What is a Story Beat in a Film?

If you think of any screenplay or finished film as having building blocks which make up the final story you’ll quickly start to hone in on the individual elements that come together to create the narrative. All stories can be broken down into building blocks made up of arcs, acts, scenes, and – you guessed it – beats. Story beats are the smallest of the building blocks. Therefore the story beats make up the scenes, scenes make up the acts, and the acts make up the various arcs which together form the story. But, exactly what is the story beat in a film and if they’re so miniscule, why then are they so important?

What is a Story Beat in a Film?

A story beat is an individual element within the story that is meant to propel the story forward. This carefully structured element of the narrative creates an intentional shift in tone such that the audience is compelled to take notice of what might happen next. Story beats are used to structure the narrative while controlling the emotional arcs of the characters. 

A scene is made up of many different story beats which may be subtle or they could be blatantly obvious. Early script writers would signify the story beats in a script by labeling them “beat” which would communicate to the reader that there should be an evident shift in the tone of the action and that the next steps would essentially propel the narrative forward to the next stage.

Types of Story Beats in Film

To help you understand how the story beat in a film is used to propel the plot forward it’s best if we provide you with some examples of the various types of story beats that are most frequently used in filmmaking. Story beats represent a number of emotional moments within a story or may represent various plot points which form the overall plot structure of the story. 

You might notice the following acting as story beats in a script:

• Character realizations – whether it’s something profound or minimal, when a character realizes something it’s an important part of the narrative and the realizations are used to drive the plot forward all be it slowly or very quickly depending. Characters might witness a friend making an unfriendly gesture, they might realize there’s betrayal involved, or they could realize that they weren’t picked for the team. Realization beats formulate a basis upon which characters can make decisions further propelling the narrative.
• Interactions between characters – as a character interacts with others within the story, the most notable interactions represent story beats that are bound to shape the narrative and drive the plot. Things like conversations, arguments, or phone calls can all be story beats that shape the story driving the plot.
• Character resolutions – when a character makes a resolution it could be a story beat. Think about the film How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. The resolution that the character made in the beginning of the film would become the driving point which propelled the story forward. 
• Individual events – plot development is further initiated through various events which take place to drive the story forward. Story beats in film that are represented by events include things like parties, games, gatherings, and other events which present opportunities for the characters to express their views and for the plot to advance.

What are Story Beats Used For in Screenwriting?

So what is a story beat in a film and what is it used for? The story beat is an important moment in a story in which there is something pivotal that occurs which the audience should pay attention to. The beat is going to propel the story forward, potentially altering the direction of the narrative or otherwise drawing the audience to take notice of what’s occurring. Each scene is made up of several story beats which can be used by the screenwriter to:

• Show that a character has just had a realization of something.
• To reveal a twist in the plot or narrative.
• Show that another character has gone behind the back of a particular character in the story.

What About Beats that are Used as Story Pauses?

Perhaps you’ve been taught that a beat isn’t about propelling the story forward, but instead is about initiating a pause in the story? Sometimes, a writer will use the word “beat” in the actual text of the screenplay to announce to the reader that there should be a pause in the dialogue or action taking place at that particular time. While the word “beat” may be used for this purpose, these beats in which a pause is required are not the same as “story beats” in which there is a pivotal moment in the story in which there is forward propulsion that the audience should recognize and take notice of.

In other words, you’re not wrong if you have been taught that when you see the word “beat” in the context of a screenplay that it means you should pause the dialogue or action taking place, but a beat in this instances is not the same as a story beat. In fact, story beats are not always noted in the screenplay, but there are certain to be several story beats within each scene whether they’re subtle and hard to recognize or very distinct and obvious.

Because the concept of beat vs story beats can be confusing, many screenwriters will actually use the word “pause” rather than “beat” to prevent from formulating any confusion among the reader as to what is expected of them. In this case, as well as when the word “beat” is used, the idea is to initiate a quiet moment in which the action, and the dialogue, takes a short pause. 

So, what is a story beat in a film? It’s a narrative element that is used by the screenwriter to drive the story forward through events, realizations, resolutions, and interactions that take place throughout the story and thus propel the narrative in a particular direction.