Learn About Beats in Screenwriting: How to Create a Beat Sheet in 12 Steps

In a screenplay or teleplay, a beat is a moment that propels the story forward and compels the viewer to take stock of what could happen next. Each scene may be comprised of several different beats. Some story beats are subtle, while others are obvious.

Beats can refer to several different kinds of emotional moments or plot points. Examples of beats you might find in a screenplay include:

1. 1. Events. From graduation parties and proms, to battles and boxing matches, large social gatherings and events offer many opportunities for characters to express their views or desires, interact with secondary characters, and advance plot development both within the main story and outside of it.
2. 2. Realizations. Realizations are often small, subtle, and quiet moments that occur after some buildup. Perhaps a character witnesses a gesture or glance that reveals their best friend’s betrayal, or discovers that there’s a reason she keeps getting passed up for promotions. Realization beats help characters make decisions based on the information they have.
3. 3. Resolutions. Resolution beats tend to come early in the story, and stem from a character’s desire to change the status quo or conduct an experiment. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is a clear example of how a simple resolution made early on in the film impacts the entire plot: for her advice column, protagonist Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) resolves to drive a man away within 10 days.
4. 4. Interactions. Throughout the course of his or her journey, a character meets allies and antagonists, characters who provide additional conflict and dimension to the story. Notable interactions (for instance a hero facing off with the villain in the final battle) are important beats that shape the plot. Conversations fall under this category as well: even seemingly minor dialogue, like a teenager and her father arguing over curfew, can shape the outcome of the rest of the story.

A beat sheet is the precursor to a screenplay outline: it identifies the important moments in an episode or feature film, and lays out what needs to happen in each act of the story. The beat sheet identifies the key emotional moments in a story, while the outline expands on those moments with specific scenes, settings, and details.

There are a variety of methods you can use to create a beat sheet:

• Divide a sheet of paper into three sections (representing the three acts of a feature screenplay) or five sections (representing the five acts of a television script).
• Use a whiteboard to diagram your story beats.
• Write each beat on an index card, then pin them to a cork board or arrange them on a table.
• Use outlining tools on a computer program like Final Draft to create and arrange your beats.

In general, feature-length screenplays have roughly 15 major story beats. Typically, comedies are frequently around 90 pages while dramas tend to be around 120 pages. Divide the number of beats by the number of pages, and you’ll have a good sense of your story’s pacing.

Every screenwriter approaches their beat sheet a bit differently, but in general, the goal is to separate your story into either three or five acts, and move the story through those acts with beats. Here are 12 story beats to incorporate into your beat sheet.

1. 1. Opening image. A short description of the very first moment or event people will see. Strive for an exciting opening that makes people lean in and sets the tone for the story you’re telling.
2. 2. Introduction. One or more beats in which your characters and setting come into clear focus. Who is the main character? What does she want? What is holding her back from getting it?
3. 3. Statement of theme. What is your film about? This is the opportunity to show the audience.
4. 4. Catalyst. This is the moment in which the main character either actively sets out to achieve her goals, or is forced to go down the path plotted for her. Think of the most extreme thing that can happen to your characters, make it happen, and go from there.
5. 5. Debate. However, even great characters have their doubts. The main character might need to confer with other characters, or do some soul-searching, before embarking on her journey.
6. 6. B-Story or B-Plot. The best time to introduce a secondary plot is roughly towards the end of the first act. The audience will now be familiar with the main character, her world, and her plight, and therefore should be more invested in the other goings-on that may affect the story. The B-Plot often carries the first act through to the second act.
7. 7. New characters. As the main character goes through the story, she will likely meet other characters who help or hurt her. This opportunity for one or more new characters, which should come towards the first half of the second act, allows a writer to deepen the conflict and increase tension in the narrative.
8. 8. Midpoint. Exactly halfway through your story. The characters have made their decisions, and now reality sets in.
9. 9. Low point. Just as as the main character seems to be within reach of her goal, something happens that derails her progress or makes her question her journey. A sense of despair or confusion may set in.
10. 10. Climax. This is the big moment in which the action spikes and everything that you’ve set up before now comes to a head. In a traditional action film, the climax might be a big chase or fight scene. In short, the climax should show your main character just within reach of her goal.
11. 11. Beginning of the end. Once the main character has reached her goal (or come up short), the story begins to wind down. Any secondary storylines should start coming to a close.
12. 12. Finale. The final scene viewers will see. This should cap off the theme of the story, and leave your audience with a sense of how your protagonist has grown through the events of the film.

You can format your beat sheet any way you choose and include as much description as you’d like, but it’s typical to keep your beats concise and clearly labeled. For instance, the first few beats of a beat sheet might look something like this:

• Opening Image: Page 1. Wide shot of Chicago zooms in on ESTHER, a 35-year-old woman, entering a studio apartment. She casually picks up a phone call from someone listed as “Sis In Law”. Esther begins to silently sob.
• Introduction: Pages 3-4. Esther is out of the office and her assistant can’t keep up with the workload.
• Catalyst: Pages 6-8. Funeral at a rundown cemetery. Esther’s sister has mysteriously died. Esther must decide if she will continue her life as high-powered executive in Chicago, or move back home to take care of her nieces and find out what happened to her sister.

A final beat sheet should give the complete rundown of a story. A beat sheet is a functional document, not a creative one, so you shouldn’t tease information or leave any questions unanswered. For instance, while building your beat sheet, instead of writing, “Midpoint: Betty faces a tough decision about her future. What will she do?” you could say, “Midpoint: Betty decides to give up her opportunity to attend ballet school so that she can care for her sick mother.”

Occasionally, you may see the word beat used in the actual text of a screenplay. This is a different screenwriting technique, unrelated to the sense of “beat” as an important moment in the story. In this technique, the word “beat” is used to denote the timing of a pause in the dialogue or action.

This type of pause often appears in the scene description or action lines. For instance:

KEVIN So what are you going to do?

CHARLOTTE The only thing I can do.

Charlotte stares out the apartment window. Beat.

CHARLOTTE It’s time she knew who her real mother is.

Alternatively, you may see the word beat used as a parenthetical in the middle of a line of dialogue:

KEVIN So what are you going to do?

CHARLOTTE The only thing I can do.
(beat)
It’s time she knew who her real mother is.

The screenwriter will use this technique to help the script reader envision a scene in their mind. Alternatively, a writer may include these pauses in a shooting script to help actors deliver their lines as intended.

To minimize confusion, many screenwriters will opt to write “pause” instead of “beat” when they want a quiet moment in the screenplay.

Whether you’re an aspiring blockbuster director or have dreams of changing the world with your independent film, navigating the world of film and television can be daunting. No one knows this better than Aaron Sorkin, who wrote his first movie on cocktail napkins. Those napkins turned into A Few Good Men, starring Jack Nicholson. In Aaron Sorkin’s MasterClass on the art of screenwriting, the Academy Award-winning writer of “The West Wing” shares his rules of storytelling, dialogue, character development, and what makes a script actually sell.

Want to be a better filmmaker? The MasterClass Annual Membership provides exclusive video lessons from master filmmakers, including Aaron Sorkin, Spike Lee, Martin Scorcese, David Lynch, Jodie Foster, and more.