“What I do is I try to figure out what the piece is about and link that to the story arc or the character arc. I always think there’s two things going on in any script—there’s the story and then there’s the plot. The plot is the events. If it’s a heist film, it’s how they get in and out. But the story is why we’re there, why we’re watching the events. It’s what’s going on with the characters. And theme above that. Once I get those things, once I know what the theme is and what it’s about, I can start trying on story beats and plot beats to see if they feel like they’re moving, but they have to relate to the overall theme.”
Writer/director Shane Black
Creative Screenwriting interview by Peter Clines
P.S. I can’t find the exact quote but I saw an interview where Black said that no matter how much you’ve been knocked down you can always come back. Seems that would be the theme of Iron Man 3, of its star Robert Downey Jr., and of Black himself.
Related posts:
Theme: What Your Movie is Really About
Theme=Story’s Heart & Soul
Writing from Theme (tip #20)
More Thoughts on Theme
Michael Arndt on Theme
Screenwriting from Iowa 