This was a really great breakdown!! I didn't read it in its entirety -- yet -- but for now I mean "great" as it is a fabulous example of how someone could write up an outline for their own project.... Great reminder in terms of keeping eye on PURPOSE. Dig it! Thanks!!

It is a great breakdown and an excellent point that it can serve as a template for outlines we craft for our own stories. Now that I think about it, similar to what I do although I note major plot points and divide into sequences, plus include lines of dialogue, detailed notes for each scene, etc.

I’ll take first crack at this writing exercise by having a go at four major plot points: The Opening: P: 1-7, police investigate break-in at Turing's house, arousing their suspicions about him. Act One end: P. 32-39, put in charge of Enigma project, Turing does crossword puzzle test which surfaces Joan Clarke. Act Two end: P. 87-95, they break the code, yet must keep that secret, only use in some cases to save lives, not all. Final Struggle: P. 110-116, found guilty of indecency and virtually friendless, save Joan, Turing commits suicide. Several interesting things to note: * The structure of the story speaks to the malleable nature of three act structure and against rigid page count formulas. For example, one could arbitrarily say the end of Act One is when Turing is named head of the Enigma project which happens on 33. But one key character -- Joan Clarke -- has yet to be introduced. Which is why I chose to call the Act One end at 39 at the end of the scene in which we meet Joan. Whether 33 or 39, it's either a longish or very long first act. It doesn't matter. The story works. * Typically we are told, the end of Act Two represents a significant reversal, what is often called the All Is Lost plot point. Here the team actually breaks the code. Yes, it's bittersweet because they have to keep it secret. Then shifts into a much darker mood when one aspect of that choice is they can't save every ship, only some, raising serious ethical issues. Nevertheless the big event in the plot is breaking the code which is a net positive. * With the code broken, Act III pivots away from the war effort and traverses the inevitable course toward Turing's demise. So instead of building toward a traditional Final Struggle in which the stakes get bigger, the narrative narrow the focus onto Turing himself. Yes, the stakes are big for him - life and death - but that represents activity primarily in the psychological domain of the story, not the plot which has dominated the narrative up through the end of Act II: Breaking the code. Which is to say, lots of interesting choices made by screenwriter Moore which if assessed per the signposts of any number of screenplay structure paradigms would be seen to have made several 'errors'. And yet, Moore has an Oscar statuette to his name. The Imitation Game is an object lesson the primacy of a writer telling a story the way he felt the story HAD to be told, regardless of any so-called rules. Anyone want to take a crack at identifying the major plot points in the script?

1. Break in at Turing's House (page 1) 2. Info Passed to Menzies MI6 (who do nothing)(page 2) 3. Nock gets curious that Turing 'is hiding something' (page 7) 4. Turing gets the job from Dennitson as a codebreaker (p13) 5. Young Turing suffers bullying at school. Christopher saves him (p19) 6. Nock pursues Turing past - draws a blank (p23) 7. Churchill puts Turing in charge (p32) 8. Joan Clarke passes the crosswords test, wins Alan Turing as a prize (p39) 9. Young Christopher gets Young Turing into puzzles (p41) 10. Nock lies to his boss to continue pursuing Turing (p43) 11. Turing uses Joan to help him (secretly) work on breaking the code, becomes implicated in the hunt for a spy (p53) 12. Turing learns to makes friends (p59) 13. Menzies tries to close down 'Christopher' (machine). The team stand up and save 'Christopher' and Turing (p65) 14. Nock gets an arrest warrant for Turing on homosexuality charges, not spying charges (P68) 15. Turing proposes to Joan (spycraft: learning to lie) (p75) 16. Young Christopher does not return to school (p76) 17.EUREKA Turing and team crack the code (p85) *Important plot point otherwise Germany wins WW2!* 18. Now the team must keep the fact they broke the code secret. (p93) 19. Cairncross is revealed as the Soviet spy (the one person Turing trusted with his secret) (P98) 20. Turing lies to Joan to break their engagement (and protect her) (p104) 21. Young Turing lies to his headmaster about being friends with Christopher (a guilty lie he'll carry with him all his life) - the start of a career of lying. (p105) 22. The war is over but the lie must continue Also Menzies callback line (behave and you'll not see me again (plot point 2) (p109) 23. An elderly Turing is ruined by the conviction of homosexuality and consequences (chemical treatment) (p115) 24. Denounement: The enigma story can be declassified and homosexuality is decriminalized. (p117) A lot of plot points, I know, but 3 time frames and the story of relationships, lying about sexuality and lying about what you did during the war means a lot of ground to cover.

Excellent, Michael. I believe you've hit all the major events in all three timelines and on both levels, the Enigma plot and Turing's 'psychological' journey. 24 events is not uncommon. Obviously some are more important than others (#17 in your list an example "otherwise Germany wins WW2"), but the mantra 'something happens' in stories is never more true than with movies. We have 90-120 minutes to tell an entire story which almost always involves a character or characters' metamorphoses. Things NEED to happen in order to move things along. William Goldman talks about the "relentless" nature of the camera.

"In a book you might start with some dialogue, and then describe your clothing, and more dialogue. The camera gets that in an instant. Boom, and you’re on. Get on, get on. The camera is relentless. Makes you keep running."

At a fundamental level, that translates into 'something happening' on a recurring basis, what we call plot points. I am reminded of a comment by Allan Durand, 2012 Nicholl Fellowship winner:

"The way I did it is every five to 10 pages, I wanted a big fist to come out of the screenplay and punch the reader right in the gut.”

So the list of 24 plot points you came up with if we multiply times 5 (as a general touchstone for something happening every 5 pages) and we end up with 120 pages. The Imitation Game script is 117 pages long. The original iteration of the Whammo theory I heard years ago was something needed to go 'whammo' in a movie every 10 minutes to sustain the viewer's interest. I think it's time we instituted a post-modern version of the Whammo theory: Make it every five pages. Audiences want more and more often, and every 5 minutes is more in tune with that sensibility. Well, I should just copy and paste this into a blog post. So double thanks, Michael!