Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need

by Blake Snyder

Pick up the movie section of your newspaper. Review each of the movies available and decide what genre they fall into. If you go see that movie, compare and contrast it with the other movies in that genre. Were you drawn to it because of the type of movie it is? Grab your handy TV Guide and go to the movie loglines. Going down the list to check films you’ve seen, write what genre each falls into. (Using the categories above, simply assign a number to each movie you’ve seen.) Does it work? Does every movie listed fall into a genre? For the movie idea or script you’re working on now, decide what category it falls into. Then make a list of other movies in that genre. As homework, go to your local Blockbuster and see how many of these are available. Make notes about how they compare and contrast to each other. Can you better explain what type of movie your idea or finished script is part of? Finally, for those of you who love to find exceptions to the rules, make up your own genre and give it a name. Find three other movies in that genre. Can you find five? Maybe you’ve discovered a new genre! If you come up with a brand