A lot of people don't realize Snyder wrote predominantly in one genre. The family film.

Most, if not all, of his thoughts on screenwriting are slanted towards writing something Disney would be likely to buy.

There's no judgment here. Just think it is important that people understand where the message is coming from to see the larger picture.

In THE DARK KNIGHT, Batman snaps the neck of a couple dogs. This should be in direct contrast to what Snyder points out. But as Scott, mentions, as long as it is driven from a character choice and not the writer's Hand of God imposing His will, you can do almost anything.

Save The Cat is a very light read, written in an incredibly simplistic manner. It also details a Beat Sheet, which for the most part is sold as a "formula" to craft any screenplay.

It's not surprising the book is a huge hit and a top seller.

I just think it's dangerous to only have a singular model for storytelling, and have run into plenty of non-writing producers who preach Save The Cat as it it were Bible scripture.

I've met, talked to, conversed with, and tossed ideas back and forth with Snyder when he was still with us. The guy is smart, insightful, and a generally good writer.

But he writes in one genre. And his lack of genre knowledge is evident in the book Save the Cat, particularly in the chapter where he has difficulty defining and listing the different genres.

The most important part of writing, is find out what works -- FOR YOU!

That Clint Eastwood scene sounds really familiar. I wish I could remember what movie that's from... Here's Eastwood in a textbook Save The Cat moment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq39iNlWTnw

Actually, it's a Save The Calf moment.

And I believe the opposite of Save The Cat is Kick The Dog :)

I think your on the money Scott, those moments have to be truly from the character. Because an audience can sense when a scene like that is contrived either way.

Another technique that I think works is that no matter how bad your hero is, if you show why he's being mean, the audience will say 'well he did go through hell'.

If it's comedy or family like 'James' mentioned then I guess a Save the Cat moment can be more blunt.

There's always a need for the audience to connect eith characters, but it isn't always as simple as a 'Save the cat' moment. Hannibal Lecter worked for all sorts of reasons. People prefer Han Solo to Luke. Making the character interesting is better than making him sympathetic (although making him both also works).
regards
Mood
Moody Writing

Back in 2009 I spent a day pondering this very question, and turned it into a blog post.

Mragendra, hopefully you can find something useful in the article I entitled "Jerks That Work."

"Whack The Cat!" coming to a shop near you soon. :)

Nice post, Scott, as always.

What a great story about Clint Eastwood (Fistful of Dollars maybe?), thanks for sharing, Scott. Such a potent understated way of establishing his core humanity.

One of my favorite kick the dog moments, Don Johnson in Tin Cup, being mean to old people, kids, and dogs, in one fell swoop, when he's rude to grandparents, kid at their side, dog in their arms, who've asked Johnson for autograph. He's rude to them and insults the dog.

Let me pick up on something mooderino says: The process of developing characters is much more complex than an artifice or moment ala save the cat. This is especially true with Nemesis or 'bad' characters. I believe it was Elmore Leonard who said, "Even bad guys have mothers." I've posted on this before, but it's probably worth another take. I'll pull something together with a more comprehensive take on the subject. Thanks for all your comments. It's gratifying to see writers who are committed to digging deeper into their characters and creating stories from who they are, as opposed to forcing some formulaic elements onto them.

Good post Scott, it helped me rethink about that aspect of the script I am working on, great insights from everyone, thanks!!!

Cheers
Mragendra