Unveiling the Hidden Genius: A Scene-by-Scene Dive Into “Birdman” 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: Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014). You may download the script here.

Written by Alejandro González Iñárritu & Nicolás Giacobone & Alexander Dinelaris & Armando Bo.

IMDb plot summary: A washed-up actor, who once played an iconic superhero, battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career and himself in the days leading up to the opening of his Broadway play.

Birdman
Scene-by-scene breakdown
By Doc Kane
GoIntoTheStory.com

A fireball descends from the upper atmosphere … pointed, with two trailing ends. (CU on intense flame.)

1–2: Riggan Thomson levitates facing the window of his small theater dressing room. He appears to be meditating, wearing only his underwear, and in full lotus position. A voice: “We don’t belong in this shithole … smells like balls.”

The sound of an incoming Skype call interrupts the calm. His daughter (and assistant) Sam is phoning from outside a Korean market where she’s attempting to buy…