Blog V: The Scene Analysis Strikes Back

As I start with McKee's method and try some how to find a subtext and a desire, which in a script like S, L, &V it’s slightly harder. I see that in this scene John has some sort of facade up, he talks to Graham kindly enough but his drink/ sipping of Chivas show's that he is uneasy. In a way I think that the subtext of these old friends is an angry one. When just reading the scene itself you get the idea that John is jealous of Graham's freedom. John tries to act cool and calm like Graham, but we can all see that John is scraping to be the center of the conversation.

After McKee's step two is used I feel that the value at stake in away is Ann's attention and or "wanting". It's John and Ann's home, so of course John is the “man” of the house and here comes this cool, hip, free bird type to blow John's self image out of the water. Everyone knows what it’s like seeing people you knew in high school, you always try to play it up/off as you're something better, stronger, and even more of a person. Graham obviously is, but does John act like he is or know? So I guess the value would be Ann's love and/or the men's pride or the men's freedom (John playing with his key ring at the end).

McKee's beats don't do much for the analysis of such a short scene. You really only have two at the most. The friendly beginning then the later deeper conversation which is still kept friendly but has a very different subtext.

When I compare the opening value with the closing value I do see that we open with John having no fear of Graham but then we see as Ann tries to delegate that John thinks he does have something to lose (pride and Ann's love).

For McKee’s fifth and final step I would say that the turning point would be when Graham takes the keys out. Before this John can only make things up in his head to fear, after the keys he has a concrete object to fear. He even later looks at his own keys.

I’ll be frank about Weston’s analysis: The only thing Weston really has to say is “think” about the scene then you’ve analyzed it. He does nothing more than tell you to think of the first read though, first feelings, and then think about the characters and what they’ve said. And that’s 14 pages! I simply feel that Weston hides in words what McKee just comes out and says.

Questions:

Which is the better analyst, McKee or Weston?

Do you think S, L, &V is a good read or the most boring waste of ink on earth? (Please explain!)