Script Analysis: “American Hustle” — Part 2: Major Plot Points

Reading scripts. Absolutely critical to learn the craft of screenwriting. The focus of this weekly series is a deep structural and thematic analysis of each script we read. Our daily schedule:

Monday: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown
Tuesday: Major Plot Points
Wednesday: Sequences
Thursday: Psychological Journey
Friday: Takeaways

Today: Major Plot Points.

In every scene, something happens. A plot point is a scene or group of scenes in which something major happens, an event that impacts the narrative causing it to turn in a new direction.

A relevant anecdote. Years ago, I was on the phone with a writer discussing a script project. My son Will, who was about four years old at the time, must have been listening to me talking about “plot points” during the conversation because after I hung up, he asked, “Daddy, what’s a plop point?”

That’s in effect what a plot point is. It’s an event that ‘plops’ into the narrative and changes its course. So when you think Plot Point, think Plop Point!

The value of this exercise:

* To identify the backbone of the story structure.

* To examine each major plot point and see how it is effective as an individual event.

* To analyze the major plot points in aggregate to determine why they work together as the central plot.

This week: American Hustle. You may download the script — free and legal — here.

For Part 1, to read the Scene-By-Scene Breakdown created by Jon Raymond and analysis of it, go here.

Written by Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell

IMDb Plot Summary: A con man, Irving Rosenfeld, along with his seductive partner Sydney Prosser, is forced to work for a wild FBI agent, Richie DiMaso, who pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia.

Writing Exercise: Go through the scene-by-scene breakdown of American Hustle and identify the major plot points. Post your thoughts in comments and we’ll see if we can come up with a consensus.

Tomorrow we consider the script’s structure in terms of its sequences.

If you’d like a PDF of the American Hustle script scene-by-scene breakdown, go here.

This series started here and we already have 20 volunteers to do scene-by-scene breakdowns of contemporary movie scripts.

American Hustle: Jon Raymond
Argo: Nora Barry
Barney’s Version: John M
Beginners: Ali
Enough Said: Ali
Flight: 14Shari
Frankenwenie: Will King
Gravity: Matt Duriez
Hanna: John Arends
Lincoln: pgronk
Looper: erikledrew
Moonrise Kingdom: iamdaniel
Mud: Alejandro
Paranorman: OhScotty
Prisoners: mkm28
Short Term 12: Carolina Groppa
The Artist: Traci Nell Peterson
The Social Network: N D
The Way Way Back: Ricky
Wadjda: iamdaniel

If you’d like to participate and do a scene-by-scene breakdown yourself, please indicate which script in comments. We are using scripts available on our site here.

For new volunteers and those who have already volunteered, but not sent me a breakdown yet, please do so by November 20. Thanks!

Circling back to where we started, reading scripts is hugely important. Analyzing them even more so. If you want to work in Hollywood as a writer, you need to develop your critical analytical skills. This is one way to do that.

So seize this opportunity and join in the conversation!

I hope to see you in comments about this week’s script: American Hustle.

Next week: Frankenweenie. You may download the script — free and legal — here.

The scene-by-scene breakdown for Frankenweenie has been created by Will King.

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