Screenwriting : Beat Sheet by Melissa Butler

I love structure, and love beat sheets. Field's, Hague's, Snyder's, Truby's, Aristotle's...etc. Mine are a bit of a hybrid from all those who came before me and fit my story...I tinker before and during the outline and even writing process....I'm like a farmer....I don't waste a 'nuthin.

I think almost ever pro writer I know uses some form of outline or beat sheet or index cards. I use a modified beat sheet which is broken into 5 page/minute segments so that I can keep track of pacing and also to help me schedule my writing (I did 1 page a day when I had a full time job and now 5 pages a day). http://www.scriptsecrets.net/tips/timelines.htm

I use a beat sheet of my own creation but my technique is somewhat fluid and can change with each script. One of the reasons I find it immensely useful is because I usually write my scripts non-linearly and a beat sheet means I won't lose track of the story.

I use outlines but always found it hard to do a beat sheet. Not sure why.

I've been training myself to use outlines/beat sheets, because it's actually a requirement of the form in television writing. If I was left to my own devices, I might not use them at all, but that's just due to the way that I approach a story - discovering as I go, at least in early drafts.

It took me two days but I finally fished my first beat sheet it was torture but I can see how they are useful but I think after this one I'll go back to only using outlines

I usually write a my logline, then 15-20 pages just to be sure my logline is complete, then go back and see where the beats are or should be.

I use them although I'm not a fan. I use 8 sequences structure with 40-60 beats.

The Beat Sheet structure is also very helpful when writing a ten-page treatment. At least with the producers that I talk to....they pretty much expect a ten-page treatment to follow the Save the Cat Beat Sheet flow - the studio people that I've talked to do as well.

I used to write a lose outline, less than a page and mainly go off my head. Now, I write out a beat sheet/outline over a few pages. But usually when I'm writing the script, I'll get ideas that are better than in the outline, so I rework it and keep going. To each their own, but having the story flushed out first really does help the process move smoother.

I think beat sheets are very important for keeping a lean, focused screenplay. It helps you keep track of the flow of your story, and remove extraneous plot points. The two directors I worked with used a beat sheet, and it really helped me map out the flow of the music, and keep it developing appropriately for the narrative. For them and me, it seemed to work fine! :)

I come back to this just to re-emphasize my love for the Beat Sheet. I don't get solely caught up in any single structured Beat Sheet, like Truby's or Field's or Snyder's. Some people like to hate on those for their own reasons, but a "beat" is really ANYTHING OF SIGNIFICANCE that happens in your stories. Some writers even have a "beat" for ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS, since everything that happens should be of significance to your stories to some degree....right? So don't get caught up in the hate for a Beat Sheet. More power to those who use them, or one over another.....and more power to those who don't. I will not try to persuade nor evangelize nor try to convert you if you don't use one....but you should use one of some type, or a personalized one or a combined Beat Sheet. The Writing Gods will bless you for that and put a pox on those who don't. Heh-heh.

if your goal is TV writing, start doing beat sheets and heavy outlines. Write fast. Time yourself writing.

I have never bothered with beatsheets, but do roughly outline. You do not need a beat sheet.

I sometimes jot down a loose one before I start a new story. But not always. I usually have the story pretty well solidified in my head so I seldom need a beat sheet.

I love just typing a script (either for film or TV), but the truth is the only way I've been able to truly write is by planning my script before I type it (it doesn't ruin creativity, if that's what you're thinking). Having said that, there is no way (I think) to plan a script without the beat sheet.

I agree, a beat sheet eases your writing because when done you have the structure in your mind and can write easier and much faster. Does it make the story better? Not necessarily , but it will after you practiced it for a while, because when you check your first draft afterwards you'll find the knots where your story jolts faster. But, I agree to CJ - it's a question of taste and I would like to add not every beat sheet looks the same. Hence, you have to find your own way and be creative. Maybe you begin with a beat sheet, of course know your ending, but you begin writing without having the last act on your beat sheet. So what? Trying something new is never wasted time as it at least forms your style and taste.

Another great aspect of a beat sheet/outline is that you have the ability/opportunity to define the (changing) emotional states of your main characters who undergo those type of changes.

I've never used a beat sheet in my life. However, for those of you who are interested. Here is Blake Snyder's (Save the damn kitty) basic beat sheet. And remember in the immortal words of Michael Jackson, "Just Beat it."

THE BLAKE SNYDER BEAT SHEET:

PROJECT TITLE:

GENRE:

DATE:

1. The Opening Image (pg 1): This is the first impression of what a movie is - it establishes the mood and type of film we are about to watch. The opening image and final image should be opposites, a plus and minus, showing change so dramatic it documents the emotional upheaval that the movie represents.

2. Theme Stated (pg 5): Somewhere in the first five minutes of a well-structured screenplay, someone (usually not the main character) will pose a question or make a statement (usually to the main character) that is the theme of the movie. This statement is the movie's thematic premise.

3. The Set-Up (pg 1-10): The first reel - or the first 10 minutes - sets up the hero, stakes, and the goal of the story...and should do so with vigor! Make a point to introduce or at least hint at introducing every character in the A story. The first 10 page sis also where we start to plant every character tie, exhibit every behavior that needs to be addressed later on and show how and why the hero will need to change in order to win.

4. The Catalyst (pg 12): The catalyst moment that kickstarts the action....these may include telegrams, getting fired, catching a wife in bed with another man, news that you have three days to live, a knock at the door, the messenger, etc. First moment when something happens!

5. Debate (pg 22-25): The debate section is the last chance for the hero to say: This is crazy. Should I go? Dare I go? Sure, it's dangerous out there, but what's my choice? Stay here? The debate section must ask a question of some kind. In Legally Blonde, the catalyst of the fiance dumping Elle Woods quickly segues to her solution: Go to Harvard Law. "But can she get in?" That is the question posed in the debate section of the movie.

6. Break Into Two (pg 25): Act break is the moment where we leave the old world behind and proceed into a world that is upside down version. Something MUST happen on this page.

7. B Story (pg 30): The B story of most screenplays is the "love story." It is also the story that carries the theme of the movie. The B story often introduces a brand new set of characters. Often a friendship story.

8. Fun and Games (pg 30-35): This part of the screenplay is the one that provides the promise of the premise. The fun and games section answers the question: Why did I come to see this movie? What about this premise, this poster, this movie idea, is cool?" This is the place where you include the big set pieces!

9. The Midpoint (pg 55) - the movie's midpoint is either an "up" where the hero seemingly peaks (though it is a false peak) or a "down" when the world collapses all around the hero (thought it is a false collapse) and it can only get better from here on out. The stakes are raised at the midpoint. The rule is: It's never as good as it seems to be at the midpoint and it's never as bad as it seems at the All is Lost point (see beat 11).

10. Bad Guys Close In (pg 55-75): This is the point where the bad guys decide to regroup and send in the heavy artillery. It's the point where internal dissent, doubt, and jealousy begin to disintegrate the hero's team.

11. All is Lost (pg 75): All is Lost is the matching beat to the Midpoint...these two beats are always inverses of each other. We know it is the opposite of the midpoint in terms of an "up" or a "down." It's also the point of the script that is most often labeled, "false defeat," even though it looks all black, it's just temporary. All aspects of the hero's life are in shambles.

12. Dark Night of the Soul (pg 75-85): This section depicts how your character experiences and feels at the All is Lost point. We've all been there--hopeless, clueless, drunk, and stupid--sitting on the side of the road with a flat tire and four cents, late for the big appointment that will save our lives.

13. Break Into Three (pg 85): Eureka! The Solution! Both in the external story (the A story) and the internal story (the B story), which now meet and intertwine, the hero has prevailed, passed every test, and dug deep to find the solution. Now all he has to do is apply it. An idea to solve the problem has emerged.

14. Finale (pg 85-110): Where the lessons learned are applied. It's where the character tics are mastered. The chief source of "the problem" - a person or thing - must be dispatched completely for the new world order to exist.

15. Final Image (pg 110): The final image of the movie is the opposite of the opening image. It is proof that change has occurred and that it's real.

Oh crap. I've got my "Break Into Two" on pg. 26. Now I'm screwed ;)

I sometimes do a loose beat sheet. I don't do written outlines so it works in lieu of that for me.

I start writing a story with two items in mind I write the ending first, then the beginning - to me, it's like sticking two pins in a map. Then I puke out the story draft from beginning to end. It's during the many rewrites that I use a beat sheet to verify that I've covered most of the major points.

Tom, yeah you're screwed now - that Act II break must half way down page 25!