Story, Characters or Theme

hmm, tricky question.

It's a bit like sailing. You have to be mindful of the waves, feel what the wind is doing, hold the ropes, and steer, all that the same time.

BrownwriterChi said:

I'm stuck on a screenplay because I don't know on which I should focus more.

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You need to focus on all of them. One is not less important
than the other.

However since you have heard that some writers focus on
theme and others on characters and others on story and
you want to follow what you have heard then you need to
go with your feelings on this one. What is more important
to you? Maybe a better question: what is less important to
you? Decide what is less important to you; the theme,
characters or story and focus on the other aspects.

My opinion is all are very important and even if others writers
focus on one more than the other, I (personally) would not
do what others writers do.

Can you focus an all these important aspects of a screenplay?
Or do you really need to narrow your focus down to one? Can
you not finish it if you have to focus on all of them?

This post brings up a big misconception most beginners have about screenwriting. The various elements of a screenplay are not separate components like the ingredients in a salad. You can't just add more tomato, or go without the croutons. Cinematic stories are holistic, meaning everything is connected and interdependent upon each other for success as a whole. Asking whether plot or character is more important is a meaningless question. The both are intertwined with each other like a strand of DNA and they work together to create the story as a whole. The actions of the plot come from the needs of the character. At the same time, plot events influence the character and his/her arc. Theme arises from the total combination of all story elements when taken together.

It starts when you feel for your characters and something about these characters needs to be told.

If your stuck, your not feeling for your characters.

There are character driven stories, layered characters with layered stories, action stories with less story and more action, and there are fantasy worlds that are very visual that desperately need story and character development.

Why do you need to write the story you are working on? What is motivating you to believe this story needs to be sharedd with the world?

Think about it.

All three are equally important because the story itself will fail to provide satisfactory entertainment if any of the three are poor.

Additionally, it's going to be difficult to have a great story with a lame theme.
You certainly can have a lame story with a great theme, but I don't think it'll work the other way around.


Some creative math:
Lame theme cannot become a Great story.
Great theme can become either a Great story (if well executed/fulfilled) - or - Lame story (if poorly executed/fulfilled).

Great characters + Lame story = Cr@p.
Lame characters + Great story = Cr@p.
Lame characters + Lame story = Cr@p.
Great characters + Great story = Gold.

FWIW, I'd work on the story first then tailor/refine characters to suit second.

Oh listen to me. I'm one to talk. I better axe most of that.

I'm just guessing, but something I would add to the advice given so far is a truism that I think should be consoling.

Writing is rewriting.

Since these things are stopping you from writing, I would suggest that you just write, just do. By do I mean go ahead and write your script out, not worrying so much about these things.

We all know that it's unlikely that your first draft -the first verion of your story- will come out 100% finished, characters as fully drawn as we would like them to be, plot solid and airtight, and a rousing, moving theme that's artfully expressed but not overbearing. Hmm.

Nah. You're going to edit and rewrite.

One approach you could try is to, yes, think about what your theme might be, but also not worry too much about it or expect to have it all figured out at the beginning.

You have your values, your principals, the things that are important to you. Maybe at the beginning of its creation the theme in your story will not be apparent. But, my suspicion is that by the end, when you come back to rework it, you'll probably be able to pick out what theme or themes may be living in the story you've written...are still writing. From there, I'll bet that you can tease that theme out more, if you wish.

To give credit where credit is due, I picked this idea for dealing with theme up from Stephen King's advice. I think I'm a believer. Of course, does it apply to screenwriting? I'll leave that up to you to judge.

I suspect the same is true for character development and plot as well. Think about them, but don't let the fact that you don't have it all worked out now stop you from just writing.

Good luck!

It's impossible to have a story without characters, i.e., points of interest that actively drive the motion of the events. But just having characters is not enough to make a story. The problem isn't so much a conundrum as it seems. Cars (themes) don't drive themselves along roads (stories) without drivers (characters). All three are needed. They serve different roles.

As simplistic as it seems, when starting any story or screenplay, lay out the basics:
1. Who is the protagonist? What is his/her/its immediate need?
2. Who is the antagonist? What is his/her/its immediate need that CONFLICTS with the protagonist's?
3. What is the initial situation that makes us interested in the protagonist and introduces his need?
4. What brings in the antagonist to the picture? How does the CONFLICT arise?
5. Who or what raises the stakes and launches the main elements of the story?
6. What does the protagonist need to learn/do as issues continue to challenge the world view?
7. What strengths and flaws does the audience come to see in the protagonist and antagonist?
8. What is the final challenge/hurdle that must be conquered or faced?
9. What was gained, lost, or learned as a result of the effort?
10. Does the audience feel emotionally satisfied? What message or experience will they likely take away?

Your outline or summary should hit these basic points. While some writers don't use an outline, I find it helps me to have a sense of direction. I can still fill in details as I go or alter it, but having a "roadmap" makes it easier. You need to know your story to understand how your characters are affected. You need to know your characters to know how they will respond to situations and drive the action. Theme (as in overall message) will arise naturally.

I've found sometimes the message changes as the I really get into the story and how the characters interact. Again, it is a roadmap not the road itself. Be open to scenic detours when you start out writing. There is no 'right' approach to writing. Having the 'map' keeps me from getting too hopelessly lost. I don't typically write with a message/theme in mind, though I find the stories I weave sometimes reflect beliefs and values I hold through actions and plot elements.

Every narrative has a main character(s), something that changes from beginning to end, and some conflict which drives the action. No one element is more important than the other. Getting the idea down is the first step for me, as a rough outline or summary/treatment. Then I go back and fill in the details allowing the elements to co-evolve if necessary. Good luck.

I just came back from watching Ghost Rider 2 - Spirit of Vengeance. It gave me some good ideas of how to rework on main villain, Ares who in many way is very similar to the devil.

Everything starts with characters and the story forms from characters interacting with other characters. Who is your hero. Who is your villain. What does your hero want?

What first inspired you to write this story? Go back to it.

I just came back from watching Ghost Rider 2 - Spirit of Vengeance. It gave me some good ideas of how to rework on main villain, Ares who in many way is very similar to the devil.

Everything starts with characters and the story forms from characters interacting with other characters. Who is your hero. Who is your villain. What does your hero want?

What first inspired you to write this story? Go back to it.

How about this: Something has to keep happening on the screen to pull the audience to the very end of your film. If you're successful, how you did it won't matter.

If you fail, there will be plenty of the usual suspects to blame -- from lack of character development to questionable story arcs, as well as the taste of the popcorn.

------

I'm just not going to be able to unbrainwash you people.

I feel I've arrived too late or something. And I can't hang around to witness the endless brutality.

It's like they walk through a doorway, and have their heads chopped off.

You won't learn screenwriting from .... the ..... internet !!

maralyn said:

You won't learn screenwriting from .... the ..... internet !!

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... you learn by

1. Reading lots of screenplays, successful and not-so-successful
2. Attending workshops and classes that help you learn in a step-by-step manner
3. Talk and get feedback from other professional screenwriters

and most importantly

4. WRITE screenplays and shorts

Most of us would not want to be thrown on a sports field and be told, "Ah, you'll pick up the game!" with three different size/colored balls flying about between players, not knowing the goal, the purpose, or even the rules. Learning the game rules and how to play starts the process. Practice helps us improve. Some of us can be great high school players. Others make it at the collegiate ranks. A very few make it as professionals. It's your practice, dedication and innate ability that propels you forward.

This is a forum. No one person has all the answers, but we collectively have a great deal of experience that we share freely. The medium of communicating that is the Internet, but it could be in person, by post, telephone, or televised. We have individuals at all levels of experience.

But if you keep an open mind and practice even a fraction of what you glean from this board, your writing skills will improve immensely.

HA, Im the proof that your wrong!

I ONLY study writing screenplays from this forum, not even the entire internet. EVERYTHING I know about screen writing came from this forum.. and look at me.. ...

oh wait..that aint such a great thing..

well,
I did write this:
http://www.devilinthedesert.com/files/PowerUp_V5.pdf
that resulted in this:
https://vimeo.com/36799617


The internet gives you access to a MILLION more teachers then you have access at any real place on earth. The internet includes, email, websites, video blogs, skype phone calls, video conference, ... man do I need to go on..

catch up with the rest of us already..

maralyn said:

I'm just not going to be able to unbrainwash you people.

I feel I've arrived too late or something. And I can't hang around to witness the endless brutality.

It's like they walk through a doorway, and have their heads chopped off.

You won't learn screenwriting from .... the ..... internet !!

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Although I agree with everything that everyone above has said, that all of them are integral parts of conveying your vison on the screen, in my opinion, the importance of all the features shift depending on the type of project that you're working on.

Characters are, in my opinion, most important if you're working on a longer film, or if you're writing for a series. Obviously as a story gets longer, the audience has more opportunity to experience a character, more time to think about them, so characters have to have more to give in longer stories. You love TV shows like Friends, How I met Your Mother, and Mad Men for the characters more than the themes or story events. Characters have elements of theme and story existing within them, and so character is the most important element of any screenplay, but thats just my opinion.

Themes are the sort of more ephemeral, non-explicit part of any screen play, you feel it in the cinematography, set design, acting, and lighting as much as in the writing, so it is in some ways, as much up to the director as the writer. That being said, theme tends to shine more, and be more appreciated in more artistic films. Im not saying that theme isn't important for action films, it's just much more noticeable, and therefore effective in heavier, more dramatic, deeper, even more philosophical films.

Story, in my mind is the driving force of any film, sort of what you do to move from moment to moment, but instrumental nonetheless. A strong story is what immerses you in the experience, so the story becomes important in fantasy, or non-realistic films, or if the film is slow, then a strong story is key to keep the viewer immersed in the world that you create. That being said, any film is, in the end, about telling a story, so it is very arguably the most important component in writing a screenplay, because without a story to tell, there isn't really much of a film

Obviously these are just my opinions, take from them what you will, hope that I was at least a bit helpful in someone's production. In my opinion, it's the writing that makes or breaks the film, it's like the foundation, off of which everything else is built. My first few projects failed from weak writing, comedy is damn hard to write when you aren't funny.