Theme, The Secret IngridientFor Better Stories.

Let's talk theme. What is it, and how can we use it to take our characters and stories to the next level? I like to define theme as the central or unifying idea of a film, expressing how the author views the world. It is an idea that sits at the center of every story, informing the way the story plays out, as well as the characters and the decisions they take to reveal and solve the thematic questions.

Now, it is important to draw the difference between theme and plot. Theme is the central idea or exploration that the movie is about, not what happens in the movie. That would be the plot. They are completely different, and often don't relate. Let's see an example using Jurassic Park:

The plot of the movie is about Dr. Grant and his wife, who are invited to attend a new park where dinosaurs live again. Eventually, the dinosaurs escape their captivity, and now our heroes must find a way to get off the island alive. Notice how when talking about the plot, it's very action-oriented. I don't talk about any emotion or relationship, just about what events ensue and what the goal is. Think about it as what you would tell a friend when they ask you what the movie is about.

Now, let's look at the themes in Jurassic Park. A good way to find the theme is by looking at the starting and ending point of our protagonist, Dr. Grant. In the first-ever scene that we meet him, we see that he doesn't like technology, and he doesn't like kids, even scaring one of them with the raptor claw. These two things would tie back to the themes.

So, what if I told you that Jurassic Park is about the dangers of using technology to try and mess with the natural order, but even deeper, it is about fatherhood? Now, this last one is our main theme. We start with Dr. Grant hating children, and so we put him in a situation where for the rest of the movie, he will be trapped on an island, having to protect a little boy and girl. By the end of it, we will have gone from "I don't like children" to him hugging the two children on the way back, giving his wife this look that says, "Maybe they are not so bad after all." And we cut to a family of birds flying.

So, watch the first and last scene of "Jurassic Park" through this lens, and you will see that there is more to the film than just dinosaurs and adventure.

First scene Jurasic park

Last scene Jurassic Park

As you can see the plot of the movie and it’s theme are completley separate, which means you dont have to write a family drama if you want to talk about fatherhood. There can be many themes in a story, and often different themes can be tackled in a single movie. But at their core, movies and themes are nothing more than the exploration of an idea. Ultimately, if done well, a theme will enrich the characters and subtext of every line of dialogue or shot in a movie.

If you want a starting point to develop a theme in your own writing, think about what happens at the end of the story. What does the character do to solve the problem? What did the character learn? This will help you figure out the themes in your own story.

There is also a different view on theme, of certain writers like Greta Gerwig, who don't concern themselves with finding a theme before they write. Rather, they write to figure out what the theme of their story is. However, even if you decide to take this approach, I would highly encourage you to go into the second draft with a clear idea of the theme. This way, you can interweave the theme on a deeper level of the story, providing it with more interesting visuals, richer dialogue, and more complex and layered characters.

"At their worst, themes deliver opinions about what's good and what's bad. At their best, they produce fresh insights and demonstrate deeply held beliefs about right living." - Barry Pearson.

So, don't preach to the audience with a cheap message telling them what is good and bad. Instead, commit to a deep exploration of an idea, where you will present the pros and cons of each. Thus, at the end, you may show the viewer what right living means to you, all through the characters' actions and beliefs.

And if you manage to do so, then you will be able to tell a story about fatherhood and family while also having a cool and interesting plot about dinosaurs that eat people.

Helpful Resources

If you want to read or learn more about theme, here are some resources you might find helpful.

Hope this was helpful or at least good food for thougth. Tell me what you think about it! :)