Nate Write

“Sometimes the catalyst can be a piece of information that a character receives. Such a catalyst orients the audience to the subject of the story through dialogue”
― Linda Seger, Making a Good Script Great

“It turns the action in a new direction. It raises the central question again and makes us wonder about the answer. It often requires a decision or commitment on the part of the main character. It raises the stakes. It pushes the story into the next act. It takes the audience into a new arena, where a character’s actions may be seen with a new focus.”
― Linda Seger, Making a Good Script Great

“The catalyst begins a story’s action. Something happens—a crime occurs, a letter arrives, Aunt Mary appears on the doorstep—and from that moment on the story is defined. Until the catalyst kicks off the story, the only information the audience has is where and when the film takes place. But once an event happens, the story suddenly has focus and direction.”
― Linda Seger, Making a Good Script Great

“Sometimes a catalyst is situational, made up of a series of incidents that add up over a period of time. This sort of catalyst is rare, because hinting at action is usually not a strong way to start a story. Three films that have situational catalysts are Tootsie, Back to the Future, and Some Like It Hot. Tootsie, for instance, introduces the New York theater world, showing how difficult it is to get a job.”
― Linda Seger, Making a Good Script Great