Unveiling the Hidden Depths: A Scene-by-Scene Exploration of “Nebraska” That Will Change How You See the Film Forever
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: Nebraska (2013). You may download the script here.
Written by Bob Nelson.
IMDb plot summary: An aging, booze-addled father makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million-dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize.
Nebraska
Scene-by-scene breakdown
By David Joyner
GoIntoTheStory.com1: Woody walks along a busy road, passing a sign for Billings, Montana, city limits.
1–2: David is in his apartment when his ex-GF Noel visits to return some things of his. (Some of the script was cut from the DVD version of the film.)
3: His Mom calls to tell him Woody was picked up by the police, found walking in traffic.
3–4: David picks him up at the police station. He finds Woody, the classic non-hero, wants to go to Lincoln, Nebraska to collect a $1 million sweepstakes prize he has “won.” by the following week. David realizes that it is merely a mail scam but can’t convince Woody of that.
5–6: David drives him home. Kate is upset. We…
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