The Silence of The Lambs Movie Beat Sheet

1. Opening Image
	A tree (with no leafs) in the woods - foggy, fall-like weather. (A sweaty Clarice soon climbs up into view)
2. Theme Stated
	Clarice (FBI trainee) is assigned the task of talking to Hannibal in an effort to get information on a serial killer - Buffalo Bill.
3. Set-Up
	Clarice is warned to not let Hannibal inside her head. She goes to the asylum to see Hannibal & to get him to fill out a questionnaire. He challenges her & she fights back, questioning his courage. Hannibal still won't help her.
4. Catalyst - Inciting Incident
	Another inmate tosses sperm at her
5. Debate
	Appalled, Hannibal still refuses to fill out the questionnaire BUT he does offer her a hint to catching Buffalo Bill & to advance her career. She follows the clues, which lead to a dead body. Clarice now knows that Hannibal could help her the rest of the way.
6. Break into Two
	Hannibal agrees to continue to help her, but he wants a room with a view in exchange, and time is running out as the killer searches for his next victim.
7. B Story
	Buffalo Bill captures his next victim.
8. Fun and Games
	The hunt is on as Clarice investigates: autopsy of past victim, finds an exotic moth, meets with moth experts. The latest victim is the daughter of a Senator.
9. Tentpole - Midpoint - Reversal
	The FBI agrees on terms to make Hannibal's stay more pleasant BUT only if the Senator's daughter lives & Buffalo Bill is caught. Hannibal agrees to help BUT only if Clarice opens up to him. Quid pro quo.
10. Bad Guys Close In
	Hannibal tells her that Bill was probably rejected for transsexual operation, but she gives up some personal information on her running away as a child. Bill pressures his victim. The chief psychiatrist tells Hannibal that the FBI is lying to him. We learn that the offer Clarice made was phoney by the FBI and the Senator is angry. Hannibal is being tranferred. The Senator agrees to it. He provides information to her.
11. All Is Lost
	Clarice is desperate. She needs information & has little time to get it as Hannibal is moments away from being transferred. Time for Quid pro quo.
12. Dark Night of the Soul
	She's forced to tell her most personal secret regarding the slaughter of the lambs. After Clarice leaves, Hannibal kills the guards.
13. Break into Three
	Hannibal escapes posing as an injured officer.
14. Finale - Confrontation
	Buffalo Bill sews skin from previous victim. Clarice figures out that the moth victim is the first one & therefore Buffalo Bill knew her. She follows her lead while the FBI follows a false lead that Hannibal gave to the Senator. She questions Buffalo Bill, figures out he's the killer, confronts and kills him, saving the girl.
15. Aftermath
	Clarice graduates. She gets a call from Hannibal, who has the Chief Psychiatrist in his sights. The psychiatrist is on the run, hiding from Hannibal.
16. Final Image
	Hannibal walking through the crowd on an island with palm trees on a sunny day.

Some might place Clarice’s slaughtering of the lambs revelation at the end of the “Bad guys close in” beat, but I feel it works perfectly in the “Dark night of the soul” as she clearly doesn’t want to reveal this and is a poignant moment in the story.