What does a story lose if the Debate beat is not handled properly, or if it is absent completely? To answer that question I will firstly describe what the Debate beat is, for those who have not yet read Blake Snyder’s book Save the Cat!, and then offer my thoughts on its purpose and reason for being in a script.
What is the Debate beat? Well, after being introduced to the hero and seeing their pre-transformation existence they receive, as Joseph Campbell phrases it in The Hero With a Thousand Faces, a ‘call to adventure.’ This ‘call to adventure’ is the Catalyst scene that catapults the hero into the thick of things.
The Debate follows the Catalyst and is so-called because in it we see the hero debate the merits of the call to adventure. They need to realise the dangers that may lurk, the risks and cost of committing to the adventure. The Debate asks the questions, will the hero accept the mission? What dangers and obstacles does the hero face? Do they have what it takes to overcome?
Basically, the Debate serves two important functions. It provides a chance to amp up the stakes and it also helps show the hero’s state at the beginning, so we get a clearer view of the growth they show as they traverse the story. A story needs the Debate beat to signify to the audience the excitement that is to follow in the story. Tensions and conflicts can be foreshadowed, and the movie will be more gripping and exciting.
So, if the Debate beat is missing or mishandled, what is the effect? The audience needs to see the obstacles to be overcome by the hero. Without the Debate beat the hero’s growth is not as easy to see. We also need to see that the hero has fears and faces them – for only then are they truly heroic. A character that does not have to overcome fear is far less heroic than a character who overcomes and acts despite their fear.
In closing, the Debate beat is an integral beat to help develop character. It is less critical to the plot, as the hero must accept the call to adventure, or else there is no story – but without it, we do not see the development of the protagonist as effectively.
What do you think about the Debate beat? Essential? Irrelevant? What have I overlooked in this brief analysis?