What is Theme?
Speaking in very layman's terms, theme is simply what the story is about. Because of this, theme is often confused with plot – however, they are quite different, theme operating on a much more subtle level. Theme is the undercurrent that is expressed by the plot: the bigger picture, so to speak.
To use an example, the classic BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses was, on paper, a simple tale of a small family living together and getting into numerous farcical situations to much amusement. However, the themes explored were far beyond what might be expected of a sitcom: marriage and divorce, family loyalty, wasted potential, childbirth and miscarriage and even immigration were all covered throughout the show's duration.
From Harry Potter's themes of discrimination and resurrection, to North and South's themes of class politics, poverty and prejudices, theme goes far beyond what the plot is capable of.
How to Choose a Theme
The good news for anyone looking to begin writing for TV is that it's likely they will already have themes in mind: whether a painful divorce has made them wish to explore the nature of relationships and isolation, or an ex-politician wanting to annihilate the bureaucratic system with a script that explores power's influence and inevitable slide into the corruption.
Simply: whichever themes the writer has in mind, should be the ones that are explored. This will ensure that the writer has a true passion for their material, and passion combined with serious graft should lead to excellent results.
Manipulating Plot Around the Theme
One of the primary concerns of a potential script-writer could be the potential clash between the themes and the setting or the plot of the story. For instance, what if a particular scriptwriter wished to write a thriller, but also to explore the nature of family and love instead?
Fortunately, it is entirely possible to combine certain settings with themes that might initially seem unsuitable: Jimmy McGovern's masterful crime drama Cracker dispensed with the typical 'who-dunnit' policy, and instead chose to focus it's energy on really and truly analysing the killers and what made them tick: because of this level of depth, Cracker could explore anything from gender politics to incest, and from sexual obsession to religious faith. All within the confines of a crime story. Choosing to focus scripts on the initially less obvious areas of a story can mean that it is possible to explore the theme of violence within a love story, or the theme of romance and contentment within a horror movie.
In the end, when writing for TV, the modern script-writer has many tools with which to explore whichever theme they wish, in any genre they desire.
Shaun Edwards - Shaun Edwards graduated from the University of Essex, UK with a BA in Creative Writing. SInce then he worked for a variety of different ...
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