Film Courage: What makes you good at story and how did you get good at it?
Naomi Beaty, Writer, Screenwriting Teacher and Consultant: My big education with story
was really when I worked with Blake [Blake Snyder - Author of Save The Cat] on his second
book just because the thing that I had to do in that role as sort of his research assistant
was watch 50 movies and not just watch them once but watch them over and over again and
break them down and figure out what the structure was and how they were working.
That was my crash course into story.
Before that I worked in the entertainment business.
I read scripts, I was writing coverage and talking about scripts with people but it wasn’t
until I did that and had that immersion into just the rhythm of stories that I really felt
like I absorbed it and it was in my bones after that.
That was a great experience.
I think that was probably the biggest impact on my understanding of story.
Film Courage: Wow, this is really cool.
So would he give you a list of movies to watch?
Naomi: Yes, so in the second book [Save the Cat!
Goes to the Movies] there are 50 movies that are broken down beat by beat.
I think overall we watched more than 50 because 50 made the final cut.
But it was watching the movie once just sort of let it wash over you and watching again
paying attention to structure and then it was watching again taking notes and then trying
to figure out okay is this sort of time wise where the act ends and is this where it escalates
and things like that and trying to really make sure that we understood it.
Each of those movies I watched at least three times and that was I think you want to have
sort of an understanding of the rhythm of storytelling.
That’s a great exercise, just sit in your apartment for several months, watch movies
non-stop, watch the same movie over and over again because you will absorb it.
Film Courage: Was there one or two of those films of the 50 that was really difficult
to grasp the structure and some of the things around it?
Naomi: Yes, I think CRASH was a tough one to break because it’s not traditional.
It has a three-act structure but because it follow different storylines it makes it harder
to follow that one through line all the way through right?
That was probably one of the harder ones to figure out how were they making this work
in a way that it felt like it was all one story that had a beginning, middle and end
that we are being told this storyline through three separate storylines (or three or four
I can’t remember)?
Film Courage: When you would watch these movies (I know you said there was more than 50) would
you write coverage on them?
Naomi: No…well I take that back.
It wasn’t coverage like we think of coverage but it was writing kind of the structure breakdowns
of them.
Here is the opening image, here is what happens in the set-up, here is what happens in the
inciting incident, all that stuff.
Film Courage: How long would each movie be?
Naomi: Probably three pages.
Little synopsis of the story.
Film Courage: Can you tell us how you met Blake Snyder?
Naomi: Oh sure.
My first job in LA was working for a manager/producer as an assistant and Blake was a friend of
his and he would just come in the office and was such a friendly, genuine person that of
course he made time to talk to me the assistant before he would go in and have a meeting.
I got to know him over time and he was very supportive of writers in general and of me
being interested in screenwriting.
When he wrote his first book he gave it to me to sort of beta-read, give him my thoughts
and tell him if it was useful.
I think I still have that original copy.
When he decided to write the second book, he asked if I would come and be his research
assistant so then that is when I started watching all of the movies for him.
Film Courage: Any memories, anecdotes?
Just seeing how he worked?
Naomi: Gosh…not that I can share.
I’m just kidding!
No, I think the lasting memory that I have of Blake is that he was so enthusiastic about
stories.
If I ran an idea by him for a script that I wanted to write, he would instantly latch
onto it and get excited and start pitching ideas and that enthusiasm.
That enthusiasm is what I think set him apart.
Because you could even be sort of lukewarm about your own idea that his enthusiasm would
make you fall in love with it and excited to write it.
Film Courage: Did you think that his books would have such an impact?
I mean there are so many great [screenwriting] books out there but his is like in another
stratosphere in terms of the reach.
Naomi: Yes, I remember reading the first book and one of the things he wanted to know was
do you think this is useful?
Do you think writers will be able to use this?
And I remember thinking “This is amazing!
I can’t imagine anyone not being able to get something out of it?”
I think the way he sort of simplified and distilled the same things we all talk about,
the three act structure.
He really took the idea of three act structure and made it accessible and easy to understand
if you are just starting to learn about story structure or screenwriting in general.
I think that is what makes his books lasting and have such a great impact.
Film Courage: Yes, I think he even wrote a letter to David back in 2008 or was it 2009?
[off camera - David recalling the letter about log lines].
Naomi: It’s funny, people still submit log lines to that email address.
Film Courage: And does anyone answer?
Naomi: Yes…usually I do.
Film Courage: Oh!
Because it’s still going.
It’s kind of like the book The Artist’s Way [Author Julia Camera], it’s always going
to be out there.
Naomi: People love it.
It’s controversial at times.
Like there are people who think it is too formulaic or whatever?
I think that those people are sort of missing the spirit of it.
But people rave about it still and that are just finding it now.