Screenplay Beat Sheet Template — Build One Free
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Full Transcript
Introduction — Why Beat Sheets Work
Alright so here's the thing about beat sheets — this is the difference between writing yourself into a corner on page 60 and knowing exactly where you're going before you write page one. Most professional screenwriters beat out their stories before they write a single scene. The most widely used system for that is Save the Cat — Blake Snyder's 15-beat framework. I'm going to show you what those beats are, why they work, and how to build the full template in Free Screenwriter's Board view.
Save the Cat Structure Reference
freescreenwriter.com/structures/save-the-cat. This is your reference — all 15 beats with page targets. Opening Image: page 1. Theme Stated: page 5. Catalyst: page 12. Break Into Two: page 25. Midpoint: page 55. All Is Lost: page 75. Break Into Three: page 85. Finale: pages 85 to 110. These aren't rigid rules — they're targets. The structure creates pace. When beats land too early or too late, audiences feel it in the theater even if they can't name why. That's what saves the cat does — it gives you the timing.
Login & Create Project
OK let's build it. Project is set up — Beat Sheet Demo. I'm going straight to Board view. This is where we map the whole story before we write a word. Structure first, pages second.
All 15 Save the Cat Beats
All 15 beats. Starting with Act One. Opening Image — the first image of the film. Usually a visual statement of the theme or the hero's broken world. Think of the opening shot of The Godfather — that's an opening image. Theme Stated — someone tells the hero, usually in passing, what the movie is actually about. The hero doesn't believe it yet. Set-Up — introduce the hero in their ordinary world, show what's broken. Catalyst — page 12, the event that disrupts everything. Life will never be the same. Then Debate — the hero resists. Should I go? Can I do this? That's your last beat before the world changes.
All 15 Save the Cat Beats
Act Two. Break Into Two — the hero makes a choice and enters a new world. No going back. B Story — a secondary storyline, usually a relationship, that carries the theme underneath the main action. Fun and Games — this is where the trailer moments live. The promise of the premise. The audience came for this. Midpoint — false victory in a comedy, false defeat in a drama. Stakes double. Bad Guys Close In — everything the hero built starts collapsing. All Is Lost — the lowest point. The worst moment. Something is gone forever. Dark Night of the Soul — the hero sits in the ashes and processes it. Then Break Into Three — the solution appears, usually sparked by the B story. That's the turn into the finale.
How Beats Connect to Scenes
OK so now you have a complete beat sheet — 15 beats, each with a page target and a description of what needs to happen. Here's how you convert a beat into a scene. Take the description, ask one question: what's the single moment that makes this beat land? The Catalyst beat says 'life will never be the same.' What is that moment in your story? That's the scene. Write one scene per beat to start. Add more once you know the structure holds. The beat sheet is your skeleton — you flesh it out from there.
What Comes Next
That's the Save the Cat beat sheet — all 15 beats mapped in Free Screenwriter's Board view, tied to page targets. The Board stays live as you write. Flip back to it whenever you lose the thread — and you will lose the thread. The beat sheet is your compass, not a cage. Use it to find your story, then write past it when the characters take over. Full structure reference at freescreenwriter.com/structures. Link in the description. Go build it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a beat sheet in screenwriting?
A beat sheet is a structural outline of a screenplay that maps every major story turn before you write scenes. It lists the key plot points — called beats — with a description of what happens and roughly where in the script it should land. Beat sheets prevent structural problems later and keep the story on pace. The most widely used system is Save the Cat by Blake Snyder, which uses 15 beats across a three-act structure.
What are the 15 Save the Cat beats?
The 15 Save the Cat beats are: Opening Image (p.1), Theme Stated (p.5), Set-Up (p.1–10), Catalyst (p.12), Debate (p.12–25), Break Into Two (p.25), B Story (p.30), Fun & Games (p.30–55), Midpoint (p.55), Bad Guys Close In (p.55–75), All Is Lost (p.75), Dark Night of the Soul (p.75–85), Break Into Three (p.85), Finale (p.85–110), Final Image (p.110). Page numbers are targets, not rules — they create pace.
Do I have to use Save the Cat for my screenplay?
No. Save the Cat is a tool, not a law. Many great films don't follow it precisely. Its value is giving you a structural baseline to work from — and making it easier to diagnose why a story isn't working. Once you understand the beats intuitively, you can break the rules intelligently. Free Screenwriter also supports three-act structure, hero's journey, and custom frameworks.
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