Script Writing: Week 4
You are going on a journey through or a period of growth and change that transforms you by the end of your story However, your characters doesn't just change overnight; transformation, as in life, is incremental. Story beats can help you accurately plot these emotional changes.
What is a Story Beat?
A story beat is a short, memorable event that moves the story forward. It can be an action taken by a character, or it may involve dialogue. The function of a story beat is to push the narrative in some direction and provide more depth for you and your story’s characters. You don’t have to include every detail about what happens, just enough information to make it seem like something happened without giving away all the details. A story beat is a sequence of events that moves the story forward, or it can be considered as a turning point in the plot.
There are three different types of story beats:
· Exposition beats provide background information for an upcoming event or character.
· Confrontation beats introduce conflict to the story by presenting obstacles for the protagonist.
· Reaction beats detail changes in mood/emotion experienced by characters.
The story beat is the smallest unit of dramatic action in a script. It can be used to help better understand the structure and pacing of scripts, and writers need to know how they work so they can create an engaging script. Story beats are snippets of information that help the writer keep track of what has happened in the story and how they should progress with future events.
Story beats are a tool for visualizing the plot of your script. Story beats can help you identify where in the story you are as the main character and what you are doing at that moment. Story beats are key moments of conflict and tension that keep an audience hooked on listening until the end. Story beats can help you stay focused on plot points and outline key events without getting bogged down by details or accidentally skipping over important parts. They’re also useful because they allow you to compartmentalize your work into manageable pieces without getting lost in the bigger picture.
If you don’t know how to start writing or what happens next, just pick one, any one of the 15 story beats and write about it! (Adapted from https://filmlifestyle.com/story-beat/)
Story Beats Worksheet
Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet from his “Save the Cat” book is the best plot structure template we’ve come across. It breaks down the three-act structure into 15 bite-size, manageable sections, each with a specific goal for your overall story. Below is an explanation of each beat. Write one or two sentences explaining what each of the beats is. These 15-30 sentences then become the foundation of your story. Remember you are the main character.
1.Opening Audio. Sounds that represent the struggle & tone of the story. An audio cut your main problem, before the adventure begins.
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2.Set-up. Expand on the opening audio. Present your world as it is and what’s missing in your life. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
3.Theme Stated (happens during the Set-up). What your story is about; the message, the truth. Usually, it is spoken to the main character or in their presence, but they don’t understand the truth…not until they have some personal experience and context to support it.
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4.Catalyst. The moment where life as it is changes. It is the text/phone call, going to school, moving in with someone, etc. The “before” world is no more, change is underway. s5. Debate But change is scary and for a moment, or a brief number of moments, you doubt the journey you must take. Can you face this challenge? Do you have what it takes? Should you go at all? This is the last chance for you, the hero, to chicken out. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Break Into Two (choosing Act Two). You make a choice and the journey begins. You leave the “Thesis” world and enter the upside-down, opposite world of Act Two. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. B Story. This is when there’s a discussion about the story’s Theme – the nugget of truth. Usually, this discussion is between the main character and the “love interest”. So, the B Story is usually called the “love story”. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. Fun And Games. This is the fun part of the story. This is when Indiana Jones tries to beat the Nazis to the Lost Ark or the detective finds the most clues and dodges the most bullets. This is when you explores a new world. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
9. Midpoint. Dependent upon the story, this moment is when everything is “great” or everything is “awful”. You either get everything you think you want (“great”) or don’t get what you think you want at all (“awful”). But not everything we think we want is what we actually need in the end. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
10. Bad Guys Close In. Doubt, jealousy, fear, foes both physical and emotional regroup to defeat your goal and the “great”/“awful” situation disintegrates. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
11. All is Lost. The opposite moment from the Midpoint: “awful”/“great”. The moment that the you realize you’ve lost everything you’ve gained, or everything you now have has no meaning. The initial goal now looks even more impossible than before. And here, something or someone dies. It can be physical or emotional, but the death of something old makes way for something new to be born.
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12. Dark Night of the Soul. You hit bottom and wallow in hopelessness. The Why hast thou forsaken me? moment. Mourning the loss of what has “died” – the dream, the goal, the mentor character, the love of your life, etc. AND you must fall completely before you can pick yourself back up and try again. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
13. Break Into Three (choosing act three). Thanks to a fresh idea, new inspiration, or lastminute Thematic advice from the B Story (usually the “love interest”) you chooses to try again.
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14. Finale. This time around, the you incorporate the Theme – the nugget of truth that now makes sense – into your fight for the goal because you have experience from the A Story and context from the B Story. Act Three is about Synthesis! ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
15. Final Audio. Opposite of the Opening Audio, proving that a change has occurred within you. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________