“You have a choice,” super spy Aiden (Sam Rockwell) tells novelist Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard). “You can either come with me and live, or you can go back and get your cat.”
It’s a hard decision for Elly to make. She loves her cat Alfie, her companion not just on lonely nights when she writes the latest entry in her hit spy novel series but also her passenger on a trip across the world, courtesy of the backpack carrier she wears throughout the film. But as Aiden points out, another wave of bad guys are on their way. And while his superhuman skills saved the day once, he doesn’t believe he can protect her through another assault.
The viewers do not share Elly’s indecision. We want her to save the cat. So ingrained in audiences is the desire for feline safety that “Save the Cat” has...
It’s a hard decision for Elly to make. She loves her cat Alfie, her companion not just on lonely nights when she writes the latest entry in her hit spy novel series but also her passenger on a trip across the world, courtesy of the backpack carrier she wears throughout the film. But as Aiden points out, another wave of bad guys are on their way. And while his superhuman skills saved the day once, he doesn’t believe he can protect her through another assault.
The viewers do not share Elly’s indecision. We want her to save the cat. So ingrained in audiences is the desire for feline safety that “Save the Cat” has...
- 1/31/2024
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
In 2005, screenwriter and author Blake Snyder coined the term “save the cat” when referring to the beat in a story—usually very early on—in which a protagonist does something so admirable it instantly engenders audience sympathy and trust. Think Aladdin giving his only loaf of bread to two street urchins in the Disney movie, or Indiana Jones saving Alfred Molina from spiders, even after Molina’s buddy already betrayed him moments earlier, in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
While watching the opening moments of The Boogeyman, this concept popped into my head, as did the realization that there’s a reversal of it. Consider: Audiences as of late have been inundated with horror movies which want you to know immediately they’re playing for keeps, and their titular monster is the genuine thing. Hence the scene where a baby is stolen and sacrificed to the Devil in The Witch...
While watching the opening moments of The Boogeyman, this concept popped into my head, as did the realization that there’s a reversal of it. Consider: Audiences as of late have been inundated with horror movies which want you to know immediately they’re playing for keeps, and their titular monster is the genuine thing. Hence the scene where a baby is stolen and sacrificed to the Devil in The Witch...
- 6/1/2023
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
When you go to film school, you read a lot of books about how to make a movie. A lot of them I did not care for. Too many to count frame the moviemaking process as a puzzle to be solved, telling you how to tell the story that is in your head in the most conventional, easily accessible way. For some reason, the commercial angle of a film is more important than the artistic one. Of course, the screenwriting book "Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need" by Blake Snyder is the worst offender in this regard,...
The post How Sidney Lumet Used Different Eye Levels to Create Tension in 12 Angry Men appeared first on /Film.
The post How Sidney Lumet Used Different Eye Levels to Create Tension in 12 Angry Men appeared first on /Film.
- 3/9/2022
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
The primary tenet of Blake Snyder's "Save the Cat," a book about writing successful movies, is "give me the same thing ... only different." Stan Lee, co-creator of many of Marvel's most popular characters, also believed this implicitly. He claimed that the secret to Marvel's success was its "illusion of change," the feeling that events were altering a comic book character irrevocably, but actually weren't. Now, Marvel makes the most successful and impactful Hollywood blockbusters, and "the same thing ... only different" and "the illusion of change" are the McU's bread and butter.
By contrast, the discourse surrounding Chloe Zhao's "Eternals" has centered on how different it feels...
The post The Best Characters in Eternals Ranked appeared first on /Film.
By contrast, the discourse surrounding Chloe Zhao's "Eternals" has centered on how different it feels...
The post The Best Characters in Eternals Ranked appeared first on /Film.
- 11/15/2021
- by Scott Thomas
- Slash Film
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Every great movie began as a blank sheet of paper. Before a filmmaker or actor can create onscreen magic, they need something to say. So it should come as no surprise that many directors and performers credit scripts for much of their success. Good screenwriters lay the foundation for the beautiful shots and memorable performances that stick with us throughout our lives. In the words of George Clooney, “It’s possible for me to make a bad movie out of a good script, but I can’t make a good movie from a bad script.”
While screenwriting is one of the most important parts of filmmaking, it is also one of the most misunderstood.
Every great movie began as a blank sheet of paper. Before a filmmaker or actor can create onscreen magic, they need something to say. So it should come as no surprise that many directors and performers credit scripts for much of their success. Good screenwriters lay the foundation for the beautiful shots and memorable performances that stick with us throughout our lives. In the words of George Clooney, “It’s possible for me to make a bad movie out of a good script, but I can’t make a good movie from a bad script.”
While screenwriting is one of the most important parts of filmmaking, it is also one of the most misunderstood.
- 9/27/2021
- by Christian Zilko and Latifah Muhammad
- Indiewire
All products and services featured by IndieWire are independently selected by IndieWire editors. However, IndieWire may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
TV writing is a realm where the writer can become just as popular as the show they create. While there are fundamental similarities to any genre of screenwriting and script writing, writing for television is its own area of specialty.
If you’ve ever dreamed of writing a TV series, we’ve rounded up a bunch of books that need to be on your reading list. Even if you already work in television, or are thinking about writing a screenplay, you’ll find some useful information in the titles below. From tips on spec pilots, spec scripts, writing compelling stories, developing characters, cast size, creating shows for streaming services, and getting your script in the hands of producers,...
TV writing is a realm where the writer can become just as popular as the show they create. While there are fundamental similarities to any genre of screenwriting and script writing, writing for television is its own area of specialty.
If you’ve ever dreamed of writing a TV series, we’ve rounded up a bunch of books that need to be on your reading list. Even if you already work in television, or are thinking about writing a screenplay, you’ll find some useful information in the titles below. From tips on spec pilots, spec scripts, writing compelling stories, developing characters, cast size, creating shows for streaming services, and getting your script in the hands of producers,...
- 4/27/2021
- by Latifah Muhammad
- Indiewire
Somehow, writer-director Shaka King, the Lucas Brothers, and Will Berson wrote one movie, “Judas and the Black Messiah.” Disparate perspectives on Fred Hampton meant that outcome was by no means pre-ordained, but after more than eight years and countless drafts they agreed to coalesce around a single narrative so compelling that a studio would be forced to greenlight the movie.
Two powerful producers, Ryan Coogler (“Black Panther”) and Charles King (“Mudbound”), backed director Shaka King, who kept on track a complex story that kept changing, especially after two people joined the team who knew it better than anyone: Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. and his mother, Deborah Johnson, now known as Akua Njeri.
This collaboration yielded a film that debuted at Sundance 2021 to rave reviews, landed in theaters and HBO Max on February 12, and on March 15 earned six Oscars including Best Picture, Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield), Original Song,...
Two powerful producers, Ryan Coogler (“Black Panther”) and Charles King (“Mudbound”), backed director Shaka King, who kept on track a complex story that kept changing, especially after two people joined the team who knew it better than anyone: Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. and his mother, Deborah Johnson, now known as Akua Njeri.
This collaboration yielded a film that debuted at Sundance 2021 to rave reviews, landed in theaters and HBO Max on February 12, and on March 15 earned six Oscars including Best Picture, Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield), Original Song,...
- 4/12/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Somehow, writer-director Shaka King, the Lucas Brothers, and Will Berson wrote one movie, “Judas and the Black Messiah.” Disparate perspectives on Fred Hampton meant that outcome was by no means pre-ordained, but after more than eight years and countless drafts they agreed to coalesce around a single narrative so compelling that a studio would be forced to greenlight the movie.
Two powerful producers, Ryan Coogler (“Black Panther”) and Charles King (“Mudbound”), backed director Shaka King, who kept on track a complex story that kept changing, especially after two people joined the team who knew it better than anyone: Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. and his mother, Deborah Johnson, now known as Akua Njeri.
This collaboration yielded a film that debuted at Sundance 2021 to rave reviews, landed in theaters and HBO Max on February 12, and on March 15 earned six Oscars including Best Picture, Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield), Original Song,...
Two powerful producers, Ryan Coogler (“Black Panther”) and Charles King (“Mudbound”), backed director Shaka King, who kept on track a complex story that kept changing, especially after two people joined the team who knew it better than anyone: Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. and his mother, Deborah Johnson, now known as Akua Njeri.
This collaboration yielded a film that debuted at Sundance 2021 to rave reviews, landed in theaters and HBO Max on February 12, and on March 15 earned six Oscars including Best Picture, Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield), Original Song,...
- 4/12/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
In his 2005 book “Save the Cat!”, the renowned tutor and screenwriter Blake Snyder argues that one tool to make a successful screenplay is to effectively utilize either “save the cat” or “kick the dog” trope in the first five minutes of the film, i.e. make a character either save a cat or kick a dog, in order to give us a clear signal of his intentions if he’s good or evil.
In Takashi Miike’s fabulous “Gozu”, the maniacal yakuza Ozaki doesn’t just kick the dog. He thrashes the living hell out of it, and finishes his beating with swinging it round and round on the leash and smashing it into the restaurant front window in bloody bits at the five-minute mark exactly.
After Ozaki’s (Shô Aikawa) violent antics have become a liability, the boss (Miike mainstay Renji Ishibashi) orders his minion Minami...
In Takashi Miike’s fabulous “Gozu”, the maniacal yakuza Ozaki doesn’t just kick the dog. He thrashes the living hell out of it, and finishes his beating with swinging it round and round on the leash and smashing it into the restaurant front window in bloody bits at the five-minute mark exactly.
After Ozaki’s (Shô Aikawa) violent antics have become a liability, the boss (Miike mainstay Renji Ishibashi) orders his minion Minami...
- 8/27/2019
- by Tristan Priimagi
- AsianMoviePulse
Forget Hollywood blockbusters – it’s factual films such as Al Gore’s climate-change exposé An Inconvenient Sequel that are providing the cinema thrills now
No wonder political documentaries are on the rise – the truth is more gripping than fiction.
In 2005, screenwriting guru Blake Snyder published what would become his magnum opus. Save the Cat! is a screenwriting manual that lays out, plainly and beat by beat, how almost every blockbuster is put together. In 2013, Slate’s Peter Suderman blamed Save the Cat! for, essentially, ruining Hollywood. “Intentionally or not, it’s become a formula – a formula that threatens the world of original screenwriting as we know it,” he wrote, suggesting the book was why almost every blockbuster had started to feel predictable and familiar. It may not be unrelated that Hollywood is suffering its worst summer in 25 years.
Continue reading...
No wonder political documentaries are on the rise – the truth is more gripping than fiction.
In 2005, screenwriting guru Blake Snyder published what would become his magnum opus. Save the Cat! is a screenwriting manual that lays out, plainly and beat by beat, how almost every blockbuster is put together. In 2013, Slate’s Peter Suderman blamed Save the Cat! for, essentially, ruining Hollywood. “Intentionally or not, it’s become a formula – a formula that threatens the world of original screenwriting as we know it,” he wrote, suggesting the book was why almost every blockbuster had started to feel predictable and familiar. It may not be unrelated that Hollywood is suffering its worst summer in 25 years.
Continue reading...
- 8/17/2017
- by Rebecca Nicholson
- The Guardian - Film News
Scott Varnham Aug 15, 2016
It may be so 90s it hurts, but the Highlander TV series spin-off is still very much worth a watch...
You may have seen a few articles about the original Highlander movie recently, as it’s just celebrated its 30th anniversary. Lots of things have turned 30 this year. Just a few examples: The Legend Of Zelda, Pixar, the M25. Fine institutions, but did any of them spawn a mostly superior TV series in 1992? I think not. Don’t let the fact that it was made in the 90s put you off. People still watch Buffy.
The series follows the adventures of Duncan MacLeod (cousin of the movie’s Connor). Explaining the premise of Highlander in complex detail would make me go far over my word count, so I’ll be brief. Basically, immortal sword fighters fight to decapitate each other in order to be the last one...
It may be so 90s it hurts, but the Highlander TV series spin-off is still very much worth a watch...
You may have seen a few articles about the original Highlander movie recently, as it’s just celebrated its 30th anniversary. Lots of things have turned 30 this year. Just a few examples: The Legend Of Zelda, Pixar, the M25. Fine institutions, but did any of them spawn a mostly superior TV series in 1992? I think not. Don’t let the fact that it was made in the 90s put you off. People still watch Buffy.
The series follows the adventures of Duncan MacLeod (cousin of the movie’s Connor). Explaining the premise of Highlander in complex detail would make me go far over my word count, so I’ll be brief. Basically, immortal sword fighters fight to decapitate each other in order to be the last one...
- 8/2/2016
- Den of Geek
We have less than a month before Daredevil takes on his biggest challenge yet in the form of the Punisher, a man who isn't afraid to go the extra mile to ensure that the evil in Hell's Kitchen stays down. Season two of Daredevil promises to be darker, and more emotional than its already stellar first season, and we sure can't wait until it hits Netflix next month. In anticipation of Daredevil's new foe, Marvel has interviewed the Punisher himself, Jon Bernthal about his role in the series, and the headspace he had to get into in order to play the character convincingly.
"Well, I think that, fortunately and unfortunately, a dark headspace is nothing new to me. I have some experience with it in the characters that I’ve gotten to play and each one is so different and each one, I think, sort of requires its own...
"Well, I think that, fortunately and unfortunately, a dark headspace is nothing new to me. I have some experience with it in the characters that I’ve gotten to play and each one is so different and each one, I think, sort of requires its own...
- 2/24/2016
- by Joseph Medina
- LRMonline.com
In his wildly popular book on screenwriting Save the Cat!, Blake Snyder suggests that every movie needs to fulfill the promise of the premise; to give the audience all of the things they expect to see in the movie based on the title and the promotional materials. You can’t make Legally Blonde without having scenes where a ditzy girl applies her skills as a socialite to the buttoned-up world of law school and you can’t make Star Wars without having some interstellar battles. Unfortunately, Scouts Guide to the Apocalypse didn’t take this to heart as it’s a generic teen comedy layered on top of a generic zombie movie with just a sprinkling of the scout gimmick tacked on mainly at the end. It results in a movie that feels tired and unoriginal.
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse colors inside the lines very closely. It hits...
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse colors inside the lines very closely. It hits...
- 11/7/2015
- by Arthur Tebbel
- Comicmix.com
The beginning of the end is nigh for Hunger Games fans – Mockingjay: Part 1 is out in cinemas now, and for our money it's the best in the series yet.
Fans of Suzanne Collins' book trilogy and the Lionsgate adaptations are about as dedicated as they come, as we discovered earlier this month at the film's world premiere in London.
But we've set ourselves the challenge of uncovering a few tidbits that might not be widely known. Below are 17 things you probably never knew about The Hunger Games.
1. The three-fingered salute has become iconic for Hunger Games fans, first seen as a gesture of solidarity in District 12 and later adopted by Katniss as a revolutionary gesture. But its significance reached new levels this year when the salute was adopted as a form of silent resistance by protestors in Thailand this year, and subsequently banned by the military.
2. Author Suzanne Collins...
Fans of Suzanne Collins' book trilogy and the Lionsgate adaptations are about as dedicated as they come, as we discovered earlier this month at the film's world premiere in London.
But we've set ourselves the challenge of uncovering a few tidbits that might not be widely known. Below are 17 things you probably never knew about The Hunger Games.
1. The three-fingered salute has become iconic for Hunger Games fans, first seen as a gesture of solidarity in District 12 and later adopted by Katniss as a revolutionary gesture. But its significance reached new levels this year when the salute was adopted as a form of silent resistance by protestors in Thailand this year, and subsequently banned by the military.
2. Author Suzanne Collins...
- 11/22/2014
- Digital Spy
Dean DeBlois on his How To Train Your Dragon 3 plans, Don Bluth, DreamWorks, animated movies and more...
Now out on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK is How To Train Your Dragon 2, the impressive sequel to one of DreamWorks Animation's finest films. It's directed by Dean DeBlois, who steered the first movie alongside Chris Sanders. And as he embarks on How To Train Your Dragon 3, he spared us some time for a chat about the films, and his early days working with Don Bluth. Here's how the chat went...
What’s your day-to-day these days? Between knowing what the next project is and this one being finished, what have you been doing?
Well, up until Thursday I was working on the outline for the third film. I pitched that to Jeffrey Katzenberg last Thursday, then I got married on Saturday.
Congratulations.
Thank you. I’m headed off on Honeymoon tomorrow,...
Now out on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK is How To Train Your Dragon 2, the impressive sequel to one of DreamWorks Animation's finest films. It's directed by Dean DeBlois, who steered the first movie alongside Chris Sanders. And as he embarks on How To Train Your Dragon 3, he spared us some time for a chat about the films, and his early days working with Don Bluth. Here's how the chat went...
What’s your day-to-day these days? Between knowing what the next project is and this one being finished, what have you been doing?
Well, up until Thursday I was working on the outline for the third film. I pitched that to Jeffrey Katzenberg last Thursday, then I got married on Saturday.
Congratulations.
Thank you. I’m headed off on Honeymoon tomorrow,...
- 11/18/2014
- by sarahd
- Den of Geek
Critics complaining about formulaic popular films actually have some ammunition these days, thanks to the popularity of the late Blake Snyder's screenplay template, outlined in his best-seller Save the Cat.
Director Megan Griffiths's smart, nimble Lucky Them both validates Snyder in its adherence to his template, and breaks with him by jettisoning his most commercial advice and making the protagonist an older woman instead of a young dude. Ellie Klug (ass-kicking Toni Collette) is an eye-rolling, whiskey-swilling rock journalist who once dated musician Matthew Smith, a kind of Kurt Cobain figure revered by aging, tubby Gen-Xers.
He supposedly committed suicide at a waterfall and is now the subject of urban legends and Elvis-like sightings in the Pacific N...
Director Megan Griffiths's smart, nimble Lucky Them both validates Snyder in its adherence to his template, and breaks with him by jettisoning his most commercial advice and making the protagonist an older woman instead of a young dude. Ellie Klug (ass-kicking Toni Collette) is an eye-rolling, whiskey-swilling rock journalist who once dated musician Matthew Smith, a kind of Kurt Cobain figure revered by aging, tubby Gen-Xers.
He supposedly committed suicide at a waterfall and is now the subject of urban legends and Elvis-like sightings in the Pacific N...
- 5/28/2014
- Village Voice
"Explain the cat," Carey Mulligan's prickly Jean demands of Llewyn (Oscar Isaac), early on in the Coen brothers' blackly comic but heartfelt Inside Llewyn Davis. He never quite does. Ever since the film's Cannes debut last year, critics have been discussing the significance of the insta-iconic ginger moggy, which struggling folk singer Llewyn gets lumbered with in a moment of pure farce.
After spending the night on a friend's sofa, the down-and-out Llewyn accidentally locks himself out along with their cat, whose name we later discover is Ulysses. He then spends a good portion of the film trying to return it to its owners (a middle-class couple called the Gorfeins), and in the process Ulysses goes from an adorable prop to something more like a talisman.
Note: The following contains spoilers for Inside Llewyn Davis.
"The film doesn't really have a plot. That concerned us at one point -...
After spending the night on a friend's sofa, the down-and-out Llewyn accidentally locks himself out along with their cat, whose name we later discover is Ulysses. He then spends a good portion of the film trying to return it to its owners (a middle-class couple called the Gorfeins), and in the process Ulysses goes from an adorable prop to something more like a talisman.
Note: The following contains spoilers for Inside Llewyn Davis.
"The film doesn't really have a plot. That concerned us at one point -...
- 1/28/2014
- Digital Spy
In Blake Snyder’s popular screenwriting how-to book Save the Cat!, written way back in 2005, he repeatedly cites the then-recently-sold spec script Ride Along as a movie with a near-perfect concept. Though he admits to never having read the actual script, Snyder notes the predictable, promising beauty of the film’s logline — a scaredy-cat teacher has to spend a day riding alongside his girlfriend’s overprotective and aggressive cop brother. Apparently, it was so good that it’s taken nearly a decade of rewrites and re-tinkerings to finally get Ride Along to the screen; the finished film has four credited screenwriters, and presumably many more uncredited ones And after all that, what have we got? An Ice Cube and Kevin Hart comedy that will probably be in a Rite-Aid discount bin in about six months. Ze sausage, it iz delicious, no?There have been a few changes to that allegedly...
- 1/17/2014
- by Bilge Ebiri
- Vulture
It's a well-known cinema screenwriter's tool: make your hero save a cat and audiences will identify with them. But are the Coen brothers playing by the rules or inventing their own?
It's not clear whether the Coen brothers have read the works of Blake Snyder, but anyone who has done will appreciate Inside Llewyn Davis in a rarefied way, particularly its feline symbolism. Snyder, for the uninitiated, is best known for Save the Cat!, a screenwriting guide that, depending on your point of view, either lays bare the mechanics of movie storytelling, or reduces them to an idiot-proof template. The book, published in 2005 (Snyder died in 2009), has become almost a cheat sheet for screenwriters, instructing you what to put where on a minute-by-minute basis. You start with a strong opening image, state the story's theme by page five, break into Act 2 on page 25, and so on. The fact that Snyder's...
It's not clear whether the Coen brothers have read the works of Blake Snyder, but anyone who has done will appreciate Inside Llewyn Davis in a rarefied way, particularly its feline symbolism. Snyder, for the uninitiated, is best known for Save the Cat!, a screenwriting guide that, depending on your point of view, either lays bare the mechanics of movie storytelling, or reduces them to an idiot-proof template. The book, published in 2005 (Snyder died in 2009), has become almost a cheat sheet for screenwriters, instructing you what to put where on a minute-by-minute basis. You start with a strong opening image, state the story's theme by page five, break into Act 2 on page 25, and so on. The fact that Snyder's...
- 1/16/2014
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Winners of numerous screenwriting awards, including two Oscars, it's difficult to think of many filmmakers more adept at their craft than Joel and Ethan Coen. So it comes as a bit of a surprise when, in the first act of the brothers' latest film, Inside Llewyn Davis, Oscar Isaac's titular Llewyn pulls out a trick straight from Screenwriting 101 and literally saves the cat. As Blake Snyder will tell you, this technique is used to build quick sympathy for the protagonist -- in this case, making us like Oscar. It works -- and that is thankfully just about the only by-the-book beat in this nontraditional but wholly enjoyable film. Set in New York City's Greenwich Village during the 1960s, Inside Llewyn Davis is a folk...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 12/5/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Ever wonder why the plot lines and even trailers of today's action movies often seem indistinguishable? Well, the truth is that they are intentionally made to be indistinguishable.Slate writer Peter Suderman reveals that the late author Blake Snyder's book Save the Cat! was designed to give aspiring screenwriters some tips about producing scripts with commercial appeal. However, the self-help scenario worked too well. The book has been used as a formula by studio executives to commission big budget action movies that never stray far from some basic plot devices. It's as generic as you can get, with only the characters distinguishing one story from another. The article explains why Hollywood is so devoid of creativity: if one Iron Man movie makes a ton of money, just make ten more movies just like it. The strategy works theoretically, but not always financially. Audiences often know they are being served warmed over,...
- 10/3/2013
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The biggest news to rock the San Diego Comic-Con this year was the dramatic announcement that the Dark Knight himself will appear in the Man of Steel sequel, which is tentatively titled Batman Vs Superman. Fans are already frothing at the mouth for more details from the reticent producers, but if we take a step back and look at the puzzle pieces we already have, then we can make a pretty good guess at what the film will feature.
Peter Suderman, a movie critic for the Washington Times, posted an article arguing that too many summer blockbusters use Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat! beat sheet as a kind of fill-in-the-blank story formula. He makes a compelling argument, citing several different movies that he subsequently breaks down in part, proving his point.
If this be the case, then between the foundation of Man of Steel, the Dark Knight Trilogy, and this story formula,...
Peter Suderman, a movie critic for the Washington Times, posted an article arguing that too many summer blockbusters use Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat! beat sheet as a kind of fill-in-the-blank story formula. He makes a compelling argument, citing several different movies that he subsequently breaks down in part, proving his point.
If this be the case, then between the foundation of Man of Steel, the Dark Knight Trilogy, and this story formula,...
- 7/26/2013
- by A. P. Lindsay
- Obsessed with Film
Winners of numerous screenwriting awards including two Oscars, it's difficult to think of many filmmakers more adept at their craft than Joel and Ethan Coen. So it comes as a bit of a surprise when, in the first act of the brothers' latest film, Inside Llewyn Davis, Oscar Isaac's titular Llewyn pulls out a trick straight from Screenwriting 101 and literally saves the cat. As Blake Snyder will tell you, this technique is used to build quick sympathy for the protagonist -- in this case, making us like Oscar. It works -- and that is thankfully just about the only by-the-book beat in this nontraditional but wholly enjoyable film. Set in New York City's Greenwich Village during the 1960s, Inside Llewyn Davis is a...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 5/28/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Based on…oh, I don’t know – some observation? A hunch? An angel whispering in my ear? Anyway, based on some darn thing, I hereby guess that some comics writers aren’t as aware of story structure as they might be – not as much as, say, their artistic first cousins, screen writers who, I’m told, are generally very aware of it, particularly if they’ve studied the craft in some college-level course, or read a few of the many books on the subject.
Well, although I do address the structure stuff in the courses I teach, I won’t burden you with it here and now. Not the time, not the place. However, maybe just a teensy bit of structure blather might not be amiss.
But first:
Have you noticed that trilogies seem to be the publishing rage? (Okay, not rage. Whimper?) There was the Girl in the Dragon Tattoo,...
Well, although I do address the structure stuff in the courses I teach, I won’t burden you with it here and now. Not the time, not the place. However, maybe just a teensy bit of structure blather might not be amiss.
But first:
Have you noticed that trilogies seem to be the publishing rage? (Okay, not rage. Whimper?) There was the Girl in the Dragon Tattoo,...
- 6/28/2012
- by Dennis O'Neil
- Comicmix.com
Ethan Brand is a struggling rocker (Alessandro Nivola) who is forced to look after the daughter he.s never met before (Abigail Breslin) after her junkie mother abandons her at one of his concerts. The 13 year old happens to be a very talented musician on her own and a lot more mature than most girls her age. Ethan happens to be an unfriendly alcoholic whose life is all about music even though it can.t pay the bills. If you think you know what is going to happen next, you are probably right. While the story offers nothing new, Janie Jones is still a well-made film that left me with a smile on my face at the end of the screening.
While the film is fairly straightforward, there are still a few ways it manages to take risks. For one thing, I was surprised that the film seems to be...
While the film is fairly straightforward, there are still a few ways it manages to take risks. For one thing, I was surprised that the film seems to be...
- 4/26/2011
- by Jerry Cavallaro
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Screenwriter and author Blake Snyder died Tuesday morning from cardiac arrest. He was 51 years old.
Snyder co-wrote the screenplays for the Universal comedy "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot" (1992) and the Disney family film "Blank Check" (1994). But he became most well-known as a screenwriting teacher whose bestselling books "Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need" (2005) and "Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter's Guide to Every Story Ever Told" (2007) encouraged a host of aspiring writers, producers and development executives to see the patterns in all successful movies.
"I often recommend Blake's books to aspiring screenwriters because they are by far the most useful and most readable books on screenwriting I've ever come across," said screenwriter Karen Lutz ("The Ugly Truth"). "He truly loved movies and was able to break down the structure of them in a way I'd never seen done before and in...
Snyder co-wrote the screenplays for the Universal comedy "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot" (1992) and the Disney family film "Blank Check" (1994). But he became most well-known as a screenwriting teacher whose bestselling books "Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need" (2005) and "Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter's Guide to Every Story Ever Told" (2007) encouraged a host of aspiring writers, producers and development executives to see the patterns in all successful movies.
"I often recommend Blake's books to aspiring screenwriters because they are by far the most useful and most readable books on screenwriting I've ever come across," said screenwriter Karen Lutz ("The Ugly Truth"). "He truly loved movies and was able to break down the structure of them in a way I'd never seen done before and in...
- 8/6/2009
- by By Jay A. Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Blake Snyder passed away Tuesday morning from cardiac arrest. Many of you probably have no idea who Snyder was, which is all the more reason to remember him. Snyder is probably best known to the masses as the screenwriter of Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot and Blank Check. But mcuh more importantly, Snyder was the author of a couple best selling books on screenwriting: "Save the Cat! The Last Book You'll Ever Need On Screenwriting" and "Save The Cat! Goes To The Movies - The Screenwriter's Guide To Every Story Ever Told." Before I began /Film, I was an aspiring filmmaker, but even more so -- an aspiring screenwriter. Save the Cat was one of the better books I read on the art of screenwriting and storytelling. The title Save the Cat! was a term Snyder coined which refers to the scene in a movie (or story) where the...
- 8/5/2009
- by Peter Sciretta
- Slash Film
Red-hot comedy writing duo Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant have been tapped by the Walt Disney Co. to pen the redo of Herbie the Love Bug in a deal that comes close to the seven-figure mark, sources said. Robert Simonds is producing. The project has been in development at the studio for years, with various versions penned by such scribes as writing team Blake Snyder and Colby Carr as well as David Berenbaum. It is understood that the studio is scrapping all previous incarnations of the project to pick up the Lennon and Garant take, which puts Herbie in the world of NASCAR. Simonds will produce, with Tracey Trench -- production topper at the Robert Simonds Co. -- likely taking an executive producer credit. At the studio, it's being overseen by Nina Jacobson and Karen Glass. Simonds worked with the duo on Taxi, which they wrote and he is producing for 20th Century Fox. That project, lensing in Los Angeles, stars Queen Latifah and Jimmy Fallon for director Tim Story.
- 10/24/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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