Smurfing the Movie’s “THEME”
In my experience, there are three basic methods by which to arrive at the overall “Meaning” or “Theme” of a given movie. This is the “Lesson” all storytellers and filmmakers hope audiences walk away with after the tale has been told.
METHOD ONE: Start with a specific theme in mind, such as “You can’t judge a book by its cover” or “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Anything that sums up the point of the whole thing. This method is tried and true, and serves as a touchstone to constantly remind the storyteller/s what they are trying to convey. From the start, the entire movie is designed to make a predetermined statement.
METHOD TWO: Let the theme emerge for the story and/or characters. Sometimes, it’s better to just start telling the tale and see what lesson/s bubble to the surface. This way is a bit more difficult, but can lead to some rich discoveries, particularly regarding character depth and motivation. There are a lot of surprises that come from allowing the story to find its own way toward deeper meaning.
METHOD THREE: Combine Methods One and Two. Start with the general idea for the theme, but allow for the story’s natural “evolution” to cause shifts in the original plan. This more open method gives way to all sorts of possibilities, but is always anchored in the storyteller’s first instincts. Sometimes this way leads to multi-leveled themes, which can have a profound effect on the audience’s experience.
Be it simple or complicated, bold or subtle, every story has some core meaning to it. There are no rules as to how one arrives at a Theme.
In any event, almost always, if I can’t find the Theme, it eventually finds me.
- KA
