What’s Missing from ‘Save the Cat!’ (with examples)
So, don’t get me wrong. I love the screenwriting book Save the Cat! by the late Blake Snyder. After reading that book, so many storytelling lights went off in my head where there had been darkness. However, it took me years after reading that book to find a big hole in the Save the Cat method.
I remember one of my Dad’s complaints when he saw a movie he didn’t like. He’s always say, “Yeah, it was good, but they didn’t know how to end it.” A great ending or even a solid ending where the writer ties up all the loose ends can make or break an otherwise great story.
In the first of Snyder’s screenwriting books, he lays out the end of a film like this:
Break Into Three:
This is the beginning of Act 3, where the protagonist commits to solving the problem.
Finale:
This is, well … the rest of the ending?
Final Image:
This is a final shot in the film or the final visual in a novel that shows how things have changed over the course of the story.
That’s it? Finale? That’s like a recipe that gives you the ingredients and the directions just say “cook it.” That’s not the whole answer.
A Hole, Partially Patched
Later Snyder corrected that oversight in his book Save the Cat Strikes Back where he added a five-step finale, expanding on his earlier three-step finale:
1. Gathering the Team:
This is a scene or two where the hero brings together his friends and makes plans for approaching the final battle with the villain in the story.
2. Executing the Plan:
This is a scene or two where the protagonist, together with the team, put their plan into action.
3. The High Tower Surprise:
A big twist. Just as it seems success is possible, we learn the villain knew they were coming all along, or maybe there’s something about this villain or situation the protagonist didn’t understand until now—when they realize they’ve made a fatal error.
4. Dig Down Deep:
The protagonist either pushes even harder, or suddenly realizes there is some special weapon they’ve forgotten or didn’t realize they had until now.
5. Executing a New Plan:
The protagonist tries it again and, this time, succeeds.
The problem with this patch is that it’s not complete either. Here’s an example. How about the film Coco? Is the Finale when Miguel figures out how to finally get back from the land of the dead, or is the finale when he has to revive a lost memory from his great grandmother and save the family? Are there actually two finales in Coco?
It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over
The truth is Finales are actually divided into two parts. We’ll call one The Climax, where the external conflict is resolved and we’ll call the other The Denouement where the internal conflict is finally resolved.
Of course, most people know what The Climax is. It’s the final battle or final confrontation that most people think of as the ending to a story. The Denouement is more subtle. It’s usually the part where the hero has forgotten something along the way and goes back to reclaim it. It’s the part where some old forgotten problem created with another character is resolved. In horror movies it may be a subtle resurrection of the monster that shows the protagonist’s nightmare is not over.
In Planes Trains and Automobiles, it’s the part where Neal realizes his friend Del is actually homeless and has nowhere to go for the holidays. In Die Hard, it’s the part where one of the henchmen is resurrected and tries to attack Bruce Willis and his wife before Powell, the cop who can’t use his gun anymore, shoots the guy dead.
So, what should the Save the Cat Finale actually look like?
The Climax
1. Gathering the Team
2. Executing the Plan
3. The High Tower Surprise
4. Dig Down Deep
5. Executing a New Plan
The Denouement
1. The Realization
2. Desperate Dash
3. Failure
4. Resolution
5. The New World
So, what are all of these new parts?
1. The Realization:
The protagonist realizes he’s left something or someone behind that’s related to the character’s internal conflict. This is the opposite of the Gathering the Team stage in the Climax because this is a problem that the protagonist must solve by themselves.
2. Desperate Dash:
The protagonist rushes to solve this forgotten problem.
3. Failure:
The protagonist tries to solve the problem, but fails at first. This mirrors the Executing the Plan stage in The Climax.
4. Resolution:
Now the protagonist tries a new way of solving the problem, and it works. This mirrors the Dig Down Deep and Executing the New Plan stages in The Climax.
5. The New World:
Now we see how the protagonist or the protagonist’s world has changed.
So, let’s take a look at a few great movies that use all ten stages of Act III. SPOILER ALERT! If you have not seen these films, keep in mind you will know the endings of each movie very well by the time you finish reading. We’ll look at some of my favorites: Coco, 1917, and Back to the Future:
1. Gathering the Team
This is a scene or two where the hero brings together his friends and makes plans for approaching the final battle with the villain in the story.
Coco
Miguel reveals the truth about Héctor's death. Imelda and Héctor reconcile, and as a family, they make plans to infiltrate Ernesto's concert to retrieve Héctor's photo.
1917
Schofield hears singing and reunites with his British Army compatriots in the Devons.
Back to the Future
Marty reunites with Doc to solve the External Conflict: getting back to the future.
2. Executing the Plan
This is a scene or two where the protagonist, together with the team, put their plan into action.
Coco
Miguel works with Papá Hector and Mamá Imelda to get into the concert and retrieve Hector’s photo from the villain, Ernesto.
1917
Schofield goes with the Devons into the trenches where he can reach Colonel Mackenzie and deliver the message which will stop the battle.
Back to the Future
Marty and Doc prepare the Delorean and the wire from the clock tower, all timed for when the lightning will strike—exactly 10:04.
3. The High Tower Surprise
A big twist. Just as it seems success is possible, we learn the villain knew they were coming all along, or maybe there is something about this villain or situation the protagonist didn’t understand until now—when they realize they’ve made a fatal error.
Coco
Ernesto's crimes are exposed to the audience, who jeer at him as he is thrown out of the stadium, then crushed by a giant bell in the same manner that he originally died. In the chaos, however, Héctor's photograph is lost.
1917
Schoefield suddenly realizes the trenches are too crowded and he will never reach the Colonel in time.
Back to the Future
The wire comes loose and Doc must climb the clock tower to repair it in time. In the meantime, Marty is at the starting line, but the Delorean won’t start.
4. Dig Down Deep
The protagonist either pushes even harder, or suddenly realizes there is some special weapon they’ve forgotten or didn’t realize they had until now.
Coco
As the sun rises, Coco's life and memory are fading. Imelda reconsiders her earlier demand that Miguel give up his desire to become a musician.
1917
Schofield digs down deep and risks his life running on the actual battlefield to reach the Colonel in time.
Back to the Future
Doc has to repair the wire a second time before the lightning is scheduled to strike. Meanwhile, Marty bangs his head on the dash of the Delorean and suddenly the engine starts.
5. Executing a New Plan
The protagonist tries it again and, this time, succeeds.
Coco
Mamá Imelda and Héctor bless Miguel, so that he can return to the Land of the Living.
1917
Schoefield arrives at the officer’s bunker, gets past the threshold guardian and delivers the message to Colonel Mackenzie. Although he takes some convincing, the Colonel pulls his troops back. Schofield has succeeded.
Back to the Future
Lightning strikes just as Doc put the wires together and Marty arrives with the Delorean. Everything comes together. Doc celebrates and Marty arrives back in the future.
6. The Realization
The protagonist realizes he’s left something or someone behind that’s related to the character’s internal conflict. This is the opposite of the Gathering the Team stage in the Climax because this is a problem that the protagonist must solve by themselves.
Coco
Miguel wakes up the next morning inside Ernesto’s mausoleum. Miguel realizes he can still save Hector if he can get Mamá Coco to remember her father.
1917
Schofield realizes he still needs to find Blake’s brother to be sure he is safe and to deliver bad news.
Back to the Future
Marty sees the digital clock in the town square and realizes he still has time to save Doc from the Libyans.
7. Desperate Dash
The protagonist rushes to solve this forgotten problem.
Coco
Miguel rushes to the family home to find Mamá Coco.
1917
Schofield goes to the tent where the injured are being treated, desperately looking for Blake’s brother.
Back to the Future
The Delorean won’t start again. The Libyans drive past and Marty realizes he won’t save Doc in the Delorean. He’ll need to get out and run.
8. Failure
The protagonist tries to solve the problem, but fails at first.
Coco
Miguel tries to talk to Mamá Coco, but she’s unresponsive. Abuelita chides Miguel for bothering the old woman and demands he apologize.
1917
Schofield looks defeated. A medic says “Move on, corporal.”
Back to the Future
Marty arrives at the mall parking lot just in time to see Doc gunned down by the Libyans again.
9. Resolution
Now the protagonist tries a new way of solving the problem, and it works.
Coco
Digging down deep, Miguel picks up the guitar and plays Remember Me for Mamá Coco. She seems to come alive and sings along. She then tells Miguel and the rest of the family all about her Papá. She removes his photo from a drawer and Héctor is saved. I must admit get tears in my eyes every time I think about this scene. Damn you, Pixar!
1917
Schofield hears a voice that sounds like Blake’s on the other side of the tent. There he finds Blake’s brother who’s the spitting image. He is alive and well, but in an emotional moment, he must tell him about his brother’s fate.
Back to the Future
After the Libyans have left, Marty rushes to cradle Doc’s body, but Doc is not dead. He shows Marty the note. He read it and knew to wear a kevlar vest so the Libyans could not kill him.
10. The New World
Now we see how the protagonist or the protagonist’s world has changed.
Coco
We now see Miguel, happy as ever, playing his guitar to his family in a mariachi outfit. Meanwhile Coco has been reunited with Papá Hector and Mamá Imelda in the land of the dead.
1917
Schoefield retreats to a tree to rest and looks at a photo of his wife and daughter. On the back is a message, “Come back to us.” It reveals Schoefield’s possible fate. He will actually return home from the war.
Back to the Future
Marty returns to his home and finds things are all very different—and much better with his family.
Conclusion
Again, don’t get me wrong. Save the Cat and its sequels are definitely worth their weight in storytelling knowledge. Endings, however, are much more complex than just saying The End.
