Unveiling the Hidden Secrets of “Nope”: A Scene-by-Scene Script Breakdown You Can’t Miss

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: Nope (2022). You may read the script here.

Written by Jordan Peele.

Plot summary: The residents of a lonely gulch in inland California bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery.

Nope
Scene-By-Scene Breakdown
By Lora Covrett
GoIntoTheStory.com

P. 1–2 On the set of TV sitcom, “Gordy’s Home” filming a birthday scene for Gordy. Gordy, a chimpanzee actor, goes off script and violently attacks one of his co-stars, Mary Jo Elliot. Others on set are Tom, Lil Jupe, and Phyllis.

P. 3–6 At Haywood Ranch, radio reports missing hikers and high winds expected. Otis Sr and OJ (Otis’s son) are training horses for film/tv roles. Horses: Ghost, Firefly, Beethoven, Commodore, Virgil, Clover. OJ’s sister is noticeably absent. Wind kicks up. No cell service. Things start falling from the sky. Something fell on Otis Sr and OJ rushes him to the hospital where he dies. A nickel landed on his brain and killed him. A house key with keyring attached is lodged in the back side of the horse (Ghost) Otis Sr had been sitting on. Title card: NOPE. Muybridge old…