Unveiling Hidden Secrets: A Riveting Scene-By-Scene Breakdown of “After the Wedding”
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: After the Wedding (2019). You can download the script here.
Written by Bart Freundlich.
Plot Summary: A manager of an orphanage in Kolkata travels to New York to meet a benefactor. A mystery unfolds as secrets are revealed.
After the Wedding
Scene-By-Scene Breakdown
By Nikhil Kamkolkar
GoIntoTheStory.blcklst.comPage numbers are page numbers indicated in the top-right corner of the screenplay and won’t always match actual page numbers of the PDF.
— –
Page 1 — Isabel leads a group of orphan children in a meditation exercise in a dilapidated temple in Calcutta, India
Pages 1–2 — Jai, a 7-year old boy, is in no mood to meditate and Isabel joins him in his playful mood, their special bond evident. Later, Isabel and the orphans distribute food to other impoverished children in the area. Jai is by her side as they return to the orphanage.
Pages 3–4 — Isabel learns they are running out of money for supplies from Jaques, and Preena reveals to Isabel…
