Story structure

Save the Cat

Blake Snyder's Save the Cat is the most-used commercial-screenwriting template of the last twenty years. Fifteen beats, pinned to specific page numbers, with a hard discipline that forces you to put the story's engine parts in the right places.

Who it's for

Commercial features, romantic comedies, family films, and studio action. Save the Cat is opinionated about pacing — if you want to write something quiet or experimental, pick a looser structure.

The beats

1
Opening Image
A visual that sets the tone and shows the before snapshot.
2
Theme Stated
Someone states the theme or lesson the hero will learn.
3
Set-Up
Introduce the hero, their world, and what needs fixing.
4
Catalyst
The moment that changes everything and starts the adventure.
5
Debate
The hero questions whether to take on the challenge.
6
Break into Two
The hero chooses to enter the new world.
7
B Story
Introduce the love story or friendship that teaches the theme.
8
Fun and Games
The promise of the premise — what we came to see.
9
Midpoint
Stakes are raised with either a false victory or false defeat.
10
Bad Guys Close In
External pressure mounts as internal doubts grow.
11
All Is Lost
The opposite of the Midpoint — total defeat.
12
Dark Night of the Soul
The hero processes their loss and finds new resolve.
13
Break into Three
The hero finds the solution using theme and A+B story fusion.
14
Finale
The hero proves they have changed by facing the final test.
15
Final Image
The opposite of the opening image — proof of transformation.

How to use it

Fill in the Opening Image, Theme Stated, and Final Image first — the thematic bookends. Then lock Catalyst (page 12), Break Into Two (page 25), Midpoint (page 55), and All Is Lost (page 75). Your page numbers are load-bearing; the beats hang off them.

Example

Mapped to

Legally Blonde (2001)

Opening Image: Elle's sorority letter. Theme Stated: 'You look like the Fourth of July.' Catalyst: Warner dumps her. Break Into Two: she gets into Harvard. B Story: Emmett. Fun and Games: Elle in law school. Midpoint: Brooke Taylor-Windham case. All Is Lost: Callahan's harassment. Dark Night of the Soul: packing to quit. Break Into Three: Paulette and Emmett convince her to stay. Finale: the courtroom victory. Final Image: Elle as valedictorian.

Common pitfalls

Ignoring the page numbers. Save the Cat is opinionated for a reason — late Catalysts kill momentum.
Using Theme Stated as a tagline. It's a line another character delivers, almost in passing.
Skipping the B Story. The B Story carries the theme; without it, the Finale has nothing to argue with.

Ship this

Get Save the Cat as a printable PDF + Fountain scaffold.

Every structure on this page ships as a landscape-letter beat board (PDF, print-ready) and a matching .fountain outline that drops into any screenwriting tool. $29 for all fourteen. $79 adds three craft worksheets on top.

See Story Kit →Starter — $29