Script Analysis: “American Hustle” — Part 3: Sequences
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: Sequences.
A sequence is simply a collection of scenes in a screenplay that have their own narrative arc and they have been around since the earliest days of cinema. Arising from this is something known as the sequence approach. Here is a description from Wikipedia:
The sequence approach to screenwriting, sometimes known as “eight-sequence structure”, is a system developed by Frank Daniel, while he was the head of the Graduate Screenwriting Program at USC. It is based in part on the fact that, in the early days of cinema, technical matters forced screenwriters to divide their stories into sequences, each the length of a reel (about ten minutes).
The sequence approach mimics that early style. The story is broken up into eight 10–15 minute sequences. The sequences serve as “mini-movies”, each with their own compressed three-act structure. The first two sequences combine to form the film’s first act. The next four create the film’s second act. The final two sequences complete the resolution and denouement of the story. Each sequence’s resolution creates the situation which sets up the next sequence.
That’s too formulaic for my tastes. Some screenplays may have eight sequences. Some may have two or three times that many. We should never let a formula control where our stories want to go. That can restrict our creativity and lead to formulaic writing. Nevertheless the idea of a sequence has considerable merit:
• Working with sequences breaks down crafting and writing a script into smaller, manageable parts.
• Each sequence has its own beginning, middle, and end which can help to give the story a solid structure.
• With each sequence flowing directly into the next, a writer can give their script a strong narrative push.
When analyzing a script, there are multiple benefits in identifying its sequences:
• We can identify these mini-stories and see how well they track — beginning, middle, end.
• We can track the transitions into and out of them, one sequence to the next.
• We can explore how the sequences influence the pace of the narrative.
An indicator of sequences are the plot points: When a plot point happens, that generally marks the end of a sequence, building to a significant climax that spins the plot in a new direction.
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.
For Part 2, to read the Major Plot Points as identified by readers, 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 and identify the sequences.
Here is something you can do: Imagine each sequence as a runner in a relay race and as an individual sequence ends, it ‘hands off’ the baton to the next sequence. This is how we create a sense of narrative flow. So look at the sequences as articulated above: How does each one ‘hand off’ the story’s momentum to the next sequence?
Tomorrow we consider the script’s structure in terms of its psychological journey and the dynamic of transformation.
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 Coad
Enough Said: Ali Coad
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.
NOTE: We have some 2014 scripts available now including Gone Girl, St. Vincent, and The Fault in Our Stars. If anyone wants to do a breakdown of those scripts, let me know.
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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