SCREENWRITING LESSON 3-Engaging Narrative Concepts-Theme and Relevance 1

SCREENWRITING 1
Lecturer: Naledi Bogacwi

Week 2: Lesson Number: 1.3
Topic: The writer and creativity
Gmail Account
REVISION: TERMS- EXPLORED
• Engaging Narrative Concept
• Relevance
• Conceptual Relevance
• Emotional Relevance
• Brainstorming
• Speculation Script
• Shooting Script
• Script Reader
• Scene Heading
• Action Lines
• Character Cue
• Personal Direction
REVISION: LESSON -QUESTIONS TO
ASK
• Q1: Where does creativity come from?
• Q2: Where does one find ideas?
• Q3: What is the purpose of a reading script?
• Q4: What is the purpose of a shooting script?
• Q5: How can incorrect script format hinder understanding?
REVISION: ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
• A1: Anywhere, but you can consciously make yourselves available to
inspiration.
• A2: Recognized places include song lyrics, nature, life experience etc.
Find your own muse."
• A3: To be read and understood by actors, directors and producers.
• A4: To be understood by cinematographers, sound engineers etc.
• A5: Can confuse locations, temporal relationships, character
appearances, lost dialogue etc.
• ANYTHING FROM WEEK 1 LESSONS YOU DID NOT UNDERSTAND?
Week 2- LESSON: ENGAGING NARRATIVE
CONCEPTS -THEMES & RELEVANCE 1
• These are the questions we have to answer as writers at the end of
the class
• Q: What is the value of identifying the 4 types of relevance and their
categories?
• Q: What is the value of a binary code?
• Q: Why should a screenplay have a logline?
Engaging Narrative Concepts-Themes and
Relevance: Term and definitions to explore
• Engaging Narrative Concept
• Relevance
Relevance: Terms to explore
• Conceptual Relevance
• Emotional Relevance
• Binary
• Logline
Relevance: Definitions of Terms
• Engaging Narrative Concept: A story idea that the intended target
audience will find relevant to their lives and engage with on both
event and character levels.
• Relevance: Qualities possessed by a narrative that speaks to the lives

of the intended target audience. Story elements that the audience
can relate to.
Relevance: Definitions of Terms
• Conceptual Relevance: The innovative solving of the event narrative
problem.
• Emotional Relevance: The innovative solving of the character
narrative problem.
• Binary: The fundamental tension between two opposing ideas or
values.
• Logline: A short, concise paragraph, consisting of 25 to 30 words,
which expresses the essential elements of a narrative.
Relevance: What is theme?
• Any ideas?
• Give an example of theme in the following films:

• Tsotsi
• Room
• Gone Girl
• Inxeba
• Dead Poet Society
Relevance: Theme Definition
• Theme: The writer’s view of a particular aspect of life which is
explored in the narrative. The underlying meaning of a story, encoded
into the screenplay.
• It is universal meaning it is an idea that applies to anyone regardless
of cultural differences, or geographic location. It is a central idea
about the human condition.
Relevance: Theme is:
• A story’s theme is it’s reason for being: it’s ultimate meaning.
• Theme is the most important element of a story – long after the

audience has forgotten the details of plot and character, a strong theme
will resonate within them – and will certainly help to make your story
more powerful and memorable.
• Unless your story has a strong theme, it doesn’t matter what you do
about characters or the situations you place them in – nothing will
work, because the audience won’t care.
• Therefore, the first decision you make when deciding upon a story is
what aspect of human nature you would like to explore.
• Please note that the theme should be understood – should be

embedded within – the characters, actions and dialogue – you should
never spoon feed the audience, or they will feel like they are being
preached to
• In a nutshell, one can define theme as:
• “The writer’s view of what they believe is the proper way to act and
live in the world; both in terms of”
• How to conduct one’s personal life; and
• How to treat other people
• Formulate your theme into one, concise sentence
Relevance: Theme as a unifying principal
• A well executed theme will unify every other element of the story and guide every
decision you make as a writer:
• Conceptual relevance (Protagonist’s plans, goals, as well as the problems and challenges
they face)
• Emotional relevance (The emotional and moral transformation the protagonist undergoes
as a result of the challenges they face)
• Characters and dialogue etc.
• A good story unifies all of these elements, knitting them around the theme (also known as
the “Controlling Idea”)
Relevance: Theme- General Relevance
• This is what makes your story timeless and universal – applicable to all
human beings at all times in history
• This is because humans, being the types of creatures we are, have

faced the same kinds of problems throughout history
• Formulate your theme by choosing one of the following categories,

and then write a concise sentence that describes how people should
live and act in the world.
Relevance: Theme of General Relevance
• Generally relevant themes are loosely derived from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
• The five categories are:
• Provision: The ability to provide for one’s basic survival needs e.g. food, relief from
disease, or poverty
e.g. The Road, Slumdog Millionaire, The Pianist, Castaway, Mad Max
• Security: Anything that is a threat to one’s safety and the security of one’s future
wellbeing (including the family)
e.g. Rambo, 300, or Horror films e.g. Aliens Trilogy, Jaws
Relevance: Theme of General Relevance
• Love and Procreation: Need for romantic companionship and producing
offspring – Often romances or romantic subplots
e.g. Titanic, Romeo and Juliet, Sleepless in Seattle, Notting Hill, 500 Days
of Summer
• Social Life and Friendship: Social fulfillment – building and maintain

meaningful relationships and social status e.g. Mean Girls,
• Existence: Spirituality and Philosophy: Man’s soul, understanding our

existence, a search for meaning in life and death
e.g. The Bucket List, The Matrix, 2001: A Space Odyssey
Relevance: Conceptually Relevant Themes
• The conceptual relevance of your film (and protagonist) should tie
into your principal theme.
• To this extent, the main event (environmental) problem you choose

for your protagonist, and the goal they pursue should tie into one of
the following five categories:
• Life, death and enrichment: characters deal with and confront life and
death issues e.g. Garden State, The Bucket List, Last Holiday
• Relationships: discovering, maintaining, building human relationships:

friendship, family, lovers
e.g. Lost in Translation, As Good as it Gets, Shame (Most dramas, in fact)
• Strategy and Competition: Deals with power, political systems, rivals,

religious beliefs, (often war and sports films),
e.g. Remember the Titans, Full Metal Jacket, The God Father, Mighty Ducks,
Fight Club
• Individuality and Self-Actualization: discovering, maintaining, re-
connecting a sense of individuality; or career oriented films (being all
you can be, or finding your place in society)
e.g. Trans America, Pursuit of Happiness, AI, Dead Poet Society
• Psyche: psychology and madness

e.g. Black Swan, A Beautiful Mind, Girl Interrupted, One Flew over
the Cuckoo’s nest
Engaging Narrative Concepts-Themes and Relevance:5
Emotionally Relevant Themes
• The trajectory (path) your character develops along, both emotionally

and morally, and in terms of their fatal flaw, should also tie into your
overarching (overall)theme
• Your protagonist will develop in terms of their fatal flaw – in trying to
overcome their shortcomings and fulfill a psychological and/or moral
need.
• During the climax, they should undergo a powerful, emotional SELF-
REVELATION, during which they realize their flaw, and either
overcome it, or are consumed by it
Relevance: 5 Emotionally Relevant Themes
• This will show the audience the emotionally relevant theme, as it
relates to the overall theme
• Often a character will also be forced to make a choice, by resolving a
moral dilemma, under great pressure and conflict
• The way your character resolves this dilemma will determine what the
moral aspect of your theme is: How people should treat others.
• With this in mind, develop your character with regard to their flaw,
and in terms of one of the following five categories:
Relevance: 5 Emotionally Relevant Themes
• Personal development: Character’s trying to attain a better
position/place/emotional state
(all stories to some extent or another)
• Societal Norms and Expectations: Characters trying to deal with fitting into
what society expects of them, or going against the grain
e.g. Fight Club, Dead Poets Society
• Ethics and Morality: Characters trying to do the right thing; often characters
that have done wrong try to right their wrongs, or slip into immorality
e.g. Man on Fire, Dorian Gray, Seven Pounds, It’s a Wonderful Life, Scarface
Relevance:5 Emotionally Relevant Themes
• Human Nature: often associated with films dealing with war and
poverty. Often survival themes also e.g. Castaway, 127 Hours,
Armageddon, The Thin Red Line
• Universal Truths and Character Fulfilment - A particular universal

truth not covered in any of the above categories
Engaging Narrative Concepts-Themes and Relevance:
Theme in the following films/Screenplays
• Dead Poet Society- by Tom Schulman- Conformity “Seize the day”
• Tsotsi-by Gavin Hood- Justice
• Inxeba (The Wound)-by John Trengove- Masculinity
• Room- by Emma Donoghue- Freedom
• Gone Girl- by Gillian Flynn- Love

Thanks
• Reach me on:
• [email protected]
• Consultation Hours
• The venues tba in every class .

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SCREENWRITING 1

Lecturer: Naledi Bogacwi

• Engaging Narrative Concept

• Relevance: Qualities possessed by a narrative that speaks to the lives

• Give an example of theme in the following films:

• Theme is the most important element of a story – long after the

• Please note that the theme should be understood – should be

• Characters and dialogue etc.

• This is because humans, being the types of creatures we are, have

• Formulate your theme by choosing one of the following categories,

• The five categories are:

• Social Life and Friendship: Social fulfillment – building and maintain

• Existence: Spirituality and Philosophy: Man’s soul, understanding our

• To this extent, the main event (environmental) problem you choose

• Relationships: discovering, maintaining, building human relationships:

• Strategy and Competition: Deals with power, political systems, rivals,

• Psyche: psychology and madness

• The trajectory (path) your character develops along, both emotionally

• Universal Truths and Character Fulfilment - A particular universal

• Tsotsi-by Gavin Hood- Justice

• Inxeba (The Wound)-by John Trengove- Masculinity

• Room- by Emma Donoghue- Freedom

• Gone Girl- by Gillian Flynn- Love

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