Screenwriting : How Do You Approach Theme in Your Screenplays? by Eugenie Santiago

Hi Eugenie Santiago - great question. It usually starts with a message that's burning in my heart that I need to convey and then match that with the protagonist's needs and wants. The rest falls into place after that. Love questions like this!

Hi Eugenie, great question!

For me, I don't start with the theme. I start with the core conflict and the protagonist's desperate need/goal.

The theme usually surfaces naturally after Act 1, when I understand why the protagonist needs to achieve that goal. It's often found in the moral argument the character is forced to confront (e.g., control vs. chaos, loyalty vs. ambition). I find that approach keeps the story character-driven and prevents the theme from feeling too "on the nose."

I'll check out the form—thanks for compiling the data!

Best,

Salisu Abdullahi

Thanks Leonardo. I agree 100%. Needs and wants are the key to holding it all together.

Hi, Eugenie Santiago! I always figure out the theme in the outline, usually at the start.

You are very welcome Eugenie Santiago - very nice to meet you!

I usually at least have the emotional core pinned in my head. Thematically, the message evolves from that organically based on who my characters are.

Thanks Salisu.. Yes, I see it that way too. To me, the moral argument is about which of the two values leads to a better way to live — chaos or control. Then it’s just a matter of having them start on the wrong side and work their way towards the value that wins the argument

Thanks, Maurice. I’d love to know what usually tells you you’ve found your theme

Thanks Elle. That makes sense. Having the emotional core in place early gives everything something to grow from. It’d be great to know how you find that emotional core. Is it the stakes, the conflict, the fear, or something else?

Something else. And honestly, the emotional core is actually where everything else stems from. I study psychology as a hobby. I ah... Like to research things for fun. So I actually find an emotional change, be it growth or regression, that I want to explore before anything. I let that emotional truth incubate in my brain, untouched. For months (and in a lot of cases, years - thanks writers block) they just chill inside my creative mind.

I let my brain... Digest it. Pick it apart. Once I start outlining, it all comes out like pouring liquid from a glass. The premise, characters, plot. They're all kind of tailor made for that one emotional/psychological truth.

I play with it, switch things, go deeper in some parts, add obstacles that will psychologically mess with my protagonist. But it all starts in psychological and emotional spaces. And... They always come out in pairs. The stories, I mean. I'll explore that same emotional core two different ways. Every time. Usually opposing ends of that core, but not always.

You're welcome, Eugenie Santiago. The theme of my script is the opposite of my protagonist's main flaw. Example: The protagonist is selfish, and the theme is "Being unselfish." So, I either come up with the theme, then make the protagonist's main flaw the opposite of it, or I figure out the protagonist's main flaw and come up with the theme.

Thanks Elle Bolan. I really admire writers who can work so organically. I’m much more of a structure-first person, then I flesh everything out. It’s fascinating to see how differently people build their stories.

Thanks for sharing, Maurice Vaughan . It does seem to come down to want, need, flaw, and values. Fascinating how we all arrive at the same place one way or another.

You're welcome, Eugenie Santiago. Yeah, it is fascinating. I also like to put mini themes in a script.

@Eugenie I love these discussions. All the different types of creative minds and how they build their worlds and universes. It's fascinating for sure!

Starting with theme can be problematic because the writer might twist and turn the story to underscore it. This can lead to a muddled narrative.

Theme emerges from character, conflict and plot. Trust that.

You have 3 Choices when dealing with Theme (The Moral Premise). 1 - You should KNOW IT BEFORE you start Writing. 2 - You can FIND IT while Writing. 3 - You can discover it AFTER you have written and spend your entire time REWRITING your work to FOLLOW the Moral Premise. Here's the thing to make it simple (to stop the arguing and debating). When they build your house, do they start building? No, they get an Architect and get Blueprints done and scrutinize to ensure they are correct, follow all the regulations, and then they START THEIR PROJECT. This is how all Major Projects were constructed - The Pyramids, Indian Mounds, Ancient Temples, Modern Bridges, Skyscrapers, etc. Based on that, I spend my time on finding The Moral Premise BEFORE i start writing. After writing dozens of books, I have the data to make this statement. For those who disagree, tell them to drop 300k on a house that has not passed Inspections and Safety Regulations......Other People have figured this out, have NO CLUE why we are still arguing over here in this little Corner of Artistic Expression....SMH

I always come up with the theme shortly after starting; sometimes it's that subtle, it has to reveal itself to me rather than I cook it up. Like Finding Elpis's theme bloomed shortly after I started it; yes, it's about a rock band that's famous all over the galaxy, but the core message I wanted the reader/eventual viewer to take away was that you're better than you think you are, and as the sequels went on, the additional theme was that you're not alone. Naturally there's lots of other themes, but if I list them all, we'd be here all day lol

All this to say, for me at least, it's subconscious.

Thanks Miquiel Banks. I’m very much in that camp as well. I don’t think writers always need to start with theme, but once I have a sense of the idea I want to develop, I find it helpful to ask: What thematic lens will bring this story into focus? That’s usually when the whole structural plan falls into place and I can start shaping it.

E Langley, I hear what you’re saying about keeping things organic. I’m curious though — since you see theme emerging from character, conflict, and plot, how do you guide that emergence? Do you plan for it in the structure, or discover it as you go? I’m always impressed by writers who can work that way.

Banafsheh Esmailzadeh Thanks for sharing that. It sounds like you’re working from both intuition and structure. A great mix, really the best of both worlds.

No guidance. No plan. No discovery. I write a story. It emerges from that, Eugenie Santiago. It always works out. Theme can't help but to emerge.

You're welcome Eugenie Santiago, yeah, I think it's the best way to do it. When the theme shows itself, lock in on it so it doesn't get lost (but also don't keep it in a death grip if it has friends it wants to play with lol)

From a development standpoint, when I’m working with writers on their material, the biggest shift often comes once we’ve identified the theme - and, more specifically, the core thematic idea driving the protagonist. That clarity tends to elevate the piece quickly. It gives the writer a grounded sense of what the story is actually about for the character and where the arc needs to land, which in turn makes the creative decisions feel more focused and purposeful.

In my experience working in scripted television, it's also been incredibly useful to identify theme as early as the pitch stage. When shaping a season, we'll define the thematic question the protagonist is grappling with. That single question becomes a guide for structuring the arc, calibrating episode turns, and ensuring the emotional progression stays intentional across the season.

Great question. Eugenie Santiago I personally think about theme first. They’re the questions and reflections that stay with me as I observe this crazy world in late-stage capitalism. Some themes linger more than others, and those more persistent ones I treat as a kind of philosophical argument, with points and counterpoints. At some point, a story naturally sticks to that thematic core. Working with these narrative analogies inside their themes isn’t always easy.

I believe every film is, in some way, a philosophical argument, even if that’s not obvious or even intentional. Now that I’m saying this, I’m realizing how much work it actually is — but after all, this is an intellectual craft we practice. I definitely structure the theme first. That said, there are projects where I start from the story, from scenes, openings, or characters, and there’s already a theme behind it. But without building the thematic argumentation, the rest of the script never really comes together.

To see how writing to theme can go sideways, catch "The Life of Chuck."

As, a screenplay writer...I honestly don't know; I don't chase an Idea, I let them come to me and see what develops. Usually, I just start writing down ideas and if enough of them come together and form a pretreatment...then I sit down and analyze it, before deciding if I want to move forward with it into Screenplay Writing phase. But, that's just me take it for what it's worth. -JAC

They brew until l get a head of steam.

Thanks for starting this discussion. In my experience theme emerges naturally from understanding the characters and the central question of the story rather than as a mechanical exercise. I begin by articulating the emotional journey for my protagonist and the core conflict they must resolve. Once I know what they want and what stands in their way I look at the larger human questions their arc touches on such as freedom versus control or identity versus conformity. The theme becomes a compass that informs the choices I make in plot and character but I try not to force it. In revisions I watch for patterns in the scenes and dialogue that reveal what the story is really about and refine those to make the message resonate without being didactic. Often the hardest part is trusting that the thematic thread will reveal itself as the characters take on a life of their own.