It comes via Erica’s genuine inquisition about his attempt to get into a final club…ĮRICA: Okay, well, which is the easiest to get into?

And it takes barely a minute to assert itself on the action in The Social Network opening scene. Mark’s characterisation is acutely rendered throughout the script. But the conversation about final clubs quickly leads into the first point of conflict, and something deeply revealing about Mark’s debilitating ego. The conversation up to this point has been relatively jovial and pithy. Again, this exchange demonstrates the social hierarchy present at Harvard, thrusting the audience into this competitive and hierarchical world.

Mark seemingly thinks this is his way into Harvard’s elite. This will become a topic of conversation for the next few lines. Mark, however, has a pretty good answer for how to distinguish himself, or at least he thinks so… Immediately, the scene plunges us into the concerns of this world and of the protagonist at the heart of it. So how do you stand out? This is Mark’s preoccupation and one that will define his character arc within the film. Immediately, the audience’s attention is brought to the idea of standing out amidst a fiercely competitive environment. How do you distinguish yourself in a population of people who all got 1600 on their SAT’s? Part of Mark’s next lines further accentuates this… The theme of competition is immediately apparent, as is the theme of being at the top of the pile.

But to start with, the scene lays down a clear marker of the film’s overall theme with its, and Mark’s, first line…ĭid you know there are more people with genius IQ’s living in China than there are people of any kind living in the United States?

The scene is relatively long (running at just over 5 minutes and around 9 pages) and has many ebbs and flows to it, changing in direction, tone and intention.

The social network watch online free