The Screenwriter's Guide to Every Story Ever Told

Adds little to the ideas in the original book but what there is is helpful. I originally gave this two stars but having read more, I would give it three. The book is most helpful in elucidating sub-genre but you still need the original STC.

Many of the movies analyzed I admittedly find distasteful, would never watch, and am greatful I didn't write; that's just my personal opinion and does not effect the book's value.

Remember that the author's approach is not cut-and-paste. Snyder's suggestions are just suggestions. Even with the original I had to rewrite both this book and the original to make them fit my writing style. Again, you still need the original and IMO you still need to edit both books heavily to make them your own. Even so, these books are not the whole. They are about conceptualizing before you write and neither will help much with the actual writing or marketing.

"Genre and structure are what buyers and moviegoers want. . . Why not give it to them?"

Snyder, Blake (2007-10-01). Save the Cat Goes to the Movies . Michael Wiese Productions. Kindle Edition.

"And while many of you rebel from "structure" or referencing other films for clues as to how to create and write your story, it has been my experience that mastering these templates is the only way to know if what you have is actually new -- or if you are inventing a wheel that has already rolled out of the factory and down the road without you."

Snyder, Blake (2007-10-01). Save the Cat Goes to the Movies . Michael Wiese Productions. Kindle Edition.

If you agree with the first two quotations than this book will most likely be a good purchase. I agree with Snyder to a certain extent. Knowledge of templates can be helpful. However the films that he references and provides templates for are not films that I particularly care for and in some cases are films that I find both ethically and aesthetically offensive.

To be fair I had to purchase this book for a "script analysis" class at NYU. I'm sure some people will enjoy this book for its' practical advice (he does a pretty good job analyzing the structural elements of popular films although sometimes it seems as though the analysis slips into plot summaries), but on an intellectual level it is repugnant (bias: seems like most screenwriting books are).

Regardless of matters of taste, I would like to mention that sexism and all sorts of other questionable/retrogressive ethical and aesthetic dogmas are omnipresence in this book. That said, these things might not be a problem for some readers because most popular films today are filled with similar ideas.

I probably just wasted a lot of time writing this review because my critique most likely will not resonate with the intended audience of this book. Hope this helps somebody.

If Save The Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need is your main weapon in testing concept, building your screenplay, or pitching, then this book is your sidearm. I take both books with me everywhere I go.

Like his original book, this is a very fast, entertaining, and insightful read. Most importantly, it is inspiring because it reveals that anyone can apply this technique very easily to their projects or other's. There are many A HA moments in this book.

If you were unclear about the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet (BSBS), Blake shows you how he analyzes many classic, popular, and intriguing films within his genre/structural framework. Blake defines genre as a grouping of stories that share similar patterns and characters. By the time you finish both these books, you will be surprised how easily his method works with almost any film. Instead of merely saying, these are horror movies, he says they are Monster In The House movies, and then goes on to give you some baseline criteria to figure out if you are writing one. You think you're just writing a romantic comedy, but according to Blake you're actually writing a Buddy Love or Golden Fleece. He continues this method of analysis across 10 of his own genre definitions and 50 movies.

Finally, his website [...] is a wealth of free information, resources, and links to other helpful websites. I also highly suggest taking one of his courses, or seeing him speak. Not only is Blake a kind, generous, and thoughtful teacher, but his energy and enthusiasm is downright infectious. He's also really tall.

Blake's 15 Beats: Opening Image, Theme Stated, Set-Up, Catalyst, Debate, Break into 2, Fun and Games, B-Story, Midpoint, Bad Guys Close In, All Is Lost, Dark Night of the Soul, Break into 3, Finale, Closing Image

Blake's 10 Genres: Monster in the House, Golden Fleece, Out of the Bottle, Dude with a Problem, Rites of Passage, Buddy Love, Whydunit, Fool Triumphant, Institutionalized, Superhero

50 films broken down beat-for-beat: Alien, Fatal Attraction, Scream, The Ring, Saw, The Bad News Bears, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Saving Private Ryan, Ocean's 11, Maria Full of Grace, Freaky Friday, Cocoon, The Nutty Professor, What Women Want, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 3 Days of the Condor, Die Hard, Sleeping With The Enemy, Deep Impact, Open Water, 10, Kramer vs. Kramer, Ordinary People, 28 Days, Napoleon Dynamite, The Black Stallion, Lethal Weapon, When Harry Met Sally..., Titanic, Brokeback Mountain, All The President's Men, Blade Runner, Fargo, Mystic River, Brick, Being There, Tootsie, Forrest Gump, Legally Blonde, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, M.A.S.H., Do The Right Thing, Office Space, Training Day, Crash, Raging Bull, The Lion King, The Matrix, Gladiator, Spider Man 2

There is one constant issue I have with most books on screenwriting: Not enough examples! So often I will read a book on certain concepts or certain themes or approaches and then there will be the vast emptiness when it comes to examples. Or, worse, the examples will be from some obscure film that neither I, or anyone else for that matter, will have seen.

"Save the Cat! Goes To The Movies" changes all that. In fact, I would almost have to say, Blake Snyder gives TOO many examples.

This book, a companion to the book "Save the Cat!" takes the concepts that Blake discussed in that book and expands those concepts out to film after film after film. 50 films in all. And then, not only does he show you step-by-step how the concepts are played out - he suggests even MORE films to watch to prove the concept. Using ten differing genres that he has created and titled, he breaks down the films into core elements. He uses popular films like "Spider-Man 2" (in the chapter on the SUPERHERO genre) or more obscure films like "Brick" (in the chapter on the WHYDUNIT genre).

Basically, Blake and his buddies sat around and watched hundreds of films and figured out that they all contained, roughly, the same elements. Elements that most screenwriters are familiar with ("break into act 2") but then they found other elements maybe not so familiar ("fun and games" and "dark night of the soul") and then, breaking the book into different themed genres - though not what you might expect - they explore the similarities in thorough detail.

If someone said: "Did you know that "Open Water" and "Die Hard" contain basically the same elements in the DUDE WITH A PROBLEM genre? Or that both "Napoleon Dynamite" and "Kramer vs. Kramer" both contain similarities in the RITES OF PASSAGE genre? You might look at them confused. But Blake does a masterful job of explaining how it all works.

You might be hard-pressed to find the three-act structure in a film like "Crash." But Blake finds it. You might not see similarities between "Being There" and "The Forty Year-old Virgin" - but Blake sees the similarities and then explains them all to you.

Proper structure is a constant in Hollywood and Blake takes that structure and applies a layer to it, exploring it, opening it up. Making you a better writer in the process.

If I have any issue with this book - it is that it almost contains TOO many examples. I often found myself thinking: "Okay, the script I'm writing, is it an OUT OF THE BOTTLE or is it a DUDE WITH A PROBLEM?" You could, at times, get easily confused in amongst the examples - but the one constant that you have to remember is that these examples contain the basic elements described in the introduction and are part of the "Blake Snyder Beat Sheet."

Still Blake Snyder does it again! His enthusiasm for film and screenwriting shines through every page of this amazing book. Fantastic!

I have reviewed Saved the Cat at the store. This review supplements what I wrote there.

Blake Snyder follows up his screenwriter manual, Save the Cat, with this second volume, specifically illustrating his idea of genres and beat sheet with well-known movies.

Snyder clarifies the structure of plot development by stripping the movies down to their bones. This is enormously helpful to the beginning writer. To follow the metaphor, Snyder shows that all good movies have a solid skeleton, on which to build the muscles and sinews of dialogue, atmosphere, acting and cinematography. The skeleton consists not only of plot points (his 15 beats include Opening Image, Theme, Set-Up, Catalyst, Debate, Break into 2, Fun and Games, B-Story, Midpoint, Bad Guys Close In, All Is Lost, Dark Night of the Soul, Break into 3, Finale, Closing Image) but also character development and thematic continuity. His first book goes into more detail about organizing an initial draft of the script using coded index cards. This is a bit too complicated to discuss in a review, but a version of the index card is what some movie directors use as well, to set up shots and focus on thematic and character continuity.

We all learn about reading and writing in school, but the study of plot is often felt to be banal, and is often sacrificed in lieu of discussions about other aspects of craft. Rarely is there an essay topic starting, "Discuss the plot of..." This is unfortunate. The novelist and the screenwriter share the angst of developing engaging, salable plots to service their works of art. Genre fiction is held in contempt for the same reason: it's populist and manipulative and appeals to emotional extremes. Genre fiction is read once, but literature for eternity.

Snyder breaks down movie genres in an alternative way, by thinking of them as screenwriters do, in terms of plot. Instead of romantic comedies, we can think of them as either a rite of passage story (Romeo and Juliet, for instance, can be interpreted as a tragedy illustrating rite of passage at an extreme) or two institutionalized people, hemmed in by rules they try unsuccessfully to break. Snyder's 10 genres are: Monster in the House, Golden Fleece, Out of the Bottle, Dude with a Problem, Rites of Passage, Buddy Love, Whydunit, Fool Triumphant, Institutionalized, Superhero.

Snyder tells us that all coherent stories belong, in some way or other, to one of these genres. Homer's Odyssey and Steinbeck's Travels with Charlie are Golden Fleece tales. Biopics are often Superhero stories with a Super Villain. Pandera's box is the best Greek Out of the Bottle story, and so forth.

Reading this book will teach you to watch movies in a new way. It isn't as instructive as Save the Cat, but worth a read. Snyder's tone is affectionate and funny. I feel he would be a good teacher and friend in real life.

Proof, it's a beautiful thing.

Many reviewers of the original Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need pilloried Snyder for advocating formulaic movies with his Beat Sheet (BS2). With this new book, he seems to have shown that formulaic screenwriting does not exactly result from using his "system".

With such a diverse group of movies as contained in this book, I hope those critics will finally understand that any particular screenplay structure system is not the important thing. What is important is to have a logical structure, and Snyder's just as good as any other, regardless of the hype.

Good on you, Blake!

This is the best book about screenwriting I have ever read!
I own and have read dozens of books about screenwriting!
Nothing I say can do justice to this book in a short review.

While other books cover the essential basic information needed to become a screenwriter,
This one book cover areas no other book even come close to mastering.

It doesn't tell you how to write, so much as it explains how to "think" like a writer and see the true shape of every film ever written! I have struggled for years to see the landscape in front of me and Blake provides a much needed map of how to get from here to there.

Some people have reviewed this book and missed the fact that while his books may seem casual and simple - they are far from it. His style masks the depth of the subject matter he is presenting. Like watching the Sixth Sense and missing the things set right in front of you!

Don't get lost in debating terminology and definitions and miss the big picture.
There are some extremely important treasures in this wonderful book.
Just because the book is not overly complicated does not mean it is not complex.

The great accessibility of this book can be deceptive. Don't let that keep you from taking it very seriously and getting everything you can from it. There's some really original and useful material in this book.

Whether you call it genre or categories or plot, he presents the contexts of every known form you could possibly find useful, to help see what kind of film you really are trying to write.

This might not be the first book you get about screenwriting,
but it should be the one you use most often! I only wish I had this book years ago.

I have five books about screenwriting on my desk that I use everyday!
I have every other book available about screenwriting on my bookcase, and while I do use them all at various times, the five books I use almost every day are:

Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
Save the Cat - goes to the movies by Blake Snyder
The Anatomy of Story by John Truby
Screenplay by Sid Field
The Screenwriter's Bible by David Trottier

Thanks for writing this book Blake.

John Bradt

Even though he's been gone almost two years, Blake Snyder still writes better than most living directors direct, producers produce and actors act. His cogent critique of what distinguishes dramatic, riveting, original, remarkable contemporary film from the preponderance of junk out there is still invaluable to writers, directors, actors, producers et al.

'Save The Cat! Goes To The Movies: The Screenwriter's Guide To Every Story Ever Told,' Michael Wiese Productions (2007) was Snyder's last and most valuable explanation of how and why Hollywood occasionally gets things right. All of his analysis, commentary, dissection of how genre works or does not work is worth a hundred titles which attempt to accomplish the same goal.

Breakdown analysis of modern classics such as ALIEN includes Opening Image, Theme Stated, Set-Up, Catalyst, Debate, Breaking into Two, B Story Fun and Games, Midpoint, Bad Guys Close In, All Is Lost, Dark Night of the Soul, Break Into Three, Finale, Final Image. Snyder's inimical ability to succinctly describe how or why each of these enriches and informs the story and hooks up one scene or thematic development to the next is a pleasure to read. If you are as sick of the 'structure, journey gurus' as I am, take Snyder's last literary journey with him. The destination, the conclusion is secondary. The trip, Snyder's incisive, unfettered analysis is propelled by the elevating power of an original perspective, the magic of what this industry was before the bottom line became its raison d'etre and aversion to risk and film making by corporate consensus its modus operandi.

With moribund, mindless, repugnant, emetic dross like 'Larry Crowne' and 'Zookeeper' insulting audiences and debasing industry standards, everyone who aspires to or is working in the industry needs to read, study, re-read and appreciate the significance of what Snyder was trying to say about the art as opposed to the commerce and paint-by-structure redundancy of screenwriting and film making.

Jeffrey M. Stone
Screenwriter/Author
'Vivaldi' Script, Filmmakers.com etc.

The former STC! book was tagged as "The last book on screenwriting you'll ever need". When I finished it, I wished it wasn't the last book Blake Snyder would write. So my wish was granted, and in what a way!!

This book is an invaluable tool for the screenwriter, and one that you will use for years. As other reviewers have said, the book is essentially a compilation of 50 movie analysis using the STC! method. But there's much more: a list of "cousins" or story-related movies to keep researching, an introduction to the STC! method and a new way of learning what genre is and how that can improve your script. But this isn't all!!

Along with Blake's über-funny prose, you will find precious nuggets of information that will provide you with thousands of "a-ha!" moments that you will feel like "moments of clarity" to "break into 3" with your script. Also, you will find the good advice and deep expertise of a guy who actually sells scripts for a living (not many how-to authors can say this). And above all, you will feel an invaluable tone of encouragement, a "this is easy" attitude (and it really is) and the honesty of a true teacher sharing his knowledge.

So, do yourselves some favors! buy and read the two STC books, study them, check Blake's website and cross the country or the world if you must to attend his seminars. You will never regret it and you will never forget it.

Thank you again, Blake.

In STC2, Blake Snyder puts into practice his theory that there are ten timeless story templates. He takes fifty diverse, well-known movies (from "The Lion King" to "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind") and filters them through these story templates to show that all of these movies, whether commercial blockbuster or art house, hit similar marks structurally. And that those marks are important to a successful telling of the story. I wish I'd read this book earlier in my career. It would've saved me countless hours agonizing over structure.

I am a fan of both Blake Snyder books. They're not only an excellent synthesis of ideas in other screenwriting books, but he implements several fresh theories that he's formulated during his writing career. His unique gift is the ability to make subtle, even complex insights into the craft simple to understand. Like the original "Save The Cat", this book is an easy read without being shallow. And Blake's enthusiasm for his subject is contagious. I highly recommend it.

Mark Hentemann
Writer/Producer, "Family Guy"

Since "Save the Cat" was supposed to be "the last book on screenwriting you'll ever need", why buy the sequel?! Good question!

STC was indeed the best book yet written on screenwriting, but "STC Goes to the Movies" goes beyond... The basic principles covered in "STC" are retouched in "STC Goes to the Movies", but author Blake Snyder (a very successful screenwriter in his own right) goes one step farther in this second installment by actually breaking down dozens of past film scripts that illustrate his theories.

Because most of the topics covered in STC are revisited in the second book, it isn't necessary to read the first book before this one. On the other hand, they're both jam packed with great ideas, so I strongly suggest you read both. Thanks to Mr. Snyder's helpful techniques and models, writing processes that used to take me weeks now take hours.

If you want to know how to write a script that will sell, don't miss these 286 pages of time-tested wisdom.

You demanded a book on screenwriting by a working, successful screenwriter; better yet, someone who has sold not one, not two, but dozens of scripts to Hollywood. You got it with Blake Snyder's "Save the Cat" where he reveals the "secrets" he used to write and sell those screenplays, including two that sold for $1 mil a piece.

Then you wanted more proof that his guidelines worked in other films as well. In "Save the Cat Goes to the Movies" he shows you that your favorite movies from the past and present used these very same storytelling elements, which have been around since ancient times when people told tales around the fire.

In his first book, he spilled the beans on how he became a successful screenwriter; in this sequel, he shows how other successful screenwriters have been using the same bag of beans in your favorite movies, you just didn't know it.

Moviegoers know if they liked a movie or not; but they couldn't tell you all the reasons why. Snyder does, in a very readable format where all you have to do is add your great idea and some elbow grease and you will have a script that has a fighting chance for success.

Good writing!

Finding myself stuck one day trying to resolve the end of act two and finale in act three, I turned to this book and quickly found my problem. Blake Snyder has a unique and highly useful way of categorizing movie genres.

I had thought my story was in the genre of The Golden Fleece (a hero's journey). Flipping through this book I realized I was actually writing in the genre of The Fool Triumphant. Upon realizing this and recongnizing the guidelines for writing in that genre, I immediately began to see my way through the problems and find the solutions. My story is much more interesting, dramatic and comedic as a result.

I hope it can be as valueable for you as it has been for me.

Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter's Guide to Every Story Ever Told Blake Snyder has done what few have done, make a sequel as good as the original. Racking your brain for the movies in the genre you are working in? Blake has put 500 Hollywood hits not only into one of his 10 genres, but also into sub-genres! Then, he breaks down one movie for each sub-genre to show that even the most off-beat movie beats to his special drummer. This is a must companion to his first book. You will not be disappointed. If I could give it more than five stars, I would. Evergreen, CO

I am currently taking a class on screenwriting. My teacher used an example from this book in a lecture. I bought it and love it. It helps you get the big picture of your screenplay instead of just staring at the details for hours. My favorite section is the one on superheros. The screenplay I am working on now is about a female antihero. So this really helps.
The beat sheet works!!

Blake Snyder has created the Rosetta Stone for aspiring screen writers. No other books about screen writing explain with such clarity how to write a movie script that will sell as Blake's "Save the Cat" series. If you don't believe the excellent case that Blake made in the first "Save the Cat," get ready for fifty recent examples that his formula works. Blake picks apart fifty recent hit films and shows how his Beat Sheet applies to all of them. It is possible at last to fully understand screenplay structure. What is a genre? How do you build a story point by point and page by page? Blake explains it all.

Sheldon Bull - author, Elephant Bucks Elephant Bucks: An Insider's Guide to Writing for TV Sitcoms

I always have doubts about the sequels, but this one is definitely worth reading. If you liked the Snyder's Beats Sheet, there is nothing more clarifying then reading lots of examples that fit that structure.

You can take classes and buy other books, but the simple technique illustrated in this book is something everyone can use immediately. If you're a writer and sometimes get lost in the plot trap, Snyder's categories like "Dude With A Problem" and "Buddy Love" really helps you cut through the clutter to find the heart of your story. It's a fun read and insightful. It compelled me to go back and watch "Three Days of the Condor" and "All the President's Me." That's a big plus for real movie lovers. Well worth the price.

C.A.Compton

Doesn't the headline say it all? Watch the story mechanics of so many films unfold in front of your eyes. Blake's combo of humor and insight is priceless.

STC II: The Film School I Never Had for $25

Hands down the best book on screenwriting ever written. All three of Blake Snyder's books are excellent, but it is with this, the 2nd book, that he really nails it. These books won't teach you how to create great characters or explain how to write sparkling dialogue, but they will teach you to understand the DNA of screenplay structure in a manner that is clear and unassailable. Brilliant stuff.

This book holds the keys that unlock the secrets to screenwriting success. Even though the first book by Blake Snyder was suppose to be the only screenwriting book you'd ever need, this second book uses examples from the movies to explain what needs to happen when in greater detail. A must read for any screenwriter.

Writer Blake Snyder breaks down 50 movies of 10 different genres and, using his patented 15 beats, shows readers exactly what makes these films work, and he does this in a fun and entaining way. It's a valuable resource for anyone interested the craft of screenwriting.