The Theme Stated/B Story Axis of Meaningfulness
As I put the final touches on the new book that’s coming out this fall, I am learning A LOT! I crack the structure on 50 movies in this book — 50, ladies and germs! — and that’s a lot of sprocket holes. But no...
The Good Shepherd and Casino Royale: Spy Movies?
Since finishing writing the new book (STC!GTTM), I’ve been catching up on some movies — just for fun finally!– and seeing that what I talk about in the new book is right on! So far, my favorites in the “New Releases” section are Casino Royale...
We Get Letters…
Let me just say up front: I love you guys! The very best bi-product of writing Save the Cat! is the fact I get to meet so many great writers all over the world who read my book and contact me via email. Against all...
Working Out Da Kinks
The Master Class was in session this past weekend. This is where we take the logline and 15 beats of your movie idea, and we put it up on the dreaded Board — aka The Rack, aka The Wailing Wall — and proceed to beat...
Assaying the “True-Life” Screenplay
I am currently having fun working one-on-one with several screenwriters who are writing either a true-life or a based-on-true-events screenplay. These are the “adaptations” we sometimes write, and just like any other script, they follow the same rules. One thing all writers have to be...
The Board Says Yes… Or Not Quite Yet
We had another amazing workshop this past weekend. This was The Master Class where writers who have gone through the torture of one of my previous boot camps bring in the 15 beats of their movie and attempt to turn it into the 40 scenes...
Super Bowl Ads – STC! 101
As you all know by now, I look for story elements in everything. And there were some great ones to be found in the best commercials of yesterday’s Super Bowl. Why is it that the need to communicate an idea quickly forces storytellers — and...
What is a Save the Cat! Seminar?
I am really looking forward to my weekend seminar in Vancouver in a couple of weeks. We’ve had a lot of interest on that event and also a bunch of questions. So on behalf of the fabulous folks at Biz Books who are organizing my...
What Is a Workshop?
Isabel Holtreman, the fabulous Marketing Director of Save the Cat! Productions, has asked me to tell you a little something about our workshops. She informs me that she’s received a lot of questions about what we actually do at these weekend get-togethers. Okay, here goes:...
Why Structure Resonates
Since James Brown went to that big dance club in the sky, I am officially “the hardest working man in show business.†In addition to my movie that goes into production this year (my 13th spec script sale) and working out the two new scripts...
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