Screenwriting : Simplifying my theme by Aimee Kimmey

Phrase it as a moral question? But, depending on what you have now, it may or may not want to conform to that. "Can justice be found by seeking vengeance?" "Can money provide happiness?" My current script: "Can one be happy living a lie?" That's how I approach theme.

What Kerry said.

Ha. Except that I wrote "Can movie provide happiness". I meant "Can money provide happiness." Editing it now. And paging Dr. Freud...

Yeah I got a tip. So themes can be abstract subjects, such as greed, racism, inequality, materialism, etc. but I think youre talking about a controlling idea as McKee calls it, or a premise as Lajos Egri calls it. A statement that you wish to make that underlies the storyline. You can use the "See, that's what happens when you _________" approach:
trust a shark - Wall Street
try to use tricks to get love - Groundhog Day
jump to obvious conclusions - 12 Angry Men
take what's not yours - A Simple Plan
try to dominate everyone - Scarface
persist through every obstacle - The Pursuit of Happyness
spend quality time with your kid - Kramer v. Kramer
It's the same thing as x leads to y but it's a bit more user-friendly mostly cause I came up with it :)
Or you can use the "Who Do I Wanna Be?" approach
"An alcoholic in denial or a person brave enough to be honest with myself and others" - Flight
"An underachieving drunk getting in fights or a math whiz with a promising future" - Good Will Hunting
In the act 3 the protagonist decides who they want to be going forward. This choice is the writer's argument that the choice they make is the superior one.

Thanks everybody!! I just need something clear, and brief to keep my story on track and give my characters good believable reasons for acting and growing. (Yes, I do think it's what McKee refers to as the controlling idea.) I think framing it as a moral question is a great idea--I'm going to give that a whirl! Creating flat, cliche characters has always been one of my biggest problems. But I feel like when I've had a strong, clear definition of what the story is about, I can create richer, more interesting characters. It helps me remember what they need to learn, which helps me keep the story on track, which helps me not slam my head against my computer as much!

If you're using the question idea: some writer I admire -- I forget which one, so apologies for the lack of attribution -- said something to the effect of: "heroes ask questions, villains propose answers." So remember that your moral question is the HERO'S question, and the antagonist is giving the wrong answer, and probably there's a mentor or model character who's suggesting the correct answer. But don't make it easy! The wrong answer should be very very appealing. :)

Hey Kerry, thanks so much for the tips, it's exactly what I needed! I looked at all I had written about what my theme should be and the question jumped right out: is revenge worth the lives of your crew? For the antagonist is an easy yes. But it should be a pretty tough choice for my protagonist as he's held onto this quest for revenge much longer than he's known his crew for. This should keep me on track, I really appreciate your words of wisdom!

Really glad I could help.

(And humility requires me to once more mention that this is not an original idea of mine. My genius is in remembering it.) :)