In the hundred-plus years of filmmaking,
and thousands of years of storytelling
there are really only 4 ways to end a story.
In today's video,
we'll cover one of these endings
with an Oscar-winning script
by Aaron Sorkin.
"- Give me one second. What sound is he making?
Is that like a tisk?
- Like a glottal stop.
- I'm really happy I ended up here. - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
That's exactly what I wanted."
- And directed by David Fincher.
"- And action!
- He's wired in. - Is he?
How about now? You're still wired in?"
"The Social Network".
At the end of the video,
we'll provide a free downloadable worksheet
to help you plot out your ending.
"- Welcome to Facebook!"
This is part 4 of
'The 4 Endings in Every Film'.
A Bittersweet Ending.
In the last video, we saw Charlie Babbitt
achieve his need
"- It's funny I just realized
I'm not pissed off anymore my father
cut me out of his will."
- While sacrificing his want
in a semi-sweet ending.
"- I like having it for my big brother."
- But this time, we'll lay out Mark Zuckerberg's
path of destruction.
"- This doesn't need to be that difficult.
- I'm currently in the middle of two different lawsuits.
- Let's gut the freaking nerd.
- I'm afraid if you don't come out here
you're gonna get left behind."
- Leading to a bitter-sweet end.
We've imported the screenplay into StudioBinder
so we can highlight the necessary plot and character beats
that create such a pitiful and poignant ending.
Now, in constructing a protagonist
in either a positive
or negative change arc
you need to establish what writer K.M. Weiland calls
'The 'lie' the character believes'.
As she explains,
'Your character is incomplete on the inside'.
"- I'll let you know how the party is."
He is harboring some deeply held misconception
about either himself
the world, or, probably both.
This misconception
is the quote-unquote "Lie".
It is the lie that often inspires the character's want.
So, let's meet Mark Zuckerberg
and see if we can spot the lie he believes.
"- First, an awful lot of people live in China but
here's my question?
How do you distinguish yourself in a population of people
who all got 1600 under SAT's?
- I didn't know they take SAT's in China.
- They don't. I wasn't talking about China anymore.
I was talking about me.
- You got 1600. - Yes".
Our introduction to Mark reveals
an extremely intelligent individual
who also happens to be extremely insecure.
In fact, look at Sorkin's initial description of Mark on page 1.
'A sweet looking 19-year-old
whose lack of any physically intimidating attributes
masks a very complicated and dangerous anger'.
This is our first clue
to understanding Mark's lie.
Which is revealed along with his want on page 5.
"- I'm just saying I need to do something substantial
in order to get the attention of the clubs.
- Why? - Because they're exclusive.
And fun and they lead to a better life."
- Mark's want is to do something to get
the attention of the final clubs.
The lie he believes
is that living an elite and exclusive life
will bring him personal fulfillment.
Like his earlier dialogue suggests,
Mark knows his stellar IQ alone
won't help him achieve the social status
and the better life he so desires.
"- If I get in, I will be taking you to the events
and the gatherings and you'll be meeting
a lot of people you wouldn't normally get to meet.
- Well, I want to try and be straightforward with you
and let you know that we're not anymore.
- What do you mean? - I'm not dating anymore. I'm sorry.
- This is a joke?
- No, it's not.
- You're breaking up with me?"
- For every lie, there is a truth.
And it is the truth
that defines the character's need.
Erica reveals the truth to Mark on page 8.
"- Look you are probably going to be a very successful computer person.
But you're gonna go through life
thinking that girls don't like you
because you're a nerd.
And I want you to know from the bottom of my heart
that that won't be true.
It'll be because you're an a**hole."
- Mark's need is to recognize
that it is his own insecure and selfish personality
as he's preventing him from happiness
and personal fulfillment.
But will Mark be able to reject this lie
and embrace the truth?
This breakup propels Mark to blindly
and aggressively pursue his want.
Weiland describes this as a 'Full Ark'.
In which the protagonist
will reject every chance for embracing the truth
and will fall more and more deeply into the morass of his own sins
usually dragging others right along with him.
Mark's fall begins immediately on page 10.
Mark's first victim is Erica.
"- Erica Albright's a b*tch.
Do you think that's because her family
changed their name from Albrecht,
or do you think it's because all BU girls are b*tches?"
- During a revenge-fueled hacking session,
Mark creates 'Facemash'
and leaves a trail of victims
and destroyed relationships along the way.
But it also attracted the attention of Divya
and the Winklevoss Twins on page 26.
"- You guys hear about this? - What?"
- The exact elites that Mark was hoping to impress.
"- Two nights ago a sophomore choked
the network from the laptop at Kirkland.
- Really?
- At 4:00 a.m.
- How much activity was there on this thing?
- 22,000 page requests.
- 22,000.
- Cam, this guy hacked the facebook of seven houses.
- You know what I think?
- I'm way ahead of you.
- This is our guy.
- Mark?
Are you Mark Zuckerberg?
- Yeah.
- Cameron Winklevoss. - Hi.
- Tyler Winklevoss.
- You guys related?
- It's good. - Funny.
- Never heard that before.
- So what can I do for you?
- We have an idea we want to talk to you about.
You got a minute?
- So you ever been inside the Porcellian? - No.
- Alright well you understand we can't take you past the bike room
because you're not a member.
- I've heard.
- Want sandwich or something?
- Ah, okay.
- Mark right? - Yeah.
- On page 34, they hire Mark
to help develop their social networking site.
"- We have something that we've been working on for a while
and we think it's great.
It's called The Harvard Connection.
You create your own page, interest, bio, friends, pics.
And then people can go online and see your bio
- Yeah. How is that different from MySpace or Friendster?
- Harvard.edu.
- Harvard.edu edu is the most prestigious email address in the country.
And the whole site's kind of based on the idea that girls uh...
Not to put anything indelicately
girls want to get with guys that go to Harvard.
Divya and my brother don't have trouble putting things indelicately.
The main difference between what we're talking about
and MySpace, a Friendster
or any of those other social networking sites--
-- is exclusivity.
- Right? - Right."
- Remember, to get the attention of the final clubs...
"- I'm just saying I need to do something substantial
in order to get the attention of the clubs..."
...Mark wanted to do something big
to distinguish himself from the crowd.
"- We would need you to build the site,
write the code and we'll provide --
- I'm in.
- What?
- I'm in."
It's at this point that Mark's want is crystallized
to create the most exclusive
and prestigious social network.
"- Awesome.
- That's what you said?
- It was 3 or 4 years ago. I don't know what I said.
- Working on the Winklevoss site
would have achieved that
but Mark wants all the glory for himself.
"- I'm talking about taking the entire social experience of college
and putting it online.
- It would be exclusive.
That's good.
- Wardo it's like a final club except we're the president.
We'll split it 70-30.
70 for me 30 for you
for putting up the thousand dollars
and for handling everything on the business end. You're CFO.
- And you said? - I said 'Let's do it'."
And on page 57, Tyler, Cameron, and Divya
discover that they've been bulldozed
by Mark on his path to success.
"- Okay. I just wanted to let you know
that Zuckerberg stole our website.
Mark Zuckerberg.
He stole our website.
- It's been live for more than 36 hours.
- Erica?
- Hi.
- I saw you from over there. I didn't know you came to this club a lot.
On page 77,
Mark runs into Erica
who once again tries in vain
to get Mark to recognize his need
to be a better person.
"- I'd love to talk to you alone. Let's go someplace.
- Right here is fine.
- I don't know if you heard about this new website I launched.
- No.
- The Facebook? - You called me a b*tch on the Internet, Mark.
- That's why I wanted to talk to you.
- On the Internet. - That's why I came over.
Comparing women to farm animals.
I didn't end up doing that.
It didn't stop you from writing it.
As if every thought that tumbles through your head was so clever
it would be a crime for it not to be shared.
I was nice to you. Don't torture me for it.
- If we could just go somewhere for a minute...
- I don't want to be rude to my friends."
- Okay."
- Instead in petulant frustration
he doubles down.
"- We have to expand."
Now, we've reached a story beat
called the midpoint.
"- We are expanding to Yale and Columbia.
Dustin, I want you to share the coding work with me."
In a negative change arc,
Weiland describes the midpoint as such.
When the character experiences a blindingly clear revelation
that will see him launching himself into the second half
with a series of strong lie-based actions.
Mark's revelation...
"- He's here. I'm Sean Parker."
Meeting Sean Parker on page 100
who is living proof of the lie Mark believes.
"- You guys don't have anything in front of you.
- Tori. - Hey, baby boy.
- Can you bring out some things.
The lacquered pork with that ginger confit.
Tuna tartar, and the lobster claws. That will get us started.
- From that point on, it was a Sean-a-thon.
- This is no time to take your chips down.
A million dollars isn't cool. You know what's cool?
- You?
- "A billion dollars."
And that shut everybody up.
On page 116,
Mark moves the operation to California
without Eduardo.
"- You came to California? - Yeah.
- You made the right choice."
- Sean emboldens Mark to pursue his want
with reckless abandon.
"- This is our time. This time--
You're gonna hand them a business card that says, "I'm a CEO b**ch!"
That's what I want for you."
- Leaving his co-founder and friend Eduardo behind.
"- So where the hell is Eduardo?
- What's up?"
- Sean Parker represents the lie.
Eduardo is the truth Mark needs to embrace.
"- You want to talk to me a little for a minute? - Sure."
- But he doesn't.
According to Weiland, 'A critical aspect of any negative change arc
is that the lie is connected to
something the character already possesses
but devalues.
In this case, Mark's friendship and partnership with Eduardo.
On page 134, Mark has allowed Shawn
to essentially replace Eduardo.
The lie has replaced the truth.
"- I do not want that guy
representing himself as part of this company.
- You gotta move out here, Wardo,
this is where it's all happening.
- Do you hear what I just said?
- The connections, the energy --
- Mark! Mark, you gotta --
- I'm afraid if you don't come out here you're gonna get left behind.
I want-- I want I need you out here.
Please don't tell him I said that.
- What did you just say?
- It's moving faster than any of us ever imagined it.
It's moving. It's moving fast --"
This is the real tragedy of Mark's insatiable quest.
The fallout with Eduardo.
"- He set up meetings all over town.
- He set up other meetings. - Yes.
- Without me knowing anything about it?
- You're in New York. - I'm in New York riding subways
14 hours a day trying to find --
- Yeah and how's it going so far?!!"
- Weiland continues,
'There will be one objectively good thing in his life.
And he'll be willing to sacrifice this good thing
to pursue the false promise of the lie.
"- I was your only friend.
You had one friend."
Which is exactly what happens to Mark
as his betrayal
is detailed throughout the deposition scenes.
"- What else did the email say?
- It said that we had to have a business meeting".
- And on page 146,
Eduardo is ambushed.
"- I didn't know whether to dress for the party
or for the business meeting.
So I kind of dressed for both.
But it didn't matter.
- Why not? - Because I wasn't called out there for either one.
- What were you called out there for?
- An ambush.
"- Wait, what is this?
- Well as you know
we had some new investors that have come--
- What is this?
- Mr. Saverin.
- Mark!
Mark!
- He's wired in. - Sorry.
- He's wired in? - Is he?
- How about now? You're still wired in?
- Get security.
- You issued 24 million new shares of stock!
- You were told that if new investors come along...
How much were your shares diluted? How much were his?"
He puts Mark's betrayal
into real numbers.
"- What was Mr. Zuckerberg's ownership share diluted down to?
- It wasn't.
- What was Mr. Moskovitz's ownership share diluted down to?
- It wasn't.
- What was Sean Parker's ownership share diluted down to?
- It wasn't.
- What was Peter Thiel's ownership share diluted down to?
- It wasn't.
And what was your ownership share diluted down to?
- Point-zero-three percent.
- You signed the papers.
- You set me up."
This shocking revelation
sums up the depths Mark was willing to sink to
on his way to achieving his want.
"- It won't be like you're not a part of Facebook.
- You're not a part of Facebook. - My name's on the masthead.
- You might wanna check again.
- This because I froze the account?
You think we'd let you parade around in your ridiculous suits,
pretending you were running this company?
- Sorry, my Prada's at the cleaner's!
Along with my hoodie and my fuck-you flip-flops, you pretentious douchebag!
- Security's here. You'll be leaving now.
- I'm not signing those papers. - We will get the signature."
In his unrelenting pursuit for his wants,
which Mark achieves
he destroyed his ability
to obtain what he actually needs.
Meaningful relationships and acceptance.
And realize that his elite status
is not a guarantee for personal fulfillment.
"- Mark.
Mark.
- We're done for the day. - Yeah.
Yeah, I was just sitting here."
Weiland suggests that the closing scene in this type of arc
should drive home
the character's final state.
In the final scene, Marilyn brings Mark's need
full circle...
"- You're not an a**hole, Mark.
You're just trying so hard to be."
And we watch Mark perhaps realize
that maybe she's right.
Here on the last page, alone
Mark makes a final gesture
that hints at the possibility of redemption.
But we leave him solemnly waiting for a response
that might never come.
The great irony
is that Mark created a platform for connecting people
but failed to become a person
who could make any meaningful connections of his own.
Bittersweet endings and negative change arcs
can be highly effective
when you write a protagonist
who refuses to change.
And leaves a trail of victims in their wake.
Remember, when writing your ending
you must consider all the criteria
for both wants and needs
to ensure a compelling ending.
In the description, you'll find a free downloadable worksheet
where you can plot these out for your characters.
Understanding how these 4 endings work
will help ensure that you've found the most satisfying ending.
"- Go home, Sean."
Now let's be friends.
Hit subscribe and ring the bell
to join StudioBinder's social network.
Until next time.
Logging out.
[Music]