Break your theme early -- Before your plot. And by break I don't mean so that it needs fixing. The term 'breaking story' refers to the moment when you finally get the breakthrough that makes your story and writing sail toward the coveted, fade out. For most, the time leading up to the breaking point is an arduous process and I will dare to say that it is because the process is spent hammering away at the plot rather than what your story is about. Why are you telling this story? What lasting tidbit do you want the audience to walk away from it with? These questions are answered with your main theme and sadly a lot of writers don't think about theme until after the first draft. Let's take a simple example of Pixar's INSIDE OUT, the main theme is about balancing sadness with joy. Every scene highlights that in some way and as the movie progresses each way is escalated. But if you were to start writing without that in mind and just focused on the action of how to get the main character's emotions back to where she could function normally, you'd have a big mess of a 2nd act. By breaking your theme early, you will always be able to address notes while staying true to your story and why you are telling it and that's where the true collaboration of a film comes in. So, as you go about your day, do so with intention that is true and supports your personal theme. By day's end you should be able to rest easier.
Screenwriting : Today's Wish and Creative Tip by Laurie Ashbourne
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Great advice, Laurie! Thanks for sharing. A story needs a raison d'être. It is extremely important. I certainly can't start writing without one. :) Often themes can have slightly different meanings to different people. When I saw INSIDE OUT I felt the theme was not so much about the specific balance between sadness and joy, but rather learning how to deal with all emotions; to acknowledge sadness; to face it; talk about it. The theme to me was: it is OKAY to feel sad. You must get feelings off your chest and share them with others. It is ostensible to be "happy" all the time -- life's not like that. It's not healthy. This is a huge lesson for children; for everyone. I felt the character Joy was constantly trying to distract everyone from Sadness; to hide it creating denial and depression. In the end, it was Sadness that saved the day. Joy wanted to keep every other emotion suppressed. The truth is emotions are complex and are a blend of each other. When Joy realized that the problem was the denial of Sadness everything changed. I thought they did a great job showing this change visually by changing the little color balls of memories. They no longer were solid-colored balls of either yellow (joy), red (anger), blue (sadness), purple (fear), or green (disgust), but rather each memory ball in the end now had swirls of different colors mixed together. This is a great movie about mental health. :)
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Aw, thanks, JT. Beth, I hear you. What you are picking up on are the 'B' themes, which is something Pixar is very good at. Often the secondary themes can be layered in after a first draft. Things like 'just keep swimming' in Nemo. But the CORE of your story should be ironed out first, which in the INSIDE OUT example is the happy/sadness. Those two truly shape the plot, where as the other emotions and storylines are secondary. Ultimately, as storytellers we want the audience to at minimum, walk away with a core impression: true love conquers all, let it go, greed corrupts, knowledge is power etc... The sooner we figure that out in our creative process, the easier other elements fall into place (from props to dialogue to opening and closing images, to colors to casting). But more importantly for writers, the sooner we figure it out the less defensive we get about notes because we look at it more constructively and are able to stay true to the core of what the story is about while addressing outside impressions.
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So agree with you, Laurie. I tend to get theme first, and also the ending, which really does tell the tale of what the movie's "about." And then I backtrack from there, and that's where I could use a few more plotting skills. But I know where I'm headed, what I'm saying, almost from the beginning. You and Beth make me so want to see INSIDE OUT. I've talked with people and seen panels at the Austin Film Festival about Pixar's development process, which is pretty amazing, and very supportive of writers. WALL-E changed my life (but also UP and many others). INSIDE OUT is playing at the multiplex where my boyfriend and I are going tonight, but he is intent on seeing THE INTERN, so that's what we have tickets for (not because he's an autocrat; I also want to see that one), but soon!
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Ah ha, Laurie, I understand what you are saying about INSIDE OUT and "core impression" -- happy/sadness, yes, of course. Although, for me, the theme, or perhaps the message was: "it's okay to feel sad." That certainly was the 'life lesson' the protagonist Joy learned on her journey; her change. :) I couldn't agree with you more about "core impression" and using it as a guide to work constructively with notes/outside opinions -- core impression as your story's true north. Makes perfect sense. Thanks again, Laurie. Great advice as always. :)
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Yes, Richard, INSIDE OUT is a must-see! Wonderful film. :)
How was THE INTERN, Richard?
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Thanks Laurie for another fab tip. Luckily, having applied the question to the current draft of my script, the answer is "no one has the right to dictate someone else's feelings." But in future I'm going to ensure it's there at the brainstorming stage.
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I thought THE INTERN was just OK, Laurie. I kept thinking of ways to make it smarter and less forced. The actors are great.