Script Analysis: “The Social Network” — Part 4: Psychological Journey
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.
For Part 1, to read the Scene-By-Scene Breakdown created by Nick Dykal, go here.
For Part 2, to read the Major Plot Points, go here.
For Part 3, to read the Sequences, go here.
Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin, book by Ben Mezrich.
IMDb plot summary: Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking site that would become known as Facebook, but is later sued by two brothers who claimed he stole their idea, and the co-founder who was later squeezed out of the business.
Writing Exercise: Go through the script or the scene-by-scene breakdown and ask yourself: Which characters go through a metamorphosis? Where do they begin and where do they end in the transformation-journey? What are the stages in their metamorphosis? How do plot points in the External World impact and influence the character’s change in the Internal World?
In the comment thread in Tuesday’s post, David DePerro charted out an interesting take on the story’s structure that lends itself to analyzing the Protagonist’s psychological journey. Here is his analysis:
My thoughts on structure, as it depends on and interacts with character…..
— — — ACT ONE — — —
Opening Shot: This Genius Has Troubles, Inside and Out
Our opening shot and scene present the main character’s outer and inner problem: social marginalization (outer) and an insecure, narcissistic envy (inner). With Erica’s rebuff, the movie begins with a major reversal for Mark.
The reversal impels Mark to action. This is the first in a series of cases where Mark drives forward on his own after Erica rejects him.
Introducing Our Sequence Structure: Action, then Decision
The entire film is structurally built around this action-decision order, where the action of someone else leads to a decision by Mark: Erica’s rebuffs, Eduardo’s news about advancing in the club, Sean’s schmoozing and cajoling. These will impel Mark to code FaceMash, expand Facebook to Columbia and Stanford, and go to California.
Frame Story: Deposition Judgment Day
Our first trip to the deposition room visualizes a major theme of the film, accountability. Our frame story is a post-mortem. We didn’t know it was a frame story or flashback until now, so again surprise.
A Fortunate Reversal: Harvard Takes Away, Then Gives
FaceMash earns Mark a rebuke from Harvard authorities but an opportunity from Harvard’s favorite sons. Here is the seed event that gives Mark a vehicle for his rudderless energies.
As Gatekeepers to one another, Mark’s rejection of the mutual pact (their first reversal) eventually makes him instead their Villain. And another reveal: The twins are suing too.
Then and Now, Here and There
The structure is set: we are switching between past and present, and in the present, between various depositions representing Mark’s adversaries and emphasizing his solitude.
Together, Let’s Turn the World Inside Out
Mark turns back to Eduardo:
“Wardo, it’s like a Final Club except we’re the president.”
End of Act One: Mark and Eduardo are united in mission and purpose.
— — — ACT TWO PART ONE — — –
Build It And They Will Come Ask You Questions Under Oath About It
Mark always attacks the outer problem, but always deflects the inner problem. In Act Two we have:
— the mechanics of building The Facebook: Mark codes a lot and needs Eduardo’s money for more servers.
— the deposition sparring, or why Mark did what he did and what it all meant
“Getting It On” — But “Erica Is Not Impressed”
Mark and Eduardo are getting what they think they want (sex without trying). Immediately Mark faces the unattainable Erica and is reminded of his inferiority.
Here is our midpoint reversal: Sexual conquest followed immediately by final rejection.
— — — ACT TWO PART TWO — — –
“This woman hates my guts. So we’ll expand to Columbia!”
Adversary Closing In: Row Your Boat, Harvard Boys
The twins have accelerated their pursuit using the Harvard approach: phone calls, lawyer letters, daddy’s connections. In their next major reversal, Harvard’s own president ridicules their entitlement and immaturity. With the genie out of the bottle, they are already vanquished. Do we like watching them lose by a nose, when a nose is a million miles? Maybe.
Sort Of Haymitch, But Evil
A new character, Sean Parker, is a Mentor whose late arrival emphasizes how rudderless Mark has been. Sean Parker is every mother’s worst nightmare–even his own.
Call PETA and Move to Cali
With three thousand miles and the matter of a chicken between them, Mark and Eduardo are moving apart. Each blames the other.
The Fateful Action, the Final Decision
The freezing of the account marks the depth of the chilliness. It is the fateful action of the film, and Mark’s as-yet-unrevealed decision will follow ruthlessly.
— — — ACT THREE — — –
Ooh! A Silvery Parachute
The Capitol Sponsors send Mark half a mil.
Boiling Over
The simmering “dance of anger” between Mark, Eduardo, and Sean dictates the structure of Act Three.
Sean Parker cackles like the Emperor as Eduardo and Mark battle saber to saber. Mark’s snarky narcissism and naked ambition are pitted against Eduardo’s naivete and impotent rage. Siding entirely with Eduardo, we witness the marvelous climax of betrayal revealed, delicious confrontation, and ultimate frustration.
But part of us wants to side with Mark: if we stood to make a billion dollars, we’d cut out the pretty boy hanger-on too.
Whoa
In one last reveal, the quiet pretty face at the end of the table shows herself the match of Genius Boy. Her logic is impeccable, her argument incontestable, her manner unflappable. In an instant, she achieves the unachievable.
She wins Mark’s respect.
At the end of the movie, he friends the wrong woman.
Tomorrow we wrap up our weekly analysis by considering what takeaways we may have discovered which we can bring to our own writing.
This series started here and we have 27 volunteers to do scene-by-scene breakdowns of contemporary movie scripts. The scripts we have already analyzed are in italics.
American Hustle: Jon Raymond
Argo: Nora Barry
Barney’s Version: John M
Belle: DaniM
Beginners: Ali
Boyhood: Jacob Jensen
Enough Said: Ali
Flight: 14Shari
Frankenwenie: Will King
Frozen: Christina Sekeris
Gone Girl: NateKohler1
Gravity: Matt Duriez
Hanna: John Arends
Lincoln: pgronk
Looper: erikledrew
Moonrise Kingdom: Daniel Bigler
Mud: Alejandro
Paranorman: OhScotty
Prisoners: Melinda Mahaffey Icden
Short Term 12: Carolina Groppa
The Artist: Traci Nell Peterson
The Grand Budapest Hotel: Rob Hoskins
The Imitation Game: Sean Sauber
The Social Network: Nick Dykal
The Way Way Back: Ricky
Wadjda: iamdaniel
Whiplash: Steven Broughton
If you’d like to participate and do a scene-by-scene breakdown yourself, please indicate which script in comments or email me. We are using scripts available on our site here. Many of the 2014 scripts are now available there including Belle, Birdman, Boyhood, Calvary, Get On Up, Gone Girl, How To Train Your Dragon 2, Kill The Messenger, Locke, St. Vincent, The Boxtrolls, The Fault In Our Stars, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Theory of Everything, and Wild.
For new volunteers and those who have already volunteered, but not sent me a breakdown yet, please do so as soon as possible. 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: The Social Network.
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