The Central Theme

The central theme is the unifying idea that makes a film intrinsically different from all other films. The central theme gives the film unity, purpose, and credibility. The central theme causes the story to make sense. Once the central theme is made clear, then production decisions are easily made. The clarity of the central theme helps to prevent contradiction of the film’s creative concept. Major decisions like rewrites, casting, camera placement, and staging all stem from an understanding of the central theme. The central theme dictates details like hand props, makeup changes, and so on. Most of us have been taught to judge or find the moral or ethical lesson in the story. The director, being the pragmatist, knows the beat, or dialogue linkage, to mean a group of lines, or a unit of action, which are linked together by a common subject or objective.