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Save the Cat Beat Sheet Template

All 15 beats with page targets that rescale to your script's length. Fill it in here, print it, or download it as a spreadsheet.

Script titleTarget length (pages)

Untitled — Save the Cat beat sheet

Targets for a 110-page script

Beat	What it does	Page
1.Opening Image	A snapshot of the hero's world before anything changes	p. 1
2.Theme Stated	Someone names what the story is about; the hero isn't ready to hear it	p. 5
3.Set-Up	Introduce the hero, the world, and everything that needs fixing	pp. 1–10
4.Catalyst	The event that knocks over the status quo	p. 12
5.Debate	The hero hesitates: should I go? Can I?	pp. 12–25
6.Break into Two	The hero chooses to act and steps into a new world	p. 25
7.B Story	A new relationship that carries the theme	p. 30
8.Fun and Games	The promise of the premise; the scenes from the trailer	pp. 30–55
9.Midpoint	A false victory or false defeat; the stakes rise	p. 55
10.Bad Guys Close In	Pressure tightens from outside and from within	pp. 55–75
11.All Is Lost	The worst moment, often with a whiff of death	p. 75
12.Dark Night of the Soul	The hero sits with the loss and digests it	pp. 75–85
13.Break into Three	The solution appears, usually by fusing the A and B stories	p. 85
14.Finale	The hero applies the lesson and resolves the story	pp. 85–110
15.Final Image	The opening image, transformed: proof of change	p. 110

Page targets scale proportionally from Blake Snyder's 110-page model. scriptflo.ai/templates/save-the-cat-beat-sheet

What you write here stays in this browser only. Nothing is uploaded.

How to use the sheet

Set your target length first, so the page column reflects the script you are actually writing. Then fill in the beats you already know. You always know some: the Opening and Final Images are a matched pair, so write them together, and if your final image is not a transformed version of the first, you have just learned something about your story for the cost of two lines. Leave the rest blank and come back; a beat sheet is a diagnostic as much as a plan.

When Save the Cat is not the right fit

Snyder's beats describe a particular kind of hero-driven feature and fit it well. Ensemble stories, non-linear films and most television want a different skeleton. The beat sheet guide walks through eight more structures, from the Sequence Method to the Story Circle, and ScriptFlo ships all of them as templates you can apply to a draft in progress.

Frequently asked questions

What are the 15 beats in Save the Cat?

Opening Image, Theme Stated, Set-Up, Catalyst, Debate, Break into Two, B Story, Fun and Games, Midpoint, Bad Guys Close In, All Is Lost, Dark Night of the Soul, Break into Three, Finale and Final Image. Each has a job and an approximate page on a 110-page screenplay.

Do the page numbers change for a shorter or longer script?

Yes. Blake Snyder's targets assume 110 pages; they are proportions, not law. Set your target length at the top of the sheet and every page target rescales: the catalyst lands about ten percent in, the midpoint at dead center, All Is Lost around three quarters.

Is this the official Save the Cat software?

No. Save the Cat! is a trademark of Blake Snyder Enterprises, which sells its own outlining software. This is an independent worksheet of the publicly described 15-beat structure, provided free for planning your own scripts.

Where do my notes go?

They are saved in your browser only, so they are still here when you come back on the same device. Nothing is uploaded. Download the CSV or print the sheet to keep a copy elsewhere.

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