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Director’s Commentary 00:01:03
“So, welcome to the DVD commentary for Connect. I’m Simon Anders, and I wrote and directed the film. I’m going to be talking about how we put the story together, and then about the process involved at the filming stage. Okay, here we are at the beginning, or, of course, in our film, in the middle. That was very important to us. We wanted to start at this point – this is where Facebook really takes off and the relationship between our two leads falls apart. And then we have the two stories running in parallel – one forwards and one backwards. On the one hand we have the story from Mark’s perspective, through the two lawsuits right up to the settlement. And that’s inter-cut with Eduardo’s side, which is the one running backwards, right through to meeting Mark in his freshman year. Now, in part that came about because of a concession we made to the- to the real Mark and Eduardo.”

* * *

To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Interview request

Mr Anders,
Once again, no, I don’t want to be involved in your movie.
M Zuckerberg

- - -

To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Interview request

Dear Mr Anders,

Thank you for the offer, but no, I don’t feel it would be appropriate to consult on the film.

Yours sincerely,
Eduardo Saverin

- - -

To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: draft script

That’s not how it happened.

M Zuckerberg

- - -

To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: draft script

That’s not how it ended.

Eduardo Saverin

* * *

Director’s Commentary 00:05:45
“The ending as it was originally scripted was a little bit more optimistic. I mean, there’s a movie to be made about how these two guys tore each other’s lives apart and nothing ever got better and probably the internet’s to blame but that wasn’t really… I started reading the background material, and that wasn’t really where the story was. Don’t get me wrong, I mean, there are parts of the story which are pure Shakespeare, pure Greek tragedy, but I just… I really didn’t want to use that as the end of the story. It’s part of the story but it’s not everything. So we meant to start there, and end on this moment of hope. Which was the first point either Mark or Eduardo objected…”

* * *

To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Re: Re: draft script

I just don’t see the value in inventing a happy ending. We didn’t talk to each other during the deposition stage, and we haven’t spoken since. It’s a peculiar thing to lie about.

Eduardo

- - -

To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: draft script

Mark says that?

- - -

To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: draft script

Obviously, we’ve spoken. We have shares in the same company. We certainly haven’t spoken in a personal capacity recently. What happened, happened, and we’ve both moved past it. To say differently is writing a story. Which I suppose is your business.

Eduardo

* * *

Director’s Commentary 00:10:09
“We filmed the deposition scenes first. Those were actually the least controversial. The records exist, and those allegations exist, so working out what they were saying to each other was the easy part. Directing it was more interesting…”

* * *

Session with E Saverin Oct 09

Simon: -so you changed your mind.

ES: I spoke to one of your actors.

Simon: James?

ES: No, that would probably have been less strange. It was Mark’s guy.

Simon: Oh. I’m sorry about that – I did let them all know that you didn’t want to be involved. Tommy contacted you?

ES: Yes.

Simon: And that persuaded you to talk to me?

ES: He wanted to know whether I thought Mark knew I was in love with him the whole time. He was having issues with his behaviour in the deposition scenes.

Simon: What did you tell him?

ES: I wanted to know where he got that idea.

* * *

Director’s Commentary 00:25:46
“The day after Eduardo came to see me, Mark called. I think he was worried what Eduardo might have said. And you really should never give material like that to a writer. They start to wonder what you’re so afraid of.”

* * *

Session with M Zuckerberg Oct 09

Simon: Why did you decide to come and talk to me?

MZ: Actually, you came to me. These are my offices. I’m just allowing you to come in here with your recorder.

Simon: And I appreciate that.

MZ: I heard that Eduardo flew out there.

Simon: He did.

MZ: I have lawyers now. Lots of them. And Eduardo signed a settlement.

Simon: Yes.

MZ: I really don’t want another lawsuit.

Simon: No, I wouldn’t think so.

MZ: They’re time-consuming, and I’m very busy.

Simon: Mr Zuckerberg, why did you call me?

* * *

Director’s Commentary 00:30:10
“The difficulty in making a picture like this is stopping yourself from getting invested in creating likenesses of the people involved. It’s a film - it’s not meant to be a straight reflection. But obviously it’s harder, if you’ve spoken to the people – like I had spoken to Mark and Eduardo – to keep that from spilling over into the direction. Eduardo’s very personable, very polite. Even if he disagrees with you. Mark’s entirely different. He’s a very hard read – he’s very good at looking blank, and letting you fill in the spaces yourself. But obviously that’s not how it was with his friends, with someone like Eduardo, who was close to him. I had to remind myself of that when I was directing the guys on set.

Something funny did happen when I was talking to Mark. He was in New York while we were filming, and he came down to the offices. Eduardo had been in the previous day, to follow up on something. Which was a weird coincidence, I guess. So Mark came in while I had the recording of Eduardo cued up. I left the room to get something and when I came back, he had turned the monitor on. I don’t remember exactly what was on the tape-”

* * *

Session with E Saverin Dec 09

Simon: You said before that you understood what he did.

ES: I said I was past it.

Simon: That’s not the same thing?

ES: I understand why he did what he did, for the company. Mark’s always been- look, he’s smarter than me, in a lot of ways, and he saw something I didn’t.

Simon: But you were still-

ES: And he was right about advertising, he was right about investment. Hindsight you know? That’s obvious now. What he did worked. That’s the only proof you need in business. But instead of fighting me on it, he jumped past that part and wrote me out. It was easier, more efficient. Intellectually, I understand that.

Simon: And how about un-intellectually?

ES: The person it happened to- that person is still nineteen, and his best friend betrayed him. It’s possible to be past it and still mad at him. That’s not- okay, I should go now. [sighs] I’m sorry if I wasted your time.

* * *

Director’s Commentary 00:31:08
“- but when I came back in, suddenly Mark wanted to talk.”

* * *

Session with M Zuckerberg Dec 09

Simon: I suppose I shouldn’t have left those screens on.

MZ: Password-protection on screensaver is a general business requirement. I’m surprised no one’s told you that.

Simon: It didn’t really occur to me.

MZ: No.

Simon: Did you want to talk to me about anything in particular? Filming’s going very well at the moment, we’re working on the later Harvard scenes.

MZ: You’re filming in New York.

Simon: Yes.

MZ: Truth-telling really isn’t a major element in your work, is it, Mr Anders?

Simon: Facts and the truth aren’t necessarily the same thing.

MZ: Is that supposed to be profound?

Simon: It’s the sort of thing filmmakers say, I suppose. Sorry.

MZ: I think you’re implying that Eduardo knew about the Harvard Connection discussions. He didn’t know until the letter. I think that should be clear.

Simon: Are you admitting your own liability in that regard, Mr Zuckerberg?

MZ: I signed a very extensive settlement for any ‘liability in that regard’, Mr Anders. I’m not admitting anything further than that. But Eduardo was never involved with that part. I want to make that clear. We weren’t co-conspirators in anything - he never had that level of input. He provided the finance when I asked him. That was all.

Simon: You don’t think that was important?

MZ: I didn’t say that.

* * *

Director’s Commentary 00:45:06
“Some people might say it was dangerous, or at least foolish, but I did keep sending them out the major script revisions. I think… I was hoping that there might be something that they both disagreed on at the same time. That was going to be interesting to see.”

* * *

Connect Shooting script, Yellow Revisions, 16 Jan 2010

INTERCUT - INT. PALO ALTO HOUSE/ EDUARDO’S HOTEL ROOM – EVENING

Mark is typing.

He hangs up, and continues to type.

* * *

Director’s Commentary 00:50:10
“What struck me, what hadn’t struck me until I was in the room with the two of them was just how young they both were. Fifteen years younger than me now and when it happened… they were kids, when it happened. No one wants to be held responsible for the things they did when they were nineteen. Most of us, it’s getting drunk and partying all night and missing class and generally being an idiot. Most of us, when we fought with our friends, we didn’t risk millions of dollars and the existence of whole companies. You get the feeling that the argument they had was always going to happen – they’re two very different people – but if it had happened before Facebook took off, maybe they could have got past it. Because they were friends, and something made that happen. For two kids like that, gifted young men, to end up creating something that really did change the way the world communicates - there had to have been something there to begin with. We wanted to show that in the film. That they were friends, before everything else.”

* * *

Session with E Saverin Jan 10

ES: I wish you wouldn’t keep saying I was in love with him.

Simon: It doesn’t say that anywhere in the script.

ES: You told one of your actors-

Simon: Not in so many words.

ES: But you imply it.

Simon: I don’t think I say anything that wasn’t already there. It wasn’t a business decision, to put your money in.

ES: It could have been.

Simon: But it wasn’t.

ES: He was my best friend. I had the money, it was a risk but it wasn’t uncalculated.

Simon: So anyone would have done the same thing?

ES: No. Probably not.

* * *

Director’s Commentary 01:04:56
“Something happened when we got them both into the same room. I wasn’t sure about doing that. Part of the - not to sound completely pretentious but – part of the integrity of the film is the two stories. Having them arguing across a table in front of me seemed to conflict with that. But then when we had them together in the room, something happened.”

* * *

Session with E Saverin and M Zuckerberg Jan 10

ES: I don’t think that’s fair.

Simon: I’m sorry?

ES: This- the line reads “I always knew you would…” That’s not fair to either of us. It’s playing into your… and it implies forethought that wasn’t there. Mark never-

MZ: No.

* * *

Director’s Commentary 01:13:32
“And Eduardo looked at Mark, when he said that. Like he was checking, he was waiting for Mark to agree with him. But he wasn’t checking because he was confused about that – he knew Mark had never gone out to end things the way they did. Except he was in the room with Mark, and he was very aware of that. They were both very aware of each other, that session. I think Eduardo looked at him so that Mark had the chance to defend himself too. And that was something that hadn’t been obvious until then – that they were still protecting each other, even during the lawsuit. So we changed the line.”

* * *

Connect Shooting script, Cherry Revisions, 2nd Feb 2010

INT. DEPOSITION ROOM – DAY

* * *

Director’s Commentary 01:30:41
“We had two sessions with them together. Mark suggested the second one. He thought we had missed some things the first time. I met them together for the last time just before we started the final round of reshoots. They couldn’t agree on the ending.”

* * *

Session with E Saverin and M Zuckerberg March 10

ES: We met at a party.

MZ: No we didn’t.

ES: We really did, Mark.

MZ: I think I would remember-

ES: No, you definitely wouldn’t. But that’s okay, because I do. We met at a party. Dustin introduced us and the next time we met, you didn’t remember that. So you see, there’s a pattern emerging here.

MZ: Dustin brought you to our room.

ES: That was the third time. Back then, I thought you had just decided not to remember new people until they proved they had staying-power.

MZ: Something like that.

ES: [laughs] At least you remember the third time.

MZ: You stayed over. We had pizza. Beer was involved.

* * *

Director’s Commentary 01:45:15
“And that was really interesting to me - that in that whole time, they hadn’t spoken to each other. If you look at the depositions, they’re both present, but they’re talking to lawyers. They’re telling the story, but not to each other. There are a few times where you can tell that they turn away, they address the other one directly. But most of the time they’re trying to prove their own arguments to the lawyers. And then suddenly they were in the same room, telling me the two stories. And they ended up telling them to each other instead.”

* * *

To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Screening

I still don’t like the ending. But my lawyer has advised me that I don’t need to sue.

M Zuckerberg

- - -

To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Screening

It’s still not the truth. But it seems to make a good story, if the response was anything to go by. I hope it’s a success for you.

Best wishes,
Eduardo

* * *

Director’s Commentary 01:51:23
“When the film came out, there were a lot of questions about how true it was, and who my sources were. Obviously, if you’ve listened to all of this then you can make your own judgement on that. We talked to a lot of people, and we listened, and then we wrote the story that worked.

The ending was part of that. Originally we had the version Mark and Eduardo objected to – the reverse of the one we ended up going with. Originally the scene fades from the past to the future, with Mark starting an email to Eduardo. A note of optimism. Both of them felt that was a sop, it was too neat. So we reversed it.”

* * *

Connect Shooting script, Cherry Revisions, 23rd March 2010

INT. FACEBOOK OFFICES – 2010 – NIGHT

Mark is sitting in front of a computer, alone. He types:

The camera pushes in on his computer screen, filling with type. We can’t read anything else.

The camera pulls out over his shoulder to-

FADE TO:

Eduardo comes to stand behind Mark.

* * *

Director’s Commentary 02:05:19
So that’s it. Roll credits. I hope you enjoyed the movie, and I hope I didn’t bore you too much talking about it. And Mark and Eduardo, if you’re watching… one, you already promised not to sue me. Two, I hope you liked this version of the truth, even if it’s not quite the same as the one you told me.

* * *

Mark Zuckerberg has indeed seen Connect on DVD, thank you all for asking. All forty-six thousand of you. I’ve also listened to the commentary. I think that it’s yet another mostly-inaccurate spin on the same story. All of which are a lot more interesting than the reality.
15 minutes ago · Like · Comment

Eduardo Saverin thinks that reality is actually interesting enough, these days.
10 minutes ago · Like

Mark Zuckerberg I invented the site and I still think you should have just told me that in person. You’re literally across the room right now. Though you are supposed to be working.
9 minutes ago · Like

Eduardo Saverin You’re the one posting status updates to a list of five people. Did you create lists just so you can do that?
8 minutes ago · Like

Mark Zuckerberg Not everything needs to be public. Though I should note that this is not actually a protected update.
7 minutes ago · Like

Eduardo Saverin Don’t you think it should be?
4 minutes ago · Like

Mark Zuckerberg That’s really up to you now, isn’t it?
about a minute ago · Like

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