What makes a movie good

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I started reading "Save the Cat" which is a book about writing screenplays. Well, I finished it.

I think it was really good and I now feel better educated on what a good script should be like. There is definitely a formula to writing a movie. Certain things that need to be included in order for your movie to appeal to the masses. A certain structure to the story. The Hero of the movie goes on a journey and we are along for the ride. There are always Three Acts, but they can be broken down further.

Here is the basic structure of a good screenplay/movie, as explained in "Save the Cat":

-Opening Image: This is the first thing we see, which sets the stage for the movie and gives us a snapshot of our Hero before the journey begins.

-Theme Stated: Somewhere in the first five minutes or so, someone will say the theme of the movie (ex: "Be careful what you wish for." although not always so obvious).

-The Set Up: This is the all important first part of the movie (the First Act) which must grab our attention and make us want to watch the movie. This is also the calm before the storm of what is about to come next.

-Catalyst: This is where the world of our Hero changes as they know it. It's the "You only have three days to live..." or "You're Fired!" kinda thing that sends our Hero on their journey.

-Debate: The time where our Hero questions his journey: Is this crazy? Should I really do this?

-Break Into Two: The moment where we leave the old world and enters the upside down version of that world. It is a definitive decision made by the Hero. This is the start of Act Two.

-B Story: This is the "Let's talk about something else for a little while" that gives us a break from all the craziness that is going on in the "A Story". This is often where the "Love Story" for the movie comes in (note: the "Love Story" is not always a romantic thing. It can be the newly made friendship between the Hero and her hairstylist, or two buddies.). The B Story is a good place for the theme of the movie to be discussed and gives vital cut aways.

-Fun And Games: This is where the premise of the movie come in and we have a little fun (ex: Spiderman gets to try out his new found powers for the first time). This is what we were promised in the movie posters/trailers and why we came to see the movie. Just some good ol' fun.

-Midpoint: This is a point in the movie where fun and games come to an end and the stakes are risen. It is either an "up" where the Hero peaks (though a false peak) or a a down where the world collapses (although a false collapse). Also may be a point where the hero is given a false victory and think he has everything he could possibly want, but really has a long way to go before he learns his lesson.

-Bad Guys Close In: Where the bad guys are temporarily defeated, but regroup and send in the heavy artillery. Also a point where the Hero's team begins to break up because of internal doubt and dissent. At the Midpoint, the Hero thinks he has it all, but evil has not given up and our Hero is headed for a huge fall.

-All is Lost: This is often the "False Defeat" where everything is in shambles (but only temporarily). It always should be the opposite of the Midpoint in terms of whether it was an "up" or a "down".

-Dark Night of the Soul: Where the character shows his feelings about the All is Lost moment. This is the darkness before the dawn, where the Hero reaches deep down inside and pull out the last great idea to save himself.

-Break into Three: The Solution! This is where Story A (main story) meets Story B (place where the theme is discussed and the hero is given a realization from it) and an answer to all the problems is able to be found.

-Finale: This is Act Three, where we wrap things up. We use our answer to get rid of the bad guys and the source of our problem goes away completely. Our Hero is triumphant and saves the day. New world order exists for our Hero.

-Final Image: This is opposite of the Opening image, shows that change has occurred in our Hero.

So there it is. Next time you watch a movie, you can see if you recognize this story structure. It may not be the same in all movies, and it may not be so cut and dry, but all good movies will have a structure similar to this.




-Things I've learned: The structure of a good screenplay/movie.

-Plans for the Future: See if I can recognize it, to prove that I actually learned something by reading "Save The Cat".