Uncover the Hidden Drama Behind Every Scene in “Ford v Ferrari” You Never Noticed

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.

Today: Ford v Ferrari (2019). You can download the script here.

Written by Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth and Jason Keller.

Plot summary: American car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference and the laws of physics to build a revolutionary race car for Ford in order to defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.

Ford v Ferrari
Scene by Scene Breakdown
By Gary Myers
GoIntoTheStory.com

1–2
CARROLL SHELBY AT LE MANS 1959

Early morning hours at the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in 1959. Auto racing not as the squeaky-clean show presented on Sunday afternoon TV, but greasy and grimy, grueling and exhausting. Cars and drivers pushed to the limit, hour after hour, day and night, even in the fog.

Driver CARROLL SHELBY pits for fuel. Though he leads, both he and his Aston Martin are a mess. Dented, battered, and bruised, they look more like candidates for the ER and the junk yard than potential champions.

DISASTER! Fuel is spilled…