Customer Reviews

Save The Cat! 2.0

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Blake Snyder is the king of making the impossible look easy. When you read his book "Save The Cat", you begin to understand that modern screenwriting does, in general, follow a pretty specific set of rules - the only problem is that the rules aren't that easy to learn by yourself without someone to guide you through the morass of screenwriting self-help books that are on the market. "Save The Cat" - the book - is a kind of nexus-point for all the data out there on the subject of screenwriting - it provides a very clear, understandable road map of how to get from "fade in" to "fade to black". Blake's formula is amazingly accurate at breaking down the "beats" of modern films - when I first read the book I watched several films and looked for the timing of the beats described by Blake's method - and I was shocked at how right-on he was! Most modern movies drop right into Blake's framework with little or no adjustment.

I mention all that stuff about the books because you really should read them before using the software - although you don't need to - the software is very usuable right out of the box with no previous intro to Blake's format - but if you have read the books, the software is immediately the most important tool in your writing kit. It replaces all the corkboards and index cards, push pins and stickies that clutter up your writing space and puts all those weapons of mass distraction in your computer - where they belong. Now you can focus on getting the structure of your story right before you jump in and begin writing scenes. The software breaks apart your structure and shows it to you in a very clear graphic way - you can see your ups and downs, your tension dynamics, character paths, act breaks, etc. - and when you can see the whole movie on one page like that, it's very easy to see what you need to do in order to make the structure - the foundation of the script - as solid and supportive as it needs to be. I love this software (gee, can ya tell?) and have written 2 screenplays with it already. Between the STC books and the STC software, I've got all the guidelines I need to create well-crafted screenplays. AND, as if that weren't enough, Blake is one of the most accessible authors you'll ever meet - if you have a chance to attend one of his seminars, by all means, do it. It's one "a-HA!" moment after another, and you leave wondering why it all seemed so difficult before. Check out Blake's website - http://www.blakesnyder.com - for more info on Blake's products and classes. You won't be dissappointed.

Joe Whyte
Burbank, CA

You know that scene in Star Wars Episode IV when Han Solo says, "Chewie, make the jump to hyperspace," so Chewie moves ONE LEVER, all the stars leap into streaks of light, and you FEEL the acceleration?

That's what the Save The Cat! software does for your screenwriting.

I've never been much for outlines and notecards and storyboards, but Blake's method makes so much sense it's impossible to miss the value of it. I knew this from reading his book, "Save The Cat!", and from taking his Beat Sheet Workshop, of course. Putting it all together in a practical way seemed unattainable, because let's face it, a cork board big enough to handle 40+ 3x5 cards just isn't practical when you live in an apartment.

That's where the STC! software comes in. Desktop real estate is much cheaper than buying a house, and no matter where you write, your board is right there with you.

The STC! software doesn't just give you virtual 3x5 cards to pin up, it aids in tying the story elements together. The beats are clearly marked, setups and payoffs are connected, intra-scene conflict and tension annotated. Each card's color can be changed to suit your tastes, and to help you visualize your story.

If you insist on having actual cards to hold in your hand and pin with actual pins, one of the printing options is compatible with Avery laser index cards. Another printing option gives you a straight scene list, which can be a handy tool for pitching.

As another reviewer mentioned, STC! Software 2.0 ties in directly to Final Draft, giving you a leg up when you start to write.

One final thought: I'd never have finished my first screenplay without my copy of STC! software, and I now consider it as indispensable a writing tool as my computer itself.

Kurt H. Kalbfleisch
San Diego, CA

Blake Snyder's "Save the Cat" series of screenwriting books have brought clarity and humor to a sometimes arduous and overwhelming process.

He's followed it up with a screenwriting program that is simple, straightforward and sophisticated, and works seamlessly with Final Draft. Without sounding like an infomercial, I've made more progress in one week using the software, than I had in two months without it. And while there's no guarantee that those who use the program will write the next smash Hollywood hit, hey.... you never know!

There isn't a better software out there in helping you structure - not outline, but structure - your screenplay. The software basically takes Blake Snyder's book Save The Cat and turns it into a simple "fill in the blanks" program. While this is a great companion to the book, I did not need to keep referring to the book, as all the essential "need-to-knows" that explain the beats of a screenplay conveniently pop up every time I needed a little reminder of what the beats should be. I particularly liked not having to retype what I already had written down as I moved from logline to the Beat Sheet to "The Board."

What really makes this software fun is that, once I filled in my Beat Sheet, all that information was automatically transferred into "index cards" and placed accordingly in "The Board." Being able to see those 15 cards, and where they are in relation to overall script, just makes the task of filling in the missing cards less daunting, if not more inviting. And as I moved from 15 to 40 cards (you can actually have way more than 40 cards if you're writing a book), if I changed my mind and wanted to move a card somewhere else, it was literally as easy as dragging the card to where I wanted to put it. Just like if I was working with a cork board and real index cards - but without constantly looking for stray push pins!

I could also fill each "index card" with as much information as I needed to keep each beat focused to what that particular scene or sequence should be. In addition, just to make sure I don't forget, Blake's emotional change (+/-) and conflict (<>) can be found in each card, so that I'd always be reminded to give my scenes a purpose.

But the really fun part is that I could actually print out these cards onto real index cards (if you prefer the regular 8-1/2 x 11, you could do that too) and bring them around with me to review or rewrite.

This is a great tool to have that just helps me avoid having to face a blank piece of paper. It allows me to be as creative as I want but keeps me from getting away from my story (it helps even more if you've read Blake's books or attended one of his workshops). This software lets me throw out as many ideas or "what if" scenes as I want, and helps me sort out what I need to come up with a strong structure. By the time I moved to Final Draft, which works seamlessly with the Save The Cat software, I was already too excited to be worried about facing a blank page every time I started writing a new scene.

So i bought 3 Corkboards and a bunch of muti colored index cards thinking it will be cheaper than this software. The process was messy and months later I broke down, tossed the corkboards in storage and bought STC 2.0. I've used it on my PC and Macbook Pro. The programs does what its supposed to but moving the cards around the board seems choppy on my high end PC but it looks smooth on my macbook. One thing that bugs me is that the program wont let you see what category your card is in. You have to click on the card and lift it just so it can tell you that you are in the DEBATE category or ALL IS LOST category. I would suggest that the developer place these titles on the bottom of each ACT BREAK LINE in different color labels. Moving each card can also be easier by making the clickable bar bigger.

I paid $70 for this software with a coupon code from STC iphone App. I can say that what ever you input into the iphone can be neatly sent to the software on your computer. Overall I like STC 2.0 and use it for all my stories but it needs some more work to stand out like quality $89 software.

Don't let your computer crash and lose your activation key because they won't give it back. There tech and customer service stinks. It's not worth the money because if you've read the book, all this information is in there and it doesn't take a lot of effort to just write out you premise on paper or on computer or make your own note cards. That's basically all this software does.
Anyway the point is that if you bought the book you don't need the software. It doesn't do anything extra for your writing. You don't need the note cards esp if you use Final Draft. Because the tech service is weak you don't want to waste your money on a product that you cannot get service on.

I have been exploring this software for about a week now and I find it to be very buggy, cumbersome and opaque. I usually make it for about 2 minutes, if I'm lucky, before it crashes (tried on several computers). The idea of multi-sided index cards is a great one, but having 40 of them overlapping on your screen makes things difficult to navigate. The advice is concise and helpful, but the software seems reluctant to cooperate with it. The sample script from spider man has things in the beat sheet labelled as "Set up" which show up on the board as "Catalyst" and other inconsistencies. To make matters more frustrating, in order to see what plot point each card corresponds to, or even get a legible view of a card, one has to move a card a little bit. The slightest brownian motion at this stage will shift that card into a different plot point or even a different scene. In short, a lot of helpful ideas here, but not ready for prime time. The 5 star reviews makes one wonder. Try out the demo first.

Great idea, poor execution. The whole idea behind Save The Cat is to "see" your screenplay in the beat cards. Unfortunately the only way this program lets you see them is in partial views. The cards overlap like two Republicans on Fox News. So if you want to pull up, say Beat Card 16, good luck finding it. It won't have an individual number, it'll be so tightly interwoven between Cards 15 and 17 you won't be able to click on it the first try because you won't be able to see its edge. And if you write to their tech department, all you'll get is a fatuous, self-serving answer: The techie told me to get a 2nd monitor so I could see all of the cards. D'oh, really? He said screen real estate is a fixed amount. Okay. So, then, do it in smaller increments. As all real estate developers tell you: sub-divide! His idea still wouldn't allow you to see your movie with the scenes butted end to end. Very disappointing. I am putting it up for sale.

I used the Save the Cat 2.0 software for a few months but there are some interface issues the developer never bothered to adjust. There are no updates and it seems it will stay that way. The design is a bit sloppy and you'll see for yourself once you download the demo. I recently found out about Scrivener 2.0 which can be found in the Mac app store or on their website. I own Final Draft 8, Save the Cat 2.0, Office 2011 and Scrivener has replaced them all. Its the best, smoothest writing software I ever used. The developer is actually a writer and he listens and responds to people's requests on this site's forum. I'm not trying to promote someone's product on here but I'm just so happy with it and my writing organization is a dream. I customized the software to my liking. I paid $34 for it with a coupon code I found online. It even lets me convert files to mobi Kindle format (and I do have a Kindle). Anyways I'll get back to writing. Go get Scrivener and I bet you'll come back here and comment a Thank you under my review.

Trust me. The five star reviews here seem a bit like plants.

I would highly recommend Scrivener over this product. It's less expensive, can do a lot more and it can export to Final Draft.

Still... if you are wondering: Try it before you buy it.

AND read all the reviews on here that are less than five stars.