Question 1

How many beats are in a scene?

Anna Keizer · Accepted Answer

The answer is that there is no set or correct number of beats in a scene. A scene might last seconds or minutes. It could have a single beat or dozens of them. It all comes down to how the scene is constructed and what the intention is behind including it in the script.
So when putting together your own beat sheet, don’t feel limited by number. If you have two beats for a particular scene, that’s okay. If you have twenty, that’s okay, too.
That being said, what can be so useful about a beat sheet before you even get to the screenwriting part of the process is evaluating if those beats actually convey at the most basic level what is supposed to be happening in that scene.
Two beats might be just enough, or you might decide to flesh out that particular scene a bit more. In the same way, twenty beats might be exactly what the next scene needs or you might look at those beats and choose to par down.
Hitting a certain number of beats per scene is not the goal. Hitting exactly the number of beats you need for each scene is.

Question 2

What should a beat sheet look like?

Anna Keizer · Accepted Answer

A beat sheet is comprised of the core moments in a story that keep moving it forward. To that end, no extraneous information is needed for it.
That means no dialogue. No character descriptions. No details that don’t inherently impact how the story unfolds.
There’s no single way that a beat sheet should look, but many Screenwriters create them as a bullet point document so that they can concisely map out those core moments and quickly refer back to them when the time comes to start writing the actual screenplay.

Question 3

What makes a good beat sheet?

Anna Keizer · Accepted Answer

The most important marker of a good beat sheet is that it’s a beat sheet you’ll actually use.
If you’re new to beat sheets, you’re probably going to look at examples of them, whether they are documents you find online or get from your Screenwriter friends. That’s great.
Use them for inspiration but don’t feel obligated to construct yours in exactly the same way if it doesn’t feel organic to your personal writing style. The same goes for any screenwriting students who have been taught to create beat sheets in a certain way.
Considering that it does take a fair amount of time and energy to make a beat sheet, make sure that it flows in a way that will help you create the best script possible.
Given the intention behind beat sheets, it’s also important to keep it restricted to those most important moments in a script. Be mindful of a beat sheet so detailed with extraneous information that you find yourself getting lost in it.
If you personally feel like you want a support document for your script that does include certain elements like dialogue and the like, consider doing so with an outline instead.

Question 4

Why is it called a beat sheet?

Anna Keizer · Accepted Answer

A beat sheet gets its name on account of its purpose: to clearly lay out the most important moments that happen in the story of a screenplay.

Question 5

What are all the parts of a beat?

Anna Keizer · Accepted Answer

A beat is one of the most basic elements in storytelling. It refers to a significant story moment or shift in a script. For instance, a character finds a ticking bomb in their car or a dead body in their basement.
That being said, a beat doesn’t have to be a life-or-death moment. It’s simply a moment that clearly propels the story forward. However, because beats are the building blocks of storytelling, they typically do not have smaller constituent parts.

Question 6

Is a beat sheet very important for a screenplay?

Anna Keizer · Accepted Answer

It depends. The truth is that some Screenwriters will never use a beat sheet, while others heavily depend on them during the writing process. If you have other means to navigate the process of your story, such as notecards or an outline, that may be enough for you while writing your screenplay. But pending your need for support aids that can help you stay on track and remained focused on the story at hand, a beat sheet can be the most important document you create outside of the screenplay itself.

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