Blake Snyder - Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need
Ask Friends for feedbackAvailable From
Why are these offers here?
Smart Buy!
Lowest price from a Trusted Store
- Overview
-
Reviews
- Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
Good, but not the last book on screenwriting you'll ever need
Pros
Clearly written, excellent explanation of concepts, gives an easy to follow structure guide.
Cons
Doesn't consider a whole lot outside of the basic structure realm.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Entertaining and clearly explained, recommend for those with difficulty grasping screenplay writing structure or for novices just starting out, for anyone else, may be too basic.
Let me preface this with the fact that the author, Blake Snyder died this past year, relatively young in my opinion, and is sorely missed by those who knew him as well as those who only knew of him, and learned from him. Anything written is in no way meant as disrespect toward him.
As a beginning reference book on screenwriting, Save the Cat is excellent. It gives a map to follow, or a floor plan, on exactly what needs to be where in a screenplay in order for it to fit the traditional formula. Some argue against formulas in general, but in the screenwriting world, unless you are already successfully established, have a star attached to your work, or are one of the few truly brilliant writers who get recognized regardless of how you write, as a newbie the fact that you follow the traditional Hollywood structure may prevent a reader or a producer from tossing your work in the trash. Not that by following proper structure you have an automatic in, but by not following structure you almost always will have an automatic out.
So as far as basic structure, Save the Cat is the "how to" guide. And blake Snyder is extremely specific as far as what needs to be where. His formula includes the three act divison, but also where the inciting incident needs to be, where the first mention of theme should come in, what page the B story line should begin, etc..
As I said, for a beginner with little experience or relatively little knowledge on basic structure, it is a must have. However, while his book suggests these things are all you need to have a hit and get your screenplay considered in the real world, I would suggest his book is a basic starting point.
Screenplays need more than just structure to be good; they need complex characters, relationships, plot, theme, and a plethora of other factors to be adequate, much less good enough to get optioned or purchased.
Also, I think the book is a little too specific on what page certain elements should come in. While he insists 110 pages is the limit, and page 30 should begin the B story, I don't think he takes into account some screenplays might only need 105 pages, or 115, which completely messes up his page count. His basic structure is fantastic, but the details are a little OCD for my tastes, like Felix Unger who has to have the ink pen sitting on the desk in the exact spot, just so.
Save the Cat was followed up by Save the Cat Goes to the Movies, which basically provides the same information as Save the Cat, but in abbreviated form, and applies it to different types of movies, using different famous screenplays as examples. If you are a visual person who learns better from seeing the concept at play, I would buy the second book, although not as detailed, it explains the ideas just as well.
I would recommend either to a beginning screenwriter, or for anyone who seems to be stuck in a structure nightmare. For those familiar with structure already, it might not be as useful, although it is still entertaining as Blake Snyder was a pretty amusing guy.
As a beginning reference book on screenwriting, Save the Cat is excellent. It gives a map to follow, or a floor plan, on exactly what needs to be where in a screenplay in order for it to fit the traditional formula. Some argue against formulas in general, but in the screenwriting world, unless you are already successfully established, have a star attached to your work, or are one of the few truly brilliant writers who get recognized regardless of how you write, as a newbie the fact that you follow the traditional Hollywood structure may prevent a reader or a producer from tossing your work in the trash. Not that by following proper structure you have an automatic in, but by not following structure you almost always will have an automatic out.
So as far as basic structure, Save the Cat is the "how to" guide. And blake Snyder is extremely specific as far as what needs to be where. His formula includes the three act divison, but also where the inciting incident needs to be, where the first mention of theme should come in, what page the B story line should begin, etc..
As I said, for a beginner with little experience or relatively little knowledge on basic structure, it is a must have. However, while his book suggests these things are all you need to have a hit and get your screenplay considered in the real world, I would suggest his book is a basic starting point.
Screenplays need more than just structure to be good; they need complex characters, relationships, plot, theme, and a plethora of other factors to be adequate, much less good enough to get optioned or purchased.
Also, I think the book is a little too specific on what page certain elements should come in. While he insists 110 pages is the limit, and page 30 should begin the B story, I don't think he takes into account some screenplays might only need 105 pages, or 115, which completely messes up his page count. His basic structure is fantastic, but the details are a little OCD for my tastes, like Felix Unger who has to have the ink pen sitting on the desk in the exact spot, just so.
Save the Cat was followed up by Save the Cat Goes to the Movies, which basically provides the same information as Save the Cat, but in abbreviated form, and applies it to different types of movies, using different famous screenplays as examples. If you are a visual person who learns better from seeing the concept at play, I would buy the second book, although not as detailed, it explains the ideas just as well.
I would recommend either to a beginning screenwriter, or for anyone who seems to be stuck in a structure nightmare. For those familiar with structure already, it might not be as useful, although it is still entertaining as Blake Snyder was a pretty amusing guy.
