No, we’re not going to try to sell you a dead parrot, nor will we demand that you execute a series of silly walks! We have been, however, struck with spring fever — we’re footloose and fancy-free — and thought that there was no better time to engage in a little fun and games with you Cats!
We have created a 2-part blog game that we’d love to have you all participate in. First, we are asking you — our Cat! readers — to nominate a film for us to break down, using the STC! Beat Sheet. The conditions of the nominations are listed below.
We’ll tally the votes, and we will come up with a winner! Then, we’ll break the winning screenplay down… and here’s where you come in. While we’re doing our work, you can do yours! Because the second part of this game is a challenge for you: to break down the winning screenplay according to STC! principles.
You will then submit a 2-page STC Beat Sheet via an email address, which we will provide when we announce the selected screenplay. The winning Cat whose breakdown most closely matches the Save the Cat! Beat Sheet will win a Cat!-astic surprise! ROAR! And we’ll publish your beat sheet, side by side with ours! Mee-Yow!
So today, we begin Part 1 of the STC! Spring Fling:
Nominate a movie for Cat! Central to break down, according to the Save the Cat! system of principles of story structure. Your nominated movie must:
Be an American feature film with a wide release.- Have been released between the years of 1939 – 1979.
- Have received an Academy Award nomination for either Best Screenplay or Best Adapted Screenplay.
And that’s it! To enter, simply write your nomination in the “Comments” section of the blog. You may nominate more than one film, but only one film per nomination, please. And please give other Cats some room to play! Nomination period ends at midnight, April 30, 2010.
So, sharpen those claws, groom dem whiskers, take a stroll down memory lane, and choose your movie!!!
How’s your ScriptFrenzy coming? Remember, only one more week to hit the 100 page mark!
ACADEMY AWARD(S)®, OSCAR(S)®, OSCAR NIGHT® and OSCAR® statuette design mark are the registered trademarks and service marks, and the OSCAR® statuette the copyrighted property, of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
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1950–Sunset Blvd. (Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, & D.M. Marshman, Jr.) Why not go with the best?
In Good Company.
I suggested it to Blake for Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies. He said it was a good one but decided to go with another choice. A great model of excellent screenwriting!
On the Waterfront (1954)
Winner 1955 Academy Award Best Writing, Story and Screenplay by Budd Schulberg
One of the greats!! (I’d say one of my favorites, but don’t want prejudice. :) )
And Mike, if you agree, please post a comment with the title, so we know that you are nominating this title. Kitteh eyes can get *stretch* tired sometimes!!!
Well, my suggestion was In Good Company, though obviously not a classic. But Sunset Blvd. is a good choice too. Can I support two nominations?
Ha-Ha Mike! I misunderstood and thought that you were in good company with “Sunset Boulevard” – so let’s suggest this…
Please post your titles in the body of your Comments, and please place quotes and end quotes… so poor Kittehs are not confused.
And yes, Mike. We have you down for one of each! Thanks! Meow!
“Patton”
Sorry if that seems a little bit lowbrow… But I liked it!
“Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (1939)
Winner 1939 Best Writing, Original Story by Lewis R. Foster
“Network” (1976)
Winner 1977 Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen by Paddy Chayefsky
“Citizen Kane” by Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles (1941). With all the flashbacks jumping back and forth, the Cats will have a good time with this one.
All the beat sheets you guys post here should have a download option to open them in the Save the Cat softwares (iphone and desktop).
“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”
1969 – still a great film. This film is so smooth it doesn’t feel written to me – and that’s why I’m suggesting it.
Of the choices up there, Wow, you can’t go wrong with Network!
“The Sting”
1973 – My runner up offering! Can you say surprise ending? :D
is Star Wars too mainstream? just seems to be a film that people reference ALL the TIME so might be the most passed around beat sheet we can get.
Bonnie and Clyde would be great as well.
Actually I’m leaning towards Star Wars now too, despite my “Patton” earlier.
The Apartment (1960)
Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond
Oscar winner for best writing, story and screenplay – written directly for the screen.
I like the idea of Star Wars, particularly because Blake was all about successful films.
If I had to nominate another, I would love to see “One Flew Over a Cuckoo’s Nest” in a beat sheet.
Midnight Cowboy – still one of the best after over 40 years.
Fiddle dee dee. I don’t know nuthin ’bout birthin’ babies, but I do know the choice here is obvious. (cue Tara’s Theme)
As a son of the South, I nominate an epic buddy love, the highest grossing film all time, winner of the 1940 Academy Award for best screenplay 1940 by Sidney Howard – “Gone With the Wind”.
Darn, I wish I could make each word majestically blow across the screen. With a 238 minute run time for the restored version, this should be a challenge.
I’m sure it won’t make the final cut, but frankly my dear I don’t give a damn.
I really don’t get it! Isn’t Blake’s technique so great because it works on everything, both films made between 1939 – 1979 in Hollywood AND beyond? Even the latest and greatest commercials, documentaries, or even jokes work because of the Cat! So, why be so picky!?!
I suggest “The Wild Bunch” (1969)
Story by: Walon Green and Roy N. Sickner
Screenplay by: Walon Green and Sam Peckinpah.
For no other reason that I happened to watch it today.
Yay for “Annie Hall”
Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman
1977
The Birds!
In fact I’d love to see a break down of Psycho too…
I would suggest Chinatown by Robert Towne
I’d like to suggest 2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick.
@John re: “2001” Yeah, good luck making that one fit on a BS2.
“Rocky” (1976)
The Sting. One of the best.
1. The Apartment
2. An American In Paris
3. Mr. Hulot’s Holiday
4. That Man From Rio
5. Amarcord
One of my favorite movies is “Alfred Hithcock’s The Birds”, but wouldn’t mind seeing us break down “Coal Miner’s Daughter” either!
I’d like to suggest “Rain Man,” Best Original Screenplay, 1989.
One of my all time favorites… HARVEY 1950, Jimmy Stewart snd I’m still shocked it wasn’t nominated when the play won a Pulitzer!
I must be in the mood for a comedy but here are my many picks.
The Philadelphia Story – 1940
Adam’s Rib – 1950
Roman Holiday – (already listed)
Some Like It Hot – 1959
The Apartment (already listed)
The Turning Point – 1977
Same Time Next Year – 1978
1979 had a lot of great movies… but the two I’d suggest are:
And Justice For All and…
The China Syndrome
his is what happens when you’re exhausted and it’s late… my apologies for listing so many, hope these get some votes, 8-)))
Yeah chinatown sounds like a great one, that gets my vote
“Kramer vs. Kramer” (adapted, 1979)
Okay. Why the hell are we talking about 30-40 yrs old movies?
Does Beat-sheet only apply to the genesis era of Hollywood films?
Why aren’t we talking about the recent years films?
Well, If you insist, I would just vote for ‘Taxi Driver’, which is one of the finest written films, and which was not nominated for spurious Oscar..!!
@SM I might be wrong, but the reason we’re talking about movies from that era is that is the stated goal of the contest. I might also be wrong on this as well, but my guess is the point is to prove the STC! theory of storytelling transcends time.
CasaBlanca
Need I say more
All good suggestions. I’m going to submit a black ball though for Chinatown. Not that it isn’t a deserving film, but Syd has done such a great analysis of it already and we want to see something not previously beaten. Beaten out, I mean. You know what I mean.
I nominate Star Wars. :)
Unforgiven (1992)
I nominate a favorite movie of mine:
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Stanley Kubrick, Peter George, Terry Southern nominated for screenplay based on Material from another medium.
“The Lost Weekend” (1945) Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett. Best Screenplay.
“The Graduate” (1967) Calder Willingham and Buck Henry. Best Adapted Screenplay.
Oops! I didn’t read the rules as carefully as I should have… your cutoff year is 79.
@quade : Don’t get me wrong but STC! theory is on superficial level. It will most definitely apply to all the popcorn movies and chick-flicks.
But, when you talk about complex movies, the theory loses its ground easily. e.g. Babel, Pulp Fiction, American Beauty, Traffic etc..
Please provide me beat-sheet for one of these movies, and maybe my ignorance will erode..!!
Hi SM!
Actually, the movies you listed are some of our favorites, several being in the INSTITUTIONALIZED genre. Blake beats out CRASH, OFFICE SPACE, M*A*S*H, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, and countless other “anti-structure” films in “Save the Cat! Goes To The Movies”, the second book of the Save the Cat! series of books on the principles of story structure. Also, check our Feb archives, where films such as INGLORIOUS BASTERDS and 500 DAYS OF SUMMER were put to the BS2 test by professional Hollywood screenwriters! It’s not all good – it’s all GREAT!
Rear Window – Alfred Hitchcock – 1954 – I love Hitchcock!
All About Eve – 1950 – it was nominated for 14 awards
Dr. Strangelove – 1964 – Stanley Kubrick
Vote for The Apartment.
Kramer vs Kramer (1979)
West Side Story (1961)
That man from Rio (1964)
Rear Window (1954)
North by Northwest (1959)
Midnight Cowboy. AMAZING! (Yes, I meant to yell that.)
I vote for Annie Hall, too, for the sheer challenge of trying to beat that baby out.
Splendor in the Grass
The Sting
This sounds super fun!
The vote has closed!
We’ll be tallying up the entries, and post the “winner” along with the STC! Challenge with our Tuesday upload! Got a goodie coming – a guest blogger with an article on MITH! Meow!
Apocalypse Now~
To date this movie is timeless and every aspect from screenplay to production is fascinating still to this day.
North by Northwest (1959)
@Anne, Applying STC! to each and every film ever made is not just stupefied and inane, it’s well beyond that!!
CRASH had some six parallel stories whereas STC! has only an A story and a B story concept. How can you apply a cookiecutter theory to something that’s altogether distinct?
Blake can beat out any movie or maybe a novel too with his theory. But, the question remains ‘Does it even make any sense?’
I would like to stress again that STC! applies to popcorn movies. In the book also, Blake implied that Miss Congeniality was better written than Memento, because the later made less money. Isn’t it comparing apples and oranges?
Hi SM ~
We respectfully disagree that STC! only applies to popcorn movies.
If you have any questions about how CRASH works within the Save the Cat! principles of story structure, then I might suggest you pick up a copy of Book 2 – Save the Cat! Goes To the Movies, in which Blake beat out CRASH, MARIA FULL OF GRACE and other less mainstream and/or anti-structured films. And again, if you go to the blog archives, you can see films such as 500 DAYS OF SUMMER and INGLORIOUS BASTERDS broken down using the STC! model.
You might also join the Save the Cat! forum, in order to discuss your theories with other writers around the globe!
Five Easy Pieces
Annie Hall
Manhattan
@Anne, Plz let me know how to join a forum..
I am so raring to join it that I almost sound a raving fiend!!
Absolutely! Scroll up to the top of this page and look for the “forum” tab. Click on it and follow the instructions to set up your profile. If you have any questions or difficulties, feel free to contact John A., our fabulous forum administrator @ [email protected] !!
Well? What won?
I nominate Lawrence of Arabia. One of the great films of our time. 1962
I’m surprised no one’s suggested “Cat People”, either version. Or would that be too cute?