From the course: Develop Blockbuster Story Ideas That Sell

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Secret ingredient #4: A universal theme

Secret ingredient #4: A universal theme

From the course: Develop Blockbuster Story Ideas That Sell

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Secret ingredient #4: A universal theme

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- [Jessica] Hey there, welcome back to the four secret ingredients of a high-concept idea. So, we've covered the fish out of water, the looming conflict, and the hook, and now we finally reached the fourth secret ingredient, a universal theme. Now, let's be honest, how many of you hear the word theme and start to panic and have horrible flashbacks of your 11th grade English teacher making you stand up in front of the entire class and recite the theme of the Grapes of Wrath while all of your classmates laugh at you? Oh, just me? Okay, then, moving on. Well, before you get too freaked out, let me tell you that the theme I'm referring to here is probably not the one you were taught in high school or college. This is a different kind of theme. This is high concept theme, somethings that's found in nearly every successful high-concept book or movie out there. Here's the basic definition of the universal theme we're going to talk about in this lecture. The universal theme is a universal or…

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