by Blake Snyder
One of the reasons my producer pal Dan was attracted to the Save the Cat! method of our workshops is because it's an alternative to the current development track. As stated, the top-down model (screenwriter being given notes by executives) might benefit from the success of the peer-to-peer model found in our small group. In fact, Dan's interest in our group dynamic was piqued further once we saw how effective it was. There was even a call to take our act on the road as a kind of traveling notes-giving machine, offering the collective feedback of seasoned pros to anyone whose script needs help.
But the needs of our own careers came first.
And yet this peer-to-peer model continues to fascinate.
When asked to do a retreat for animators at a major studio in 2009, I was prepped by a remarkable article from Harvard Business Review titled “How Pixar Fosters Collective Creativity,” by Ed Catmull, about the Pixar development model that works along these same lines. With maybe the most astounding series of hits in movie history, from Toy Story and The Incredibles through Wall-E and Up, Pixar must be doing something right in vetting, refining, and rewriting scripts in progress.
Pixar calls it Peer Review, in which a director and a writer working on a project can meet with a panel of seasoned greats (including John Lasseter and Brad Bird), who hear stories in progress. Yet writers are not ordered to include their boss's suggestions — and aren't guaranteed that including them will win approval. In a weird way, it's just like our workshops: With no vested interest in your project, other than as a creative puzzle, ideas flow more easily and with greater objectivity. And I can tell you from our group that the projects Dean, Ben, Dan, Jeremy, and I worked on got better geometrically, and led directly to sales… and green lights. What about this model can be used in taking and giving notes, and what about it is really different?
Part of what makes peer-to-peer work is lack of emotional attachment. Both in our own writing groups, and in the peer review dynamic, it's your story, and you are the one ultimately responsible for it. And our panel, the group who is listening to your struggle as you pitch out the beats, or breathlessly hand us your latest draft, have one thing you don't have: apathy. Reading your script or hearing your pitch, we're just bystanders. We're listening or reading and responding like any audience would.
So, what are our rules of engagement? And how can we utilize them in the context of a peer-to-peer style review?
THE 50 QUESTIONS
Believe it or not, we can critique without being critical. And we can take our own prejudices out of the development process in favor of universal truths we can count on.
We start by asking questions. I've come up with 50 — from the initial idea through every phase of the script — that get to the heart of all script-development issues. If you honestly answer these questions about your own project, or anyone's, odds are you will come out way ahead.
The diagnostic review is the “greenlight” checklist that keeps us all from playing a game we can't win — whether we're the writer or the producer.
And because I always start with an “Atta boy,” finding at least one thing done well from the last draft, we'll start asking questions at a much higher level:
You worked hard. You are a tad frazzled.
Well, I'm here to tell you, you're great.
And we're going to make you, and your script, even greater!
Save the Cat! Greenlight checklist
Title
► Is this the best title to tell us what this story is visually and emotionally? Does it “say what it is”?
Pitch Logline
► Can you pitch this in a minute?
► Is what you pitch being delivered in the script?
► Does it grab the audience and keep them wanting more?
Mini-story Logline
► Can you easily tell your story through its key beats?
ACT I
Opening Image
► Does the tone tell us what kind of story this is without giving away too much?
► Does the Opening Image put us in the right mood for the type of movie it is?
► Do we get a clear picture that this Opening Image is the “before” shot?
Theme Stated
► Is there a thematic premise being raised?
► Do we know what this story will be about on the inside?
► Is it primal for all audiences?
Set-Up
► Do we know who the hero of the story is?
► Is this hero as far back as possible when we first meet him/her?
► Is the hero and his/her world rife with problems? What are they and are they clear?
Catalyst
► Is something done to our hero?
► Does it force our hero into action?
► Is it believable?
Debate
► Is there a valid argument for the hero?
► Is it the hero who has the debate?
► Does it give us insight into the hero's emotions?
ACT II
Break Into Two
► Is it a clear act break that tells us our hero is moving into a new world?
► Did the hero make a proactive choice to move into Act Two?
► Does the hero have a clear goal as he/she enters Act Two?
B Story
► Who or what is the B Story?
► Does the B Story have a spiritual lesson to teach the hero?
► Does it provide a needed breakaway from the A Story?
Fun & Games
► Does it show the promise of the premise?
► Do we have enough set pieces?
► Is there a touchstone scene that defines what this movie is all about?
Midpoint
► Is there a clear false victory or false defeat?
► Are the stakes raised? Is there a time clock?
► Is there a public outing or a party that exposes our hero and forces him/her to declare his/her new way of being?
Bad Guys Close In
► Does the quest become harder for the hero?
► Are there enough external and internal forces attacking the hero? What is the awful truth the hero cannot admit?
► Do we see the hero being stripped of his/her comfort zone one piece at a time?
All Is Lost
► Is there a whiff of death, physically or emotionally?
► Does it feel like the hero's lowest point?
► Is the All Is Lost as devastating a blow to the hero as we can make it? And what is his shard of glass?
Dark Night of the Soul
► Does the hero confess his/her flaw, secret, or ugly truth, and have a moment of clarity?
► Does the B Story prompt our hero into Act 3?
► Is the Theme Stated re-enunciated at this point?
ACT III
Break into Three
► Is it a clear act break?
► Does the hero move the story through the act break?
► Does our hero have a new goal?
Finale
► Is there a storming of the castle which our hero leads?
► Is the Act 3 world the synthesis of Act 1 and Act 2 worlds?
► Is the B Story clearly resolved?
Final Image
► Is it the opposite of the Opening Image?
► Do we get a real sense of transformation for our hero?
► Is this the right way to end the story?
Raising the Bar:
► Does every scene move the plot forward through conflict and emotional shifts?
► Do all the minor characters play a key role in our hero's growth, and do they change and learn a lesson as well?
► Is there any line, scene, or character that is cliché, and is there any place where we can push what is expected?
► What is new about this movie and, given its genre, does it move the art forward?
► Who is this movie for and does the script do anything that veers from that
target audience?
As we get better at reading scripts and giving notes to others, this checklist becomes second nature. The idea of it is only to make the rewrite process less like hell and more like heaven. Because here's a surprise: With the right input, rewriting can be heavenly — if you know the process isn't about wrecking your vision, but bringing out your best!
As long as you are willing to strike back, you, too, can win! And over time, as I've become a veteran of this process, it becomes all about doing it again… and again!
Yes, a lot of our business is about repetition, and there is no greater example of that good habit in action, than successfully selling your script… and yourself.
So let me introduce a slogan I first heard at the Alameda Writers Group, which I adhere to, and hope will soon be yours:
Write. Sell. Repeat.
chapter 6
CLOSE
ENCOUNTERS
OF THE
SELLING KIND
Blake's Blog /April 24, 2008
“As we look out on the landscape, the more specific we can be, the better. When we target our careers and our scripts, we see a vision that becomes the truth, so it's important to pick well. And dream big.”
Oh! The joy! The splendor! that is selling a script.
It always seems so easy once it happens.
Colby Carr and I spent the days leading up to our spec sales telling each other: “ Someone has to buy this, don't they?” — a mantra we hoped would be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
And very often, it was.
We'd done the work, turned our well-written 110-page screenplay over to our agent, were totally confident… and yet there was always that nagging doubt: Would anybody buy it?
As the spec sale began to unfold, and the bids started coming in, I still felt like we'd beaten long odds. It was on days like these, with multiple offers competing for our team's approval, when you had to restrain me from driving down Wilshire Boulevard past Agency Row in Beverly Hills and whooping out loud:
“That's right! I'm baaaad!”
Because when a sale sticks and you're “in” — oh, man!
The one-day spec sale is a rarer animal these days. Yes, it happens, and discovering the intersection of Art and Commerce never fails to be a rush. Whether it takes one day or several weeks to get a script “out to the town,” the process is the same.
So how do I get in on it, you ask?
Some of you are just starting and are sure it's about “who you know.” Others have sampled success, but wonder, after being lost in the desert lo these many years, if you will ever again drink the rejuvenating waters that can only come with a “Yes!”
For until that shining day, we are all in the wilderness.
The trip to the Promised Land took Moses 40 years. If you look at a map, it's an 11-day journey. What was the hold-up? Why did Moses meander for decades when the end point was staring him in the face? The answer is the same for all who assay a goal. For as important as it is to envision success, and even more important to take steps to secure it, it is every bit as vital — however you will it into being — that you believe success can be yours.
Because that is key.
You will get here, I swear. But one thing I know for sure: A sale is just the beginning of securing a career.
And it all starts with saying: I can have this! out loud.
THE AGENT WILL APPEAR!
In the beginning was the Word.
But very soon after that, the Word had to get an agent.
Let's call it “spreading the Word,” because that's what agents do. And that's what this chapter's about: getting you out of despair and into the sales zone, and casting a new light on the selling process — hopefully with a check at the other end.
While having an agent is key to that — and I cannot stress enough the importance of finding one who can position you and your script and continue working with you to raise you to the level of greatness you deserve — let's not get ahead of ourselves. Right now you may not have an agent, and I'm here to tell you:
That's okay.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: You may think the lack of an agent is what's stopping you; you will say to yourself: “If only…” and let it be a barrier. But I hope to calm writers when-ever they veer into a rant about representation by telling them this truth:
An agent is not the most vital thing on your to-do list.
Can an agent change your life? You betcha. Can the right agent pull off miracles for you that will elevate you to great heights? Absolutely. But here's a shocker: I have never, ever, gotten any job, or sold any script, without doing my part first.
And that goes for you, too.
Lately, I not only get to cite the experiences of long-time veterans like myself, but also tell you about new writers like Ben Frahm who have shown me a thing or two when it comes to the guts it takes to win. To be honest, I rely on Ben's experiences quite a bit, for they prove two things beyond a whisper of doubt:
1. Like me, Ben is a go-getter with a positive attitude and a drive for success. Yes, that still works! And…
2. … Nothing's changed. Yes, the business is different, the sales less spectacular. But we can all still win!
Ben and others like him prove that if you follow the steps I suggest, you too have a shot at success — still! —always!
I hope Ben's example inspires you as much as it does me.
I first met Ben after he moved to L.A. fresh from Cornell University, discovered my first book, and emailed me. I suggested he come to one of my early workshops, those wild and woolly days when we tried to work out all 40 beats in one weekend. After Ben recovered, and followed the procedure I recommended for getting his script to interested parties once it was completed, he was contacted by Underground Management, which has a long track record of successfully working with new writers and getting them careers. But it wasn't until another production company expressed interest in Ben — which Ben let Underground know about — that their eagerness to step up and commit to working with him came about.
I still marvel at what Ben did. As I suggested, Ben sent 100+ queries to agents, managers, and production companies in the Hollywood Creative Directory. He got about 4 or 5 responses back (a fairly good return, believe it or not), but it was enough to let this bright kid parlay one firm against another to make sure they knew with whom they were dealing. Was he fair? Absolutely! Was he honest and forthright? Totally. But he knew what he wanted. And because he had taken our workshop and had feedback from others about the project he was pitching…
He also knew what he had.
And yet, Ben's journey was just beginning.
No, Underground did not sign Ben. They instead agreed to work with him on many drafts of Dr. Sensitive to get it in shape.
And that took time.
Between multiple rewrites, and Ben's busy work schedule (this young man had a day job as a special-needs teacher at a school here in L.A.), he would call me up and, frankly, whine. Where was this going? Why didn't his newfound managers who loved him so, or said they did, sign him? And the number one complaint on Ben's Top Ten Greatest Whines was: Why don't I have an agent?
To which I'd say: Trust me, Ben, the agent will appear.
Yet as weeks turned into months, nothing was happening.
So Ben would phone with the same complaint.
Trust me, Ben, I'd repeat, the agent will appear.
While driving back from giving a speech at the Great American Pitchfest here in Los Angeles, my cell phone rang. It was Ben with news: Universal just bought his script, and guess what?
What!?
Ben had an agent! Seems just before going out with the script, Underground got Ben a really great rep from CAA who had handled the whole thing. She was standing right there by his side the whole time — and even negotiated a better deal for him!
Imagine that.
I don't mean to sound smug, but this is just part of the growing-up process we all mus
t do with our careers. Agents don't appear on hope. They don't appear because you're a nice guy or gal with a great idea and a lot of promise. They appear when there's something real for them to appear for, that allows them to do what they do best, namely take the interest that is already there in a finished property and pound the buyer into making a better deal for their client. And until those things are in place, not only is there no need for an agent, but thinking about getting one is a distraction to the job at hand:
Writing a great script.
The real irony of all this is the fact that after the first blush of success was over, and Ben had completed his rewrites for Universal and was ready for the next step, he got another surprise. There he was, remember, with both a manager and an agent — and all top people in the business, by the way.