How to NOT Preach to Audiences (Writing Advice)
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- čas přidán 11. 06. 2024
- Learn how to build your story's Theme without coming off as preachy. Examples from Jurassic Park, Fight Club, Godzilla Minus One, and more!
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Theme is tough to understand and tough to teach. I hope today's video helped, and if you want me to do future videos on the topic of Theme, let me know.
I think Yellowstone is an exemplary example of weak theme, because the Dutton family frequently steamrolls over every other character when they try to introduce a perspective that challenges their beliefs.
Yes, please. That would be very helpful to many of us. I personally am eager to better understand the differences between theme, genre/motif/trope, and atmosphere - how they differ and how they overlap for more cohesive, immersive storytelling.
Yes absolutely! If you can are you planning on releasing a video on bad examples of how not to incorporate theme?
Definitely a tricky and abstract concept, but you handle it well. I sometimes recall a definition of theme as 'what the story can be said to be ABOUT in the abstract' -- revenge, honor, infidelity, ambition, courage, risk-taking, etc. It's not the plot of the story -- it's the abstractions the movie seems to wrestle with or investigate.
I'm actually really struggling with what my theme is, I think it is somewhere between forgiveness and closure and the link between the two. I wanted my book to be about the contrast of hopelessness and hope but it seems I took my story a bit more personal. I would have to say my fave film for theme is The Last Samurai for the way it questions the aspects of change and while Avatar has the same theme it just seems done in a much less sophisticated way I think. Appreciated video
When the characters talk to the audience and not each other, it’s preaching
Even worse when the narrator does it
@@ConserpovWould it count if the narrator addresses the audience early on because the story is told in paste tense as if the narrator is telling us what they experienced? I had a sentence like this, but some readers pointed that out which surprised me.
Yeah, Deadpool always known for being preachy.
@@Conserpov with one exception: Rod Serling.
True. Like, I don't mind if characters are catching each other up on events we already know. But, if they're calling each other by their names and jobs, it's too obvious.
Sometimes, a theme emerges organically without being planned by the writer.
I believe it! Although it helps to lean in on one or two to really give your story that laser focus
But it isn't actually 100% necessary for every genre.
I am a theme lover, but I also love sometimes deviating
I 100% agree. Found family is a theme I’ve found myself unintentionally applying to my stories.
I do like how found family has been a thing that's been in more media that Iv noticed. Whether it's in a video game like Red Dead Redemption II and more recently Godzilla Minus One
I still need to watch Godzilla Minus One
Question: if a theme emerges, is that indicative of the writer's underlying worldview/philosophy?
I love the theme in "The Hobbit" & "The Lord of the Rings." The idea that greatness and heroism can come from anywhere, and doesn't only belong to the strong warriors.
And another great point is that it does this without diminishing the strong characters either, which is very admirable. A bad writer makes their strong characters weak to make their weak characters strong, but LotR didn't need to do that. It wasn't afraid to make the Hobbits weak, helpless, and scared, so when they do find their strength and courage they earn every last drop of it. A bad writer makes their 'strong' characters overpowered, but when you do that they lose their strength because they have no challenges to overcome. LotR didn't hand over victory on a silver platter, they had to sacrifice everything for it.
@@le_fancy_squid Good point
I completely agree, though I'd like to add that another very prominent theme I love in the Legendarium is that, time and time again, evil is a foil to itself. Saruman betrays his friends to join with Sauron, while also plotting to surpass him, and in doing so, he ends up not only ruining Sauron's plans, but losing all of his status and power, causing him to attempt to ruin the Shire just to spite Gandalf and the Hobbits, and is ultimately backstabbed by Grima, who had been the victim of his abuse for months. Sauron's own pride and arrogance is what allows Frodo and Sam to sneak up to Mount Doom, and ultimately, the Ring destroys itself, with its own corrupting influence on Gollum being what causes it to fall into Mount Doom. There are many other smaller examples of this, such as Gorbag's greed causing a fight that allows Sam to sneak into the tower and rescue Frodo. This isn't to show that evil is incompetent or harmless, or that the heroes' actions are pointless, but rather why good triumphs over evil. While good succeeds when it is united, evil will never succeed because it is never fully united.
@@HaythamKenway383 If only good always triumphed over evil in real life.
Ya we had badasscharacters of all sizes in lotr
My favorite movie on the point of showing a counter-argument to the movie's own theme (or lesson, if you want to look at it that way) is Princess Mononoke. The movie has a strong conservation theme, but there is a large chunk of the movie showing how the industrialization of the town is giving purpose and meaning to the lives of many people who would be dead, discarded, or abused otherwise. It made it very clear there is no easy answer and things will turn very ugly no matter which side "wins".
That is an amazing example. 100% true.
Princess Mononoke's is about how man and nature coexist, not simply conservation. So I don't find it to be a counter-argument to the theme.
You mentioned Princess Mononoke and its subtext and I am now ready to die for you in battle.
That dinner scene in Jurassic Park really is a great example of how to explore theme through dialogue!
I am often hesitant to call a movie a masterpiece or damn near perfect but Jurassic Park is that.
Not just the dinner scene everything leading up the point in which they go through the gates sets up the theme and stakes.
It sets up parental nurturing and the playing god with both sides getting an opportunity to issue their point; then the second the group goes through the gates we the viewer are being taken on a ride to see which position is proven to be true through action.
Is playing God a bad idea? Does Grant truly hate children?
@@edwardweaver6869 I say the same thing about --- believe it or not --- "Tremors". I consider that to be one of the most well-crafted action movies of all time. It's a case study on how to make literally every shot, every line of dialogue count: you couldn't find a single second of its run time to shave off.
A theme that permeated in my head throughout this entire video was the perspective on one's past depicted in Pixar's "UP."
At the start, the protagonist, Carl Frederickson is bitter, unhappy, and an overall loose nail in his community due to his unwillingness to let go of the life he used to have; the missed opportunities that haunt him throughout the entire movie.
A character who starts in a similar place is the antagonist, Charles Muntz, who similarly refuses to let go of his old life; how he's willing to sacrifice anything to achieve a shadow of his former glory.
Both characters end up choosing two different paths by the end of the movie. They never have a scene where they outright argue that their viewpoint is better. Rather, they clash until one falls.
Frederickson chooses to live for the future, while Muntz ends up dying for the past.
This is such a great comment
Another cool thing about Jurassic Park is that when it's clear that Malcom has won the debate and Hammond has lost, Hammond has that line about only the lawyer being on his side, which reminds us that he's not the bad guy and doesn't see himself as the bad guy! It's a good idea to see the nemesis of your side of the theme in the story as still being the hero of his or her OWN story!
Ian Malcolm’s “whether or not they should” speech at the table in Jurassic Park will forever be my favorite character dialogue in a movie. Still gives me chills to hear it.
I read that the movies changed a good bit about the characters from the book. Granted it still turned out great. Hammond wasn't a good person. Malcolm died pretty sure. The hunter guy lived and the lawyer was very heroic.
@@gabrielcarrasco9078the book ending was darker too.
@@gabrielcarrasco9078 I read the book a long time ago and can definitely say this is one of those rare cases when the movie does everything better.
They changed some characters for sure. The lawyer in the book was heroic for instance. There are also more characters. This is a great example of how to get an adaptation right. They changed some details and events but kept the theme clear. So if you read the book and watch the movie they are both great. Many adaptations these days lose the theme and it comes off with that “it doesn’t feel right” vibe.
You're the only writing advice channel I get actively excited by when I see a new upload. Thanks for all the hard work. 👍
Hahah thanks! Glad you're enjoying my videos
Yeah the best writing advice channel on here. One of only a couple of channels where advice is specific enough to actually be useful.
A massive theme that I really enjoyed in godzilla minus one was the theme of forgiveness. Not just forgiving other people (like when the protagonist is forgiven by the mechanic at the end because he shows him how to eject) but also forgiving yourself. It's something I know can be very difficult to do, and showing how difficult it is through your protagonist, I think, is a great idea
I thought Godzilla Minus One is the same allegory as the original 1954 Gojira. Not only it talks about the horrors of nuclear holocaust, but it talks about responsibility and sacrifice.
Forgiveness and putting others first. Major to Godzilla Minus One
4:43, for instance, in the Emperor’s New Groove, Emperor Kuzco is a Narcissist and his ego creates several problems for him that he can only solve by learning humility
Everyone in Hollywood should take a course on this from you.
Uh yeah. Like badly.
But these writers are doing it for a cause, that if they're "crucified" they think they are martyred.. then there's the smugness with the thought that this is the new normal, and we should get used to it.
@@GenJuhru What a load of nonsense.
Most of the examples given in the video are Hollywood movies. Pay attention.
@@davidhoward4715 Yeah from decades ago, pay attention.
The core for not being preachy for me is to show how the moral you want to tell is improving the character's life. Or alternatively, how not adhering to that moral is worsening the character's life. If you can't do that, you might not have a leg to stand on with your idea.
Reminds me of breaking bad. Shows how Walt’s life gets ruined but doesn’t have a moment where Hank turns to the audience and says “hey kids, don’t do drugs”
@@adanalyst6925 or scarface. Tony Montana destroys everything around him, but they never say being a criminal is bad.
I think one theme I find a lot of writers get so easily wrong and so often very preachy is the Power of Friendship. Don't get me wrong: I love that theme, but so many stories boil it down to 'person has friends and is therefore better/stronger than someone who doesn't', which is not only bizarre but also vague and arguably harmful in certain scenarios. It's one that's easily failed on any level, but especially in stories aimed at a younger audience.
Which is why I was surprised when I played the first Mega Man Star Force game, where I went into it not expecting a well-written plot of any kind, but this had also become my favourite example of the theme. And I think it does this by subverting a general expectation on the theme of friendship -- by showing, instead, how relationships can HARM people.
Geo is an angsty teenager who doesn't go to school because of the trauma of his father's disappearance, who later is forced into working with a criminal alien who may know what happened to his father. Both of these protagonists are loners who have a hard time trusting others because of their respective pasts, but are forced to work together because they each need something from the other. In the story's case, they need each other to combine into the titular Mega Man to survive against the other invading aliens come to their world to reek havoc -- and those aliens can only do so by possessing other humans, like what his alien partner did with him.
Throughout the story, Geo encounters other characters who are hurt by their relationships: a scientist whose invention was stolen by his most trusted friend, a teacher whose peers alienated him, a student who only felt they were worth something until they stopped being useful to their friends, a person who was abandoned by their family. All of these people had something in common: they were hurt because they had relationships, because they opened themselves to others. It's always making a counter-argument as to why Geo staying a loner is not a bad thing, and it's saying that just by the simple fact of HAVING connections with others, you are always open to being hurt and betrayed.
I found that pretty bold for a game aimed at children to be saying.
My favorite theme in any story is redemption/second chances. I love seeing a character who messes up royally become genuinely repentant and figure out how to obtain that forgiveness their soul craves. Whenever I do anything with this theme, I tend to show one who does redeem themselves, and another who has that chance, but forsakes it through pride or some other reason.
I've also seen lots of horribly botched redemption stories, especially from writers with religious background, like Evangelical or Mormon.
It usually involves lots of weeping.
@@Conserpov My personal gripe with forgiveness is when someone who by absolutely no means earned forgiveness still gets forgiven - usually by the protagonist(s) - and then as the cherry on top the vile character proceeds to do even more terrible things.
Great example is Beelzemon in Digimon Tamers. Just look up his Fist of the Beast King scene and even without full context you can feel the genuine wish to redeem himself for everything he did before.
@@katier9725
It is even worse when the whole "terrible things" part is forced, unbelievable and out of character.
One of my favourite stories is Coco (by Pixar, 2017), a story about a boy who travels to the land of the dead hoping to meet his hero and become a famous musician. The theme is "Nothing is more important than family." Each character has a different take on it, but only those who embrace the theme succeed.
I watched Coco recently with my family, really good movie.
There are many themes in Star Wars, but my favorite is: You always have the choice of being good or bad. It depends on what actions you decide to do.
Which means if you're stuck in a vicious circle (ex: addiction), you can choose to get out of it.
And if you've always been the good guy around, sometimes it's ok to stay strong and stand up for yourself and/or loved ones, even when your choices will have a negative impact on others.
I think the theme of vengeance vs justice was done very well in Batman Mask of the Phantasm. Andrea and Batman both experienced tragedies that ruined their bright futures. To get over his tragedy Batman saves people from criminals, his methods aren't perfect but they let him keep his humanity. Andrea on the other hand uses the tragedy as an excuse to murder people and in the end it leaves her empty.
Love that movie.
@waverlyking6045 While I love Begins as the best of the Nolan Trilogy, I do like how Pattinson's version changes when he sees what could happen to him if he stayed the course of vengeance (ala Riddler and his gang of supporters). It's a lot less preachy than Begins and in the end, Pattinson's Batman isn't a hypocrite like Bale's (letting Ra`s die rather than saving him)
Im like... 15 but want to write better and I havent even written any actual book yet, but obviously I have way too many ideas and complicated themes and i dont even have the experience so these vids are helpful lol
Glad to hear the videos are helping! Keep writing and you'll master storytelling over time. Don't worry about getting things perfect right now. Just write and write.
Good luck with your writing!
I was 14 when I started trying to write a book for real. I promise mine were worse than yours. But I kept at it and got my first book published at 30! You can probably do it sooner. The key is to keep learning always and never give up.
Get to reading more! In order to write centimeters you have to read kilometers!
Theme is the Truth that your protagonist's arc leads them to understand, the opposite of their Lie that they start out believing. A story with a strong theme will have most of the important characters taking different perspectives revolving around that theme.
Well said. The problem is, if you're a writer who gets his 'truths' from ideology rather than reality, you'll still fail even if you're sincere. (By ideology, I mean any system of thought that falsifies reality for political purposes.)
Thanks to your videos, when I watched Godzilla Minus One last month (I don’t often watch movies), I was totally nerding out, analyzing everything part of the movie. Haha I can’t look at stories to same anymore and I love it! I have a new appreciation for the mechanics behind a good story
Your writing channel is amazing. Clear, concise, useful. It makes me think hard about my own writing.
This one particularly made me think about themes from my favourite book that I wrote : two themes,
- one is love at first sight versus love for someone you actually get to know and choose for deeper reasons.
- the other is the balance between honour and doing good (the means and the end),
It also made me think about the themes from my favourite stories - especially from my favourite book,
- how romantic love grows (through many years and several relationships),
- finding one's identity beyond the events and the quest for success,
- the true meaning of love and freindship
- ethics...
Thank you.
The legend returns with another banger video. And what a perfect topic for the drama going on nowadays. So many films just feel like they wrote the preach sermon first and never had a solid idea before hitting record. This was a great demonstration of how actual thematic storytelling is done. Thanks for sharing this one.
The reoccurring theme of my favorite show, Steven Universe, is self-acceptance. Coincidentally (or maybe not), self-acceptance is what the protagonist of my novel learns over the course of the story. I did not consciously decide for this to happen; rather, I realized it as I was writing the climax. I am also trying to learn self-acceptance, so I guess I did some subconscious processing.
THEME: If you love someone enough, you can find the strength/courage to risk your life for theirs. Andrew: "The girl who was once afraid of the dark is willing to take on my loathsome brothers."
Seeing Godzilla Minus One on this list brought a smile to my face. Been following you for a few months now. Great video. Cheers, brother.
What theme is at the heart of your favorite story? Let us know!
Good vs evil is always an interesting theme to work with.
Was gonna say a theme from a story I was working on, but in favorite stories, I’d say the theme of perspective
Relationship between Man and Nature.
Hope in despair
Nightmare Before Christmas has a few:
-It's fine to learn about a new culture, but don't put it into practice without understanding it.
-Trying something new can be a way to get yourself out of a creative rut. It's also okay to fail at the new thing and go back to what you're good at.
-Respect, and how it can have a long-reaching impact. This is one most people might miss, but this theme is actually explored with Lock, Shock, and Barrel. They're devious little monsters always looking for a trick, but look at how they interact with/talk about Jack and Oogie. With Jack, they play up their innocence and plan to double-cross him from the beginning, but Jack talks to them like adults and trusts their professional capabilities, despite them being children. Even when he gets angry with them, he's firm, but still kind. He gets clarification on their mistakes, tells them how to fix it, and when they fight, he breaks it up peacefully. Jack NEVER raises his voice or threatens violence with them. The closest he gets is (literally) scaring them straight in that one scene.
Now look at their interactions with Oogie. While they don't directly interact with him in the film, they do discuss their relationship during their song. "Because Mr. Oogie Boogie is the meanest guy around. If I were on his Oogie list, I'd get out of town."
Also, this: "We might lose some pieces, and then Jack will beat us black and green!"
Does Jack seem like the type to do this? No. So where did they get *that* idea...?
Yeah. A fun song about kidnapping Sandy Claws, while already dark and crossing lines, has some even darker implications when you look at it a bit more closely.
Lock, Shock, and Barrel work for Oogie *out of fear* (and this was a lot more clear in the original script, where there's a scene where they taunt Santa, hear Oogie coming, and GTFO before he sees them). A deleted animated scene in the movie also shows Jack scaring them off before he saves Sally and Santa, which shows how they knew he was still alive.
What do they do?
They don't help or even try to warn Oogie that Jack's still alive. They go get the Mayor.
Now, some people might say that Lock, Shock, and Barrel are out for themselves, and they're right. In other extended NMBC media, they'll go to whichever side is more fun to them (and other media also makes it more clear how much they fear Oogie, like the Pumpkin King prequel game). But what makes them fit the respect theme is they have *true* respect for Jack, and *fearful* respect for Oogie. Lock, Shock, and Barrel might oppose Jack half the time, but they will also help him when he needs it. Getting the Mayor was their way of repaying the respect Jack showed them prior.
So yeah. When the most rotten brats in town know you're a safe person to be around, and respect you enough to offer their aid, that says a LOT.
In the book I've been working on I think the theme I've come to is Empathy. It has a post apocalyptic setting and empathy comes into play with a characters wanting to educate others on historical info, thinking about what it's like to be in other people's shoes, learning to come to terms and move past one's prejudice, being willing to forgive those who have wrong you etc. All tied to issues that transpire relating to survival, authoritarianism, classism, racism, and sexism
Empathy is a weak theme on it's own, seems like your story is preaching that empathy good, apathy bad. You need to explore how lack of empathy negatively impacts the individual as well as their community but also need to explore how wallowing in empathy makes you easily exploitable, it can cloud judgment, and can create a weak social structure that collapses on itself. Focus your story on how lack of empathy but also abundance of empathy can be issues and how a good balance in the middle and how personal accountability is important. You should also explore how apathy is self destructive long term but also a useful tool for short term survival.
@@Eagle3302PL true that
I always love me a good choice-interactive story where the theme is that the choices you make will have consequences.
My favorite theme is redemption, which is definitely evident in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
mine too
Zuko is one of my favorite characters of all time. Also Thanos (Jim Starlin only).
I like Endeavor from My Hero Academia as well.
My favourite story is probably A Clockwork Orange, so the theme is of course freedom, if I have to pinpoint to a single one. I also love Amadeus, I guess the theme would be talent and accomplishment. Personally, in my own writing I found out that themes might be a secondary concern: I wrote a story that held well together and was compelling (I think), then my editor identified what she considered its central theme. So that's my approach to themes: write the story first, at least a first draft, then let others find the themes and after they give you feedback then develop them.
This guy taught me a lot more than what 5 years of English/reading/ and literature class in public school has ever taught me.
It's not finished yet, but I love how the theme of determinism has been explored in Deltarune so far, showing how differently the main characters react to it (Ralsei following the prophecy, Susie doing whatever she wants, Noelle being complacent with everyone, etc.).
I'm at best an amateur writer, so I really enjoy these videos. I think the themes at the heart of my favourite story (an anime named Ro-Kyu-Bu!) are friendship, teamwork, and most importantly trusting each other. The male protagonist loves basketball but can't do that anymore at his high school because the captain betrayed the team in a very, very serious incident and this got the club shut down for a whole year. But Subaru's aunt - who teaches at an elementary school - has Subaru help teach their girls basketball club. As it turns out, all the characters have problems with family, friends, and/or just with trust itself, so Subaru helps everyone overcome their personal issues and they also help him back. This culminates in a large basketball tournament against various different schools where the protagonist team gets all the way to the finals.
The theme of my favorite story is Nazis should not be allowed to possess the Ark of the Covenant.
One important thing is that this is •help• I hardly consider theme when writing, yet I’m told my short stories and such are pretty good.
It comes down to who you are. To some writers, theme, character development, plot, etc, are all best done unwritten (you know what I mean), whereas others prefer to map it all out.
If things are getting complicated and writing starts losing its appeal, drop some elements and just write!
My favorite theme is redemption. Someone earning others respect through hard work and dedication.
I second the recommendation for K.M. Weiland - I love all her craft books that I've read so far!
Yep, her books are excellent. Creating Character Arcs was a lifesaver for me
As I’ve gotten older that dinner scene in Jurassic park stands out to me more now more, especially the “ you were so busy trying to figure out if you could, you didn’t stop to think if you should”
This is among the best videos on the topic I've seen. I have a tendency to be preachy, harsh, and authoritative in my own writing, so I have found it helpful.
One thing I'll add is that I believe it is important to expand a theme beyond a single word nor portray it as a declarative sentence. Otherwise, it is far too easy to slip into preachy strawman fallacies, oversimplifications, or impose plot on characters' reactions instead of characters' development driving the plot. It is more engaging to explore a theme from the premise of an interrogative. For example, three themes could be...
- Friendship.
- Friendship guides us through our obstacles in life towards meaningful, inclusive conclusions of conflict.
- When we search for the meaning of including someone in our lives, do we retract our hands to shield something about ourselves or extend them to share something?
...but the latter is the strongest because a question's nature organizes the material into dichotomies, and thus invites conflict challenging characters to develop through the plot.
Thanks for another great video. The idea that theme is an argument (tip #4) and that writers need to show both sides of that argument may be the best advice on theme that I've seen and kinda blew my mind.
Thank you! And yes, it’s important to show both sides. That helps with both theme and conflict
Hmm. But if one thinks there are only two arguments for... anything complicated, really, then I can't imagine one could do any of it justice.
@DreamersOfReality definitely. The idea of theme as an argument (versus a statement) is the critical insight for me. Saying "both sides" was more about showing the complexity of a given issue, not a literal limit on that complexity. You're absolutely right, as Brandon says in the video around the 7:45 mark, that theme is intricate and personal, and good writing explores that. Thanks.
Thinking about BTTF 2 & 3, one of the main themes is that you don’t have to prove yourself to others, especially on impulse. Because it can lead to bad decisions that negatively- even fatally in this case - affect your future . “Nobody calls me chicken!” We see multiple times how Marty is challenged by this. “Everybody everywhere will say ‘Clint Eastwood is the biggest yellow belly in the West’” 😂 But in the end, he comes to the realization that other people’s opinions of him don’t matter. ❤
Great observation. Also applies to Marty's father who tries to prove his worth to win the love of his mother. And also to the professor who doesn't care about his eccentricities, and achieves great things by focusing on his science.
@@gamer_grl9050 I wish I had Doc Brown’s resilience 🤣
@@billyfarmerii1669 thanks for reminding me of his name! I was too lazy to Google. Doc was the most authentic character, especially in part 3 when despite all consequences he forgoes his own safety to save the teacher woman. He just plows through and finds a way. We could all learn from him. Goes to show what you can achieve if you do the right thing instead of setting you values against what others think 🤔
@@gamer_grl9050 💯💯💯
Love your videos. As an absolute beginner attempting to write a book, your videos have been a huge, huge help. By the way, Secret Life of Walter Mitty had some great themes. Don’t know what others thought, but I love that movie.
Haven’t seen Secret Life, but I’ll add it to my list. Thanks and Happy New Year!
Weiland really nailed theme in that quote. Well selected. Good video.
Thanks! Happy New Year
Never giving up and learning from loss is my favorite, in the Hot Wheels Acceleracers series. The main character, Vert, believed he was the greatest racer in the world after he "won" the World Race in an earlier film (World Race/Highway 35), as he was just lucky enough to be the only one to reach the last area in an attempt to stop sabotage. In the Acceleracers series, he takes loss after loss, giving up and going home in the second film. In the third he comes back towards the end because he knows he has a duty to stop a villainous group. Yet he continues to lose and is ready to give up again after being injured. This leads him into a 1 on 1 showdown against the series main villain, where he uses the skills he learned to defeat her in a race learning from all of his losses to beat someone who basically has cheat codes on.
As always, amazing video! I honestly haven't sought out other channels for writing tips because yours are just so good.
thanks for this video. my fav story is attack on titan, and its delivery of its theme, that war is an inevitable cycle caused by various human vice, but that there is hope and meaning in it all, is perfect. Throughout the story, the characters actually say stuff that approximates the theme, but you don't realize it's the theme until later. For example, Mikasa's famous line "This world is cruel but also beautiful." One character, a hunter who lived in a forest, says that he thought he was "sending [his loved one] out of the forest," but "It turns out, the world was a colossal forest, where it was about killing or being killed. We've gotta at least get the kids out of this forest, or else we'll just keep circling around the same place."
My favorite handling of a theme in a story is probably Hunger Games (especially the book.), with its themes of overcoming trauma. So many of the characters are damaged mentally, but the ones who survive find their own ways of coping with what’s happened to them.
Least favorite is Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Felt like they were giving the audience a lecture on why racism is bad every few minutes. Like, duh, of course racism is bad, but there’s no need to beat us over the head with that fact with clunky dialogue three times an episode 😂
I thought the Falcon show handled it okay at a few points but was mostly bad. The part where he literally preached to the senator at the end is a prime example of preaching to audiences
What makes these good advice videos great is the excellent use of examples to illustrate each point.
I absolutely love Neverwinter nights 2 Mask of Betrayer. It's all about "Parents and Children", each time differently for each of the game characters. And even main character's curse of endless life plus endless hunger is one of the theme's reflections
Thanks for the video and comment section!
Becaouse of you I finally found theme for MC. For a long time I feel like he was a little bit flat, but now something click and all the puzzles start to fit together. I finally understand my mistakes and for the first time - I love every single one of my characters. It is such a huge relief... Just need to change some details.
Thank you:)
Really great points about balancing themes, showing counter arguments, and especially being careful not to go overboard with expressing it through dialogue; which is something I think happens a lot today for some reason.
Good video! Entry wounds is such a good book, so hard to put down. I’m halfway through bad parts and I’m really enjoying it too, thanks for everything you do :)
Thanks, love the videos. I’m just beginning screenwriting and wanting to create scripts that have a lasting impact on the audience, this helps a lot Brandon
This is the biggest problem with 95% of movies today. They just preach and preach at you with no nuance or story context to the point where you feel like you’re watching an indoctrination movie.
Seems writers don't know how to write anymore. I'm holding out hope for a renaissance in the future.
Can you give some examples of what you mean?
@messinalyle4030 no they cannot
all of marvel after endgame
@@messinalyle4030 Barbie's second half, and a lot of The Last Jedi where it feels like entire subplots are just there for anti-capitalist or listen to women messages.
Great job at explaining themes. I learned a lot about themes over the years, and I couldn't explain it better. This will certainly help a lot of new writers, and some seasoned writers too. Well done.
Jurassic Park is the perfect one to discuss when talking about how to present theme. Many people even to this day are still having that same argument that was explored in Jurassic Park.
I respect that you stuck it out and made it to over 100k subs. Great job
The lunch scene in Jurassic park was my most hated scene when i was a kid.
When i watched JP again after becoming an adult i realized how wise that scene was.
Thank you so much for this video. You made me realise this is exactly what i was missing from one story I'm writing. I'll work on it and have it improved. Thanks!
Awesome, best of luck with it!
Morals… I think that’s a good theme. It’s something that is actually shown a lot. With characters being on opposite ends of the Hero/ Villain Scale.🧐
I could listen to Brandon talk all day lol
Hahah thanks for listening
Great stuff man
I've got to start watching your videos.
Hello Brandon, thanks for the video !
I come back with my all time favorite RPG which is Sora no Kiseki (1 & 2). I don't know if the developers had a theme in mind (oh they had many for sure) but the way there are taught to the player is, in my opinion brilliant. We see The main protagonist, Estelle, grow up from being naïve and go-getter to a young woman who made peace both with her mother's death and with her father (an absent military high ranking officer) and who accepted that her adoptive brother is indeed her loved one.
But while that is the "obvious" consequences, what is wonderful with her is that she's challenged by her travel around Liberl. Challenged by Joshua, challenged by her new friends, challenged by those who have taken Josh away from her. And I think that is a life lesson.
The journey to which we're invited as players is one of acknowledging yourself both in what is good and what is to improve and of becoming the best version of yourself through the challenges of life.
That leads me to wish you and all your viewers a happy New Years and all my sincere and best wishes of happiness and may most if not all of your dreams become reality in one form or another in 2024. Stay safe and thank you for who you are !
Thanks for the kind words! I actually played Trails in the Sky 1 years ago and remember enjoying Estelle’s character development. Normally I prefer darker protagonists in JRPGs (Squall, Velvet Crowe, etc.) but Estelle was refreshing.
Have you played Yakuza Like a Dragon? That’s another JRPG with a likable/charismatic protagonist who starts off as naive and grows from there.
And have a great New Year!
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Velvet Crowe is indeed a superb character and Tales of Berseria is, mainly because of her, my favorite modern Tales of.
As per Yakuza like a Dragon, I've got the game on steam, I still have to make some time to launch it. I've been busy this early fall with BG3 and this early winter with Disco Elysium. I fell in love with how good the writing of Disco Elysium is. Even its info dump moments are enjoyable.
On another note I did try the NaNoWriMo but didn't go further than 25k words. Still I think I got some good story elements. We'll see if it leads to something down the road.
Thanks for your wishes.
All the best for you !
The Barbie movie is a recent movie where theme and plot was not working. The movie had to stop every 10min and someone had to give a speech on what we had to feel because the actions in the movie did not match the theme. All fun and giggles, heavy message, back to random stuff. So jarring to watch.
I just picked up Entry Wounds, really enjoying it! Love your videos and explanations!
Regarding showing both sides of an argument,
it is important that the "bad" side of the argument is presented with some actually legitimacy.
If you show the opposing side of a complex theme as "cartoon villainy" as possible, that is also preachy.
I’m currently writing a fanfic and I started it without actually planning it through-a mistake I eventually regretted because I had a hard time thinking about what should happen next. At this point, I’m literally just going with the flow but I occasionally have these doubts saying stuff like: “Why is this even relevant to the plot?” even though I haven’t even sat down and thought about a plot at all. So I guess my question is: What should someone do if they have already finished three chapters and haven’t come up with a theme or a plot for their story? How do you work around the events that you’ve already implemented into the story and make it all tie into a theme? Sorry if this is hard to answer, I don’t know how else to ask it. Love your vids btw 💙
Hi I'm not an expert nor am I the youtuber ofc, but I suggest that you look at the plot events so far and look for patterns. Look for patterns as well as character development, and what the characters are grappling with to make them change.
See if you can find several examples of the same ideas about life appearing in multiple scenes, and hone in on those
Make a list of theme ideas and keep chipping it down until you find one or two you really like and use that as a roadmap to give you ideas on what kind of scenes you may want to continue with.
Just a suggestion, take my words with a grain of salt but hope it helps
Thanks for taking the time to help. I really appreciate it 💙
You don't need to set a theme from the beginning and stick to it. I randomly drop down a scenes I like, some link up and became a story, and from the story I find my theme.
@@tomarnold7284wait, are you saying that you brainstorm scenes and choose from those? Or do you just roll with the flow and write to your hearts content?
My thought would be: abandon the fanfic. Sorry. I know you've put a lot of work into it, but the basic structure isn't there, and you probably can't fix that retroactively.
Which doesn't mean you can't use much of the material you've already developed in a new project; you just need to build it differently. First establish a skeleton: the protagonist's flaw(s), where the story needs to go, all the basic structure stuff. Once you've got the skeleton well-established, that's when you can attach muscles and organs and skin -- which sounds like the material you've already developed.
I am a nobody when it comes to writing, so if I'm wrong, I'm wrong and you should ignore me.
Best writing advice I think I have heard in a while. Thanks man 🤘🤘
I wish Disney and Marvel listened to your advice.
This video is great! It is also maybe the single most fitting writing advice for Hollywood's current writers. Imagine protagonists having flaws and arcs again. That would be nice.
Watch Oppenheimer, Poor Things, Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon, Past Lives, or like actually watch movies and not just complain about them
Wow I never thought this much stuff went into themes but I understand and thank you for the video keep it up.😉👍
This is awesome. Well done.
Awesome video Brandon! I was working on a story that has a message but I was worried I was going to make it a little too preachy but this helped thank you! I was wondering if you could do a video of how to do a twist villain? Thanks a lot happy holidays
I never thought I'd see the day where a Godzilla movie is in a video about writing advice that's positive... Godzilla Minus One is truly a great movie.
Thanks, a lot of times i worry about my writing being too overt and preachy.
One of my all-time favorite video games, Eternal Sonata, is the poster child for preachiness somewhat ruining a great story. Without spoiling anything in the main story, after the end of the game, we get literally one character after another preaching to the player about what we should and should not be doing as humans. And while I AGREE with a lot of what the characters say, it was so out of place and at odds with the general excitement and adventure of the overarching story. I still recommend it as a great RPG for younger gamers just wanting to find a way to get into the RPG genre in video games. And the music is just...amazing.
I've come so close to buying Eternal Sonata on many occasions but never actually pulled the trigger. This reminds me of another preachy JRPG from that era called Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. That game repeated the phrase "Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality" over and over and over. It didn't ruin the story (the story was a letdown to begin with) but it certainly didn't help.
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty I still highly recommend playing Eternal Sonata. The end credits notwithstanding, the story is fantastic and the characters are wonderful. And the orchestral soundtrack...my goodness, one of the best in video game history. Plus, they intersperse Frederic Chopin's actual compositions before every chapter of the game. Can't go wrong there.
One movie that I love because of its theme is love and monsters. At first glance it looks like your average teen romance movie with B movie monster and post-apocalyptic elements sprinkled in, but by the end it turned out to be an amazing coming of age story where the theme circles around the idea of growing to realize your true potential by breaking out of the safety of your comfort zone and facing the unknown world. The main character has a great flaw that he needs to overcome and every challenge and character he meets along the way compliments this theme, resulting in the conclusion that the world is indeed full of terrifying and dangerous things but also equally filled with beauty and wonder that make it worth facing for the sake of finding fufillment and a better life.
Agreed, love that movie. Only thing I didn’t like is that he ends up getting the girl anyway. I thought it was brilliant when he gets to her and realises he never even asked if she wanted to see him, he was just imagining that their relationship would be the same after so long, which it wasn’t. This was a great, real twist that you don’t really see in many stories, but then it cops out in the end and cheapens it
"And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva..."
- Clergyman (The Princess Bride)
Excellent explanation!
awesome video on Theme - thanks
Excellent analysis
1 hour ago? Could not be more timely! I am literally grappling with this right now today
This needs to be shown to the writers at Disney
I'm having trouble with a story i'm currently writing. The dialouges between the characters feel unnatural. Do somebody have any tips that could help me? ( Sorry for my english it's not my first language)
That's a pretty broad question, but... Make sure you understand your characters' goals. Figure out WHY they're engaged in a conversation. What does each character want? Then ask yourself how each character will try to get what they want (demanding info, hiding info, etc.)
Also remember that people rarely say what is on their mind. Instead they talk around a subject.
My story has a lot of themes, but the main I wanted to focus on was what happens when kids suddenly inherit a world
That incredible dialogue by Ian Malcolm, who was absolutely and unquestionably correct, is what we're seeing unfold in every single one of the sequels.
"What theme is at the heart of your favorite story?"
Well, my favorite book series is _"Percy Jackson & The Olympians"._ And while the whole series takes on themes such as family, friendship, loyalty, identity, war, love, faith, hope vs hopelessness, childhood trauma, and tragedy, the overall thematic/philosophical conflict of the series (the way I see it) is the troubles of being part of a dysfunctional family. It's a story that asks you if you're willing to support your family even though you felt wronged by them.
I may be wrong in my analysis, but that's just how I see it.
Happy new year Brandon. Great video, with food for thought.
New year challenge to you, use Star Wars as an example less, although I know, the original trilogy is near on text book writing perfection! 😅
The theme is the message of the story and is the most important thing about a story
Brandon, I believe the theme of Rocky is not quite "self-respect." That is part of it, to be sure, but the main theme of Rocky is redemption. Because the selection of Rocky to fight Apollo is totally independent of any of Rocky's choices, it is less so about him earning self-respect, more than Rocky being given a gift (given grace) which reveals that he is already worthy of respect.
Love your channel, keep up the good work.
It used to be common for a film to be criticized for being "preachy". That's a good word to resurrect and a good word for a writer to remember. As soon as you start to feel that you are preaching at an audience rather than trying to lure them in with an engaging story you are going off the rails.
What’s sad is that you need to tell this to the professionals in Hollywood right now. This used to just be a sign of amateur writing; now it’s the default at Disney.
"...and if you can't do theme, just hit them with nostalgia!"
- every film producer, ever
Tacked on themes are a huge problem. It’s the difference between changing someone’s perspective for the better or saying “don’t hurt people it’s bad”
I love the themes in the book The Ishbane Conspiracy! It follows four characters, and there’s a lot of story threads, but they’re woven together in a way I haven’t seen many books like that do! And every time I read it, it’s like I’m relearning the old lessons that have been collecting too much dust in the back of my head and needed to be revisted😅 10/10 recommend!
I think I just figured out the theme in my story. Thank you!
The Last Samurai: technology can hoist us into modernity but it can also steal the beauty and soul that tradition provides a nation
One of my favorite movies with a great running theme is "Tombstone." There is an underlying theme of friendship throughout. Friendship between friends, brothers, wives , girlfriends, lovers, gangsters, and lawmen. Bad relationships and good relationships all explored. How some friends can use you or get you in trouble, while others can bail you out of trouble. Friends that can make you a better person, friends that make you worse.