¡Salva al gato! Va al cine: Guía para guionistas de todos los argumentos del mundo

Save the Cat!

by Blake Snyder, Amado Diéguez Rodríguez (Translator)

In the long-awaited sequel to his surprise bestseller, Save the Cat!, author and screenwriter Blake Snyder returns to form in a fast-paced follow-up that proves why his is the most talked-about approach to screenwriting in years. In the perfect companion piece to his first book, Snyder delivers even more insider's information gleaned from a 20-year track record as ?one of Hollywood's most successful spec screenwriters, ? giving you the clues to write your movie. Designed for screenwriters, novelists, and movie fans, this book gives readers the key breakdowns of the 50 most instructional movies from the past 30 years. From M*A*S*H to Crash, from Alien to Saw, from 10 to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Snyder reveals how screenwriters who came before you tackled the same challenges you are facing with the film you want to write ? or the one you are currently working on.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Film, Reference, Media Tie In, Collections, Audiobook

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2007

About the author

In his 20-year career as a screenwriter and producer, Blake Snyder has sold dozens of scripts, including co-writing Blank Check, which became a hit for Disney, and Nuclear Family for Steven Spielberg. His book, Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need, was published in May, 2005, and is now in its eleventh printing. It has prompted "standing room only" appearances by Blake in New York, Los Angeles, London, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Vancouver, Toronto, and Barcelona. Apparently it is not quite the last book on screenwriting youll ever need, as the eagerly awaited sequel, Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter's Guide to Every Story Ever Told, was published in October, 2007 shooting to #1 in the Screenwriting, Screenplay, and Movies History and Criticism categories on Amazon.com. Blake's method has become the "secret weapon" of many development executives, managers, and producers for its precise, easy, and honest appraisal of what it takes to write and develop stories that resonate. Save the Cat! The Last Story Structure Software You'll Ever Need has codified this method in an easy to use CD-Rom. Blake is a member of the Writers Guild of America, west. Please visit www.blakesnyder.com for more information.

With Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies Snyder is determined to set a collective new dialogue about the realities of professional screenwriting; this is exactly what his sincere and heartfelt books set out to do and accomplishes. Snyder once again takes his place as one of the most successful, visionary, accessible, pragmatic screenwriters who writes about the craft of all time.

"

Reviews

[Nicholas Karpuk · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wonder if every writer reaches a point where they stop seeking out books on writing? For me that point came when I had a series of screenwriting books foisted on me. This book, in particular, I found to be a crass exercise, so much so that I didn't think to review it until I imported my Amazon library and remembered I had it.

It's a complete money-grab. He takes those hacky exercises from the first book, where he shoe-horns movies into the heroes journey, and made a whole book of it.

Pulp Fiction does not fit the heroes journey, and only these hacks have a vested interest in doing so.

You can't create a formula for success. At a Comic-con panel I went to called "How to Break Into Comics The Marvel Way" put it, it's like escaping prison, once you do it, it's way harder for anyone else to do it the same way.

And trying to build a story using these formulas is just going to generate more terrible scripts and movies that all have the same beats that's movie audiences are already getting tired of predicting. These books backwards engineer their crap monomyth skeletons from movies impressionable young screen writers are familiar with (always Star Wars, ALWAYS) and convince you that because they can find some of these beats, ALL movies follow this.

They don't.

Seems to me all you really need to do, at least to meet the Karpuk standard of quality, is to do the following.

1. Make characters.
2. Have them need stuff.
3. Keep it exciting.
4. Increase the excitement as necessary.
5. Stop before it grows tiresome.
6. Avoid being boring at all times.

Tada! And you don't even need a "dark night of the soul" or a "belly of the whale" moment or anything! Seriously, everybody, just stop reading these books.

Write the book you would want to read, and keep doing it until you don't suck at it!

[Patricia Ayuste · Rating 4 out of 5]

🗨️ "Vale, ya has hecho que tu protagonista salve un gato y caiga bien. Y ahora, ¿qué?"

✒️ Siguiendo la estela de la primera entrega, "Salva al gato", Blake Snyder ofrece una clase magistral sobre géneros cinematográficos, que va más allá de los conocidos. El autor -y reconocido guionista en Hollywood- divide las historias en 10 posibles situaciones y, a través de diferentes películas, destripa cada género para que el lector aprenda sus entresijos y secretos a fin de poder crear historias creíbles y guiones sólidos.

🔝 Puntos fuertes: multitud de consejos claros, ejemplos a través del cine que puedes consultar mientras lees el manual, lenguaje sencillo de seguir y una lectura repleta de humor.

❤️ Te gustará si: estás empezando a escribir, si amas contar historias, escribir guion cinematográfico y cualquier otro género, si buscas nueva inspiración, si te gusta el modelo de cine norteamericano o si buscas manuales de escritura ágiles que atrapen y no caigan en una aburrida enumeración de teorías.

[Danielle Delahunty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a companion for the book, Save the Cat, the Last Book on Screenwriting You Will Ever Need and it basically goes through several movies to prove the author's assertion that you have to include the plot elements he outlined and they have to be in the exact place he said they should be in order to sell a successful screenplay in Hollywood.

The movies covered in this book are not movies he wrote, so he is using them to support his contention that EVERYONE must follow his formula in order to sell the perfect romantic comedy.

Reading this book would waste a lot of time if you really got what he said in his first book, but if you weren't sure, this could be a good companion to drive the concept home. Plus it's super interesting, but after you read it, you will have a negative side effect: you will start seeing the obvious laziness of movie makers in "getting through" plot points they know need to be there, but that they are unwilling to work out better.

[Chip'sBookBinge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good read and an interesting take on the "how to write screenplays" genre that seems to be flooding the market. It's not perfect, but it does kind of rewire a person's brain in how to look at movies and your scripts in a different light. I'm very cautious reading any of these types of books in large part because it's usually a retelling of the same ideology handed down from Syd Fields, who I think is the biggest farce ever.

Everyone takes his theory as gospel, when if you look at it, is nothing more than him just saying every story (i.e. movie) has a beginning, middle and an end. He leaves so much un accounted for that "learning" from him doesn't exist. Telling me a plot point occurs at the 60 minute mark does not tell me anything about characters, plots, etc...

The guy is a sham. In this book, at least the author Blake Synder is giving you clear ideas of what your story has to have in order to fit a specific type of story you are going for. It's kind of a "paint-by-numbers" approach, which can be viewed as cheating. But who the f uck cares? If it gets you to write, then it's successful. All Syd Field's mumbo jumbo has made me want to punch him in the face for conning so many people and brainwashing them to think in his terms, which are unrelatable to the craft of sitting down and writing.

This is definitely worth a Rent if you want to see a different take on the same ideas.

[David Hayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential if you like the first book, Save the Cat. I didn't read every page in the book because I haven't seen many of these movies! (I'm a better reader than watcher and I've missed a lot of classic movies.) But I read all the section intros and those movies that I had read. This is the sort of book you'll want to go back to for reference.

[Rubén · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gustan las enseñanzas y estructuras básicas que ofrece el libro y elementos útiles de implementar en tus historias. Aunque sobre todo escribo mis partidas de rol pero bueno, algo podré hacer con esto.

[Michelle Stimpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I realized this book was primarily synopses of 50 movies, half of which I'd never seen, I didn't expect to read the book cover to cover. At best, I hoped to use it as a reference. Blake Snyder's entertaining writing style and the way in which he categorizes story plots is like nothing I've ever seen, and as a result, I read every word of this book and know I will return to it many times in the future.

Many books on plot focus on action/adventure or mystery types of plot, at most giving a couple of paragraphs nod to the more character-driven stories. Snyder treats all plots equally, breaking down how a romance is put together, how a coming-of-age story is put together, and how a horror story is really a lesson in morality. I will forever think of stories in terms of whether it's a "Monster in the House" or a "Buddy Love" or a "Dude with a Problem." This book has changed how I think about plot forever.

[Carol Weekes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Snyder's book is a straight-forward, fun, honest, and practical approach for people wishing to write scripts, primarily film scripts. Snyder 'says it like it is' for those interested in taking their scripts to Hollywood; the elements any story needs to contain, why they need to contain them, and why they work.

That said, these books are not for those seeking to learn the beginner basics on how to write a script. A writer must already posesses the fundamentals of film-writing. Rather, these books allow writers who have already grasped the nuts and bolts of film-writing to fully embellish their scripts with the kinds of dynamics that studio executives and producers seek - turning a good film into a great one.

High recommended.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always wanted to write a screenplay, and so I looked into Snyder's first book Save the Cat! and went from there. This one is different, as it breaks down 50 movies in 10 categories. It helps you locate the plot points in each movie, so you can break your own screenplay down into it.
It was a little redundant, reading 50 movies that were essentially the same breakdown each time. However, it was interesting to see how certain movies were the same movie in the end, even though they were totally different movies.

[lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

i read (skimmed) this for my creative writing class 😭

[Ben Shee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid follow up to his first book - it felt like reading a more structured TV Tropes - which is a favourite past time of mine. It made me want to go back and watch movies I had seen when I was younger, and it even has one or two truths about humanity buried in the book. A good experience that I really enjoyed.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies is a sequel to Save the Cat! and it basically does "what it says on the tin" - after a short summary of the original Save the Cat! and the author's theory of the structure of film, it goes on to provide examples of Synder's ten genres of film and their sub-genres. Synder organizes Genre not in the traditional way (SF, Fantasy, cop show, mystery, horror, etc.) but in terms of the structure of the film and how it hits the beats of the Synder Beat Sheet. Thus though one type of his Genre might mostly align with traditional genre (eg Horror and Monster in the House) often the genres don't align. This forces a deeper emphasis on the underlying structure of all films, which is good for student or career screenwriters looking to improve their skills. Also, if you read Save the Cat and some of the genres didn't quite make sense to you or you wanted better examples, this is the perfect book to pick up. More examples are always helpful, especially when you are new to something.
The book, after the introduction, is split into ten chapters, one per genre, with one example per sub-genre, and a simple list of other examples. The chosen example is then analyzed in terms of Synder's three-act structure and Beat Sheet. Again, this provides lots of examples of how Synder approaches screenwriting. Although it is obviously helpful if you've actually seen (and seen recently) the films discussed if you haven't the beat sheets provide enough information to follow the analysis. Also, if you haven't seen some of these films, you can still follow the discussion. I didn't feel like it spoiled the movie, even though the entire plot is described in terms of structure. This is because of the emphasis on structure not a summary of the plot.
The only negative is there are no examples from older, classic films. The oldest films in the entire book are from the 1970s and I really could have used at least one example from films of the 1930s and 1940s. At least in the "Buddy" film category (where he puts romantic comedies), there are plenty of examples in Classic film from Bringing Up Baby and The Philadelphia Story to Shall We Dance and other Ginger Rogers/Fred Astaire films (which I maintain are Romantic Comedies with singing and dancing). The book is also copyright 2007 so it doesn't include anything more recent than that, and thus really misses the opportunity to discuss great Epic films (he should have picked something from the 1960s like Ben-Hur or Antony and Cleopatra and if not that Lord of the Rings). And of course, the Save the Cat! series is about popular Hollywood film so foreign films aren't included, though many would fit into the same structural patterns and the same beats.
Overall, I really liked Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies it is good to have more examples, and the problem of films being discussed that I haven't seen, or haven't seen for a long time can be solved by renting or borrowing said films. The lack of classic films could be solved by a second volume concentrating on older movies. I also like Synder's method of analyzing film, it is a different approach. I do plan on buying additional volumes in this series. Highly recommended, especially for film students and fans.

[Quentin Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blake Snyder walks through the beats of fifty noteworthy movies of the past, showing how they (more or less) adhere to his structural model for screenwriting. Movies are presented in groups of five according to genre, with each one exemplifying a specific subgenre. Note that Snyder invented his own genre classifications for plot categories, and these do not necessarily correspond to traditional genres.

If you are new to screenwriting and have already read "Save the Cat!," I would recommend watching every one of the movies and reading its walk-through. It makes for an excellent survey of cinema from the 1970's through the early 2000's, and should give you a better idea of what you want to write.

Snyder explores each of his genres much more deeply here than in the first "Save the Cat!" book. Even if some of the movies he walks through do not conform well to his "BS2" structural model, his genre analysis is spot on. If you are a screenwriter, any script you write for commercial sale is going to fall into one of those genres, and you need to know its conventions.

[Alison Lilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good companion book to the first one, with tons of examples from many different genres. Unfortunately, not as much analysis or actual advice on writing... sometimes it reads like a long list of plot summaries and it's easy to lose sight of *why* all these stories sound so familiar (especially for movies you haven't see).

If you need convincing that this structure really does work for a wide variety of stories, this book will help. If you need more examples to wrap your head around how different plot points work, this book will help. But nothing can replace the value of (a) looking at some of your own favorite movies and books to see how they work, and (b) writing your own story.

[TG Lin · Rating 4 out of 5]

如果說作者第一冊屬於「導論」，則這本續集就算是「個案研究 & 實作討論」了。本書繼承作者「史耐德（Blake Snyder）」在第一冊所談的理論，取材自五十部所謂的「經典」電影作為範例，用來套入他所提出的「電影劇本架構表」。
　
布萊克．史耐德架構表如下，刮號內的數字代表劇本的頁碼，同時也代表電影進行時間的分鐘數︰
　
1. 開場畫面（1）；
2. 主題陳述（5）；
3. 布局（1-10）；
4. 觸發事件（12）；
5. 天人交戰（12 - 25）；
　
6. 第二幕開始（25）；
7. 副線（30）；
8. 玩樂時光（30 - 55）；
9. 中間點（55）；
10. 反派的逆襲（55 - 75）；
　
11. 一敗塗地（75）；
12. 黎明前最深的黑暗（75 - 85）；
13. 第三幕開始（85）；
14. 大結局（85 - 110）；
15. 結尾畫面（110）。
　
以上是以一部大約在 120 分鐘內的電影劇本，所應遵循的情節架構。
　
---
用我自己的話來講，作者所安排的架構，是將總電影的時間大致分成三個段落。第一幕是介紹性質的布局，在電影開場後的半小時之內要交待完畢。而第二幕，則是要帶出「副線／次要故事線」，以及所謂的「玩樂時光／主要角色的順境」，在跨過總電影時間中點後，劇情急轉直下到負面因素達到高峰；第二幕總總時間大約一個小時。第三幕到最終結尾，則是用半個小時，將前面埋伏的「副線」給引入，並在正面負面不斷交錯之下，一路到達最終的結局。
　
我不確定這種架構安排是否為當今的主流。不過有個可以依循的架構公式，以後我自己在看片時可以試著套用看看。

[Dru Pagliassotti · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first was more practical, as far as teaching a structuralist approach to scriptwriting goes; this one simply breaks down a series of movies according to Snyder's structure. Some of the breakdowns felt strained to me; Joseph Campbell noted that not every story contains all the steps of the Hero's Journey, and I don't think every film contains the steps of Snyder's beat sheet, no matter how hard you might try to cram it in. Still, the book is functional for scriptwriters trying to get a better idea of how all those beats described in the first book actually *work* in a movie.

[Marimar González · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aunque es teóricamente un libro para futuros guionistas, es igualmente válido para todo creador de historias. Y es que aunque no suscribo al 100% todos los postulados de Blake, es un libro al que se le puede extraer mucho jugo sin se lee con atención y remarcando las partes importantes.

Totalmente recomendado.

[Soquel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful as it has more in-depth descriptions and examples.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. This is the 2nd book. It groups movies into 10 category with sub-group each. All the stories with time mark have the pieces in this link https://www.flyingwrestler.com/save-t... (book 1)

Found this very good reference: https://www.savethecat.com/wp-content...

Table of Contents
Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements Foreword
In which producer Sheila Hanahan Taylor (American Pie, Final Destination) confirms the success stories of the Save the Cat! method and tells how this may be the best Cat! yet.

STC! 2: The Introduction
Why a sequel? — “Genre” and “Structure” — Plus some Final Words that define terms used throughout the Cat! series.

Chapter One: Monster in the House
The definition of one of the most popular story types ever, plus breakdowns on Alien, Fatal Attraction, Scream, The Ring, and Saw.

Chapter Two: Golden Fleece
How Jason and the Argonauts begat The Bad News Bears (1976); Planes, Trains and Automobiles; Saving Private Ryan; Ocean’s Eleven; and Maria Full of Grace.

Chapter Three: Out of the Bottle
Magical analyses of movies using magic: Freaky Friday (1976), Cocoon, The Nutty Professor, What Women Want, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Chapter Four: Dude with a Problem
The “dude” is an innocent and in big trouble in Three Days of the Condor, Die Hard, Sleeping with the Enemy, Deep Impact, and Open Water.

Chapter Five: Rites of Passage
Growth through pain in stories where “transition” is the obstacle: 10, Kramer vs. Kramer, Ordinary People, 28 Days, and Napoleon Dynamite.

Chapter Six: Buddy Love
The broad range of “love” stories include The Black Stallion, Lethal Weapon, When Harry Met Sally..., Titanic, and Brokeback Mountain.

Chapter Seven: Whydunit
The “detective” seeks the dark side and discovers “us” — as seen in All the President’s Men, Blade Runner, Fargo, Mystic River, and Brick.

Chapter Eight: Fool Triumphant
This “fish out of water” tale stars an underdog we overlook in Being There, Tootsie, Forrest Gump, Legally Blonde, and The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

Chapter Nine: Institutionalized
Who matters most, the individual or the group? It’s Man vs. “the herd” in M*A*S*H, Do the Right Thing, Office Space, Training Day, and Crash.

Chapter Ten: Superhero
Extraordinary man faces the ordinary world... and its Lilliputians in Raging Bull, The Lion King, The Matrix, Gladiator, and Spider-Man 2.

277 afterword
So what about Ghost? — How to best use this book to create any story you’re working on and make it resonate!


Glossary Redux
Even More Terms from the 310 Area Code — An updated slangfest of Cat! phrases explained once and for all, including such new terminology as the “chase to the airport,” the “button,” the “Half Man,” and the “eye of the storm.”

About the Author

[Brenden Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like "Save the Cat" more than a lot of people because I think that even if you are confident in your sense of structure and/or you have your own preferred screenwriting "system," you can always improve your work by returning to the fundamentals. With "Save the Cat Goes the Movies," Blake Snyder has produced a screenwriting book for people who don't like screenwriting books by doing something simple. He just goes through various movies and calls out how they follow traditional three-act structure by fitting them into his patented 15-point beat sheet. That's the whole book and its great.

Snyder breaks the book into 10 sections comprising what he considers to be the ten types of stories. I think writing teachers always get themselves in trouble when they try to break things down in terms of genres, modes, types of stories, or whatever you want to call them. Ultimately, there are similar stories that can sort of be grouped together, but eventually you find one that is both a sci-fi and a western, or, to use the categorizations in this book, the "Golden Fleece" and "Buddy Love" narrative. Nonetheless, it is useful to talk about similar movies with similar structural devices and I can't think of a better way to do it. If you can, you should write a screenwriting book. As they say, couldn't be me.

Of course, Snyder dissects some of the most predictable movies so often cited as great examples of film writing, such as "Die Hard" and "When Harry Met Sally," but the book is at its best when it cleanly fits more complicated and experimental films like "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" or lesser film like "Crash" into the structure. Another strength of the book comes when he rattles off 3-5 films that are remarkably similar back-to-back and helps you see both the constants and the subtle deviations within his various groupings.

Reading or listening to "Save the Cat Goes to the Movies" is a great way to get in structural reps and brush up on the fundamentals without too much effort. And because Snyder breaks the films into these fairly arbitrary categories, we decided to pick up a print edition to pull out when we are working on something similar here at the Gallagher-Downs household. After all, nothing beats actually watching movies.

For those of you who are still skeptical of screenwriting gurus, I recommend giving it a listen instead of whatever podcast you were going to put on tonight and stop if it doesn't work for you. I bet you can't turn it off or put it down.

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 stars
I haven't read Blake Snyder's first book, but I have read Jessica Brody's Save the Cat Writes a Novel. In my opinion, the plot structure set out by Save the Cat is only one option - any plot structure out there can do the trick (and basically all hit the same points) - the 3 act structure, 7 point plot structure, hero's journey - and Save the Cat can actually be quite confusing to get your head around compared to some, to be honest. However, I really love the idea of the Save the Cat genres, and actually feel they are a really helpful way of thinking about story, and I wanted to hear more about those so picked up this book (on audio).

Blake divides the book into a chapter for each genre, introduces each and then basically takes you through the plot (using the Save the Cat plot points) of five different movies, to demonstrate five subgenres of each genre. So, it's comprehensive in that sense. I myself skipped a lot of the movies (dull if you never saw the movies) but did read all the chapter intros and the introductory & final chapters, and a few of the descriptions of the movies I know. Blake's kinda chatty style irritated me a bit - I mean, why assume I am sitting in Starbucks, am reacting a certain way to what you've written, and write as though we're sat at a table chatting together? - and there are few subtly dated statements that made me wince a little. It also really irritated me that he used the actors' names when going through the movie plots, instead of the characters' - especially jarring when it came to When Harry Met Sally even!

I wouldn't say this is a writer's must-have or anything like that, but it passed some time for me between novels and was fun to hear about some examples of his Save the Cat genres. It does well what it set out to do.

[Juan Camilo Velandia Quijano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Por años fui aplazando la lectura de este libro. Lo compré en físico hace mucho tiempo, porque eso es lo que uno hace cuando se quiere volver libretista, pero por alguna razón lo había dejado ahí, esperando. Pensaba que era lo mismo de siempre y ya en la maestría me habían enseñado TODO lo que había que saber para hacer un guion. ¿No se ve la equivocación a kilómetros? Ahora sí, en ese momento, no.

No hay nada mejor que aprender de expertos, y sin duda Blake Snyder es uno de ellos. Puede que solo se haya ganado un Razzie (Premio al PEOR guion) en su corto y efímero trabajo como libretista, pero sin duda conocía (falleció en 2009) sobre el arte de escribir y las claves que se deben tener en cuenta. El segundo tomo de su colección de "¡Salva Al Gato!" es muy clara y divertida, llena de "disecciones" en la Hoja de Tiempos de Blake Snyder de muchas películas conocidas, donde se puede ver claramente que el modelo existe y lo que se ha hecho por años, y se seguirá haciendo, es calcarlo con unos giros de tuerca más.

Su punto de vista sobre la escritura de guion para largometraje es mucho más fresca que la de otros libros mucho más académicos, no por eso menos efectiva o útil. Es más fácil de entender, casi como "Screenwriting For Dummies" o algo parecido, pero sin subestimar al lector. Más bien, se va por el lado de la comedia y las bromas sencillas para hacer sonreír mientras explica su propia versión de los géneros cinematográficos, como se agrupan y caben en sus descripciones, y como aplicarlas de la mejor manera a la escritura de cada lector.

[Dev · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have had Save the Cat on my To Read list for a LONG time. Thankfully, I stumbled across this sort-of sequel within the depths of a friend's library and quickly blazed through it!

I would still be down to read the original StC, but I gotta say this one wasn't my favorite. I really enjoyed Snyder's in-depth movie breakdowns and learned a TON about the important beats of a script. Framing the beats within the context of classic films was an incredible way to communicate them to the reader, who may have wanted more examples following his initial book.

The breakdowns for the movies I had seen were really easy to follow (because of course I knew what was happening), but I did find myself struggling with some of the others. The author's habit of using the actor's name in some contexts and the character name in others was VERY confusing if you were not already familiar with the plot. He also had some personal descriptions that didn't really resonate with me, such as- "I cried like a sorority girl." That seemed like an odd comparison to make and pulled me out of the text. Maybe "partied like a sorority girl" would make sense, but I didn't think sorority girls were more notorious for crying than anyone else?

Ultimately though, this is a great tool for newbie screenwriters or big movie buffs! I would recommend it as a learning resource because it zeros in your focus on the important moments to hit in a successful script.

[jun6lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book walks you through 50 genres, (10 with 5 sub-genres each) as defined by Blake in the second chapter of his first STC book. It walks you through the "clear as day, now that you mention it" rules and conventions that follow each of them and it's astounding how frequently (on the verge of always) they hold true.

Eg: Pure MITH films such as Jaws, Jurassic Park, and Alien, for instance, follow the exact same path, a monster is unleashed upon a group of folk due to the sin of greed. Then almost aligning to the minute, there are false victory parties, key information reveals, and deaths.

For each of the 50 sub-genres, there is an overlayed beat sheet for one film as an example template bundled with a short list of cousin films that would follow in the same conventions. I revisit chapters of this whenever I kick off a new idea, depending on where it lands in terms of genre(s).

After all, even if you're of the rebel frame of mind. You can't break the rules constructively, without first understanding what they are and their purpose.

----
The full series sits on my shelf as reference books that I revisit when working on new projects. Blake's passion and enthusiasm were clearly apparent in his three books, through his conversational tone and bursting need to inspire. A great asset, for sure. (RIP.)

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

All stories are about transformation. Which is the motto of the book. This book reviews a lot of movies many I've seen and some I haven't. I snagged this one to help in better understanding how films are put together with different themes. Which is all-encompassing all important in any story. I remember some of our more current films that lack the theme. If you get anything else out of this book you MUST understand the deeper meaning of theme. Without a theme you don't have a good film. Forget all the current ‘women hating’ ‘men hating’ movie tropes the problem with these films and TV shows is they don't have a theme. This book clearly shows you great films and specifically points out the theme and how it affects the story. There are other great notes as well, such as what elements must be included to make it a Monster in the House story. I recommend it as a secondary source for anyone studying screen writing or just enjoying films. It walks you through the major types of stories and categorizes the films in them and gives you some great examples. You should watch these films after you finish the book. Not to mention there's a glossary in the back which gives you some Hollywood terms that might help you if you're in a screenwriting situation with other screenwriters.

[Ron Stoltz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the books that I keep off my bookshelf and onto my desk where I attempt to write. Currently I'm working on a faith-based Christmas dog adventure screenplay "The Christmas Diamond in the Ruff" and I got my Save the Cat series there to help.

I really like how in the Save the Cat series, Blake Snyder and other writers are able to break down the complexity of movie making into simple terms. Some people call it formulaic, but I disagree.
I tend to lean on the Einstein quote here "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." I think that Blake understood story and made it simple for people like me.

I especially liked Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies because it took me there. It went from theory to practice on movies I already knew about. It got me from A to C and showed me how they got there. Well done!

Granted I've never written a screenplay before, but it was nice to learn about.

[Vance Knox · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking to learn more screenwriting in this book, think again. It is a collection of pitches followed by a synopsis of the movie. He lays out the beats for you as he tells the tale. Most of these movies are kinda recent.

It is a damn interesting read for almost anybody.

Writers will learn by osmosis how to write the dreaded short and long synopsis editors and publishers are looking for. They wanna see the big picture. Your story telling skills will be analyzed at a later date.

I’m not a scriptwriter, but I heard that if you have all three of these books, you’ll have a complete screenwriting course in your hands. Not sure if that’s true.

Not having read the original, let’s me rate this book as a stand-alone.

It’s a little this review. Mainly because, even though I don’t write scripts, many people will get value from this as I did.

[Kirstie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As promised you don't need to have read the original Save The Cat book to understand/learn from this one (I haven't read the first yet, though I do intend to).
The break downs of the 'genres' are well thought out and give you a deeper understanding of what makes that type of story work, and having the plots of multiple films in each of the genres broken down helps you really absorb the information. It was frustrating however that in these plot break downs the characters were often referred to by the actor name which left me confused frequently. That's my only complaint though.
A good book for writers of any kind

[Ville Verkkapuro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a useful tool, a great reminder, but not a great stand alone book. Not even necessary, but a nice element for reminding yourself of everything Blake Snyder has to teach.
I love Save the Cat. It is the single most useful tool in regards of structuring a story and finding the true essence of what you want to say.
This was just a repetitive package of multiple movies and every genre in STC. It's a go-to book when you are starting something new, but feels kinda funny to read in one sitting. Or listen.
I feel like a better writer after reading this, but not much.
Save the Cat and Save the Cat Strikes Back are enough to get you going. I'd rather read those twice than this.

[OGEE Substack · Rating 5 out of 5]

After watching all 50 indie films in Blake Snyder's companion book to this one, I recently finished all 50 of these films as well. And the book. There are some phenomenal movies in here: Alien, Fatal Attraction, Eternal Sunshine, Maria Full of Grace, Gladiator. The list goes on and on. There were also quite a few that I hated: Saw (literally the worst movie ever), The Nutty Professor, What Women Want. The list goes on and on.

Undoubtedly though, this book really helped me to further understand story structure and now I'm almost ready to start writing my own spec scripts in each of the genres. I highly recommend this series!