he's not sure where to go next and the first thought that came to my mind was to recommend this book to him.
So, if you're looking to write a screenplay, finish a screenplay, or even take your screenplay to that next level, Blake Snyder's Save the Cat is definitely something worth investing in!
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