This isn't about what scene should come first. Save the Cat certainly has its worth as a learning tool, but thanks to Rocky and many other successful screenplays, we know that there is no one single answer for every screenplay. Here we delve into the video and share the blow to blow account of how this underdog of a script - which later was nominated for an Academy Award - goes on to debunk much of what Save the Cat's beats and page breakdowns stand for. And furthermore, the Rocky screenplay teaches screenwriters a true key factor of its success - empathy, and the time it takes to create such an emotion in the audience for a character like that.

Within minutes, like most can do with other successful movies and their scripts, Rocky proved that the declarations behind Save the Cat are false. The Just Write Youtube Channel recently posted an excellent video entitled Rocky: Why You Don't Need Writing Formulas. So that means that every successful screenplay in Hollywood is 110 pages long and adheres to these directives, right? No. The book takes that specific beat declaration to the next level by showcasing what script page numbers such beats should occur on. In his book, Snyder put major emphasis on the importance of structure with what would become celebrated as the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet, which includes the 15 essential 'beats' or plot points that all stories should follow. He went on to sell 12 more original screenplays during the screenwriting boom of the 1990s, and was named 'one of Hollywood's most successful spec screenwriters.' Snyder's script sold for $500,000 after a major studio bidding war. His first spec screenplay sale was in 1989 for the script Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot - which ironically would later star Rocky actor and writer Stallone. Originally published in 2005, Snyder wrote the book in an attempt to explain and break down the various beats that he felt most successful screenplays should have. The late Blake Snyder wrote what became a pinnacle screenwriting book for any new screenwriter coming onto the scene - Save the Cat.

In the context of screenwriting, those elements have been seemingly replaced by the notion that secret formulas can make up for that.

In a world and industry always in search of quick solutions and easy formulas to follow for success, we often forget what really drives us to greatness - truth, heart, and instinct - three elements that can be found throughout the Rocky screenplay. Right? Not according to Rocky, and most other successful screenplays. And then your final 'image' has to be on page 110. Your all is lost moment must always be on page 75. Your break into Act II is required to be on page 25. On page 12 you need to have your catalyst moment presented.

Save the cat screenwriting