Save the Cat!

Screenwriting · 15 beats

Best for: Hollywood feature films, especially genre and comedy. Blake Snyder's 15-beat structure, popular in film. Paces a two-hour screenplay with clear turning points.

Download the free Save the Cat! field guide (PDF)A deeper 15-beat walkthrough with a worked example and a printable worksheet. No sign-up, yours to keep and share.

Start a free story with Save the Cat!Free account · every beat below becomes a slot in your outline

Draft your story against the beats

Percentages show roughly where each beat lands in the finished story — the midpoint of a 110-page screenplay is page 55. Write your version under each; it saves in your browser as you go.

15 beats

1.Opening Image
~1%
A visual that establishes the tone, mood, and stakes. A 'before' snapshot of the protagonist's world.
2.Theme Stated
~5%
Someone (usually not the hero) states the theme - the lesson the hero needs to learn.
3.Set-Up
~10%
Introduce the protagonist, their world, and the six things that need fixing. Ends with the Catalyst.
4.Catalyst
~12%
The inciting event. A call to action that disrupts the hero's status quo.
5.Debate
~20%
The hero resists the call. Asks 'should I do this?' Doubt, fear, preparation.
6.Break Into Two
~25%
The hero commits. Crosses the threshold from old world to new.
7.B Story
~30%
A parallel story - often the love interest or mentor - that carries the theme.
8.Fun and Games
~40%
The 'promise of the premise.' The hero explores the new world. What the trailer sells.
9.Midpoint
~50%
A false victory or false defeat. The stakes are raised. The clock starts ticking.
10.Bad Guys Close In
~60%
Pressure mounts internally (doubt, team friction) and externally (antagonist presses advantage).
11.All Is Lost
~75%
The worst moment. A 'whiff of death' - literal or symbolic. The hero's plan fails.
12.Dark Night of the Soul
~80%
The hero sits in defeat. Reflection. The lesson of the theme finally lands.
13.Break Into Three
~85%
Inspiration strikes. Hero finds the answer - usually by synthesizing A story and B story.
14.Finale
~95%
Hero executes the new plan. Confronts the antagonist. Resolves external and internal conflict.
15.Final Image
~100%
The mirror of the Opening Image. Shows how much the world and hero have changed.

Plan your whole story with Save the Cat!

Save the Cat! is built into One More Draft — every beat above becomes a slot in your outline, with Quill, your story editor, coaching each one. Free to start.

Start a free story with Save the Cat!

More Screenwriting beat sheets

Snyder–Harmon Hybrid (Save the Cat × Story Circle)

15 beats

Best for: writers who want both the granularity of Save the Cat and the arc clarity of Harmon's Story Circle. Fifteen Snyder beats nested under nine Harmon segments. Adapted from the community template - write here and view as either framework.

Browse all beat sheets →

Terms used in this guide

Beat Beat Sheet Inciting Incident Midpoint Climax

Written and edited by the One More Draft team - working writers and editors building the workshop we wanted. About us

Save the Cat!

Screenwriting · 15 beats

Best for: Hollywood feature films, especially genre and comedy. Blake Snyder's 15-beat structure, popular in film. Paces a two-hour screenplay with clear turning points.

Start a free story with Save the Cat!Free account · every beat below becomes a slot in your outline

Draft your story against the beats

Percentages show roughly where each beat lands in the finished story — the midpoint of a 110-page screenplay is page 55. Write your version under each; it saves in your browser as you go.

15 beats

1.Opening Image
~1%
A visual that establishes the tone, mood, and stakes. A 'before' snapshot of the protagonist's world.
2.Theme Stated
~5%
Someone (usually not the hero) states the theme - the lesson the hero needs to learn.
3.Set-Up
~10%
Introduce the protagonist, their world, and the six things that need fixing. Ends with the Catalyst.
4.Catalyst
~12%
The inciting event. A call to action that disrupts the hero's status quo.
5.Debate
~20%
The hero resists the call. Asks 'should I do this?' Doubt, fear, preparation.
6.Break Into Two
~25%
The hero commits. Crosses the threshold from old world to new.
7.B Story
~30%
A parallel story - often the love interest or mentor - that carries the theme.
8.Fun and Games
~40%
The 'promise of the premise.' The hero explores the new world. What the trailer sells.
9.Midpoint
~50%
A false victory or false defeat. The stakes are raised. The clock starts ticking.
10.Bad Guys Close In
~60%
Pressure mounts internally (doubt, team friction) and externally (antagonist presses advantage).
11.All Is Lost
~75%
The worst moment. A 'whiff of death' - literal or symbolic. The hero's plan fails.
12.Dark Night of the Soul
~80%
The hero sits in defeat. Reflection. The lesson of the theme finally lands.
13.Break Into Three
~85%
Inspiration strikes. Hero finds the answer - usually by synthesizing A story and B story.
14.Finale
~95%
Hero executes the new plan. Confronts the antagonist. Resolves external and internal conflict.
15.Final Image
~100%
The mirror of the Opening Image. Shows how much the world and hero have changed.

Plan your whole story with Save the Cat!

Save the Cat! is built into One More Draft — every beat above becomes a slot in your outline, with Quill, your story editor, coaching each one. Free to start.

Start a free story with Save the Cat!

Written and edited by the One More Draft team - working writers and editors building the workshop we wanted. About us

Save the Cat!

Draft your story against the beats

1.Opening Image

2.Theme Stated

3.Set-Up

4.Catalyst

5.Debate

6.Break Into Two

7.B Story

8.Fun and Games

9.Midpoint

10.Bad Guys Close In

11.All Is Lost

12.Dark Night of the Soul

13.Break Into Three

14.Finale

15.Final Image

Plan your whole story with Save the Cat!

More Screenwriting beat sheets

Snyder–Harmon Hybrid (Save the Cat × Story Circle)

Terms used in this guide

Save the Cat!

Draft your story against the beats

1.Opening Image

2.Theme Stated

3.Set-Up

4.Catalyst

5.Debate

6.Break Into Two

7.B Story

8.Fun and Games

9.Midpoint

10.Bad Guys Close In

11.All Is Lost

12.Dark Night of the Soul

13.Break Into Three

14.Finale

15.Final Image

Plan your whole story with Save the Cat!

More Screenwriting beat sheets

Snyder–Harmon Hybrid (Save the Cat × Story Circle)

Terms used in this guide