I'm struggling... as I know now this aspect of my project should have been established earlier, and is a weak point. As a rookie, and dealing with a story that is true, historical, with many paths and/or lessons that could be used, I find myself overwhelmed.
Ambition Vs Fate, Fall from Grace, Identity Transformation, Time, Redemption, Societal expectations
"Careful what you wish For"
"Blood is thicker than Water"
'Time Waits for no one"
"Coming of Age"
"Rites of Passage"
"Revenge"
"Overcoming Adversity"
I think I'm leaning toward Rites of Passage and/or Overcoming Adversity..... as I think I can blend in the story's events, era, and characters with several roller-coaster moments and eventually make my protagonist a winner.
Thoughts anyone?
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Hi, Frederick Martine (Rick) Rauschenbach Jr. I don't know what your story is about, but Overcoming Adversity is an important theme that people face/can relate to nowadays.
"As I think I can blend in the story's events, era, and characters with several roller-coaster moments and eventually make my protagonist a winner." Sounds like a plan. I establish the script's theme during outlining, and I base character actions, scenes, and dialogue on the theme as I write the script, but I also go through the script during rewrites seeing where I can amplify the theme.
Here's an on-demand webinar you might wanna check out: "The 5 Key Elements of Theme & How to Incorporate Them Into Your Script + 3 Downloads" www.stage32.com/education?p=8944934584627
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Thanks Maurice
You're welcome, Frederick Martine (Rick) Rauschenbach Jr.
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Think of the theme as something the main character has to learn. Traditionally, they believe the opposite, then learn the lesson represented by the theme.
Some of the themes you mentioned are too vague. What is the essential question your movie is asking? Make your theme a declarative statement. The answer to that question.
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One of my favorite examples of theme and anti-theme is in the recent Murder on the Orient Express.
In the first act, Poirot states his world view. “There is right, there is wrong. There is nothing in between.” The anti-theme, because…
Poirot then spends the movie investigating a crime that puts his view to the test. By the end, he admits to himself that sometimes murder is justified. There is a place between right and wrong (the theme).
Interestingly, when I looked up the screenplay online, that statement wasn’t there, But in a later draft, the filmmakers added the line so we would understand the change in Poirot’s character.
Thank you Mike Boas! It helps to drill things down and have film references.