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The Social NetworkBeat Sheet

Beat Sheet, Today's Blog 5:41 am on October 22, 2010Our thanks to Master Cat! Ben Frahm for this masterful breakdown ofAaron Sorkins screenplay,

directed by David Fincher:

Poster for "The Social Network"

Spoiler alert!

Opening Image (1): At a Harvard bar, Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) talks with his girlfriend, EricaAlbright (Rooney Mara): sweet, kind, and wholesome. Mark is talking about the social clubs at Harvard

and how theyre important if you want to advance yourself in college and in life. Mark and Erica startfighting over this, as Erica thinks these clubs are stupid. Mark fires back. Erica gets upset. Mark doesnt

back down. Erica breaks up with Mark, saying our theme stated:

Theme Stated (5): (Im paraphrasing) You know, I think youre going to become successful andwealthy, but you know what, youre still going to be an unhappy asshole. This establishes our theme:What is the price of friendship? Is money, social status, or privilege more important than a relationship?Or a friendship? Or being a good person in another persons life?

Set-Up (1-10): We come to know Mark as a socially insecure, somewhat antisocial person, whos obsessed with the

social clubs at Harvard and feels like hell never fit in unless he is accepted into one of them. Mark is a very gifted and brilliant computer programmer.
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Marks best friend is Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), aka Wardo. Wardo is also a smart programmer and is frequently helpful to Mark. Mark doesnt get the women that he wants in school. Mark looks up to people in the social clubs and thinks all of his problems will go away if he can becomepart of these exclusive clubs and, for once, be popular. Mark, still upset after being dumped by Erica, fires back when he returns to the dorms.

Zuckerberg creates Face Smash - a catalyst forwhat will eventually bring the birth of Facebook

Catalyst (12): Mark creates Face Smash, a program that uses all of the yearbook pictures of Harvard women andputs two photos side-by-side and allows the viewer to vote who is hotter, right or left. Mark is clearlytaking out his frustrations with his relationship with Erica and displacing them onto this cruel program. Mark also blogs about Ericas breast size and other personal and offensive things about her. Wardo helps with a logarithm for this Face Smash program, and thus helps Mark spread it to every

computer at Harvard. The whole computer system at Harvard is hacked and thus crashes. The computer Dean finds out and becomes alarmed. The Dean traces the hacking back to Mark. Everyone on campus knows that Mark did this. His Face Smash program is already spreading, and catches the attention of two preppy, rich kids, whohappen to be twins (played by the same actor, Armie Hammer): Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. Cameron and Tyler, realizing how amazing a programmer Mark is, approach him with a new idea tomake the facebook, a way of guys pimping out their Harvard.edu email addresses in order to meetcoeds from other schools. So do you want in? the Winklevosses ask Mark.

Debate (12-25):This poses the DEBATE QUESTION: Will Mark design the facebook page for the twins? Will Markcome up with his own version? Will Mark tell the brothers hes going with their idea, only making itbetter and his own? What will happen to the facebook idea? What will happen to Mark? Is this ideaMarks? Or does it belong to the Winklevoss twins? What will happen to the facebook idea and who isresponsible for its creation? This sends us into the 2nd act, ready to go

Break into Two (25): Mark agrees to design the facebook page for the twins. However, it doesnt take long for Mark to realizetheres something bigger and better here. Mark starts designing his own version of the facebook idea, secretly, and doesnt tell the twins.

B Story (30):


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Meanwhile, Mark asks Wardo, who has been invited to pledge The Phoenix Club, to be the CFO of hisnew facebook endeavor. Wardo accepts. As best friends this will be great, no?!

Fun and Games (30-55): Mark continues designing his own version of the facebook idea. Mark doesnt tell the Winklevoss twins that hes designing this. Mark avoids their calls. Wardo is becoming more popular with The Phoenix Club.

Mark starts testing this new facebook idea and before long the whole campus starts liking it. Mark is becoming a minor celebrity on campus, as is Wardo. Mark and Wardo get girls, groupies, after class.

(Theres a nice Save the Cat! moment here that shows some growth in our character as Mark isleaving a restaurant one evening with Wardo, he turns and sees Erica Albright, the girl that he previouslybroke up with and then blogged about her breast size. We know that Mark is starting to change as acharacter and feels horrible for what hes done. Mark approaches the table to apologize to Erica; however,she wont hear anything of it and is still very hurt by his comments. We are sympathetic with Mark, aswe know he didnt mean what he said. And we are sympathetic to Erica as well, who is a strong woman,and stands up for herself. Mark feels bad, and this feeling, alone, allows our audience to see the humanity

in him.) Marks facebook idea is catching on. Wardo says they need to go bigger.

All the while, we are cutting back and forth in time with the COURTROOM scenes. We know early2nd Act, that Mark is being sued by the Winkelvosses for stealing their idea, and later by Wardo. What will be the outcome of these court cases? This is a major question that is driving our 2nd act! Between every sequence in the 2nd act, the courtroom scenes help to introduce us to a new idea or anew problem that our hero is dealing with, whether it is professional, with the facebook idea, or personal,with his friendship with Wardo. The story, from this point on, jumps back and forth from the court case, back to college, back to thecourt case, as we are learning about the conception of facebook. Wardo says we need to go bigger. We need investors.

Wardo and Mark go to NYC to meet some investors (among them, writer/actor Sorkin). No investors seem interested

Midpoint (55):We meet Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake). Parker, the former Napster guy, loves Marks idea and wantsin. Hes a rowdy, womanizing, deal wheelin fellow, and immediately Wardo doesnt like him. However,Mark hits it off with the charismatic Sean. And Wardo feels ousted.

Sean Parker closes in on Mark


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Bad Guys Close In (55-75): Facebook is spreading. Its hitting campuses across the nation. Its getting ready to go international. Sean convinces Mark its time to head out west to Silicon Valley and continue developing the idea. Wardo cant go because he has an internship with a financial company hes been working for inManhattan.

Mark moves out west with some fellow Harvard programmers. Mark just so happens to move into a house that is next to where Sean Parker is staying (yes, this is total

writers convenience, but oh well, it seems to work ok). Sean Parker keeps putting new ideas into Marks head. Wardo hears about these new ideas and gets upset. Wardo, as a result, puts a freeze on thecompanys bank account. Tensions grow between Mark and Wardo. (Theres another Save the Cat! moment, when, in a courtroom scene Marks lawyer is trying to takedown Wardo for animal abuse relating to his involvement with a chicken during pledge season atPhoenix. Wardo becomes upset with Mark, thinking that he turned him in and was the one who told the

lawyers; however, Marks lawyer says No, I was the one who discovered this info. Mark is the personwho tried to protect you. Again, we see Mark being a nice person to Wardo, though he is caught up in thesituation and letting others get the best of him. Its a sympathetic gesture towards a best friend from anoften abrupt, insensitive, aggressive, and anti-social protagonist. It just shows that even the most flawedprotagonists can show sympathetic and Save the Cat! qualities). The Winklevosses grow increasingly militant and frustrated with Mark, calling him a thief for stealingtheir idea. Court case scenes becoming increasingly tense, as relationships between Mark and Wardo are discussed. Mark tells Wardo he has to come out west. Facebook is growing even bigger.

Sean brings his hot women everywhere and makes Mark feel important. Wardo shows up and doesnt like Seans involvement. But Mark convinces him Sean is good for the company, right?

All Is Lost (75): On the eve of Facebook reaching its biggest growth ever, including an international presence Wardo signs a new contract per his involvement as CFO without reading every detail. And Wardofinds out that Sean and Mark diluted his ownership in the company without letting him know. Wardo hasbeen screwed by his best friend Wardo quits the company and threatens to sue. Sean throws him out of the building.

Mark feels bad but its too late. Wardo is gone.

Sean says forget him, lets celebrate. Mark, sitting alone at his desk, at work, thinks about his friendship with Wardo.

Dark Night of the Soul (75-85): Sean Parker is throwing the biggest celebratory party ever. Women. Booze. Drugs. The cops bust the party. We fear that Mark might be at the party as well; however, we cut back to the office and see that Markstayed there the entire time.

Break into Three (85):

Sean gets arrested at the party (drugs with minors). Because he would be a liability to the company, Sean is bought out and no longer involved withdevelopment.


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(Note: in the script, were led to believe that Mark called the cops on Sean and thus set him up;however, in the movie, it plays more ambiguously). No matter, Seans involvement with Facebook comes to an end.

Final showdown between Mark and the lawyers

Finale (85-110):

Court case resolutions proceed. Wardos name returns as CFO of the company, as it remains today. Wardo is also paid a bunch of money that hes owed. The Winkelvosses settle for big money, though its considered chump change for Mark. Mark continues to develop Facebook to its current popularity. Mark becomes the youngest billionaire ever. In the final court scene, lawyer Marilyn Delpy (Rashida Jones) talks with Mark. Mark asks Marilyn ifshe thinks hes an asshole (again, remember our theme stated and how this has stuck with our characterthe entire time). Marilyn tells Mark that hes not an asshole, he just tries to be one. The real Mark is not an

asshole.

Final Image (110): Marks at his computer. He opens up Facebook and adds a new friend, Erica Albright, his ex-girlfriend who dumped him in the beginning of the movie. Mark waits, waits, waits refreshing hiscomputer screen again and again and again to see if Erica will be his friend. (A great closing image and the exact opposite of our opening image. Mark loses a friendship in thebeginning for being a jerk and, now, after all of this transformation, he realizes this girl was right for him,and that hes sorry for his behavior, and wants her back)

What I loved about this script and movie:

1) A flawed hero: I love the fact that Mark Zuckerberg is portrayed as not the nicest person out there.Hes flawed. He has insecurities. Hes scared. Hes brilliant. These are all human qualities, and chancesare the reader or viewer will be able to relate to these feelings.

2) A big story told in a character-driven way: Yes, its a story about the youngest billionaire ever, butmore importantly, its about friendships, lost and gained. The heart of the movie comes from Wardo andMarks relationship and makes us wonder what is the price of fame, status, money, etc.? What is moreimportant, friendship or these other goals along the way?

3) Structurally sound using the courtroom scenes: If you havent already, read Sorkins script. He isone smart dude, and writes incredibly structural movies. The use of the courtroom scenes is a structural


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device that allows us to jump back and forth in time, while keeping the stakes high, and also introducingnew sequences. Heres an example: Late second act, we know Wardo and Mark are having problems intheir relationship. Okay, so now we need to understand where these problems are coming from and howthey started. What does Sorkin do? He puts us in the courtroom scene and has the lawyers ask questions.The answers to these questions are shown through flashing back to Harvard, where we start a whole newsequence about Wardo and Marks relationship and all of the stresses along the way. The courtroomscenes introduce new ideas and relationships; then we cut back to scenes with Mark and Wardo, and

watch their relationship develop.

4) Sorkins expository dialogue: Hes one of the best at giving the audience so much information and

making it feel fun, energetic, whip-smart, and sexy too. For instance, when we first meet Sean Parker, hesjust slept with the Hot Girl who doesnt know hes the Napster guy. And in one fun scene, as the HotGirl comes to realize who Sean Parker is, so does our audience. Its very clever. We get so muchbackstory about Parker in this one scene; we feel like we immediately know who he is. And none of itfeels forced at all. Its unbelievably economic and clever writing.

GENRE: Rites of Passage: Life Problem, Wrong Way, Acceptance

Next week: guest blog from author Marilyn Brant

18 Comments on The Social NetworkBeat Sheet

1. SMSays:on October 22nd, 2010 at 6:53 am

I guess, creating a beat-sheet after watching a movie is pretty easy. Difficult would be analyzingwhat works and what doesnt.You should cease publishing beat-sheets and provide some analysis. This is madness.

2. mdkj1971 Says:on October 22nd, 2010 at 7:33 am

Thanks for the beat sheet!

3. O'FreeWorldSays:on October 22nd, 2010 at 10:02 am

I enjoy the beat sheets. Keep them coming.

I would like to see you Beat Out some of the great HBO shows (current and previous).Sopranos, Entourage, and Boardwalk Empire.

Thanks.


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4. anne Says:on October 22nd, 2010 at 10:23 am

Hi, SM ~

Creating a Beat Sheet is no easy task. And, many of the Cat! contributors use the screenplay (inaddition to viewing the film) to do so.

Lets add this in a Beat Sheet IS an analysis of the film - or more clearly, the films structure.

Now, if you are looking for film criticism and theory 101, this is not the place for you. Blake neverclaimed to be an academic. He was a working writer and producer, navigating, most often withsuccess, the murky waters of Hollywood. He shared his experience, and his knowledge of the craft

of writing for the screen, with great generosity and joy.

I talk to him (well, in my mind, lol, not ready for the rubber room yet) each and every day and

each and every day, I thank Blake, BJ, Jose, Rich and now Ben . and the other people (hello,Austin!) who tirelessly give of themselves to help writers to tell more resonant stories.

I met Blake four years ago. I will tell you that when I first picked up STC, it pissed me off. Why?BECAUSE IT TOLD THE TRUTH. And as I worked through the process of nailing downstructure, I realized that he was Right.

Now, if you have a script that needs analysis, Im sure the STC! team would be happy to work withyou. If youre just cruising to troll well, go climb down a hole and fondle your precious.

Thank you, Ben, for another great contribution. Miss you guys!!

Cheers!anne

5. Arte Old School Says:on October 22nd, 2010 at 11:55 am

Here hear.. Anne, you hit the nail on the tail.. lol.. Us writers need each other.. We need to share our

experience, strength and hope with each other.. to carry on.. carry the message.. live the dream.. ourdream.. nobody wants to live our dream.. everybody wants us to live their dream.. blake learned thisas well.. the most important thing to do is love what youre doing i connect with blake everyday

as well (well almost every day).. love to us all.. arte

6. JackSays:on October 22nd, 2010 at 2:45 pm

Obviusly, since the script is 162 pages, your pages dont match up.

The opening scene is almost 10 pages long, so it doesnt even come close to the save the catformula.


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Also, I think youre missing one big thing from the final image. Here is this kid, this anti-social,socially awkward kid, who has just revolutionized how social connections are made. And there heis, billions richer, yet alone, in the glow of his computer.

Regardless, the script needs to be nominated for an oscar. Sorkin outdid himself this time.

7. Bea Says:on October 22nd, 2010 at 3:21 pm

Jack, are you reading a shooting script or the writing draft? Theres a huge difference between thetwo. Also, if you took a workshop with Blake or attended an event where he spoke, OR emailed himas suggested, youd know that the page count is malleable. Even the software allows one to adjust

suggested beats for pages.

The really cool thing about movies is that the image is open to interpretation, so yourRight/Wrong attitude is most perplexing. Yet, your beliefs are valid - because they are yours!!!

So, why dont you break down the script and post it in the forum for others to agree or disagreewith!! Talk is talk, walk the walk!!!

8. Vladimir Cassel Says:on October 22nd, 2010 at 5:32 pm

No, no, you have it all wrong. Mark Zuckerberg goes through NO transformation at the end of thefilm. He doesnt transform at all. He was doing it for the girl all along. Theres even a scene in a

club about halfway through the film that alludes to this. The opening and final scenes work togethermuch like the opening and final scenes of Citizen Kane - they work to reveal a character we thoughtwe knew. In both cases it wasnt the main character who transforms, but us as an audience in ourunderstanding of what the film was really about.

9. Oliver Says:on October 23rd, 2010 at 3:21 am

Thanks. Great movie, great analysis.

But at the same time I have to agree a bit with SM:Would be cool to use the BS2 to prove why certain films DO NOT work.I try to do this at home and it is sometimes very insightful.

Would like to use the occasion here to ask a question about Blakesidea of genres. Dude with a Problem, and so on

I am a great believer in his genre list, but I would like to know:Is it possible to mix these genres. Lets say: Your movie is a Dude with a Problemmeets Monster in the House etc. Did Blake ever say something aboutgenre mixes?


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10. William Says:on October 24th, 2010 at 8:03 pm

Rites of passage?

That would not be my first choice Forgive my ignorance but what kind of ROP are we talkingabout here?

Midlife, Separation, Death, Addiction, Adolescent?

11. Ben Says:on October 25th, 2010 at 1:54 pm

It sounds crazy but I would say ADOLESCENT: RITES OF PASSAGE. Yes, I know what youre

thinking this is absurd because Mark Zuckerberg is not a teenager when this movie takes placehowever, the emphasis and story arc about FRIENDSHIP, GROWTH, learning aboutRELATIONSHIPS are all principles of this sub-genre. In in an argument for RITES OF PASSAGE,I would say that this movie captures all of those things. Its about Mark learning these tough lifelessons and starting out as a character who is going the wrong way. Mark, in the beginning, isconvinced that the only way to be popular, successful, and achieve status is through the socialclubs at Harvard. However, after his journey, we see a very different character who now realizesthat these things no longer matter especially when you lose a best-friend in WARDO and youlong for a previous girlfriend in ALBRIGHT. These ROP stories focus on these internal changes

and, many times, are hard to categorize because of this. But its strictly about our characters

growth. Our characters change in world views and how he relates to others and how the worldrelates to him

12. SMSays:on October 26th, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Hey Anne ~,

Glad you talk to Blake each and every day. He did introduce some good tactics and structural beat-

down. I didnt say Im against him. Two of my favorites are Pop in the pool and Saving the cat.

What I meant is how often anyone mentioned his tactics being used while preparing STC beat-sheet. How often did anyone even mention Save the Cat scene in any of the beat-sheet?

I hope you get my drift. And I am certainly not for trolling and growling. If you dont agree, well,go descend to the pond, and fondle your gold.

Tell Blake that he got imbeciles for disciples. Please dont be pissed off. Why? Because IT IS THETRUTH.

Cheers!!


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13. brian Says:on October 26th, 2010 at 1:00 pm

SM so now Im confused. Ben references two save the cat! moments in his worksheet and alsodoes a great job of analyzing sorkins structure. if you were to do it differently what would you

do? i actually, find these beat sheets really helpful and am happy for those doing them. you canlearn a ton from studying structure like this and i know blake always said the same thing in hisbooks. oh and one more thing its pope in the pool not pop.

14. Carlos Says:on January 28th, 2011 at 10:14 am

Anne:Thank you for your feedback to SMs stupid comment. Obviously, SM has never produced a beat

sheet and has probably never read a screenplay. Without a doubt, SM has never seriously written ascreenplay. Those who complain most about the work, are the ones who never do much work.

15. john Says:on April 30th, 2011 at 10:18 am

the genre is Superhero

16. William Says:on May 29th, 2011 at 8:39 am

Im not buying the Rite of Passage genre here at all.

Business Institution would fit just as well, and in the context of the films focus on creating acompany and what the sacrifices are to be part of that, Id say Business Institution makes a lot moresense here

Mark created a monster.. Facebook, and destroyed his friends to create it It reads like a rehash ofFrankenstein for the corporate elite.

Adolescent Passage? Not the best fit

17. BradSays:on August 13th, 2011 at 1:24 pm

First off, props to Ben for putting this beat sheet out there. This is my first time posting, and I was

pretty conflicted as I tried to beat this movie out.

I agree with John that the genre was Super Hero. The point of the film seemed to be to give human


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qualities to this super being that, because of his inability to function among normal people,constantly suffers and is unable to fit in.

This would explain the loss of his friendship with Wardo and his non-transformation at the end aswell. If it were rights of passage, he would have had to recognize his error and tried to correct it inact three.

Also, I think that the All is Lost and Dark Night of the Soul come earlier, and happen when Wardofreezes the credit and has his girlfriend burn his scarf. As that is happening, Mark calls him up tosay that things are getting out of control, and they talk honestly for a moment.

Then, break into three happens as he says I need my CEO, and the rest is part of the big finale.

18. Ross Says:on August 29th, 2011 at 1:52 pm

I think by doing a beat sheet for THE SOCIAL NETWORK, it demonstrates it has virtually no thirdact. Its a great movie and Ive looked past the lacking third act and disappearing main character.The film ends at a low point or in STC lingo Dark Night of the Soul. Eduardo isnt the maincharacter, and nor is Sean. Mark is and the way the film ends gives no resolution to Marks currentsituation. Much of the beat sheet explaining the third act is just taken from the titles that appear atthe end. I think the movie could have benefitted from having some more closure with a small sceneshowing Mark/Eduardos future relationship or perhaps Mark becoming the Mark Zuckerberg that

led Facebook to where it is today. I think of another Sorkin movie, THE AMERICANPRESIDENT, and how the we get the climatic scene of the President reassuring the nation that he isstill the President and apologizing to his girlfriend for his behavior. I think THE SOCIAL

NETWORK needed one more moment to show Mark coming full circle. I think it would be fittingif you got a Im CEO, bitch. scene that demonstrated he is the true leader of Facebook and thenkept the great scene at the end of him friend requesting Albright.

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