Resources for articulating and communicating your story.
A film pitch will often involve running through the main beats of the story – and a beat sheet can help to crystalize the events of the story, for the storyteller as well as the audience. Jason Hellerman has provided No Film School a bunch of resources, including a beat sheet template:
- The First Frame
- The World Of The Story
- Protagonist Introduction
- Character Traits
- The Emotional Hurdle
- The Physical Hurdle
- The Reason Forward
- The Decision to Try
- Why We’re Here
- Antics and Escapades
- Consequences and Casualties
- The Final Straw
- Rock Bottom
- The Bounce Back
- Triumphs
- The Final Frame
Save The Cat!
Blake Snyder‘s Save The Cat! Beat Sheet offers a guide “for storytelling fundamentals and mechanics of plot and character transformation”. Jessica Brody demonstrates how the model, designed for an entire story, can also be used to structure scenes or chapters within a story:
Never “And Then…”
There’s always the basic, fundamental check-in answer to the question, “Is my story working?” in this lesson from South Park‘s Trey Parker and Matt Stone (via Entertain the Elk):
Further Viewing
StudioBinder breaks down into beats the stories of films such as Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Interstellar (2014) and Parasite (2020):
“It’s only through writing scripts that you learn specifics about the structure of film,” says director Akira Kurosawa. “All you need is a paper and pen.” (via Screencraft):
Film Courage asked a host of screenwriters for their tips to compile their 22 Most Common Screenwriting Mistakes:
With your structure defined, it’s time to write – and, crucially, to format correctly:
Film is a visual medium – and while your film pitch will benefit from a beat sheet for its story, it will also benefit from visual research and referencing:
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Film School: Practical Lighting Placing light sources within shots - and how it can improve them.
Film School: Visual Research Techniques for getting yourself and your collaborators on the same page ahead of production.
Film School: Goodbye Green Screen, Hello ‘The Volume’ A look at the virtual set used in 'The Mandalorian'.
Film School: Parasite (2019) A collection of video essays on the craft of Bong Joon Ho's film.
Film School: Writing A Scene in 7 Minutes This insight into the blockbuster screenwriting process is as inspiring as it is troubling.
Film School: How to Make a TV Show Pilot "What does it mean when an idea has legs?" and other questions to ask, to help turn an idea into a series.