Join Chad Perkins for an in-depth discussion in this video Exploring the theme, part of Creating a Short Film: 02 Writing.
- One of the things that movies do to touch us…on a deeper level is to have a theme,…some underlying concept…that it wrestles with in order…to give the film more meaning.…Themes are great, but honestly,…they kind of drive me crazy a little bit.…No one, no writer, no writing teacher,…no author, no one really agrees on a standard…definition of a theme or what that truly means,…but everyone acts like…their definition is the definition.…Some treat theme like the moral of the story…a lesson that needs to be taught to the audience,…like in Aesop's Fables or something.…
Like, don't put work before your family…might be a theme in The Shining.…Others see theme like it's an issue…to be wrestled with,…like a political or moral issue of the day.…For example, the Godfather movies dealt…with the idea of loyalty to family…above all else.…Citizen Kane wrestled with the idea…of obtaining power and what that does…to our innocence.…Some writers feel that the theme…should be out in the open and obvious,…but some feel like that gets too blatant or preachy.…
Author
Released
5/5/2016. Make sure to watch the first installment to learn about the background of the project and to get an overview of the role of the producer. Watch the follow-up episodes to learn more about pre-production, directing, working with actors, editing and visual effects, and everything else that goes into filmmaking. This is a one-of-a-kind educational experience you won't find anywhere else.
- Finding your story
- Building a character arc
- Identifying story beats
- Borrowing from archetypes
- Writing a fantasy film
- Using screenwriting software such as Final Draft and Adobe Story
- Polishing the script
- Understanding screenplay formatting
Skill Level Appropriate for all
Duration
Views
Related Courses
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Creating a Short Film: 03 Pre-Production
with Chad Perkins2h 13m Appropriate for all -
Creating a Short Film: 04 Working with Actors
with Chad Perkins1h 49m Appropriate for all -
Learning Screenwriting
with Mark Tapio Kines2h 37m Appropriate for all
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Welcome
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Welcome to this series3m 4s
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The importance of the script4m 10s
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Previewing our short film7m 43s
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1. Story Basics
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What is a story?1m 49s
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Making a strong protagonist4m 29s
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Having a character arc2m 51s
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Creating a logline3m 6s
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Using a three-act structure3m 29s
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Identifying story beats5m 19s
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Writing the truth3m 48s
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Showing, not telling4m 34s
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2. Getting Ideas
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Being inspired by resources2m 12s
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Borrowing from archetypes6m 34s
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3. Creating a Fantasy World
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About genre conventions3m 23s
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Using supernatural forces3m 33s
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Studying Hollywood prologues3m 19s
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4. Writing the Story
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Examining our original story4m 12s
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Creating shadow characters2m 52s
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Exploring the theme6m 3s
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Writing a pickup scene2m 13s
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5. Writing the Screenplay
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Using Final Draft6m 23s
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Using Adobe Story2m 54s
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Writing with a partner4m 3s
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About writing credits1m 21s
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6. Improving the Script
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About the polishing phase3m 24s
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Recruiting script reviewers3m 15s
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Ensuring everything matters3m 28s
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Using subtext6m 6s
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Adding more humanity2m 52s
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Creating a “mystery box”4m 1s
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When is the script done?2m 40s
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7. Rewriting the Script
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Why was a rewrite necessary?3m 10s
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Examining the new beats4m 18s
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Enhancing conflict2m 35s
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Throwing away the best parts4m 28s
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Conclusion
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Evaluating our script3m 57s
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Previewing the next course1m 28s
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Final thoughts2m 2s
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Video: Exploring the theme