Save the Cat and its hold
“ I shouldn’t compare his teachings to joining a cocaine snorting cult, but here we are.”
What monster can’t get an inciting incident on page ten? I think to myself during a typical night of bed rotting. It’s 10pm and I’ve struck out yet again while plotting out another project. Surrounding me like a tomb are my notecards and sticky notes of unfinished plots. It’s a vicious cycle, what starts out as a spark, then fizzles out when I realize I can’t break my newest idea into 15 clear cut story beats. During these self-loathing periods, I often think about my relationship to Snyder’s books. What started out as a great tool for me in my beginning years, slowly became an oppressor to me and my passions.
For the uninitiated, Save the Cat is a screenwriting book that quickly became penned as the gold standard after its release in 2005. Since then, it’s sold over two million copies and spawned a whole series of instructional books that range from genre studies to novel writing. Many beginning screenwriters and studio executives raved how the author, Blake Snyder, was able to condense movie structure into “15 easy steps” (that motherfucker..rest in peace). Its user-friendly instructions and snappy voice made it an easy book to pick up and follow. It’s no surprise that it has gained a cult-like following among studios and filmmakers in recent years. I should know, I used to be a die hard follower for the cult of Snyder.
I discovered Save the Cat during my time as an undergrad. While my knowledge of story was innate, my ability to materialize my thoughts and ideas was limited. So for someone who just wanted a starting point, I readily absorbed any and all slop that Snyder had to offer me. His methods gave me a much needed release and what followed was a euphoric sense of accomplishment. His ideals took inspiration from the Hero’s journey and I was able to follow his instruction with ease. There was a certain elation I felt when I was finally able to plan and execute my first feature length script that was destined to be awful (30 seconds of silence for my beloved first attempt). It was a high that I would continue to chase on future projects.
Unfortunately, the high would never return. Instead came the restlessness, the paranoia, and the panic. The formula worked once before, why doesn’t it hit anymore?
I was in the bathroom sniffing each line Snyder was willing to give (believe me). However, now that I’m a few years deep into my screenwriting career, I’ve realized that there’s way more to story than what this man had to offer me. Even more than that, I realized the way I was taught his materials also impacted my ability to be creative. When I struggle to follow his award winning formula to the T, I self criticise. Unable to truly absorb his teachings, I separated from the church of Snyder, scathed and forever changed.
Like a coke-fueled haze, Hollywood is currently in a Save the Cat frenzy. Considered the Hollywood standard to some studios, many cannot get enough of Snyder’s simple formulas and snappy one liners. Meaning I don’t think these snow bunnies will be coming down any time soon. Like an advanced Madlib, Snyder coined an easily digestible step by step outline called “The Snyder Beats” that quickly caught on with writers and then eventually studios. By making his concepts easily accessible to executives, he effectively enlightened a group of people who have no actual interest in the story development process.
My assumption is executives like the predictability of the scripts. And with an increase of larger budgets attached, Studios hope that these stories will be inoffensive enough to make a modest profit. Snyder Beats were a godsend to me and acted as placeholder until I could find another process that worked for me. However, therein lies the problem, what is considered a placeholder for me, and a lot of distinguished writers, is a studio’s dogma that refuses to be replaced. Because these executives aren’t actually interested in improving their storytelling skills, they don’t feel the need to find new and innovative structures.
I can’t blame Snyder for any of his books. In fact, I believe there are some gems and nuggets of wisdom (I hope your estate is still making money, honey). However, we are entering a new era where past stories are easily accessible and future stories are clamoring for attention like they never have before. Basically, it’s going to take new combinations and structures to keep audience interests. Oscar winning film Everything Everywhere All At Once was genre bending, with deep emotional moments. Did that have a B-story specifically on page 45? I don’t think so.
To ease your defenses, think of me as a lowly heckler that stands on a soapbox outside the club. Save the Cat has been a godsend for countless writers who are looking to break into the industry. I don’t want to dissuade anyone from reading it themselves, in fact I encourage it. However, as new and unconventional stories start to gain recognition once more, I don’t believe following a formula will be able to make true believers out of anyone. So to make a long long story short, wipe your nose. Detox or at least try some K instead. (For legal purposes, that was a joke…)
