One thing I tell writers about Blake’s beat sheet is that it allows me to look at scripts very objectively. More than that, it was also a great way to give notes to a writer without simply saying “I don’t get it” and not knowing what exactly I didn’t get about it. While I knew all the basics of screenwriting from all those screenwriting classes I took, I figured the best way to do it was to use his beat sheet. In a way, you could say this was my test.

Currently, my writing partner and I recently acquired the rights to a biographical story of a young woman in India who has gone from being a survivor of a violent act to a leading advocate of women’s rights. It’s not about what genre you write but more of just writing what one believes is a good story. I’ve written a few scripts in different genres, which is what I think new writers should do. Instead I tell people I was inspired by a bald guy who could take out all kinds of scum if they say Walter White did the same for them, I just quietly nod my head in agreement. I guess I could also say that’s when I slowly made that transition into wanting to tell, read and watch “longer stories.” I’ll never admit I was inspired to pursue a screenwriting career by a Mr.

But isn’t that what storytelling is all about – selling the hero’s story? And, unknown to me at that time, that’s where I first learned how to tell effective stories – even if I was just selling a shampoo or household cleaning product. One of the accounts I handled was Proctor & Gamble and they were very specific about what happens at certain points in a commercial. It’s funny that Blake talks about finding the 15 beats in a 30 second commercial because that’s exactly how I first learned about story structure. I started off as a copywriter in advertising. I wasn’t one of those who constantly had a super 8 or small film camera while in middle school or high school. Were you always interested in films? What inspired you to write for the screen? What have you written?įilm came to me later in life you could say. Now Silerio now actively works with screenwriters who have projects in active development with major studios and has been invited to speak at a number of screenwriting conferences, including the Great American Pitchfest and London Screenwriters Festival.Ĭreative Screenwriting chatted with Silerio about his relationship with Snyder, the importance of genres and his thoughts on using a “paint by numbers” formula. But isn’t that what storytelling is all about – selling the hero’s story?”įrom this prosaic storytelling education, José Silerio became Save the Cat! author Blake Snyder’s Development Director. “I first learned how to tell effective stories…selling a shampoo or household cleaning product.

Save the cat screenwriting