Learn how you can take your script from good to great by properly incorporating theme throughout your story from Jonny Grant, the screenwriter of THE DARE & ARTHUR & MERLIN: KNIGHTS OF CAMELOT. 

PLUS! You'll receive exclusive handouts to help you with theme in your script, including Structure & Theme Guidelines and Setting, Dialogue & Thematic Patterning Guidelines 

While many of your most beloved films feature flashy titles or concepts - dinosaurs escaping from an amusement park, an unsinkable ship hitting an iceberg and sinking into the ocean, a giant shark terrorizing beachgoers - there is always so much more to these stories than what appears at first glance. Beneath the facade, JURASSIC PARK is about a man learning to become a parent, TITANIC is a love story about two people coming together for a happier life, and JAWS is about people facing their phobias. These are all examples of THEME in film and help give those films layers of meaning that bring audiences back for multiple viewings.

There’s countless examples of themes beneath the surface of your favorite movies. However, incorporating theme into your writing is tricky; it is often submerged in the words and actions of the characters and subtly built into the plot. How can you effectively weave your theme into your story? How do you subtly get the theme across without hitting the audience over the head with it? Conversely, how can you make sure your theme comes across without being too convoluted? And how can your theme tie into the surface level plot of your story?

In this exclusive Stage 32 on-demand webinar, you’ll learn how to effectively incorporate theme into your script to elevate your story and engage your audience. Teaching you everything you need to know about creating a strong theme in your screenplay is accomplished screenwriter Jonny Grant. Represented by top management company, Zero Gravity Management, Jonny’s recent work includes THE DARE for Millennium Films and Lionsgate directed by Giles Alderson and starring Richard Brake (The Mandolorian, Game of Thrones) & Bart Edwards (PeepShow, The Witcher) and ARTHUR & MERLIN, KNIGHTS OF CAMELOT starring Richard Short (Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan).

Incorporating theme into your screenplay is a universal strength and powerful tool to make your scripts engaging on multiple levels! Jonny is a master of incorporating theme into his work and is exclusively sharing his expertise with the Stage 32 community.

PLUS! You’ll receive exclusive handouts to help you add theme into your screenplay. Downloads include:

• Structure & Theme Guidelines
• Setting, Dialogue & Thematic Patterning Guidelines

If you're looking to elevate your screenwriting, this webinar is a must!

• Why is theme important?
  • Theme and the audience
  • The moral of the story
• The 5 Key Elements in Theme
  • PLOT
  • SETTING
  • CHARACTER
  • POV
  • CONFLICT
• Weaving theme into your story
  • Don’t be on the nose
  • The art of subtlety
  • Using dialogue to explore theme
• Theme as a Central Question 
  • Exploring different world views to come to a conclusion
  • What’s your message?
• How characters reflect theme
  • What does each character bring to the theme?
  • What is their weakness? Probably emotional
  • The world isn’t simple – theme and moral ambiguity
• Examples of theme
  • The Cohen Brothers
  • Jurassic Park
  • James Cameron
• Theme and character arcs + structure
  • Don’t use a light-switch
• Your #1 job- Ways to Put Entertaining First
• Q&A with Jonny Grant

All levels of screenwriters (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to incorporate theme into their screenplay. 

All levels of screenwriters (advanced, intermediate and beginner) who want to learn how theme can elevate their writing. 

All levels of directors (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn how theme can improve the quality of a screenplay and resonate with audiences.

Actors who want to take control of their careers by writing a screenplay with theme.