PRAISE FOR BEAT BY BEAT
“odd Klick’s brilliance shines through his masterully conceived and beautiully executed Beat by Beat , a must read or screenwriters whether you’re a total novice or an Oscarwinner—thiss book is a case study in smarts. I’ve never been winner—thi one to suggest that screenwriting (or acting, or wardrobe, or set design, etc.) can be ‘learned’ by someone without the ‘born gif’—but in the case o Beat by Beat I I suggest this gif can be, and will be beautiully enhanced. O equal or greater value, Beat by Beat will will make your screenplay marketable, bankable, producible—and it won’t take long beore they are calling you and your work ‘genius.’” —John Philip Dayton, CBS executive producer, director, Matlockk, Te Ray writer; Te Waltons, Eight Is Enough, Matloc Bradbury Teatre
“When intuition and verve stall, and your story stops ‘writing itsel,’ odd Klick’s Beat by Beat will be your new best riend.” —John L. Geiger , coauthor, Creativity & Copyright
“Tere have been other books that have dissected films beore, but none to the detail o odd Klick’s Beat by Beat . Discover the amazing intricacy o film(s) one minute at a time.” —Matthew Terry , filmmaker, screenwriter, teacher
“Beat by Beat takes takes screenplay story structure down to its smallest elemental level, guiding you on a minute-by-minute minute-by- minute journey through through what makes some some o the most popular popular films resonate so strongly with filmgoers. Klick delivers a book that’s specific enough to get you placing all the right moments in exactly the right places, while also being broad enough to allow your creativity to explore and discover.” —Tom Farr, writer, teacher, storyteller (whisperproject.net)
“Beat by Beat presents presents a rereshing new take on the ageold challenge o writing a book that will aid and inspire screenwriters. screenwrit ers. It is a useul tool or jumpstarting the scriptwriting process, but can also be applied as a way o doublechecking story beats on a script well under way. One o its key strengths is it can be adapted to most any visual narrative medium rom eature films, short films, and television episodes to webisodes and beyond.” —Roy Finch, assistant proessor, Chapman University
“A beat sheet that covers undamentals and genres. odd Klick has uncovered what makes great cinematic storytelling. A must or anyone in the business to make their film important and lasting.” —Dave Watson, editor, Movies Matter
“Screenwrit Screenwriters ers . . . Beat by Beat is is a book you’ll find most invaluable invalu able in your quest to write the next “Monumental Movie o the Millennium”! Tis book is your pass to the head o the line.” —Forris Day Jr., reviewer and writer, scaredstiffreviews.com
(davesaysmoviesmatter.com)
T O D D
K L I C K
Beat by Beat A Cheat Sheet for for Screenwriters
Published by Michael Wiese Productions 12400 Ventura Blvd. #1111 Studio City, CA 91604 (818) 379-8799, (818) 986-3408 (Fax)
[email protected] www.mwp.com Manuactured in the United States o America Cover design by Johnny Ink. johnnyink.com Interior design by Debbie Berne Copyediting by David Wright Copyright © 2016 odd odd Klick Tis book was set in Minion Pro and Gotham.
All rights reserved. No part o this book may be reproduced in any orm or by any means without permission in writing rom the publisher, except or the inclusion o brie quotations in a review.
Te author acknowledges the copyright owners o the ollowing motion pictures rom which single rames have been used in this book or purposes o commentary, criticism, and scholarship under the Fair Use Doctrine.
Library o Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Skyall ©2012 ©2012 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Columbia Pictures, All Rights Reserved.
Klick, odd, author. Beat by beat : a cheat sheet or screenwriters / by odd Klick. Studio City, CA : Michael Wiese Productions, 2016. | Includes filmography. LCCN 2015043174 | ISBN 9781615932467 LCSH: Motion picture authorship—Handbooks, manuals, etc. LCC PN1996 .K618 2016 | DDC 808.2/3—dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015043174
Te Avengers ©2012 Marvel Studios, All Rights Reserved. Te Hangover ©2009 ©2009 Warner Bros., All Rights Reserved. A Beautiul Mind ©2001 ©2001 Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, All Rights Reserved. Te Conjuring ©2103 ©2103 Warner Bros., All Rights Reserved. Gone Girl ©2014 20th Century Fox, All Rights Reserved.
Hitchcock quote, page 22, rom Hitchcock by Francois ruffaut, 1967, Simon & Schuster.
o Ray
CONTENTS
Foreword 9 Preace 10 Don’t Skip Tis Part! 11 Four Tings You Need to to Know (Beore Reading Tis Book) 12 Frequently Asked Questions 13 1 Minute = 1 Scree Screenplay nplay Page 17 op 10 Movie Archetyp es 17 Essential Elements 20 4-Act Structure 22 urning Points 24
15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
ACT 1
27 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14
Attension! 26 Te Build 28 Te Ratchet 30 Another Notch 32 Jaw Dropper 34 Friend or Fist 36 Friend or Fist 2 38 Something Startling Happens Te Pursuit 42 Te Discussion 44 Te Warning 46 Inciting Incident 49 Harsher Warning 50 Te Submission 52 Danger Watch 54
28 29 30
Whew, Tat Was Close! 56 Te Big Concern 58 World Upside Down 60 urning Point 17 63 rouble urn 64 Te Treat 66 Push Back 68 Te Great Effect 70 ruth Declared 72 Scary Stuff 74 Scary Stuff 2 76 Scary Stuff 3 78 Te Big Unexpected 80 Te Mini-Quest 82 Big Quest Prep 84 Big Quest Prep 2 86 Te Need 88 Act 1 Checklist 90 Te Quest 90
38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45
46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56
ACT 2
40
57 58
31 32 33 34 35 36 37
Distress Signal 92 Anxiety Amp 94 Ominous Oh No 96 Friend Effect 98 Bait and Switch 100 Hide and Seek 102 Over His Head 104
59 60
Positive Reconnect 106 New Journey Bond 108 Ally’s World 110 Torny Rose 112 Surprise Reveal 114 Surprise Reveal 2 116 New News 118 Out o the Ordinary 120 urning Point 45 123 Te Revelation 124 Te Escort 126 Needed Knowledge 128 Foreboding Fact 130 Te Portent 132 Te Engage 134 Say Uncle 136 Te Intimidation 138 Te Lightbulb 140 Sideswipe 142 Dark wist Chat 144 Difficult Words 146 Vital Event 148 Te Deception 150 Te Shocker 152 Act 2 Checklist 154 Te Midpoint 154 Tings to Keep in Mind or Act 3 154
ACT 4
ACT 3 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75
76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85
Plus Minus 156 Flirtin’ with Disaster 158 Ally Attack 160 Bad Guy Treat 162 Te Resistance 164 Positive Step 166 Hero Effect 168 Ally Aid 170 Captivating Concern 172 New Journey 174 Bad to the Bone 176 Badder to the Bone 178 Baddest to the Bone 180 Put into Peril 182 Skull and Crossbones 184 urning Point 75 187 Death ap 188 Te Rumble 190 Mystery Mission 192 Mystery Mission 2 194 ick ick Boom 196 Surprised Hero 198 Surprise-Surprise 200 Gotta Go! 202 Gap Subtract 204 Bad Guy Boo-Boo 206 Act 3 Checklist 208 Te Final Quest 208
Worry Wound 210 Damage Done 212 88 Double Damage Done 214 89 Red Alert! 216 90 Rescuing Ally 218 urning Point 90 221 91 Suffer the Weak 222 92 Hugs ’n’ Kisses 224 93 Hugs and Kisses 2 226 94 Te Aggressor 228 95 Te Separation 230 96 Death and Dying 232 97 aping the Knuckles 234 98 Kiss or Spit 236 99 Kiss or Spit 2 238 100 Kiss or Spit 3 240 101 Deeper Deeper 242 102 Te Blow-Up 244 103 Te Blow 246 104 Te Upper Hand 248 105 Te Deceit 250 urning Point 105 253 106 Te Dodge 254 107 Good Does Bad 256 108 Sense o Finality 258 109 Te Extraordinary 260 110 Strong Statement 262 111 urn or the Worse 264 86 87
112 113 114 115 116
117 118 119 120
Charging Shark 266 Te Cage Slam 268 Gets the Better 270 Bleak Meek 272 Kick ’Em While Tey’re Down 274 Reprieve 276 Hope Might Be Lost 278 One Bullet Lef 280 Powder Keg 282 Act 4 Checklist 284 What i My Screenplay Is Longer Tan 120 Pages? 284 Sacrificing the Flaw 285 Tat’s a Wrap! 286 Glossary 287 Beat by Beat imeline imeline Filmography 294 About the Author 295
292
FOREWORD
“I have an idea or your next book,” my publisher, Michael Wiese, said over the phone. We somehow synched our busy schedules and wildly different time zones — he in England, I in Los Angeles. I was deep in the midst o five active writing and filmmaking projects and the thought o adding a sixth to the pile was unappealing. But Michael grabbed my attention by saying the ollowing: “I’d like to do something with your Something Startling Happens story beats; something more streamlined; a kind o cheat sheet or screenwriters.” I raised an eyebrow, like Spock does when an idea appeals to him: Hmm, a cheat sheet or screenwriters . . . ascinating . I loved writing this book! It gave me the opportunity to create the kind o visual screenwriting guide I jonesed or or when I first started penning scripts back in Pennsylvania, but could never find on the shelves. It also gave me the chance to develop a power-packed pictorial aide that summed up what I had learned rom studying over (currently) 400 successul films in my quest to better mysel as a writer. In short, I got to produce my antasy screenwriting book: a go-to guide that eatures all the minute-by-minute storytelling secrets I’ve utilized (and tips I’ve learned rom pros) to pen a bestselling book, option scripts, and sell numerous writing projects or the stage and screen. It is my hope that this book helps you do the same. odd Klick
— 9 —
PREFACE
AC T I O N
Tis book eatures a blockbuster movie rom each o the top-selling genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Horror, and Triller. Te six movies I chose to represent their genres had to meet three criteria, or what I call “Te Holy rinity”: 1) Rated 75% or higher by critics on rottenrotten tomatoes.com; 2) Rated 80% or higher by audiences on
A DV E N T U R E
C O M E DY
D R A MA
— 10 —
rottentomatoes.com; 3) Earned a minimum worldwide gross rottentomatoes.com; o $300 million. In other words, audiences and critics not only loved these movies, but the films also made stacks o cash or their happy producers. wo o these films even grossed over an unbelievable billion dollars . Tese six movies are:
H OR ROR
TH R IL LER
DON’T SKIP THIS PART!
Tese next sections explain the secret recipe. I you ignore this part and go right into cooking your story, the recipe won’t work. ake five minutes to read the next ew sections and the minute-by-minute beats will be ully illuminated. Te best way to use Beat by Beat depends depends on what type o writer you are. Are you a Stephen King type, or a John Irving type? King said his writing process is “like walking through a desert and all at once, poking up through the hardpan, I see the top o a chimney. I know there’s a house down there, and I’m prettyy sure that I can dig it up i I want prett want..” ” Without Without a complete idea o where his story is headed, King starts writing the book, making the discoveries as he plows orward. John Irving, on the other hand, outlines extensively, knowing the fine details o each scene and chapter beore he even begins writing his novel. Whether you are a King or Irving type o writer, or you approach story rom a completely different place altogether, you can use Beat by Beat as a page-by-page metaphor or checklist whenever you’re ready or it, or as an idea booster i you get stuck. I you’re an Irving type o writer, you may want to do your research first, develop your extensive outline, write your first draf, then reerence this book toward the end to see i you’r you’ree addressing each minute-by-min minute-by-minute ute guideline. Or maybe you want to find your story on your own and write a voluminouss 300-page first draf to get it all out o your head. voluminou Cool, go do it. Tat’s antastic. But eventually you may want to visit this book to see i your script addresses the successul minute-by-minute minute-by-min ute beats that all great films use. When in need, this book can also assist while de veloping — 11 —
your overall structure or filling in second act weak spots. Use this book to brainstorm with other writers on how your story should advance or conclude, or to think up resh ways to surprise the audience that is consistent with the minute beats and genre. You can also use this book to fill the gaps in your existing outlines or treatments. When it comes to my own process, I hone a 12- to 17-page outline until the story is structurally s ound, then when I write the script I reerence the beat descriptions as ound in Beat by Beat as as I enter each page. When I first applied the minute-by-minute beats, that’s when I attracted my first manager and advanced quickly to the Nicholl Fellowship quarterfinals. Soon afer I had to hustle to meet another contest deadline with a new script. I didn’t have two months to outline like I usually did, so I decided to jump right right in and “bang “bang it out blind. blind.” Starting at page one with with only a grabber opening in mind, I wrote like Stephen King — discovering the story as I went along. As I approached each script page, I reerenced each beat to keep me on track so I didn’t waste time. I wrote the script in two weeks (a personal record), and sent it off immediately to the PAGE International Screenwriting Contest where I made the finals. Since then, I’ve optioned and sold numerous scripts. My latest screenplays, using the beats as my guide, have recently attracted A-list production companies which have worked on numerous blockbuster movies like Star Wars: Te Force Awakens , Super 8, and Mission Impossible Impossible:: Rogue Natio Nation n . I owe all this attention to the minute-by-minute insights revealed in this book.
FOUR THINGS Y O U N E E D TO KNOW (BEFORE READING THIS BOOK)
1. I
want to make something clear: Te minute-by-minute beats you are about to read are not taken taken rom the original screenplays or shooting scripts. Tey are drawn rom ar superior material: Te final stories you see on the big screen afer they they were filtered through the studios’ vigorous distilling process.
story to story. But what’s important to realize is that they are there. Tese beats should be represented on every page, grand or small, or your screenplay may all short. Te reader or audience subconsciously expects these universal patterns. I you neglect to include them, the audience may eel gypped. ry using the minute-by-minute catch phrases. I spent months paring down the phrases so they are descriptive and precise. Te phrases were initially one sentence long, but afer using them while wrestling with my own scripts, I ound mysel paraphrasing: “Tis is Minute 63, I need an Ally Attack Attack.” Or, “Tis is Minute 77, I gotta have Te Rumble .” Tese un phrases get to the point o what needs to happen in the script — a tremendous time-saver. Writing partners and I use the catchphrases as shorthand. We We even use the phrases while developing stories with clients, with other screenwriters, and during pitch meetings. Te phrases work or us, and they’ll work or you too. 3.
2. You
need to understand that the terms used in this book (like Main Hero, Ally, Bad Guy, Enemy, Villain, Sidekick ) are flexible and interchangeable rom page to page, depending on what’s happening in the scene . Sometimes the enemy becomes the hero or a page (in Te Avengers, Loki becomes the hero or a scene when he aces the intimidating leader o the Chitauri); or the ally becomes the enemy (in Gone Girl , Amy’s ex-boyriend, Desi Collings — who saves her when she loses all her money — becomes her enemy). Sometimes the ally can be an inanimate object (in Te Avengers, Av engers, a computer named Jarvis is ony Stark’s ally, revealing inormation he needs to know), or the hero’s conscience can become the bad guy (in Te Hangover, Stu’s guilt becomes his enemy). You You must be flexible with these terms rom scene to scene or the beats won’t work or you. I also use words like explosion, damage, warning, or threat . Most times an “explosion” will be a literal explosion, or the explosion could be more figurative, like an explosion o emotion . . . A warning can can be very dramatic or it can be something said subtly through clenched teeth. Te dramatic level o these words can change rom page to page, too, or — 12 —
I you’re ond o using index cards while developing your story, this is a technique you’ll find helpul. Afer you’ve outlined your movie, scribble the minute-by-minute catch phrases onto 120 individual index cards, each card representing one minute. Ten brainstorm on the card original ways you can demonstrate that minute in your story. For example, jot down as many Friend or Fist moments moments you can think o on card 6 (Minute 6 or Page 6 o your screenplay), or write as many Whew, Tat Was Close! moments moments as you can on card 15 (Minute 15). Tis’ll help you zero in your creativity and orce originality. 4.
FREQUENTLY
“What happens if a film is only 85 minutes long? Do the
“Sometimes movies are more than 120 minutes long. Do the
ASKED
beats you describe get compressed — sometimes two
minute-by-minute beats extend beyond the two hours men-
QUESTIONS
per page?”
tioned in your book?”
Whether the story stops at Minute 94 (like Te Hangover ), ), or 104 (like Te Conjuring ) or upwards to 120 and beyond (like Skyall, A Beautiul Mind, and Gone Girl ), ), the minuteminute-by-minute (page-by-page) beats remain steadastly consistent. Te beats are like piano keys that are fixed into place. But with those fixed keys you can play an endless variety o original rock and roll, jazz, blues, punk, indie, and orchestral music, whatever you ancy. Te Hangover and Skyall do the exact same same minute-by-minute beats up until 94 . Te Hangover ends on Minute 94 but Skyall continues, continues, adhering to the remaining Minute 95 through Minute 120 beats. Tereore, compressing compressing story beats is unnecessary unnecessary..
Yes, but since the majority o movies sold and distributed are under 120 minutes I trimmed the book to accommodate the practical needs o the average working screenwriter and filmmaker. Do these beats work with different genres?
Yes, which I will demonstrate by using six different genres throughout this book. What’s great about these beats is that it doesn’t matter i you’re writing a thriller, a comedy, horror, drama, action, or adventure, or a combination o two or three genres, the underlining minute-by-minute minute-by-minute beats are still represented in all successul movies. It’s the ground floor o what all movie stories are built upon.
“If every good movie sticks to these minute-by-minute beats, then why are some movies longer than others?”
Is this a formula way of storytelling? Won’t a formula stifle
Movie lengths vary or this reason: Te number and complexity o characters and subplots change rom film to film, requiring different lengths to satisy each unique story arc. But whether the film has a handul o subplots or just one, the writer must still address each minute-by-minute benchmark mentioned in this book to avoid boring the audience — an audience who inherently expects this underlying story rhythm in all the movies they watch.
my creativity?
— 13 —
Te definition o “ormula” is: “a conventionalized statement expressing some undamental principle.” Is Beat by Beat a undamental principle? Absolutely yes. It’s a universal principle that is common in all successul movie-stories. You’re welcome to avoid these undamental principles in your movie storytelling, but don’t be surprised i agents, managers, studio execs, or production companies don’t don’t return your phone calls or e-mails afer you send them your script or independent movie. In addition to looking or a resh voice in your work,
they are subconsciously looking or these universal beats, archetypes, themes, arcs, and conflicts addressed in this bo ok when they’re reading your screenplay or viewing your film — it’s a primal storytelling need ashioned ashioned over a hundred years o industry storytelling. I you’re an experimental independent filmmaker who is fiercely against anything that whiffs o a set way o doing things, fine, go do your thing. But don’t be shocked when your audience alls asleep during your screenings, or walks out altogether. Tere’s a reason why undamental principles — like those ound in geometry or physics — keep a plane in the air or prevent a bridge rom toppling over: they work. So it is with the undamentals o storytelling. Will these undamental principles stifle your creativity? Quite the opposite! Once you know the undamental beats, they ree you to spend your creative time thinking o original ways o telling your story each and every minute! For example, once Picasso mastered the undamental principles o color and design, it reed him to go in a completely different direction visually than all the other painters who preceded him. But here’s the thing: Even though Picasso’s cubist creations looked radically different than anything else the gallery audiences had seen up until that point, each o his successul paintings, at their core, still adhered to the basic undamental principles o color and design. Once he mastered the uni versal basics and applied t hem, it reed him to spend all his energy on creating original, and t imeless, masterpieces. masterpieces. So it can be with your stories.
— 14 —
Will these beats work for short films?
Whether your film is five minutes long, twenty minutes long, or orty-five minutes long, the minute-by-minute beats apply. You still must satisy Aristotle’s theory that all stories need a beginning, middle, and an end, but underneath the beginning-middle-end, no matter what your story’s length, the beats as described in this bo ok remain a universal rhythm or or any visual storytelling length. Can I use these beats when writing television pilots?
Yes, the minute-by-minute beats work whether you’re writing a twenty-two-minute comedy pilot, an hour-long crime drama, or a two-hour V movie. Te universal story rhythms o Beat by Beat apply apply whether you’ you’re re watching a blockbuster on a giant Cineplex screen or a popular series on a tiny home Dropper , television. All visual stories still need Minute 5’s 5’s Jaw Dropper Minute 14’s Danger Watch, or Minute 22’s ruth Declared , etc. How about a webisode? Do the Beat by Beat patterns patterns work for those?
Yes, whether your webisode is three minutes long or up to ten minutes long, the opening minute-by-mi minute-by-minute nute beats need to be applied — along with Aristotle’s beginning-middle-end storytelling story telling theory — to satisy the audience’s inherent rhythms and expectations. During Minutes 1 through 10 the audience will need to experience Attension!, Te Build , Te Ratchet , Another Notch, Jaw Dropper , Friend or Fist , Friend or Fist 2, Something Startling Happens , Te Pursuit, Te Discussion, etc.
How can a director use Beat by Beat ?
Does Beat by Beat work work in foreign films too? Don’t the cul-
A director can use the minute-by-minute minute-by-minute beats as a checklist while working with a writer, developing storyboards with an artist, or on set while working with the director o photography.. A director can also use the phrases in this b ook as verbal phy shorthand when discussing a story with a producer producer,, actor, or director o photography.
tural differences affect the beats?
How can a producer use Beat by Beat ?
I a producer finds a script he likes, but eels there’s something missing in its storytelling, the producer can use Beat by Beat to diagnose what’s missing. Te producer can also reer to this book while working with a director to assure his movie is hitting all the same rhythms that all successul movies are utilizing. How can an editor use Beat by Beat ?
An editor can use the beats in this book as a minute-by-min minute-by-min-ute checklist while trimming down a movie. Tis guide will be a tremendous benefit and time-saver in finding any movie’s story rhythm.
Te beats described in this book apply to all successul successul films, no matter which country they are developed in. Tough some o the themes and political concerns may vary rom culture to culture, the story rhythms are universal and are at the oundation o every good movie. Even though the Japanese culture, or example, may be distinctly different rom the American, Italian, German, or French cultures, their movie storytelling techniques, at the core, still use the exact same b eats. I don’t understand: How can a romantic comedy be the same as a horror movie?
Movies are strikingly similar to architecture. Just Just as a romantic villa built in a sunflower meadow in uscany uscany looks wildly different in appearance than an eerie ransylvania castle once owned by Vlad the Impaler, the architectural principles upon which those uniquely different buildings were designed and constructed are exactly the the same. So it is with movie stories. Can I use Beat by Beat to to write a novel?
How can an actor use Beat by Beat ?
Actors are the visual conduit or expressing the all-important minute-by-minute minute-by-min ute story rhythms to the audience. I an actor ails to touch upon each minute’s specific rhythm or benchmark, than the director and audience will eel something is lacking in his perormance. An actor who has the beats described here in his arsenal will have a distinct subconscious advantage over actors who don’t. — 15 —
Novelists have the luxury o exploring and expanding upon the inner workings o their characters, and the ability to allow page upon page o bountiul description. Despite this literary reedom, however, their main unction is to tell a good story. Since Beat by Beat lays lays out the consecutive beats o successul storytelling in movies, the novelist can borrow these beats as a guide or checklist, especially i he or she wishes to eventually develop their novel into a eature-length film.
How do I break down movies minute-by-minute for myself?
First, rent the movie you wish to analyze. Grab a stopwatch and click it on until it reaches 1:00 (1 minute), then stop it there. Okay, begin the movie. Now, when you restart your stopwatch is crucial. Don’t click on your stopwatch as soon as the credits begin. Start when the story begins. begins. How do you know when the story begins? It’s where the screenwriter most likely began writing the movie afer typing FADE IN. Don’t start when the credits are running, unless the credits are shown while the story is unolding (like in Raiders o the Lost Ark). Also be on the lookout or what I call “James Bond credits,” meaning credits t hat appear afer t he big movie opening. Click your stopwatch off during the James Bond credits and music, unless o course they’re part o the story. Use Use this bo ok as a guide as you stop and start each minute, jotting down your own insights. Sometimes when I break down movies, as suggested in your book, the movie I’m studying doesn’t show your beats. Why is this?
Successul movies adhere strictly to the minute-by-minute beats, as demonstrated over and over in this book. On rare occasions the beats are slightly early or late (usually within five to twenty seconds), but the point is: Te beats are there, or in the vicinity. I finding the beats is difficult or you, try reviewing Step 2 in Four Tings You Need to Know Beore Reading Tis Book, and re-read How do I break down movies
— 16 —
minute-by-minute or mysel? (above) until these concepts become crystal clear in your mind. Just like any skill, you have to master the basics and then practice them until they become second nature. Can Beat by Beat be be used for graphic novels?
Te beats described in this book would be ideal or the visual medium o graphic novels, especially i the writer pens the story between 70 to 120 pages. In such a case, the minute-by-minute ute-by-minu te beats could be applied page by page, much like a film script. Can development executives, managers, or agents use this book?
Although there are many astute agents, managers, and development execs in the business, some still struggle to explain exactly what is wrong with a particular script to their clients. While some executives, managers, and agents demonstrate adequate skill at explaining character arc or the requirements o a three-act structure, they can still find it difficult to troubleshoot those numerous pages between major plot points. Tat’s where this book comes in handy: It explores, in depth, all those in-between pages! For example, i you eel your client’s script is lagging during pages 51–59, you can flip to Minutes 51–59 in this book to see exactly what needs to happen during those pages.
1 MINUTE = 1 SCR EENPL AY PAGE
TOP 10 M OVIE ARCHETYPES
During the early 1900s silent movie era, writers typed simple scene headings and action descriptions or directors. Ten came along Tomas Ince, ounder o Hollywood’s first major studio acility, who — or efficiency — decided to add interiors, exteriors, and camera angle descriptions. Tese screenplays were typewritten with specific margins, giving Ince an idea o how long a movie would be. Tereore, one script page equaled approximately one minute o screen time. By the mid-50s, the powerul studios switched their ocus to marketing and distributing movies, relying more on
producers to package and pitch them film ideas. Tis led to writers creating more “readable” scripts or investors, leaving out technical jargon. Tis approach evolved the screenplay into the modern ormat known as the Master Scene Script, which includes scene headings, action, characters, parentheticals, dialogue, and transitions. You can Google “movie script PDFs” to view examples, or you can buy a computer program which mimics the spacing and type o this popular ormat. I use Final Draf.
o simpliy the reading experience, I usually reer to the Main Hero with masculine pronouns, but the Hero can, o course, be emale.
this particular story, ony ony Stark is the Main Hero because he lessness. undergoes the most extreme arc: selfishness to sel less Te Main Hero is also the person who, toward the end o the movie, sacrifices his flaw or the good o others — a noble act he suffers or, but is also rewarded or. or. ony Stark overcomes his flaw o selfishness by undertaking a suicide mission or the good o mankind, but in doing so he experiences pain when he topples violently back to earth. But or doing so, Stark is rewarded with the other Avengers’ Avengers’ deep respect. Te Main Hero is also orphaned in some way. Either he’s a literal orphan, where one or both parents are dead, or he is emotionally or physically distant rom his mother and/or ather. Why are orphans so effective in storytelling? Because being an orphan is an instant way to draw sympathy rom your audience. Why? Because we’ve all elt alone in the world at some point in our lives. I elt alone in the world when I
NOTE:
Here are the classic Jungian archetypes I see most ofen in successul movies, with one o my own included. Tey are: Main Hero, Sidekick, Maiden, Wise Old Man, Villain, Henchman, Shape-shifer, Trickster, Eternal Child, and Mother Figure. MAIN HERO
Tere can be many heroes in a movie story, so how do you know which is your Main Hero? Te Main Hero experiences the most extreme transormation. In Te Avengers, Captain America, ony Stark, Black Widow, Tor, and Bruce Banner all share heroic moments. So who’s the Main Hero then? In
— 17 —
drove across the United States by mysel to pursue my dreams o writing in Los Angeles, a city where I knew no one. Soon, however, I ound Sidekicks, Wise Old Men, Mother Figures, and Maidens to help me navigate my way through all the Shape-shifers, ricksters, Henchmen, and Villains I would encounter during my quest.
VILLAIN
Te Villain is the main bad guy, but it’s key to understand that the Villain doesn’t see himsel as the bad guy. He sees himsel as the Hero. He is the Main Hero’s primary opponent who will draw out, expose, and test the Main Hero’s flaw. HENCHMAN
SIDEKICK (ALLY)
Te Sidekick (or Ally) is the Main Hero’s buddy, pal, or confidant. He (she) is there to lend an ear, advice, support, and to challenge the Main Hero’s flaw. He is the Samwise Gamgee to Frodo in Lord o the Rings , or Margo to Nick in Gone Girl . Using Sidekicks is also a trick screenwriters use to show what the Main Hero is thinking through dialogue, as opposed to novels where we read the character’s thoughts. Sidekicks help the screenwriter avoid relying too heavily on narration. MAIDEN
Te Maiden is the Hero’s love interest, or the Maiden can be a emale who represents innocence, purity, or naiveté. WISE OLD MAN
Te Wise Old Man is someone older than the hero who offers wisdom or guidance: a mentor. He is the Obi-Wan or Yoda to Luke Skywalker, or Dumbledore to Harry Potter, or Mister Miyagi to Daniel in Karate Kid . Sometimes Wise Old Man can be a alse Wise Old Man, like Lamar Burgess, John Anderton’s boss and mentor in Minority Report , who turns out to be (Spoiler Alert!) the killer. — 18 —
Te Henchman is the Villain’s right-hand man. Te Henchman is a skilled and ormidable oe who stands between the Main Hero and the Villain. Te Main Hero must deeat the Henchman to get to the Villain. SHAPE-SHIFTER
An obvious Shape-shifer is someone like Bruce Banner who physically transorms into the Hulk. But the Shape-shifer is also someone who may seem good at the beginning but reveals himsel to be bad, like Carl in Ghost who who betrays his best riend Sam (Patrick Swayze). Or the Shape-shifer may seem bad, like Old Man Marley in Home Alone, but in the end he saves young Kevin’s lie. Te Shape-shifer’s loyalties are ofen unclear; he will ofen change his personality or allegiance in extreme ways. TRICKSTER
Te rickster is mischievousness personified. He likes to mock and crack cunning jokes. He’s the comic relie whose loyalties can sometimes be in question. He’s a smartass. He is Han Solo in Star Wars, or the Joker in Batman, or Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates o the Caribbean .
Main He Hero
Sidekick
Maiden
Wise Ol Old Ma Man
Villian
Skyfall
The Avengers JARVIS
The Hangover
A Beautiful Mind
The Conjuring
Gone Girl
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Henchman
Shape-Shifter
Trickster
Eternal Ch Child
Mother Fi Figure
ETERNAL CHILD
Te Eternal Child can be a literal child, or he can be an adult who is childlike. Forrest Gump is a perect example, or Frodo or Harry Potter. Tey represent innocence and provide hope through their childlike wisdom. MOTHER FIGURE
Te Mother Figure is nurturing and caring. She can be temperamental and volatile as well, like M to James Bond, or Galadrial in Lord o the Rings .
ESSENTIAL
THEME
ELEMENTS
Teme is what your movie is really about. about. It’s the clothesline you hang all your scenes and dialo gue on. Te best movie or theme in this book is Skyall . Te theme is: Old Ways versus the New Ways. Te movie explores different shades o this theme: Aging Bond has “lost a step;” Mallory wants aging M to retire; Young Young Q still “has spots” as Bond points out and can kill people with one computer keystroke; Silva, who’s Bond’s age, uses new technology to try to rule the world. Skyall ’s ’s scenes and dialogue are rich with this theme, which adds a depth uncommon in most action movies. When we finish watching Skyall this thought crosses our minds: Sometimes the old ways are best . Te audience or readers o your screenplay should always walk away having learned a one-line sentence rom your story — a bit o
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Most successul movies use a minimum o eight o these archetypes, as seen in the chart on page 19 eaturing our case study blockbusters. Some characters can also occupy two archetypes in the same film. o create great twists in your story, try the unexpected with your archetypes. No one would expect the Wise Old Man to be a serial killer, or the Main Hero’s Hero’s Sidekick, Maiden, or Mother Figure to be a traitor, or the Henchman to betray the Villain. You can create shocking moments by flipping the audience’s audience ’s expectations o the archetypes.
Q and Bond explore Skyfall’s Skyfall’s theme: theme: Old Ways vs. the New Ways
wisdom, tied to the theme, that makes them better human beings. Even afer viewing a movie with a tragic ending, we should learn something positive that makes the experience worthwhile.
happen in order to expose and test the hero’s flaw in hopes the experience makes him a better person. THE PERFECT ARC
In The Hangover , Phil allows himself to be bullied — his flaw
Te best character arcs are the ones where the Main Hero goes through a 180-degree turnaround. For example: Hate lessness, or Hopelessness to Hope. to Love, Selfishness to Sel less Te more extreme your Main Hero’s arc, the better the ride or your audience.
HERO’S FLAW
Te Flaw is what your Main Hero struggles to overcome throughout the entire movie. He or she is clueless o this flaw at the beginning but an Inciting Incident and an adventure come along that will expose and test this flaw. In a happy ending, the hero overcomes his flaw and is rewarded because o it. In a tragedy, the Main Hero ails to overcome his flaw, but we learn rom his mistakes. A flaw can be selfishness, anger, unorgiveness, hatred, addiction, etc. Examine your own lie. What’s the flaw that you are unaware you have, or you’re in denial about? What’s that flaw that’s holding you back rom being a better human being? What’s the flaw that lie keeps hammering at and exposing until you finally learn to overcome it? What’s that flaw that — i you don’t overcome it — people will view as a tragedy when you are dead? Te flaw is tied to the theme. In act, your whole story is about whether the hero will overcome his flaw or not. Yes, there may be action scenes, thrills, drama, and horror happening all around your hero, but those events in a story — 21 —
BULLIED
NOT BULLIED
At the beginning of The Hangover , Phil allows himself to be bullied by his fiancé Melissa. In the end, however, Phil refuses to be bullied by Melissa and breaks up with her — his 180-degree arc.
PURPOSE OF A SCENE
A scene is one step forward in your hero’s trek toward confronting his aw. A scene reveals something new and signif icant about your hero or the other archetypes, either through action or dialogue. A scene reects the theme in some way. A scene shows conict, opposition, or tension. Most scenes can be anywhere from an eighth-of-a-page to ve pages. pages. A good
scene doesn’t meander or linger: It enters the drama as late as possible and exits as early as possible. A scene that lacks friction or tension, or fails to address the theme in some way, must be cut. PURPOSE OF DIALOGUE
“When we tell a story in cinema,” Hitchcock once advised Francois ruffaut, “we should resort to dialogue only when it’s impossible to do otherwise.” In other words, afer you’ve exhausted every conceivable way to cleverly show conflict and
4-ACT STRUCTURE
I use a our-act structure simply because the ac t breaks or the three-act structure always seem clumsy to me: Act 1, Act 2a, Act 2b, Act 3. I’m not a an o the “a” and “b” thing. Te ouract structure makes more sense to me and many other pro screenwriters: Act 1 (pages 1 to 30), Act 2 (pages 31 to 60ish), Act 3 (61 to 85ish), Act 4 (86ish to 120ish). I I were to sum up the our-act structure into a simple story, it would go like this:
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tension in your scene (as i you were writing a silent movie), then you may insert dialogue to advance the story. And in that dialogue you must express what each of the archetypal characters would truthfully say in that particular situation. Their words must sound fresh and original, devoid of clichés. Each of the characters must speak genuinely in accordance to their unique personalities, diverse upbringupbring ings, educational backgrounds, regional cadences, ages, IQs, worldviews, and philosophies. Dialogue must not be “on the nose” (characters saying precisely what they mean) unless absolutely necessary. necessary. Your Your dialogue must utilize the power of subtext instead, meaning: The characters sa y one thing but think another. A classic examexam ple of subtext is in The Godfather when when Don Corleone tells his godson, Johnny: “We’ll make him (the Hollywood producer) an offer he can’t refuse.” Subtext: We’ll threaten his life. life.
Act 1 Te Main Hero goes about his usual business with his sidekick, oblivious o his flaw. Suddenly, an incident occurs that will orce him to eventually deal with that flaw. But since he doesn’tt want to ace his flaw, or is in denial about it, he reuses doesn’ to conront what the incident presented to him. Eventually he . . .
Here’s how I break down the four acts (using Skyfall as as an example):
ACT 1
ACT 2
ACT 3
ACT 4
pages 1–30 1–30
pages 31–60ish
pages 61–85ish
pages 86ish–120ish
Setup
The Quest’s Escalating Complications
Death Valley
Resolution
Bond may be too old to kill the villian.
Bond’s aging body gives out while trying to find the villian.
Villian is going to kill Bond and the girl.
Bond kills the villain.
Act 2 . . . embarks on a quest that orces him to enter a “dark cave.” Te Main Hero, with the help o his Sidekicks, Maiden, Wise Old Man and Mother Figure, battles the Henchman, Shapeshifer, and Villain in this strange dark cave (who all challenge his flaw). Obstacles grow more difficult and complications escalate the deeper the Main Hero goes into the cave. It’s at this point the Main Hero either sees a (alse) light at the ar end o the cave, or the cave collapses in ront o him on his way toward the light. Tis collapse orces the Main Hero to find another way out. Act 3 Te Main Hero then experiences the darkest moments o his entire lie as he continues to fight the Villain who prevents
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him rom exiting the cave. In act, the Main Hero reaches the lowest point he’s ever experienced. Realizing that his only hope o getting out o the cave is to overcome his flaw and to to ace the Villain directly, the Main Hero prepares himsel or battle. He then marches toward the Villain or a final, winnertake-all brawl. Act 4 Te Main Hero sacrifices his flaw completely on this final quest and suffers great pain because o it, but in doing so he deeats the Villain and finds a way out o the cave. Stepping into the sunlight, the Main Hero is rewarded with a new and better lie. (Or, i he doesn’t overcome his flaw, he is deeated and we, as an audience, learn rom his ailure.)
TURNING POINTS
Now that you’ve learned about the our-act structure, it’s time to add urning Points to your skill set. urning Points are events that send the hero, and the story, into a dramatically different direction. A urning Point happens on or near Minute 17 in Act One. Additional urning Points Points occur in Acts 2 and 3 every fifeen minutes to keep the audience off guard, engaged, and guessing (Minutes 45, 60, and 75). urning Points are also used during Minutes 90, 105, and 120 i you need to extend your story. In act, i you want to expand your story indefinitely, simply add a big urning Point every fifeen minutes afer Minute 120 — a urning Point that will be difficult or the
hero to unravel or resolve. Tis is a longtime secret trick o playwrights and screenwriters to extend any story. Te timeline below shows you when the urning Points happen within the acts, which I will elaborate on when you reach that Minute in the book. Te Inciting Incident, Te Quest, Midpoint, and Final Quest are urning Points, too, but they have their own special set o requirements, which I will also explain in more detail when you reach those Minutes. Note: Check out the ultimate cheat sheet on pages 292–293 . . . the entire Be at by Beat structure summarized in a detailed timeline.
ACT 1
ACT 2
ACT 3
ACT 4
pages 1–30 1–30
pages 31–60ish
pages 61–85ish
pages 86ish–120ish
Setup
The Quest’s Escalating Complications
Death Valley
Resolution
I T n u c i r n t i i n n g g I P n o c i i n d t e ( n M t i ( n M u i t e n u 1 t e 7 ) 1 2 )
T h e Q u e s t ( M i n u t e 3 0 )
T u r n i n g P o i n t ( M i n u t e 4 5 )
T T u h r n e M i n i g d p P o o i i n n t t ( ( M M i i n n u u t e t e 6 7 0 5 ) )
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T T T u u h r n r n e F i i n n i n g g a l P P o o Q i i n n u e t t s t ( ( M M ( i i M n n u u i n t e t e u t 1 9 e 0 5 5 8 ) ) 6 i s h )
AC 1 Setup
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