Creative Screenwriting chatted with Mernit on the state of romantic comedies, what fascinates him about the genre, and why his beats are so essential in writing a solid rom-com script. Romantic Comedy - Free download as Word Doc (.doc), PDF File. Aug 23, 2017 - The book I'll be referring to often is Billy Mernit's (he's a Story Analyst for Universal and actual guru of rom-com) Writing the Romantic Comedy.

Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat BS2 15 Beats merged with Billy Mernit’s Seven Basic Romantic Comedy Beats for a 110 minute/110 page screenplay Save the Cat by Blake Snyder Writing The Romantic Comedy by Billy Mernit BS-2 #1 Opening Image (1) [ 1 page ] The scene in the movie that sets up the tone, type, and initial salvo of a film — and it’s the opposite of the Final Image. Rom Com Beat #1: The Chemical Equation: Setup A scene or sequence identifying the exterior and/or interior conflict (i.e., unfulfilled desire), the 'what's wrong with this picture' implied in the protagonist's (and/or the antagonist's) current status quo. BS-2 #2 Theme Stated (5) [ 5 pages ] Usually spoken to the main character, often without his knowing what is said will be vital to his surviving this tale. It’s what your movie is “about.” BS-2 #3 Set-up (1-10) [ 5 pages ] The first 10 pages of a script must not only grab our interest — and a studio reader’s — but introduce or hint at introducing every character in the A story. BS-2 #4 Catalyst (12) [ 2 pages ] The telegram, the knock at the door, the act of catching your wife in bed with another, and suddenly you know your life has changed.

It’s the movie’s first “whammy.” Rom Com Beat #2: Cute Meet: Catalyst The inciting incident that brings man and women together and into conflict; and inventive but credible contrivance, often amusing, which in some way sets the tone for the action to come. BS-2 #5 Debate (12-25) [ 12 pages ] The section of the script, be it a scene or a series of them, when a hero doubts the journey he must take.

BS-2 #6: Break into Two (25) [ 1 page ] Act Two, that is, and it is where we leave the “Thesis” world behind and enter the upside-down “Antithesis” world of Act Two. How to install fiery system software. Let the journey begin! Rom Com Beat #3: A Sexy Complication: Turning Point Traditionally occurring at the end of Act 1, a new development that raises story stakes and clearly defines the protagonist's goal; most successful when it sets man and women at crosspurposes and/or their inner emotions at odds with the goal. BS-2 #7: B Story (30) [ 5 pages ] The “love” story, traditionally, but actually where discussion about the theme of a good movie is found.

BS-2 #8: Fun and Games (30-55) [ 25 pages ] Where we find “set pieces,” trailer moments, and the “promise of the premise.” BS-2 #9: Midpoint (55) [ 1 page ] The dividing line between the two halves of a movie, the part where “fun and games” end, where the “stakes are raised,” and where the going gets tough for our hero(es). Rom Com Beat #4: The Hook: Midpoint A situation that irrevocably binds the protagonist with the antagonist (often while tweaking sexual tensions) and has further implications for the outcome of the relationship.