Beat By Beat: A Cheat Sheet for Screenwriters [Paperback]

This groundbreaking guide describes six seemingly different popular movies and genres (Skyfall, The Avengers, The Hangover, A Beautiful Mind, The Conjuring, Gone Girl) and shows screenwriters how they all follow the exact same 120 Universal Story Beats minute by minute. The book also reveals the top 10 archetypes they use, and where and why the Inciting Incident, Act 2 & 4 Quests, Midpoints, and the other five main Turning Points happen in all successful movies. Once in a while a book comes along that shakes up the world of storytelling with a new approach that brings fresh insights and techniques to the craft. Save the Cat! was like that, a game-changer, and now another work appears that has the same potential to open doors for a lot of scriptwriters. Christopher Vogler, The Writer's JourneyTABLE OF CONTENTSForewordPrefaceDont Skip This Part!Four Things You Need to Know (Before Reading This Book)Frequently Asked Questions1 Minute = 1 Screenplay PageTop 10 Movie ArchetypesEssential Elements4-Act StructureTurning PointsACT 11 Attension!2 The Build3 The Ratchet4 Another Notch5 Jaw Dropper6 Friend or Fist7 Friend or Fist 28 Something Startling Happens9 The Pursuit10 The Discussion11 The WarningInciting Incident12 Harsher Warning13 The Submission14 Danger Watch15 Whew, That Was Close!16 The Big Concern17 World Upside DownTurning Point 1718 Trouble Turn19 The Threat20 Push Back21 The Great Effect22 Truth Declared23 Scary Stuff24 Scary Stuff 225 Scary Stuff 326 The Big Unexpected27 The Mini-Quest28 Big Quest Prep29 Big Quest Prep 230 The NeedAct 1 ChecklistThe QuestACT 231 Distress Signal32 Anxiety Amp33 Ominous Oh No34 Friend Effect35 Bait and Switch36 Hide and Seek37 Over His Head38 Positive Reconnect39 New Journey Bond40 Allys World41 Thorny Rose42 Surprise Reveal43 Surprise Reveal 244 New News45 Out of the OrdinaryTurning Point 4546 The Revelation47 The Escort48 Needed Knowledge49 Foreboding Fact50 The Portent51 The Engage52 Say Uncle53 The Intimidation54 The Lighl³