Script Analysis: “Gone Girl” — Part 1: Scene By Scene Breakdown

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: Plot
Wednesday: Characters
Thursday: Themes
Friday: Dialogue
Saturday: Takeaways

Today: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown. Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts — How To Read A Screenplay:

After a first pass, it’s time to crack open the script for a deeper analysis and you can do that by creating a scene-by-scene breakdown. It is precisely what it sounds like: A list of all the scenes in the script accompanied by a brief description of the events that transpire.

For purposes of this exercise, I have a slightly different take on scene. Here I am looking not just for individual scenes per se, but a scene or set of scenes that comprise one event or a continuous piece of action. Admittedly this is subjective and there is no right or wrong, the point is simply to break down the script into a series of parts which you then can use dig into the script’s structure and themes.

The value of this exercise:

* We pare down the story to its most constituent parts: Scenes.

* By doing this, we consciously explore the structure of the narrative.

* A scene-by-scene breakdown creates a foundation for even deeper analysis of the story.

This week: Gone Girl. You may download

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: Plot
Wednesday: Characters
Thursday: Themes
Friday: Dialogue
Saturday: Takeaways

Today: Scene-By-Scene Breakdown. Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts — How To Read A Screenplay:

After a first pass, it’s time to crack open the script for a deeper analysis and you can do that by creating a scene-by-scene breakdown. It is precisely what it sounds like: A list of all the scenes in the script accompanied by a brief description of the events that transpire.

For purposes of this exercise, I have a slightly different take on scene. Here I am looking not just for individual scenes per se, but a scene or set of scenes that comprise one event or a continuous piece of action. Admittedly this is subjective and there is no right or wrong, the point is simply to break down the script into a series of parts which you then can use dig into the script’s structure and themes.

The value of this exercise:

* We pare down the story to its most constituent parts: Scenes.

* By doing this, we consciously explore the structure of the narrative.

* A scene-by-scene breakdown creates a foundation for even deeper analysis of the story.

This week: Gone Girl. You may download a PDF of the script here.

Screenplay by Gillian Flynn based on her novel.

IMDb plot summary: With his wife’s disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it’s suspected that he may not be innocent.

Gone Girl

Scene by Scene Breakdown

By Ashley Lara

GoIntoTheStory.com

1: Black screen slowly fades into Amy’s head resting on Nick’s lap. Nick’s voice-over establishing uneasiness (“I picture cracking open her skull…”) and distrust (“What have we done with each other?”). Amy looks up and Nick. Blackout.

1–2: Title card (“July 5th, 2012. The Morning Of.”). Nick outside of his house in North Carthage, MO. He looks ill.

2–3: Nick with his sister Margot (Go) at The Bar, a local pub that the two of them own. Discuss Nick’s 5th year anniversary with Amy. Nick seems to be dreading it.

3–6: Flashback through Amy’s diary. She writes about meeting a guy (Nick) at a party. Flashback to the party where they meet and flirt. Both seem interested in each other.

6–7: They leave the party together. Walk through an alley where people are loading powdered sugar into a bakery, creating a sugar storm. Nick stops, wipes sugar off Amy’s lips, and kisses her. They go back to his apartment and have sex.

8–10: Back at the bar with Nick and Go. They talk about the scavenger hunts that Amy sets-up on every anniversary. Nick had difficulty last year with the hunt, so he’s really dreading it this year. They are interrupted by a call from Nick’s neighbor Walter — Nick and Amy’s cat is outside.

10–11: Nick goes back to his house. He notices the door is open, and when he enters he notices that the iron is still on and next to Amy’s dress, their coffee table is shattered, and an ottoman is turned upside down.

11–13: Detective Rhonda Boney and Officer James Gilpin are now at the house investigating. They ask Nick about Amy while tagging suspicious areas with post-its. They notice the nice dress — Nick tells them that it is their anniversary. Boney and Gilpin also discover that Amy’s parents wrote the famous Amazing Amy children’s books, using Amy as inspiration.

13–18: Amy’s diary entry sets up for a flashback to an Amazing Amy book launch party (Feb. 24, 2007). Amy’s parents (Rand and Marybeth) have written Amazing Amy and the Big Day, the book where Amy gets married. Amy is less than thrilled to be there. Agrees to answer some press questions. Nick poses as press and proposes to Amy. She accepts.

18–26: Nick is at the police station with Gilpin and Boney. Opens with Gilpin and Boney on the other side of the two-way mirror, watching Nick and discussing how this could become a big deal fast (semi-famous wife goes missing the day of her anniversary…). They then join him in the room, asking him routine questions and swabbing his mouth and hands (for DNA and gunshot residue, respectively). Boney mentions a press conference has been set up for tomorrow and asks if Amy’s parents can be there. Nick reveals he hasn’t contact Amy’s parents. He calls them — they’re upset he didn’t call earlier. During the phone call Nick discovers his dad is also at the police station — he wandered off from his assisted living facility. Nick is released to drive his father back to the assisted living facility. During the drive home Nick pulls out a second cell phone (cheap disposable) in his glove compartment. He dials it, gets voicemail, and hangs up. Nick drops off his dad.

27–28: July 5, 2009. 2nd anniversary. Nick and Amy on a scavenger hunt in a bookstore. Nick is guessing all the clues. They have sex in a secluded part of the store.

28: At a bar post-bookstore. Nick finds the 3rd clue.

29: At a Dim Sum restaurant. Celebrating with a feast. They both reveal that they purchased the same type of luxury 2,000 thread count bed sheets. In Amy’s words “Sometimes I want to punch us in the face we’re so cute.”

29–30: Back in 2012. Nick at Go’s apartment. He’s staying on her couch with 200 thread count sheets. They’re prepping for the press conference the next day. Nick’s phone buzzes — he turns it off.

30–32: Boney and Gilpin at the Dunne residence, investigating the house with a forensics team. Noelle Hawthorne, a neighbor of the Dunne’s, tries to talk to Boney. Boney tells her leave. They find an envelope marked “First Clue” in Nick and Amy’s bedroom.

32–33: Morning of the press conference. Nick is hung over. Go tells Nick to watch himself.

33–34: Nick and Go at the police station. Marybeth and Rand have arrived. They’re worried about Amy.

34–35: The press conference. Nick issues a brief (and somewhat cold) statement about Amy’s disappearance. Marybeth and Rand issue a more heart-felt plea for the safe return of Amy. The press starts to take photos. Nick stands next to Amy’s photo and smiles. The cameras go crazy. Go looks disappointed.

35–36: Boney, Rand, Marybeth, and Nick in a police conference room. Rand and Marybeth mention two men from her past: Desi Collings, her high school boyfriend who attempted suicide after she broke up with him (and now lives in St. Louis); and Tommy O’Hara, a former boyfriend who got physical with her when she broke up with him. Nick knew about Desi (he wrote letters to Amy) but didn’t know Tommy.

37: Rand and Marybeth leave. Boney pulls Nick into Boney’s office. She presents him with the “Clue One” envelope. Nick discussing their anniversary scavenger hunt. Boney thinks following these clues could help track Amy’s whereabouts before she went missing. Nick solves the clue (“Although this spot couldn’t be tighter/it’s a cozy room for my favorite writer/after school meeting don’t mind if I do/maybe I’ll teach you a thing or two”) and figures out the next clue is in his community college office.

37–39: In his office. They find an envelope marked “Clue Two” (Hey, handsome man — let’s go undercover. You be the spy and I’ll be his lover. Let’s head on over to the little brown house. We’ll play hot, doting husband and sweet loving spouse.). Boney finds a red lacy thong and bags it for evidence. Nick tells Boney he doesn’t know what the clue means.

39–41: Flashback to Nick and Amy’s New York brownstone. They promise not to become the typical, manipulating couples they see. They both think that with the recession that they will get laid off. Amy reveals to Nick that her parents need to borrow almost all of her trust fund. Nick is upset that she promised them money without asking him at first. Then he says it is fine — “Everything is background noise.” He puts a finger on his chin. Code for no-bullshit.

41: Nick hops into his car with missing person flyers. Checks his disposable cell phone. Missed calls and voicemails. He dials and says “Call me.”

41–43: Nick pulls up outside of a weathered blue house. He enters and an alarm starts to go off. He pushes the code. It starts to beep louder. He calls the alarm company. He can’t remember the answer to the security question (What is the name of Amy’s first pet?). Nick spots an envelope marked “Clue Three.” He picks it up. Cop car sirens. Boney enters and calls off the alarm. Allegedly she followed Nick. He says he comes here to check on things. He escorts her out of the house.

43: Nick reads “Clue Three” — Picture me: I’m a girl who is very bad/I need to be punished and by punished I mean had. It’s where you keep goodies for anniversary five / So open the door — and look alive. Nick can’t figure it out.

43–45: VO/Diary sets up flashback to the Brooklyn brownstone. Amy walks in on Nick playing videogames and finds that he purchased a new laptop. Amy questions him about his spending. Nick, on the defense, throws the pre-nup in her face. Amy says that Nick is pressuring her to become this nagging wife — someone she doesn’t want to become. Nick apologizes — he’s upset because he’s never been unemployed. At that moment Nick gets a call from Go — something is wrong in Missouri. Amy’s VO “Everything was about to get worse.”

45–47: title card reads “July 7, 2012. Two Days Gone.” Volunteer search party headquarters at the ballroom in the local Drury Inn. Nick enters and is greeted by friends and neighbors. Marybeth gives Nick a glare. Nick spots a man signing up to volunteer (Desi Collings, who goes unrecognized). Boney asks Nick about Amy’s friendship with Noelle Hawthorne. Nick says they weren’t close. Nick then helps a homeless guy with some food. Gilpin makes a comment that Nick is just acting like a good guy. Nick follows Desi outside into a hallway.
47–49: Nick loses Desi but runs into eager volunteer Shawna. She’s being flirty with him and takes a selfie. Nick gets upset and asks to delete the photo, even tries to take her phone. Shawna walks away. Nick re-enters the ballroom and sees Go who informs Nick that Marybeth is upset.

49: Search party on the banks of the river. Nick walks with Marybeth. She accuses Nick of having fun and not taking the search seriously. Nick apologizes — he says he’s just trying to be nice to the volunteers.

50: Boney and some officers are back at Nick’s house. She’s looking at credit card statements and asking if they found a set of golf clubs and a 65 inch television. The officer says they haven’t found anything. Noelle approaches the house to talk to the cops. Boney asks an officer to escort her off the premises.

51–52:Nick and Go at Go’s house. They’re watching Ellen Abbott, a “news show” in the style of Nancy Grace, on television. Go asks Nick if there’s anything he’s not telling her. He says no — he’s just tired of everyone judging him. Go decides to go to sleep.

52–53: Flashback with diary entry. Amy writes “I am a Missourian.” Shot of Nick and Amy loading a moving van outside of the their brownstone. Amy’s VO reveals that Nick’s mom Maureen has stage four breast cancer and that Nick decided they should move to Missouri. Shot of Nick and Amy pulling up outside of their new house (with Go and Maureen holding a welcome mat), then Amy wandering into the house after Nick. Amy says she feels like something Nick doesn’t want, like she could “disappear.”

53–56:Nick is asleep on Go’s couch when his disposable cell rings. Text message says “i’m outside -open up.” Nick opens the back door to reveal Andiee, 20s, standing outside. Nick pulls her inside and she wraps herself around him. It is revealed that Andiee is Nick’s girlfriend. Nick asks her if she left a pair of red panties in his office — she can’t remember. Nick asks her if she’s told anyone about them. She says she hasn’t. Andiee seems upset that Nick is concerned about Amy — he told Andiee that he was going to divorce her. They proceed to have sex.

56–57: Diary entry/flashback. Date Oct.2, 2011. Funeral home pen. Shot to reveal Nick’s house is a crowd of people dressed in black, mourning the death of Maureen. Amy is off by herself, watching the strangers in her house. Reveals she used the last of her trust fund money to buy Nick a bar, but it’s a failing business. Shot of Nick having sex with Amy — her VO says he uses her for sex when he wants.

57–59:Nick is primping to go out with his guy friends. Amy tries to get him to stay in with her. Nick says he’s already late. As Nick starts to leave Amy then tells him that maybe it’s time for them to have a baby. Nick gets upset — thinks this is the worst time and that they can’t afford it. Amy pleads that it would give her a purpose. Nick accuses her of using a baby to save their marriage. Amy tries to block him from leaving — Nick pushes her against the stairs. Amy writes/VO in diary “I am frightened of my own husband.”
59–62: Boney and Gilpin at the abandoned Mall. It’s dark and dirty and full of homeless people and drug dealers. They meet up with Jason, one of the leaders amongst a group of dealers. He says that she came to the mall asking how to get a gun.

62–67: Nick wakes up and tells/forces Andiee to leave before Go wakes up. Andiee leaves, but Go catches Nick in the act. she’s upset, accuses Nick of being just like their father. Go tells Nick that this looks bad for the case. Go turns on Ellen Abbott — Shawna Kelly is showing off her selfie. Then Ellen brings on Tanner Bolt, a high-powered attorney who starts to defend Nick on the show. Go tells Nick he needs to hire Tanner Bolt.

67: Nick re-enters his house. Parks of it are missing from the crime scene investigators. Nick looks outside to see a cop standing watch over the house.

67–68: Diary flashback to Valentine’s Day, 2012. Amy has bought a gun because she’s paranoid Nick might try to do something. Montage of scenes with Nick suspiciously watching Amy. She thinks he wants a divorce but won’t ask for it because she owns the bar.

68: Boney and Gilpin filling out paperwork while Ellen Abbott is discussing the case on TV. They are crossing off Nick’s dad and the drug angle. Donnelly, a CSI type, shows them that the kitchen lit up when they tested it for blood and that the blood type was B, Amy’s blood type. They believe the weapon was a blunt object, like a club.

68–71: Town Vigil for Amy. Nick addresses the crowd of townspeople and journalists. Rand and Marybeth stand at his side. Go watches from the crowd, as do Boney and Gilpin. He sees Andiee in the crowd, scowling at him. The speech is interrupted by Noelle, who shouts that Amy was pregnant and accuses Nick of doing something to her. Nick runs from the crowd and is escorted b Gilpin and Boney to a cop car.

72–75: Nick, Boney, and Gilpin at the Dunne residence. They present Nick with photos showing that Amy and Noelle were good friends. They tell Nick that the crime scene seemed staged. They reveal that they testing the kitchen for blood and it lit up, matching Amy’s blood type. It suggests that someone killed her in the house and made it look like a kidnapping. They ask Nick about the marriage, ask if they fought about all their credit card debt. They present receipts of items such as televisions, golf clubs, and a robot dog. Nick doesn’t know anything about those charges — he thinks his identity has been stolen. They also reveal that Amy’s life insurance was bumped up and that Nick filed the paperwork. Nick claims that was her idea, not his — he just filed the papers. Boney gets a call — Amy’s medical records confirms that she was pregnant. Nick throws a glass, and tells them that they can no longer talk to him until he gets a lawyer.

75–78:Later that same night at Nick’s. Go enters the house (flips off the paparazzi) to find Nick talking with Rand on the phone, claiming that it was Amy who didn’t want kids and that he is very surprised to hear about Amy’s pregnancy. Rand hangs up. Go says that Nick told her that he didn’t want kids. Nick says he was just putting on a good face so Go wouldn’t hate Amy as much. Nick even says he went to a fertility clinic and froze some of his sperm, but then Amy decided not to do her part. Go doesn’t believe him. Nick pulls out a box with the disposal notice from the clinic. Go notices the box is filled with items that Nick hates — a clue he couldn’t figure out from a previous anniversary, a letter Desi sent to Amy, their pre-nup.It’s a box of hate for Amy. Go asks Nick to tell her the truth. Nick asks if she’s asking if he killed Amy. Go says she would never ask that. Go leaves.

78–79 : Gilpin and Boney at Bill Dunne’s house. They’re searching for a body.

79: Nick at his house, staring at the final clue (Picture me: I’m a girl who is very bad/I need to be punished and by punished I mean had/It’s where you keep goodies for anniversary five So open the door — and look alive).

79–80: Amy diary entry. July 5, 2015. Amy writes that she is pregnant, and that she’s buying a gun to keep her safe. Her voice over reading the diary plays over the following scenes.

80: Nick’s living room. Looking at clue. Jotting down words associated with clue. Writes “punished.” Twisted look.

80: Bill Dunne’s house. Boney and Gilpin in the basement, looking into the furnace.

80: Ext. of Nick’s house. He’s sneaking away from the house.

80: Amy closes her diary. We see the cover.

80: Boney reaches into the furnace, sees the slightly burned cover of Amy’s diary.

80–81: Ext. of Go’s house. Nick opens the woodshed behind her house — it’s filled with all the items from the credit card statements.

81–86: Black screen. Amy voice-over: “I’m so much happier now that I’m dead.” She’s driving a beat-up Festiva, tossing her pens and pencils out the window. Bandage on her arm. Reveals she caught Nick cheating, and decided to fake her own kidnapping/death to make him pay. We see flashbacks of scenes with Amy in her planning stages (using her broken toilet to get Noelle’s urine to use for a pregnancy test, bleeding out to splatter her blood in the kitchen, getting Nick to sign insurance papers, creating a diary, burning her diary in the furnace, hiding the items in Go’s shed, staging the break-in). Amy reveals that she plans to commit suicide (drowning in the Mississippi River) to frame Nick for murder.

86–90: Title card: JULY, 5, 2012, 1:17 PM, Two Hours Gone. Amy pulls into a gas station parking lot, cuts/dyes her hair. Resumes driving and in voice over states she became the “cool girl” to win Nick. That they both became better people to impress each other. She also stops at a Wal-Mart to purchase supplies for her getaway. Later she pulls up to an Ozark cabin resort (shabby-kitsch) at the “Ten Hours Gone” mark. Pays for a cabin in cash (she’s wearing a money belt with all of her cash). She starts to set up her cabin with her supplies. She finds a hammer and hits herself in the face, to give the appearance of an abuse survivor.

90–93: Nick is at Go’s. He pulls her outside and they look in her woodshed. They realize it’s everything from the credit cards. They find the punching Judy dolls and put together that Amy is going to frame Nick for murder.

93–94: Amy creates a calendar of timelines — “Woodshed found — if not call tipline;” “Police know Andie — if not call tipline;” “Police find diary — if not call tipline;” “August 5: Police arrest Nick;” “Sept. 5 — Kill self;” “Oct. 5 — Kill self;” “Nov. 5th — kill self.” Title card reveals she’s one day gone. Amy goes outside her cabin, meets her neighbor Greta, a twenty-something woman. Amy goes to the pool alone and eats chips while floating.

94: Two days gone. Amy at the resort’s business center. Amy’s on the one and only computer, doing an internet search on Nick. She sees the photo of him from the press conference, smiling.

94–96: Three days gone. Amy then goes to the pool and sees Greta again. They trade jerk stories. Amy says her name is Nancy, she’s from New Orleans, and that she left her man when she saw him with another woman (there’s a brief flashback of Amy discovering Nick with Andie outside The Bar, wiping snow off her mouth the way he wiped powdered sugar off Amy’s the first night they met). The women also run into Jeff, another resident, who offers to help the ladies with their suntan lotion.

97–99: Nick in NYC. Trying to locate Tanner Bolt, a popular divorce lawyer (the type commonly seen on national news programs). Nick runs into Tanner in the lobby of his law office. Nick tells him he thinks Amy is framing him for her murder. Intrigued, Tanner takes the case. Tanner tells Nick to talk to some of Amy’s exes to get some dirt on her to use to “realign the public’s opinion” of her.

99–102: NY Bar. Nick meets with Tommy O’Hara, Amy’s boyfriend before Nick. He tells Nick that Amy kept trying to make him into a rock star, even bought him ties to wear so he could meet with executives. It became too much and they broke up. Then one night after the break-up Amy surprises him at his apartment. One night they had sex, then the next Amy has filed assault charges on him. She had marks on her wrists consistent with being tied up. The cops show up at Tommy’s apartment and find one tie on each side of his headboard. Tommy says he won’t say a word against Amy in court — she’s already ruined his life.

102–104 :Amy in Greta’s cabin. They’re watching Ellen Abbott on TV and they’re discussing Amy’s case. Noelle is onscreen, milking her TV debut. Greta throws some shade at Amy, saying she bets that Amy was probably a spoiled brat. Greta gets up to pee. Amy spits in Greta’s drink. Greta re-enters. Amy acts like nothing happened.

104–106: Cutting between Go’s apartment and Nick in an airport. Nick says he landed Tanner. Everywhere the same Ellen Abbott show is on tv. They discuss paying Tanner’s $100,000 retainer. They end the call. Nick sits in the airport. Ellen Abbott implies that Nick and Go are involved in an incestuous relationship.

106: Amy in Greta’s cabin. End of the Ellen Abbott show. Nick is being dragged through the mud. Amy celebrates by bumming a cigarette from Greta. She calls the tipline from a burner phone reporting “activity on the property of Margot Dunne.”

106–108:Nick at Desi’s house in St. Louis. Nick asks Desi about his relationship with Amy. They dated in high school, then she dumped him and he tried to kill himself. Years later he still writes letters to Amy. Desi refuses to comment and shuts the door on Nick. Nick returns to Carthage, drives by The Bar — it’s hopping with business.

108–109: Boney and Gilpin looking through the diary. Boney questions why it wasn’t burned all the way.

109–111: Tanner lands in Missouri and meets Go and Nick at Go’s apartment. They go through the clues. Nick realizes the last clue leads to his dad’s house.

111: They’re outside the house of Nick’s dad. It’s marked with police caution tape.

111–112: Tanner, Nick, and Go at a diner. They’re worried Andie will go public at any moment, and that if charges are brought up, Go will be made an accomplice. Tanner also says he has some security guys searching for Amy.

113–114 :Amy, Greta, and Jeff at mini-golf. Amy hits a hole in one. Jeff hugs her — feels the money belt underneath her shirt. He lifts up her shirt to reveal the money belt. They tease her about it.

114: Amy in her cabin, counting the money. She decides instead of killing herself that she will find a job. Her cabin door rattles. She opens it — nothing.

116–117: Tanner and Go arrive at Nick’s place. Tanner tells Nick to go on Sharon Scheiber’s show tomorrow to be interviewed. Tanner says Nick needs to go on the national news show and talk about Andie. He’s worried it’s been a few days since Nick heard from her and they need to get ahead of the story.

117–120: Amy runs into Jeff and Greta. They invite her out to bumper boats. Amy declines. Amy goes back to her cabin to pack her stuff and leave, but is stopped by Jeff and Greta. Jeff beats Amy up and steals the money.

120: Amy drives away. Tries to sleep in her car in a parking lot, but is asked to move by a security guard. She drives off, then stops at a payphone. From a distance we can hear the sound of her voice — she sounds sweet. She gets back into the car and drives away.

120–123: Tanner and Go are prepping Nick for the interview. Nick wears items that Amy gave him (watch, tie, cufflinks).

123–124 : Desi meets Amy at a casino. Amy tells him a story that Nick beat her and threatened to kill her. She had to go on the run. She lost the baby. The only thing that kept her going were Desi’s letters. A man approaches her in the casino — he thinks he knows Amy from somewhere.

124–125: Sharon meeting Nick. Final preparations before the interview. Sharon’s assistant whispers in her ear. Sharon says “Are you fucking serious?”

125–127: Desi tells the man at the casino that they are from Winnipeg. Amy notices Andie is on TV with Amy’s parents. She reveals that she had been having an affair with Nick. Rand and Marybeth believe that Nick is responsible for the disappearance of Amy. Desi convinces her to leave the casino before anyone recognizes her.

127–128: Sharon’s intrigued that this happened before their interview. Tanner pulls Nick and Go aside. Tanner thinks they should still go for the interview. Go is worried — Sharon is going to “eat Nick alive.” Nick is confident he can turn this around.

128–129: After the interview. Go, Tanner, and Nick are driving back to Carthage. They’re celebrating the successful interview. Nick jokes and says “Amy brings out the best in me.”

129–131: Amy and Desi at Desi’s lake house. They’re watching Ellen Abbott, and she’s tearing Nick apart for dating Andie. Desi turns off the TV and gives Amy a tour of the house. He tells her not to worry — there are security cameras all through the exterior. No getting in or out without being recorded. Amy looks around his room — self-help books about being a strong man, every quiz she published, her marriage announcement.

131–132: The next morning. Desi returns with hair-dye, razors, groceries. Tells Amy the sooner she’s able to look like herself, the sooner she’ll feel like herself. Desi says tell watch Sharon Schieber tonight and be able to move on.

132: The same day. Nick sneaks through the woods to Go’s house. They sit down to watch the interview.

132–134 : Cut back and forth from Amy and Desi watching the interview and the interview itself. Desi and Amy watching the interview. Amy comments that she gave him that tie.In the interview, Sharon asks him about his marriage, his affair — Nick says he may not be a good guy, but he didn’t kill his wife. He looks straight into the camera, apologizes for his behavior and asks for Amy to come home. He even puts his finger over his chin (like in their first date) to indicate he’s not bullshitting. Amy smiles.

134–136: Go is online, and Nick appears to have redeemed himself. There’s a loud knock on the door. Boney and Gilpin stand outside with a search warrant. They find all the items in the woodshed. They arrest Go.

136–137: Desi turns off the TV. Tells Amy she’s had 20 years to think about their relationship. He says he’s moving in here tomorrow, and they’re going to get to know each other again.

137–140 : Nick and Tanner at the police station. Boney and Gilpin and grilling him about the items. Boney also produces the diary. Asks him a series of True or False questions — you wiped sugar off her lips and kissed her (true), you thought quinoa was a fish (true), you attacked her when she said she wanted to get pregnant (false), you hit her (false). Boney reads the final lines “This man might kill me.” Nick thinks it’s a convenient last line. They bring out the punching Judy doll and the missing handle that they found in the fireplace. It tested positive for Amy’s blood. Nick is arrested.

140–141: Nick and Go are bailed out of jail by Tanner. They climb through a crowd of paparazzi. Nick asks Tanner about his security guy’s search for Amy. Tanner says they can’t find anything.

141–143:Thirty days gone. Amy appears to be back in her former physique. She’s pouring coffee for Desi. Gives him a kiss and bites his lip. Desi is shocked, but seems to like it. On the security camera we see Desi walk away, then Amy stumble into a room where she’s writhing in pain and screaming, pounding on the glass.

143–144:Thirty-nine days gone. Amy examines herself in the mirror. She uncorks a bottle of wine. Pours it out in the sink. Lowers the bottle and reaches underneath her dress. Later, Desi arrives home. Amy says she can’t wait for the trial to end, and they can escape to Greece. Amy starts to undress him, saying she’s ready to be with him. They have sex, but before they can finish Amy slashes Desi’s throat.

144–145: Forty days gone. Nick is at home watching television coverage. He’s a shell of the man he was before. He hears a commotion outside his house amongst the protestors and paparazzi. The doorbell rings. Nick opens the door to reveal Amy, a bloody mess, standing outside. Nick hugs her and whispers “you fucking bitch.” She faints into his arms. The paparazzi go crazy.

145–150: At the hospital. Amy’s wounds correspond to those of sexual assault. Boney asks Nick if he thinks Desi really kidnapped her. He thinks it’s an insane story. Rand and Marybeth appear and apologize to Nick. Tanner and Go arrive. Tanner tells Nick to just say “I’m just happy my wife is safe.” The suits (FBI) arrive to ask Amy some questions. Amy recounts her story — says that Desi forced himself into her house, hit her, and kidnapped her. Boney tries to get to the holes in her story (How did Desi have the handle? How did all the items end up in Go’s shed?). Outside of the room, Gilpin mentions to Nick that she slit Desi’s throat with a box cutter. Nick asks how did she get the box cutter if her hands were tied up? Gilpin says “Just be happy your wife is safe.” Back in the room, Boney asks about the diary they found. Amy becomes irritated, blames the police for a botched investigation and that if she hadn’t escaped, Nick would be in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. Amy and Nick leave the hospital.

150–152:Nick and Amy at home. Nick asks for the real story. Amy tells Nick to take off all his clothes, and they go into the shower (to make sure he’s not wired). She tells him she killed Desi to save Nick. She wants the Nick that she saw on TV. Nick says that as soon as the cameras go, he’s going. Amy doesn’t think that’s wise — a cheating husband leaves his survivor wife. Later that night, Nick asks Amy if there was ever a baby. Amy says “There can be.” Nick sleeps in the guest room.

152:One day home. Nick wakes up to find Amy cooking crepes.

153: Drury ballroom. The Amy search party headquarters has been turned into a party/PR event. Amy is snapping photos with fans, answering questions from reporters.

153–156: Six days home. Nick, Go, Tanner, and Boney at a truck stop diner. They’re discussing how to catch Amy in the lie. Tanner says to just leave it alone — they’ve rebounded financially (Lifetime movie, book rights, the Bar is being franchised). His words of advice is to never turn his back on Amy. Boney says they can’t continue the investigation — they have enough bad press from how things were originally handled. Tanner leaves and goes back to New York.

156–157: Amy and Nick at home. Amy tells Nick he doesn’t have to be afraid. He can sleep in the same room with her. He says he needs time.

157–158: Nine weeks home. Nick, Go and Boney at the Bar. Nick asks Boney if he should just come forward with the truth. Boney says he could, but he won’t have much peace afterwards. Go asks Boney for help. Boney says she can’t — it’s with the FBI now. She can’t do any more investigating.

158–159: Nick is talking to himself in the bathroom mirror, saying “My wife is lying, murderous sociopath.” He walks out and finds Amy the picture of happiness. She’s discussing their behavior for their upcoming interview on TV, saying they need to hold hands and Nick needs to admit on-air that he purchased those items with the credit cards.

159–161: Ellen Abbott arrives. Nick answers the door and leads her in. He confronts her about the things that she said on TV about him. She offers him an olive branch in the form of a robot kitten. Nick goes upstairs to get Amy. She gives him a gift. He opens the box and finds a positive pregnancy test. Nick says it’s impossible — they haven’t had sex. Amy tells him he didn’t have to — she used his sample from the fertility clinic. Nick says he won’t stay with her because he doesn’t love her — they are toxic together. Amy says he can leave, but he’ll never be happy with nice normal woman. Nick hold her by the throat and pushes her against the wall. Amy tells him to be the man he wants to be, to stay and raise their child.

162: Go’s apartment. She’s crying because Nick is going to stay with Amy.

162–163: Ellen Abbott interview. Nick and Amy are united. Nick even says they’re “partners in crime.” They reveal Amy’s pregnancy.

163: Similar to the opening shot where Amy’s head is on Nick’s lap. Nick’s voice over says “What are you thinking? How are you feeling? What have we done to each other? What will we do?” Amy looks up at Nick — a haunting smile.

Fade to black.

Writing Exercise: I encourage you to read the script, but short of that, if you’ve seen the movie, go through this scene-by-scene breakdown. What stands out to you about it from a structural standpoint?

Major kudos to Ashley Lara for doing this week’s scene-by-scene breakdown.

To download a PDF of the breakdown, go here.

Tomorrow: We zero in on the major plot elements in Gone Girl.

I am looking for volunteers to read a script and provide a scene-by-scene breakdown for it to be used as part of our weekly series. What do you get? Beyond your name being noted here, my thanks, and some creative juju, hopefully you will learn something about story structure and develop another skill set which is super helpful in learning and practicing the craft.

The latest volunteers:

12 Years a Slave — Georgevine Moss
Beasts of No Nation — Jacob Holmes-Brown
Bridge of Spies — Scott Guinn
Carol — Jillienne Bee
Celeste and Jesse Forever — Ryan Canty
Diary of a Teenage Girl — Cynthia
Ex Machina — Nick Norman-Butler
Frozen — Doc Kane
Gone Girl — Ashley Lara
Inside Out — Katha
Legend — Olivia
Leviathan — Piotr Ryczko
Locke — Megaen Kelly
Macbeth — Trung
Man Up — Kristy Brooks
Monsters University — Liz Correal
Mud — Kevin
Nightcrawler — DJ Summit
Pawn Sacrifice — Michael Waters
Steve Jobs — Angie Soliman
Straight Outta Compton — Timm Higgins
The End of the Tour — Steve F
The Iron Lady — Leslie
The Way Way Back — The Deuce
Trainwreck — Joni Brainerd
Wreck It Ralph — Kenny Crowe

Thanks, all!

To see examples of scene-by-scene breakdowns, go here. Part of the goal is to create a library of breakdowns for writers to have at their disposal for research and learning.

You may see the scripts we can use for the series — free and legal — by going here.

To date, we have analyzed 53 movie scripts, a great resource for screenwriters. To see those analyses, go here.

Thanks to any of you who will rise to the occasion and take on a scene-by-scene breakdown.

And for those of you who have volunteered, please send me your scene-by-scene breakdown as soon as possible!

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: Gone Girl.

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