Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter's Guide to Every Story Ever Told
Product ID: 1613381
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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. Review: I wish my cat would watch movies and not sleep all day... - After reading the very interesting and helpful Save the Cat!, I was immediately attracted to its sequel. While complementary to its big brother, this book also stands entirely on its own. What I really like about both books is their overall tone, the easy way Mr Snyder writes about movies/screenplays. Technical terms are included but I felt more like somebody talking to me than somebody trying to teach me something the (sometimes) dry way that teachers have. Even movies that don't attract me very much reveal themselves to be a lot more appealing when broken up into all the parts a screenplay must include. As a writer and budding screenwriter, I've learned a lot from Snyder's two books and even though one system works for one person and not another, the tips he shares with readers are for just about anyone because they're all about logic. Once you have the bases down, you can fill out the blanks on your own in a much easier way which makes it all as fun as it should be. Another thing that's uplifting about these books is Mr Snyder's self confidence. I wish I had just a tenth of that but I suppose it grows over time (and successes). Still, it's also reassuring to know that even seasoned and successful writers still have downs and doubts - it's makes the rest of us feel a little less alone on those dreadful Whatever-possessed-me-to-choose-writing days. A look through one of the Cat! books and the sun shines again. So thank you, Mr Snyder, and long live the Cat! series. Review: Understandable. Useful. Unique! - You won't find the traditional genres "action-adventure" or "romantic comedy" here. Synder swaps those for genre-predicaments like "Monster in the House" and "Dude with a Problem." He identifies ten of them as the engines of all hits. He then decomposes the plots of several blockbusters in each genre to show how that engine operates. His insights are fascinating because, without the distinction of genre as he defines it, you might assume that "Three Days of the Condor" and "Sleeping with the Enemy" are fundamentally different. By traditional definitions, one is a spy thriller and the other is a woman-jeopardy thriller. But in the gospel according to Blake, those two movies are twins. Knowing why will not only make you a better screenwriter but will also give you a better appreciation of the high art of crafting the blockbusters that almost never win the snob awards. Do get this book if you are writing spec scripts. But if you are writing indies, proceed with caution--with any book of rules. Certainly the gurus will preach that the rules of structure can strengthen any story and that, at the very least, you should master the rules before you break them. True enough. But you don't want to get so locked into the box of rules that you can't think outside of it. The goal in indies, in my humble opinion, should not be to make blockbusters on the cheap but to take risks and evolve the cinematic form in ways the studios won't. Gerald Everett Jones is the author of My Inflatable Friend: The Confessions of Rollo Hemphill and several books on digital filmmaking, including 24P: Make Your Digital Movies Look Like Hollywood
| Best Sellers Rank | #343,057 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #28 in Screenwriting (Books) #212 in Performing Arts (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 665 Reviews |
L**R
I wish my cat would watch movies and not sleep all day...
After reading the very interesting and helpful Save the Cat!, I was immediately attracted to its sequel. While complementary to its big brother, this book also stands entirely on its own. What I really like about both books is their overall tone, the easy way Mr Snyder writes about movies/screenplays. Technical terms are included but I felt more like somebody talking to me than somebody trying to teach me something the (sometimes) dry way that teachers have. Even movies that don't attract me very much reveal themselves to be a lot more appealing when broken up into all the parts a screenplay must include. As a writer and budding screenwriter, I've learned a lot from Snyder's two books and even though one system works for one person and not another, the tips he shares with readers are for just about anyone because they're all about logic. Once you have the bases down, you can fill out the blanks on your own in a much easier way which makes it all as fun as it should be. Another thing that's uplifting about these books is Mr Snyder's self confidence. I wish I had just a tenth of that but I suppose it grows over time (and successes). Still, it's also reassuring to know that even seasoned and successful writers still have downs and doubts - it's makes the rest of us feel a little less alone on those dreadful Whatever-possessed-me-to-choose-writing days. A look through one of the Cat! books and the sun shines again. So thank you, Mr Snyder, and long live the Cat! series.
G**S
Understandable. Useful. Unique!
You won't find the traditional genres "action-adventure" or "romantic comedy" here. Synder swaps those for genre-predicaments like "Monster in the House" and "Dude with a Problem." He identifies ten of them as the engines of all hits. He then decomposes the plots of several blockbusters in each genre to show how that engine operates. His insights are fascinating because, without the distinction of genre as he defines it, you might assume that "Three Days of the Condor" and "Sleeping with the Enemy" are fundamentally different. By traditional definitions, one is a spy thriller and the other is a woman-jeopardy thriller. But in the gospel according to Blake, those two movies are twins. Knowing why will not only make you a better screenwriter but will also give you a better appreciation of the high art of crafting the blockbusters that almost never win the snob awards. Do get this book if you are writing spec scripts. But if you are writing indies, proceed with caution--with any book of rules. Certainly the gurus will preach that the rules of structure can strengthen any story and that, at the very least, you should master the rules before you break them. True enough. But you don't want to get so locked into the box of rules that you can't think outside of it. The goal in indies, in my humble opinion, should not be to make blockbusters on the cheap but to take risks and evolve the cinematic form in ways the studios won't. Gerald Everett Jones is the author of My Inflatable Friend: The Confessions of Rollo Hemphill and several books on digital filmmaking, including 24P: Make Your Digital Movies Look Like Hollywood
C**S
The HOLY GRAIL of Screenwriting Books.
I have ALL of the screenwriting books. ALL OF THEM. 95% of them are useless. If there's ONE book you need, this is it. It will inspire you to break down movies on your own to understand structure AND emotional storytelling. Obviously, this is not a PRESCRIPTIVE guide, but Blake may be the best teacher of them all. And no, it's not just for hacky screenwriters or people who want to write the next Die Hard rip-off so they can buy a big house in the Hollywood Hills. This is not a formula. There are no magic beans. This is a reference guide, an open-ended model for cataloguing different forms of storytelling. This is a book to help the artists out there ORGANIZE their thoughts and story lines. REAL SCREENWRITERS working in Hollywood do the exact same thing as Blake does for all the movies in this book, which is to break them down and EXAMINE THE FORM. ALL THREE Snyder books have a permanent place on my desk! I recommend buying SAVE THE CAT and SAVE THE CAT STRIKES BACK too, the latter being even more impressive...
E**I
Beat sheets for Movies
This book is basically beat sheets for movies. The book is broken down into genres. You can probably find more beat sheets for different movies online done by other people. But heck, these were done by Snyder so you know it's gotta be accurate. I wish the book had more information such as what the movie did right and what the movie did wrong. Other things that would have been nice if there were strengths and weaknesses of each movie or what he thought could have been done better.
R**P
Best screenwriting book
Over the years I feared that I'd become a professional reader of "How to write a screenplay" books. This book when read and studied in conjunction with Mr. Snyder's first Save the Cat book cured me. These two truly are the only books you'll need to learn the ropes AND maintain screenwriting skills. While Save the Cat is a no punches pulled, tight read on structure, story and plot, etc., "Goes to the Movies" takes these arts a giant step further. GTM breaks down genres and tells the writer what to look for, how to plot, and how to structure each type of SP. And Mr. Snyder uses popular movie examples to illustrate his points. Another plus because I'm sick of reading a How-tos that serve as advertisements for the author's unproduced SPs. Unlike the vast majority of other How-to's, Mr. Snyder trims the pork and the "There I was" filler anecdotes and delivers in 280 pages what it would take others to convey in 450 pages. Just the facts, ma'am. Highly recommended!
A**A
A great sequel.
Blake Snyder's first book, "Save the Cat," is an amazing read. You can check out my review for it... Long story short, I was starting work on a feature-length script and decided to buy the book first. One of the best decisions I had made because it has helped me in ways I didn't even imagine. Luckily for me, I also bought this one. And after I finished the first one I jumped STRAIGHT into this one. While this book is pretty standalone, its true value lies within reading it AFTER you read the first, because the first explains the terms and the methods and everything, and this is a list of examples of big, well-known movies. If after the first book you thought "Are movies really that easily categorized?" then this book will answer your question big time. So if you read the first one and are considering buying this, do it. It goes hand in hand. If you haven't bought any, I suggest you get them both and read them in order. If not, just get the first one. Maybe I'm biased but I don't think this book does that well on its own.
B**N
Absolutely as good as the original
The original "Save The Cat" got me interested in writing again, after I had all but given up... Blake's insights, and his clear and frank explanations were world-changing for me. The sequel is just as good. Lots of clearly presented material that can be digested and used by anyone with an interest in story telling. If you are interested in understanding how story-telling works, get "STC" and "STC! Goes to the Movies". You won't be sorry. One interesting thing: this book made me understand clearly which genres I am not interested in -- and why. It's good to know what you don't like, so that you can stear clear. One error: the subtitle of the original STC is "The Last Book You'll Need...". The subtitle is wrong. You need this one too.
E**N
Blake Snyder Makes It Even Better!
If you know how AMAZING Save the Cat! is as a screenplay writing blueprint you'll also see the immense value in having the creator of this simple and effective system analyze FIFTY films from many decades. He shows you ALL the 15 beats and gives you a full five films for each of his ten story genres. How better to really dig in and learn this structure/character motivation system than by seeing how it plays out on films you're already familiar with. This is what Save the Cat! goes to the Movies is all about. In my humble opinion this book is worth every penny and it's joyously being read more than once on my Kindle! Erik
D**L
Very good product
The book arrived on time and in perfect conditions
A**R
Great book!
Awesome!!
R**R
Not for every one
If you thinks that Save The Cat is the only screenplay book that works for you then you should buy this book. But if are exploring all other screenplay books in the market better invest this money on a different book, coz this is book is more of an exercise book than a knowledge book
G**A
Parfait Compagnon
Livre très pratique, clair et concis. Une analyse des genres cinématographiques originale et plutôt pertinente. Un très bon compagnon pour orienter le visionnage de films pendant l'écriture!
S**.
This is only a photocopy of the original book!
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