When 'all is lost' is it the 'dark night of the soul'?
"Save the Cat" is a fun book. From its iconic name to the classic concepts, it's a staple in storytelling techniques. There's a part in the book dedicated to the "beat sheet." Beats are smaller story parts that happen one after another in the plot. There are 15 of them. But all these breakdowns and custom names can be confusing.
For example, what's the difference between 'All is Lost' and 'The Dark Night of the Soul'? These are the 11th and 12th beats of the plot. The beats are in order, so we can see that they happen somewhere in the final parts. More specifically, if we're talking about a three-act plot, they happen just before the third act.
Snyder defines "All is lost" as this:
All aspects of the hero's life are in shambles. Wreckage abounds. No hope.
Snyder, Blake. Save the Cat! (p. 86). Michael Wiese Productions. Kindle Edition.
And the "Dark night of the soul" like this:
It can last five seconds or five minutes. But it's in there. And it's vital. It's the point, as the name suggests, that is the darkness right before the dawn.
Snyder, Blake. Save the Cat! (p. 88). Michael Wiese Productions. Kindle Edition.
In an article I read recently, the two concepts are explained in other words as this:
"All is Lost" is a "peak" turn in the story, where there is a major conflict between the character and antagonist, and most commonly, the antagonist wins.
Snyder also discusses a small but effective trick in this beat called "Whiff of Death." Have you noticed how many times an important but not the main character passes away right before the final climax of act three? Screenwriters use that name for the emotional damage they cause us in these moments. When that happens, we'll be in the "valley" of act two, descending the climax.
The article describes the "whiff of death" like this:
The "Whiff of Death" usually happens near the end of this encounter, and typically acts as a transition into the next beat.
And explains the "Dark Night of the Soul" as the followup of the above:
"Dark Night of the Soul" is the falling action or "valley" of Act II and includes the protagonist's emotional reaction to what just happened.
