I call it the "Save The Cat" scene. They don't put it into movies anymore. And it's basic. It's the scene where we meet the hero and the hero does something - like saving a cat - that defines who he is - and makes us, the audience, like him.

In the thriller, Sea of Love, Al Pacino is a cop. Scene One finds him in the middle of a sting operation. Parole violators have been lured by the promise of meeting the NY Yankees, but when they arrive, it's Al and his buddies waiting to bust them. So Al's "cool." (He's got a cool idea for a sting anyway.) But on his way out he also does something nice. Al spots another lawbreaker, who's brought his son, coming late to the sting. Seeing the Dad with his kid, Al flashes his badge at the man who nods in understanding and exits quick. Al lets this guy off the hook because he has his young son with him. And just to let you know Al hasn't really gone totally soft, he also gets to say a cool line to the crook: "Catch you later.... " Well, I don't know about you, but I like Al. I'll go anywhere he'll take me now and you know what else? I'll be rooting to see him win. All based on a two second interaction between Al and a Dad with his baseball fan kid.

Can you imagine if the makers of Lara Croft 2 spent $4 on a good Save the Cat scene instead of the $2.5 million they spent developing that new latex body suit for Angelina Jolie? They might have done a whole lot better.

From the Introduction to Save the Cat - The Last Book On Screenwriting You'll Ever Need by Blake Snyder.

An absolute must for anyone who wants to learn to write so that others will want to read what you've written, and to pay money for the privilege.