Chapter	4
The “1” – THEME

The “1” is the theme of your screenplay. Identifying and committing to this is the first step in crafting solid story structure for your script.

Theme is the first thing I, as a story analyst, am going to check out to see if I need to carefully read your screenplay. How? I’m going to flip through pages 8-13 of the script and see what the Main Character is obsessing over. Then I’m going to flip to the last ten pages of the script and see what the Main Character is learning about. These had better be the same issue.

To make it simple, the theme of your screenplay is the single issue your Main Character struggles to learn a lesson about in your movie.

What do I mean by issue? I mean a “value” or “institution.” You know what values are! Values are things like: love, happiness, security, honesty, wealth, commitment, growth, power, etc. Institutions? Easy! Institutions are social structures like: marriage, parenthood, employment, etc.

IMPORTANT: You only get to choose one issue for your entire screenplay. That’s right, one.

If your screenplay begins with the Main Character battling an issue relating to wealth…continues with the Main Character working through fear…and ends with the Main Character understanding the true meaning of love… your audience and your story analyst are going to utter the hateful phrase “I don’t know what that movie was about.” Peh!

That’s because that movie wasn’t about anything. It was about three things: wealth, fear and love. But it can only be about one: The “1” – your theme.

How do you know if you have a theme?

When you describe your movie, you can state in one or two sentences, called a “statement of theme,” what shift your Main Character makes in relation to a single issue.

REAL SCREEN REINFORCEMENT

Here are sample theme statements of hit movies that stuck to their central issue: When a workaholic’s wife abandons him with his child, he learns his greatest accomplishment as a man actually is being a good father. What’s the theme? a) The 49ers; b) FATHERHOOD; or c) Obamacare? When a prostitute and a millionaire commitment-phobe hook up for the weekend, they learn that true intimacy makes you far richer than money. What’s the theme? a) “Let It Go”; b) “Carpe diem”; or c) INTIMACY? When a talented drummer joins his college drum line, he learns excessive personal pride is his biggest obstacle to success—it’s pride in his team that will save him. What’s the theme? a) PRIDE; b) no, it’s not “b”; or c) seriously, it’s “a”? Think you know the movie names? Post your guesses at PlanetDMA.com!

But how do you identify the theme in your screenplay? There’s actually a great way to cheat this. The “1” is an integral part of The “3,” which is coming up next. But first, a quick theme-spotting exercise:

NOTE: Throughout this book, there’ll be action tips for two different levels of progress: people just starting a script (“Clean Slate”); and people fixing a finished screenplay (“Fix-It Mode”).

Creating/Identifying The “1” – Theme

“CLEAN SLATE”

To identify your theme, always start with your “motivating moment.” What is the value or institution at the center of that scene or statement or choice? Chances are, that’s what your screenplay will be about.

“FIX-IT” MODE

To identify your theme, re-read your script and highlight every key choice your character makes. What is the value or institution at the center of those choices? If it’s many values, you don’t have a theme yet – which you probably don’t, or your script would not feel broken! Identify the value in the script’s most powerful moment…can you rework the script to make this issue the focus of the Main Character’s journey?

One more recommendation before you move on to The “3.” Assemble a “Research Lab” of at least three of your favorite movies right now. Make sure there’s a mix – like a comedy, a drama and a kid’s flick. Skim through the films to remember the Main Character’s key choices. Can you identify in one word the issue that drives their choices throughout the film?

If you can’t do that with your favorite movies, stock your Lab with these structural triumphs: Kramer vs. Kramer and Big. Happy Theme Hunting!

THE ROAD TO “RECOMMEND”

P	Pledge #2: I will commit to a single issue, or theme, for my Main Character to confront. All of his or her choices will revolve around that theme. If I just can’t figure out how to identify my theme, I will in the next step, thanks to The “3.”