Maintaining theme throughout a life story

I personally don't mind when stories go on a tangent for a bit. If it helps develop the character I say go for it.

Then again, it's all about how you want your story-telling film style to be!

I don't like exposition for the sake of exposition but I don't mind exposition disguised as a situation. So yes in some way I think the theme should be present but can be presented later on. For example you show him in some past life that seems totally random to the story but then later he uses some knowledge from that random scene to effect the climax. If you get my drift.

Bill_The_Butcher said:

The current script I'm working on spans the entire life of the protagonist.

Is it essential that the theme of the story be present in every scene? No

Is it wasted story telling if you are showing how the person got from one point to the next if doesnt incorporate the theme? No

Thanks for any help!

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Theme is not the same as character arc or story arc. You are showing how the character(s) come(s) to believe or act in a way consistent with the theme. Though initially or in the middle they may act or be quite the opposite. The theme becomes evident by the final scenes.

Being heavyhanded and telling the audience-"Duh, this is the theme" is a sure way to alienate the viewer. An example is the spiderman series where they drill repeatedly into the audience about choice and responsibility. While others may have different opinions, theme should become apparent and evolve from the story and the character dynamics, and not vice versa.

For instance, let's say you are doing George Washington's biography. If every scene has him telling the truth and being heroic, it may be true to your theme but the character becomes very predictable and one dimensional. If you present him with situations that cause conflict and he falters at times but makes amends later, the audience sees him a human and overcoming obstacles. You might also have scenes of when he's not in conflict or satisfying the theme.

Transactional analysis discusses "slogans" which are kind of life themes people live by. Doesn't mean every waking moment we are acting on it, but it is an overarching way we organize our lives. Most themes are ideas we already know, so being too in your face comes across as preachy and moralistic. And, as with spiderman, can detract from an otherwise enjoyable movie.

If all the protagonist's life they've put others first, and in one fit of anger they put themselves first, it can be a growth experience. Now any future selflessness has a deeper personal meaning. You can't grow if you don't occasionally step outside of the norm, breaking the theme or slogan.

Theme to a story acts like a ghost or a shadow. It's always floating around behind things, though it does not always (in some cases rarely) makes its presence known. If you're asking whether every single scene needs to have a physical element that exists to specifically express the theme, then no. In fact, this is heavy handed and the theme will be clumsy and forced-upon. A story's message is given through the total cohesive combination of the entire story's characters, conflict, and the outcome of events.

Does every scene necessarily have to contribute to the theme? Yes and no. Physically, no. But in the abstract sense, it already does, because the scene's events are part of the story as a whole and its outcome will have an influence, small as it may be, on the story's final message.

The only thing you really have to look out for is shoehorning a scene into your story that has nothing to do with anything. Look out for scenes that seem to express an unrelated message that detracts from or contradicts the theme of the overall story. If all your scenes seem to be expressing different things, than the result is alphabet soup. It's like a bunch of people jabbering at once, making you unable to understand anything at all.