THE BLAKE SNYDER BEAT SHEET
PROJECT TITLE:
GENRE:
DATE:
1. Opening Image (1):
- this is the start of the movie, which will often be moment or a shot that somehow symbolizes or represents the ideas or themes to come in the movie
- can give us setting, character, mood, a real sense of what we need to know to get into the picture
- you might not even know what you’re getting, but it could make sense later
2. Theme Stated (5):
- the central idea of the movie will come out in and around the 5 minute mark – it can come as a line said by one character to the main character
- the central idea is almost always about a big change that the main character has to go through
- this moment is sort of the whole key issue that everything else is based around
3. Set-Up (1-10):
- the audience needs to see a bunch of stuff in those first ten pages (minutes)
- who this movie is about, what is the main problem that the whole thing will be about fixing or solving, what the existing “world” of the movie is like – the BEFORE of the world that will get changed by the problem that will occur – what was the hero’s life like BEFORE the problem that changes her
- we also have to see the setting, the time, the “rules” of the world, the people who are there, etc
4. Catalyst (12):
- the moment where something new happens to the main character that changes the pattern of his/her life and starts us on the movie storyline for real
- it is some great spark of difference that FORCES the character to break out of the old ways and do something new and scary and awesome and bad and good and etc
- catalyst means CHANGE – this is when the movie actually starts and when the audience LOCKS in to the hero’s problem – we want to know what’s going to solve the main issue that comes up – that makes us enjoy a movie
- this moment is the breaking of the main character’s old life (which actually wasn’t very good or fulfilling) and the start of building a new life that will fix all of the character’s problems
5. Debate (12-25):
- the main doesn’t want to change, or to undergo this big situation or problem and all the stuff that goes with it
- most people just want to stay with what they know – and the Catalyst created a really uncomfortable new life for the hero – this is why we like it – we like to watch someone grapple with problems that aren’t ours
- once the hero locks into the new situation and accepts the new life pattern, the problem becomes the focus and we break into the next part of the movie/screenplay – this is called ACT TWO
6. Break into Two (25)
- the movie stops being about the hero simply getting into this new world situation and becomes a more typical structure of a character trying to do SOMETHING – solve a crime, rob a bank, get the guy, bake the best pie, etc
- this is where the real good start – this is where we feel the most engaged in the movie and start getting really pulled in
7. B Story (30):
- this is where we usually meet some love interest for the main character – this could be a friend or some other kind of companion, but it’s a character who “goes along for the ride” with the hero and usually provides something that the hero needs or wants
- this is almost always someone that there hero would NEVER have wanted to be with before or someone that is the opposite of what they usually liked
- runs along the main storyline and acts as a way of building emotion into the movie or giving the audience some more to chew on and deepens the movie, creating more “moments”
8. Fun and Games (30-55):
- this is usually the best part of any move because it is the part that has the most forward motion of the hero trying to do something, it has the exciting sensation of a fresh bunch of changes and actions that the hero is doing in their “new” life (eg Olive embraces being a “slut” in Easy A)
- the moments that you see in a trailer are often taken from this part of the movie
9. Midpoint (55):
- this is where we have a confrontation with the bad guy or problem or whatever that looks like the hero will get what he/she needs – it looks like the hero will solve the problem, catch the killer, get the guy, etc but that is not the case
- there is a buildup and then it turns for the worst – in Easy A at this point Olive seems to have the best thing going, but then it gets nasty for her – the religious kids turn against her, the guidance councilor screws her over, and she feels lost in her new “role”
- in “Se7en”, the detectives go to the killer’s apartment, but
10. Bad Guys Close In (55-75):
- this comes after that big confrontation midpoint action moment and it is a long slide where the hero begins to feel like he/she is losing their progress, slipping into worse problems and suffering from this new situation that started way back at the Catalyst
- the way this plays out in most movies is by the hero losing ground in their quest or goal and the enemy character gaining ground
- the hero starts to lose confidence and question everything that he/she is doing and has done
11. All Is Lost (75):
- the moment where the worst thing happens to the main character – this event should be the most dramatic, most difficult, most challenging and have some kind of death or symbol of death in it
- this is where the partner dies, the girlfriend is dumped, the marriage is called off, the friendship is broken, the killer captures the daughter, etc
- this dark moment is also the lowest point that has to do with the hero’s original problem – ie Easy A – Olive has no confidence and no sense of awesome at school, she is lonely and doesn’t have a relationship, SO her dark moment is going to be linked to that original problem – the guy who asks her out, she thinks it’s a real date, and he treats her like a hooker
12. Dark Night of the Soul (75-85):
- in some movies there is a period of self-doubt and questioning that comes after the darkest moment
- in this section of a movie, the hero needs to dig down deep in themselves, or visit someone who gives them some info, a pep talk, an item or object that can help or some way or dealing with their inner problem AND the outer problem of the plot
- this section can often show a hero loading up on weapons and getting ready for battle, or walking around in the rain, or sitting sadly in the fog or looking off into the distance through a window with rain coming down the window, etc
- the whole point is that the character has to come to some kind of understanding and acceptance of their problem and themselves – who am I? What am I doing? What is it all about?
13. Break into Three (85):
- when the hero finally finds his/her inner strength and confidence and builds up their “whatever it is that they need”, then the hero has to go and make that final confrontation with the forces that are against them
- in doing this, they also will be defeating the problem that has been with him/her since the start – in Olive’s case, it is finding a place to be herself and be accepted
14. Finale (85-110):
- the hero solves the problem of the plot, but at the same time, this solves the problem of his/her life – the problems are paired –
- defeats the bad guy, the evil energy or the whatever force is opposing him/her, figures out something that allows him/her to go on and be a happy healthy person, and leaves the audience satisfied that they have seen a change occur – we NEED to see the hero go from A to Z and at the end have grown and become a new, better version of themselves
- this is the actual point of us watching every movie – seeing that change and experiencing the journey of that character going through it
- the underlying point is to learn something about life that is meaningful and valuable for all of us
15. Final Image (110):
- the final image is the completion of the ideas and themes of the movie, often the reverse or a repeat of the opening image, only with a slight change –
- the idea is to capture a mood, a vibe or a sense of tone that we take with us
in Se7en, the final image is police walking into dusky shadows as the sun goes down – the idea is that the world is a dark and evil place, and Morgan Freeman’s character has to continue to work as a cop to try and hold the darkness back – he is fighting the evil
- The Hangover – gives us the photos of their lost night – the crazy stuff that happened – we finally get to see what we have been hearing about for two hours
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