RSS
Home
High concept cat! Blake Snyder on scripting success
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
.jpg)
Blake Snyder, author of the "Save the Cat!" series.
When we watch films, we know when we've seen a good one and we know when we've seen a bad one. We may not pay attention to the theme or structure or story beats; but we know just the same. There are a number of pieces that must fit together to tell a good story. Whether it's writing for the big screen or sharing an oft told tale, the components of the undertaking are the same. Do we care about what happens to the people in it? Does something unexpected happen? Do we want to know what happens after the credits roll or the story ends? Does it incite us to conversation or action? These are all criteria that a good story fulfills.
Most agents see any number of screenplays and they roughly break them down into three piles. First there is the Great pile, which means there's a story there. It has an intriguing hook and pulls the reader in. These are the scripts that get shopped and sold. There is the Okay pile. This is the pile where the script has the potential for some magic but it needs to be mined like gold. You may get a sale if the agent can sell the potential. This is the pile where a great many script submissions end up. Then there's the Bad Pile. It really needs no explanation, it's back to the drawing board or the writing desk, as it were. It is the ability to understand and marshal the elements of great storytelling that will allow you to leapfrog over the Bad and Okay piles and land solidly atop the Great pile. So how does one take their screenplay from Okay to Great?
They literally, take a page out of Blake Snyder's book. Blake Snyder is the author of “Save the Cat! The Last Screenwriting Book You'll Ever Need” and “Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies”. While he is best known to the public for co-writing the hits “Blank Check” and “Stop or My Mom Will Shoot”, he has been consistently working in Hollywood, having either written or collaborated on scripts which have sold well in excess of six figures. This includes the sale of “Nuclear Family” to Steven Spielberg's production company, Amblin Entertainment.
As a screenwriter, Blake Snyder has made an artform of the screenwriting process and he's literally written the book on crafting your screenplay into a sure fire hit. Snyder came to my attention when I purchased “Save the Cat! The Last Screenwriting Book You'll Ever Need”. I found it a quick and enjoyable read that gave me the skills to identify the elements I needed to create a more compelling story.
Recently, Blake took some time out to chat a bit about the craft of screenwriting and what's new with the Save the Cat! Series.
Thank you for taking the time out to speak with me today. I'm a big fan of "Save the Cat! " and "Save the Cat!Goes to the Movies". The books are doing quite well. What made you decide to commit your process to print? First off, thank you. The books were a natural progression. People were always asking what I thought about their ideas or their screenplays or loglines . After a while, It just made sense to write the book. I also did it out of service and because it's fun. It has been a great experience. The books have literally taken me all over the world. I just returned from London teaching a class and last summer I was in Beijing, China working with film students.
What were your intentions for the books? I wanted to show people that there's nothing magical about the process. It's repeatable. Once you know how, you can do it. The books offer a key to understand how and why we tell stories and how to develop a framework for those stories.
Tell me more about your trip to Beijing, China. In China, I was a guest of the government and it was a pretty big deal. Filmmakers from all over China were there. There was even a competition to see who would be in my class. In fact, both Save the Cat! books are being translated into Chinese.
.jpg)
Blake teaching in China.
You also do Save the Cat! Workshops. Tell me how that process works? Normally the workshops are limited to 12 people and we hold the workshop over a weekend. We start with a vague idea and by the end of the workshop each writer stands up and pitches a 15 beat outline.
You were in London recently? Was it for the book? Yes I was doing a Save the Cat! Workshop. We had a great turn out. About 50 people which is quite a large group for the workshop. We had to break out into groups to accomodate everyone. We had some great stories from the group.
How would one get you out to Houston for a workshop? We would need to make sure we can work out the arrangements. If we can, I'd be happy to come. Actually the person you want to contact, about getting that set up, is Rich Kaplan.
In your travels you've come across a lot of writers. Have you found any differences in the core reasons why people write?Actually no. I've discovered that writers are the same all over. Most of us writers tend to be an interesting combination of megalomania and an insecurity so deep that it takes us years to say out loud that we are writers. We are a combination of bold and insecure, The books enable writers to get past that insecurity and be more effective.
What projects are you currently working on and have you had any recent sales? I just sold a script called “Bones” which is the story of a boy and his ghost dog. It's a family film. In 2006, I sold horror film called “Granny”. It's a story about a senior citizen serial killer who dispatches teenagers who break the rules of etiquette. I collaborated with David Stephens on the script. He wrote the movie “Cabin by the Lake” which is one of the most successful movies to ever be shown on the USA network.
You collaborate with a variety of writers. Is this your preferred mode of working? One of my heroes is screenwriter and director, Billy Wilder. He was a master collaborator who worked with a variety of partners. Sometimes it's good to be able to get that immediate feedback. There is also a system of checks and balances in place. Besides which, working in Hollywood is a collaborative effort so you may as well get used to it. Of course I do still undertake projects by myself, as well. I am currently working on a script called “SpaceBabies”.
Your father was a famous producer in Hollywood. Obviously this had to have affected you? Of course, my father was a big influence on my writing and he taught me the value of successful collaborative relationships.
Are you ever called up to do script fixes for films that have been languishing on studio shelves? Yes, all the time. We also created what's called Greenlight insurance which consists of a 155 point analysis that determines whether a script is working. I worked with a writer who had been greenlit but was having trouble getting stars attached to the project. We went through and pinpointed some things that were not satisfying the criteria of the analysis. Once completed he was able to get the star he wanted for the the project.
Have you run into people who are resistant to your advice? Of course, but we always try to couch our suggestions it in such a way that the writer does not feel threatened. The question the writer wants to answer for themselves, is whether they are satisfying the criteria for a good story. I always say to the writer, “you can risk doing it in that way...” It's a question of finding where the script isn't working. Many times, writers pattern their characters after themselves and because of this, they are less inclined to show the hero as blind or unevolved. However, the hero must be unevolved. I tell screenwriters that they may have to take their hero all the way back. This is because the hero has to have somewhere to grow and go. Writers have a tendency to try an make it too easy for a character. However, without progress, there is no story.
What do you see as the next big trend in the industry? Right now it's primetime for storytellers. Box office is way up. Hard times lead to two things. They lead to better stories and more people in theater seats. Perhaps we can look forward to another "Golden Age of the Spec Script".
You write High Concept movies. Explain what that means? When I start a project, I am already thinking of the title, poster and the logline. I'm interested in the overall look of the film. I feel that one should have an idea of what the film is going to look like, at the outset.
Do you aspire to a particular genre? My genre is family entertainment. So that's G, PG and PG-13 material. I recently started a production company called Family Friendly Films. We specialize in the what are called Four Quadrant films. That means mother and father over 25, daughter and son under 25. This means that the film appeals to people from those four different demographics; young, old, female and male. It's why Pixar films like “Cars”, “The Incredibles” and “Finding Nemo” have been so successful and why “Monsters vs Aliens” has taken in over 180 million dollars in gross box office receipts.
Is it still important for a screenwriter to live in LA? I'd heard that to really get your work seen and have access to industry folks, you must live in LA. Well yes, a certain amount of time in LA is helpful. What I recommend first is getting together with a group of like minded writers. Getting involved with a group gives you people to bounce your ideas off of or people you can travel with to save on the cost of the trip. Once you've finished a script and you're confident it satisfies the criteria to translate into a great film. It's time to try and sell it. That means meetings with movie execs. Once you know when you are going to be in LA, I recommend getting the Hollywood Creative Directory and scheduling some meetings. Your goal is to meet as many people as possible. Send out query letters or query emails with your pitch. Introduce yourself, tell them when you will be in town and ask whether you can schedule a meeting with them. Rough rule of thumb -- for every 200 letters you send out you'll probably receive 4 or 5 replies so don't be discouraged.
Of course it can happen fast. I had a guy at a Save the Cat! Workshop who finished his 15 beat outline, wrote the script, went out to Hollywood and ended up selling the script to Tom Shadyac. Another guy read the book over a weekend. He applied the 15 beat structure to a script he'd already written, sent it out. He got an agent and sold the script for $3.5 million. Here's one more example. I did the workshop at a Charter School. These kids had great stories to tell. Each student wrote their own outline based on the seed of the idea they started with. One of the kids actually came away with a script deal.
Blake with the students and faculty from the charter school
You've definitely paid your dues in the industry, having written a number of scripts before your first sale. Do you believe that type of dues paying is necessary for screen writers who are working in the industry today? I was a do it yourselfer. Save the Cat! Is the benefit of my having paid my dues. In some ways, the book will help speed up the process for writers. However, to get a feel for the industry, you will need to apprentice somewhere. I held every kind of writing job a person could hold. I found out what was required to be successful at those jobs and delivered it. Any experience you have is going to be helpful to your writing so don't discount it. I had someone say to me, “oh I can't do this because I'm just a technical writer”. Every kind of writing has rules and those rules will be beneficial to your writing.
Are you working on a new installment in the Save the Cat! Series? Yes I'm very excited about the new book. It's called Save the Cat! Strikes Back. It will be in stores this fall. In the new book, I answer some of my critics who felt the label “Finale” at point 14 of my beat analysis was not descriptive enough. The “Five Point Finale!” is spelled out in full in book 3.
I know you're excited about the final chapter, in particular. Could you a brief overview of why it has such importance for you? The final chapter is called "Discipline, Focus and Positive Energy. The book is about "hitting the wall" in our careers, all aspects of that from the pitch, to the script, to the rewrite, to various professional slow spots we face. This chapter sums up my philosophy about how to succeed, why we need to, and also shows the story elements of everyday life. It is about the time I was seven years into my career and was thinking about quitting, and how I not only did not quit, but how "letting go of old ideas" about my profession and embracing new ideas got me everything I wanted from my career. It was my turning point. I hope it will be helpful to all writers who find themselves in that spot -- and we all do!
You've talked about the “touched by the divine” moment . Would you expand on that? I think we write stories and listen to stories looking for the "touched by the divine" moment. All stories are about transformation, and that change comes with a crushing truth about ourselves. That "all is lost" beat forces us to look at the "shard of glass" that's been buried deep in us, and that this story pulls out and forces us to look at, but then what? Is there nowhere else to turn when human solution falls short? However we "dig, deep down" to find the next step in our evolution, we must! And whether it's a "happy ending" or a "sad ending" we like stories about enlightenment, that moment where we get it, and either use what we've learned to win, or find a moment before we die that tells us we are not alone in the universe, we are part of it. The ironic thing about all this is: you find these moments in the Oscar winning dramas, as well as silly rom-coms[romantic comedies], and high concept poster movies! A good story must address this no matter what type of film. I just used the latter as examples because a. we all know these films b. they "show the seams" of structure more easily! But have no doubt: it's why we tell stories and need to hear them!
Thanks for speaking to me. Do you have any advice for those who are looking to get into this industry? Yes, I believe you must determine what the standard for whatever you're trying to do is. Once you know, always meet the standard and finally exceed the standard.
In addition to the Save the Cat! Book series, Blake also has Save the Cat! Story Structure Software available for download. The is also a new Iphone app that is on the horizon. To find out the latest information from the Save the Cat! Camp, follow the link below.
Blake Snyder's Website – The Last Website on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need
He will be teaching a “Save the Cat! Master Class” at the “Great American PitchFest” in June. To register for the class or for more information about the pitchfest please follow the link below.
Great American PitchFest – Master Class Schedule
For additional information about Blake Snyder's upcoming appearances, please click here.
Related Articles:
Comments
.jpg)
