If you're a novice screenwriter there is only one thing you need to know: story is king. Of course there are characters, plot, and theme (and more!); however, they work together as story. Plot is a series of events done by characters for reasons. Without being connected, these elements are meaningless. But, let's investigate this further.
Structure is one of the most overused words in screenwriting. It's usually synonymous with three-act structure. By which, they mean has three sections: 1) the hero gets a goal, 2) fully dedicates to it, and 3) fights the ultimate battle for it. Scripts usually have 5 main beats: A) a character is inspired to change around 10% into the story (inciting incident); B) dedicates themselves to a goal 25% in (main goal); C) fully commits or suffers a loss 50% in; D) has their lowest moment 75% in; and E) fights a final battle (climax) around 90% in. Make sure your character's goal is clearly understood by the audience and resolved at the end of the film. The goal is the key, but luckily, that's a major part of character!
To avoid headaches when developing characters, remember all living beings have cares and are involved in projects€"and these are the meaning of their life (at least to them). The cares are the conditions making the story possible because they justify why characters would do an action or be involved in their projects. So, the development of the hero's projects is structure. And having them learn a moral/lesson through the plot is character growth/arc. And that brings us to the theme.
Theme is straightforward because it is either 1) the growth or downfall of the hero, villain, or both or 2) the aftermath of the story. The theme of simplistic films is usually the hero's growth universalized; however, there are other ways this can play out. For instance, the villain may carry the theme or the audience may learn a lesson of what not to do from a tragic hero. Also, there may be plots where the hero and villain are both right and wrong.
So, now that you've seen the fact that plot, character, and theme are intimately connected, it'll be easier to write scripts because you know they are mere facets of story. This means you no longer have to invent plot, characters, and theme whole cloth€"investigating one unpacks another. And this alone will save you time and effort and hopefully greatly increase your writing ability.
Structure is one of the most overused words in screenwriting. It's usually synonymous with three-act structure. By which, they mean has three sections: 1) the hero gets a goal, 2) fully dedicates to it, and 3) fights the ultimate battle for it. Scripts usually have 5 main beats: A) a character is inspired to change around 10% into the story (inciting incident); B) dedicates themselves to a goal 25% in (main goal); C) fully commits or suffers a loss 50% in; D) has their lowest moment 75% in; and E) fights a final battle (climax) around 90% in. Make sure your character's goal is clearly understood by the audience and resolved at the end of the film. The goal is the key, but luckily, that's a major part of character!
To avoid headaches when developing characters, remember all living beings have cares and are involved in projects€"and these are the meaning of their life (at least to them). The cares are the conditions making the story possible because they justify why characters would do an action or be involved in their projects. So, the development of the hero's projects is structure. And having them learn a moral/lesson through the plot is character growth/arc. And that brings us to the theme.
Theme is straightforward because it is either 1) the growth or downfall of the hero, villain, or both or 2) the aftermath of the story. The theme of simplistic films is usually the hero's growth universalized; however, there are other ways this can play out. For instance, the villain may carry the theme or the audience may learn a lesson of what not to do from a tragic hero. Also, there may be plots where the hero and villain are both right and wrong.
So, now that you've seen the fact that plot, character, and theme are intimately connected, it'll be easier to write scripts because you know they are mere facets of story. This means you no longer have to invent plot, characters, and theme whole cloth€"investigating one unpacks another. And this alone will save you time and effort and hopefully greatly increase your writing ability.
Source...