Save the Cat Lecture Notes

Introduction

This video summarizes the key points of the book "Save the Cat" by Blake Snyder.
Focus: Understanding log lines and how to create them.
Importance: Log lines are crucial for both writing and marketing a film.

Definition: A one to two sentence attention grabber for your film.
Purpose: Signals to the audience what the film is about and if it's interesting.
Function: Keeps the story on track; serves as a marketing tool post-production.

Adjective for Protagonist: Describe who they are, occupation, or background.
- Examples: A middle-aged Chinese immigrant, a geek, a young FBI Cadet, etc.
Main Character’s Goal: Identify what the protagonist is trying to accomplish.
- Reflects the internal conflict.
- Example: A Hollywood screenwriter who lost everything because of his alcoholism.
Antagonistic Force: Main character's conflict with an opposing force.
- Example: A Police Executive combats a powerful gang while looking for a missing foster child.
Sense of Irony: Adds an interesting twist to the log line.
- Example: A teenage operative is pitted against trained killers while trying to pull his family away from violence.

Leaving Las Vegas: A Hollywood screenwriter who lost everything due to alcoholism arrives in Las Vegas to drink himself to death.
Spirited Away: During her family’s move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches, and spirits.
The Silence of the Lambs: A young FBI Cadet must receive help from an incarcerated cannibal killer to catch another serial killer.
Sinister: A controversial true-crime writer discovers home movies that reveal a murder case he is researching is linked to an unknown serial killer.
Lightyear: While trying to return home, Buzz Lightyear encounters ruthless robots attempting to steal his fuel source.

Monster in the House: Films like 'Saw' and 'Jurassic World' where characters face a monster/entity in a confined space.
- Rules: Characters are trapped, and their actions put them on the monster's radar.
Golden Fleece: Road trip movies like 'Shrek' or 'The Lord of the Rings' focusing on internal growth.
- Theme: Characters discover something about themselves.
Out of the Bottle: Wish fulfillment movies like 'Aladdin' and 'Cinderella'.
- Theme: Protagonists realize being themselves is the way to go.
Dude with a Problem: Ordinary characters face extraordinary problems, often related to survival.
Rites of Passage: Focus on characters transitioning from one life stage to another, like 'Mean Girls'.
Buddy Love: Films about the evolution of friendship or partnership, like 'Finding Nemo'.
Why Done It: Mystery films focusing on the 'why' behind actions, not just the 'who'.
The Fool Triumphant: Follows a seemingly inept protagonist who triumphs, often satirical.
Institutionalized: About characters grappling with their identity within a group or society, like 'The Godfather'.
Superhero: Extraordinary individuals in ordinary worlds, dealing with their unique struggles.

Understand the structure and essential elements of log lines.
Recognize the importance of defining film genre and structure.
Apply storytelling principles to create compelling and marketable films.
Use "Save the Cat" strategies to enhance character development and plot progression.

Log lines and genre definitions are crucial for both writing and marketing films.
Blake Snyder's "Save the Cat" provides a comprehensive guide to structuring and developing screenplays.
Practical examples and genre-specific rules can help filmmakers create more engaging and successful stories.