The first 10 pages of any screenplay are important, as they set the scene, introduce the main characters and ‘hook’ the audience. In this analysis, we look at the opening to The Insider, which tells of a whistle-blower who threatens to expose Big Tobacco’s dirty secrets and the committed news producer who worked tirelessly to bring his story to the public’s attention…

Director: Michael Mann

Screenwriters: Eric Roth and Michael Mann

Based on: The 1996 Vanity Fair article, “The Man Who Knew Too Much”, by Marie Brenner https://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/1996/05/wigand199605

Script source: Daily Script

Logline:

Jeffrey Wigand, a fired tobacco industry chemist, struggles with the decision on whether to publicly reveal highly damaging information about his company, amid increasing threats to his reputation and his family’s safety. Meanwhile, Lowell Bergman, the producer of CBS’ 60 Minutes, a leading and well-respected network news show, encourages Wigand to speak. Bergman faces pushback from corporate interests and the editorial team as he attempts to put this important public interest story on screen.

First 10 Pages: Analysis

Even though this is a character-driven story that takes place mostly in office and domestic settings, the opening to The Insider strikes a very different tone.

We are taken to Lebanon, where two blindfolded men are being driven at speed in a Jeep filled with armed Hezbollah soldiers. A kidnapping, maybe?

The Jeep stops at a remote location. The scene is fused with danger and tension, as the blindfolded men are taken into a house.

It is revealed that one of the blindfolded men is Lowell Bergman (the other is his cameraman) and he is here to persuade Sheikh Fadlallah to tape an interview with Mike Wallace for 60 Minutes.

As well as engaging the reader/viewer, this opening introduces Bergman as a dedicated newsman, a proactive character willing to put himself in danger in pursuit of his goal.

It also gets in some important exposition, as Bergman talks of the excellent reputation of Wallace and 60 Minutes, as well as its commitment to journalistic integrity (a key theme of the story).

This information could have been revealed in any number of less interesting ways, but the screenwriters chose to include it as part of an exciting opening sequence.

The Insider is a two-protagonist story, so the next scene introduces us to the other main character, Jeffrey Wigand.

In contrast to the dynamic opening sequence, we are now in a staid laboratory.

A birthday party is in progress, but Wigand is alone in his office, a man apart, separated from the world. He’s packing up his personal effects.

Wigand leaves the lab, which is located within the corporate offices of Brown & Williamson (B&W), a Big Tobacco firm.

Wigand is watched by a security officer, who reports his exit from the building to his superiors.

This scene quickly and effectively lets the reader/viewer know that Wigand is a company man and a scientist, who has left his job. We don’t yet know why. The opening image of him is that of a man isolated from the rest of the world (his persona throughout the film). It also reveals that he must be pretty important in the company; he has his own office and B&W takes an interest in him leaving the building. The scene effectively sets up Wigand’s future run-ins with B&W.

An important element of the story is Wigand’s relationship with his family, so the next scene sets up this aspect of his life.

We see his very comfortable house in an upmarket suburb (paid for with his tobacco industry salary) and meet his family, two young girls who love him, and a wife, Liane, who drinks during the day.

Wigand doesn’t immediately tell his wife about his firing, highlighting communication issues in the marriage.

However, the couple is brought together when one of the children has an asthma attack. Wigand steps in and helps the girl to recover. The scene presents Wigand as a dedicated family man.

The introduction to Wigand’s home life concludes in the following sequence:

• He is evasive during the family’s dinner and makes an excuse to leave.

• Liane sees boxes in his car and he finally reveals to her that he’s been fired.

• She freaks out, with the script making clear that her concern is for the family’s financial welfare, rather than how her husband feels about losing his job.

• He reassures her that his severance package includes cash payments and health coverage.

• The scene ends with him driving off and leaving her standing there, stunned.

Overall, the sequence effectively sets up Wigand’s relationship with his kids and his wife, underlining the tension between him and Liane, which will come to a head later. It also raises the stakes in terms of the whistle-blowing – his kid clearly has ongoing medical needs and exposing B&W threatens his family’s health coverage.

Also, think about how many different ways the scene in which Wigand reveals his firing could have gone – Wigand taking out his fears and frustrations on Liane, husband and wife tearfully embracing, Liane getting angry and being the one to leave.

The opening to a script is all about building up a picture of the main characters and their world, and the choices the writer makes in scenes such as this are key to the rest of story.

Finally, throughout these opening pages, note how much rich character description and authentic detail the writers include in the screenplay.

For example, when Wigand is packing up his office, he specifically takes a textbook on asthma, a nod to his kid’s condition, while Bergman is described as ‘a stocky man, with the edge of a J.D. Salinger character, he’s seen everything at least once’. Liane is described, somewhat dismissively, as ‘somebody it would be nice to wear on your arm’.

All of this builds up a detailed picture of the characters and the separate worlds they inhibit, setting the scene for the story that’s about to unfold…