“Ask yourself a most important question before you begin: What is it about? I do not mean the plot, the arrangement of events, or eve the characters. I don’t mean who it’s about, but what’s it about. What are you saying in this story? What is your point of view? What is there about this story that engaged your heart and mind? What do you feel this story? Where is your source of energy coming from as opposed to the story’s source of energy? When you have answers to those questions, you have your theme….The major theme is the heart and soul of your screenplay. Without a theme, your script will be hollow, empty. Study the themes of each movie you see, the minor themes as well as major theme.”
William Froug
Screenwriting Tricks of the Trade
Pages 74-77
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Related post: Writing from Theme (Tip#20)