Story Line

by Jennifer Grisanti

  Some writers feel writing theme is tricky. Honestly, theme makes everything more consistent. It adds to the overall strength of your writing. It gives us insight into your central character or characters and communicates things about them that we can all relate to. If there is a stitch that pulls all your stories together, your message has a stronger chance of being revealed. If the audience feels your message through your use of theme and symbolism, you will have a greater impact. You will leave your mark on the memory of those who connect with your writing.

  Theme starts at the beginning of your story line and is woven throughout. By the end, as you’re building and escalating and turning toward the goal, you can reiterate the theme right before or after your central character achieves his or her goal. Theme can be shown visually, as well as in words. It really is the spirit in your voice and the breath in your story. It is worth understanding it, developing it and staying consistent with it so that its meaning is clear within your story.

  Symbolism is how you visually reinforce your theme and advance your writing to a different level. Symbolism can be used in so many ways. After setting your theme and figuring out how your theme can be revealed in your story, do the same with symbolism. Symbolism executed well is much more than a one time use of something. It can be turned into a story of its own. I love when I see symbolism start in a subtle way and grow stronger by the end of the story. It’s like an artist having deeper meaning beneath his color. It is the subtext of your story. It is worth taking the time to go into and develop this. It will enhance your story lines in ways that you never imagined.

  In the following pages, I will explore how many different projects used theme and symbolism in a very memorable and branding way. It is these small touches that make your audience remember your film many years later because you took them on a deeper journey.

  In the movie The Lives of Others, written by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, the themes of loyalty and betrayal are explored in depth. The movie takes place in 1984 East Berlin. A log line is, when a lonely agent of the secret police administers surveillance on a writer and his lover, he finds himself torn between the loyalty to job and his belief in their lives and their artistry. A large part of the theme and symbolism in this movie is reflected with questions about loyalty. Are you more loyal to your lover, the cause, or your craft? In the case of the agent doing surveillance, he ponders the questions of loyalty to the cause, to art, or to the image of the life that he always wanted and never had. Freedom is also explored in this brilliant movie. A typewriter has layered symbolism in this plot. First, it represents the freedom of speech and the expression of art. Then, the typewriter symbolizes an opportunity to write an article that could possibly cost the writer, Georg (Sebastian Koch), his freedom. Well-connected West Germans get Georg this new, rare typewriter that has red ink so that it will not be traced back to him. It is interesting to see how they buy the typewriter with the red ink to lead the authorities away from Georg. Yet, at the end, the red ink leads Georg back to the answer of who saved his life by getting rid of the typewriter. Another strong visual is when Georg’s lover gives him a tie for his 40th birthday. He doesn’t know how to tie a tie. We see him struggle. The tie symbolically represents a noose. Soon after he receives the gift, his very close friend and mentor hangs himself as a result of being blacklisted and not being able to express his creativity. The themes and the symbolism in this movie add so much depth to the overall experience. This is one of the strongest developed story lines that I’ve seen and one of my absolute favorite films.

  In the movie Frost/Nixon, written by Peter Morgan, the theme of the journey to truth is explored. This is symbolized by the idea that when you fall from the pedestal, like Nixon did, how do you get back up? When your ride to success is over, then what? A log line of this film is, when David Frost, an ambitious self-serving Australian TV producer in need of a hit, lands an interview with the fallen President Richard Nixon, he must figure out how to get him to confess while avoiding his own fall. The moment of gold in this movie is when Nixon (Frank Langella) calls Frost (Michael Sheen) in the middle of the night. He tells David that he knows that the last day of the interview when they’ll be covering Watergate will confirm whether the whole thing was a success or a failure. Nixon tells Frost that they are both looking for a way back to the winner’s podium but there will only be one winner. Nixon says, “I shall be your fiercest adversary.” The interesting thing about this scene that is so controversial is that some people say that this call never took place. Whether it did or not, it was clear that the writer fictionalized a truth in it because it came across so real and deepened the whole experience of the story. It humanized Nixon and the struggle he went through after his fall. Shoes are also symbolic in this film. Nixon compliments Frost on his Italian shoes. At the end, after Frost has won, he gives Nixon an identical pair of shoes. This is a very poignant moment. It reminds me of something that Aaron Spelling used to say. He said, “I give them their shoes and they walk away.” He meant this as a reflection on the careers that he helped launch. Shoes are a great use of symbolism because they can mean so many different things.

  In the movie Up in the Air, written by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, the theme of detachment is explored. It is symbolically shown with the visual of the empty backpack that Ryan, the lead character, uses at his motivational talks to help communicate his philosophy. As mentioned earlier, this is supported by lines such as “The slower we move, the faster we die.” This helps us understand why Ryan thinks and feels the way that he does. It also explores the idea of mortality. We learn through the story how being “grounded,” or shall we say being “attached,” represents the beginning of the end for Ryan. Through the story, we see Ryan go from fully believing in his philosophy of being detached to beginning to see the value of commitment. This is visualized symbolically when we see that Ryan is no longer able to give his talk with his empty backpack. He no longer believes in his own philosophy. Another strong visual symbol that connects us to his journey is the cardboard figure of his sister and her fiancé he has to carry around to take pictures with in different locations. It is like Ryan was carrying his biggest fear with him; the idea of commitment. When he gets to the wedding and thinks that he’s done this miraculous thing by taking all these pictures in different locations as a way to show his sister that he does care, he is disappointed to see that there are hundreds of other pictures that people took that made his contribution seem small in comparison. It was a reminder of what could be. The beauty of this symbolism is that it really helps us to understand who Ryan is and why he acts the way that he does.

  In Mad Men, there was an episode titled “The Color Blue,” written by Kater Gordon and Matthew Weiner. The title is a symbol. We see what the title means when Don is in bed with Ms. Farrell, the teacher that he’s having an affair with. While in bed, Ms. Farrell tells Don about how a little boy asked the question, “How do I know you see blue like I see blue?” Ms. Farrell asks Don what he would have said, and he replies, “People may see things differently, but they don’t really want to.” This idea resonates throughout the story lines thematically. Symbolically, we see it through a series of different shots with the laundry, starting with a basket of dirty laundry. The last shot of the laundry is of it falling off the bed. Don is having an affair; Betty, Don’s wife, is contemplating one; and the dirty laundry is a great, yet subtle way to reinforce this. Betty also finds Don’s box, which is another symbol. The box represents secrets. The lock represents that they are meant to be hidden. Once Betty makes this discovery, something that the show has been building toward since it started, the director uses the symbolism of light to represent the darkness before the discovery and the light after it.

  In the fourth season finale of Dexter, written by Wendy West and Melissa Rosenberg, there is some great use of symbolism. We hear it when Dexter tells Harry (his adoptive father), “No, my dark passenger has done this to me. It’s ruining my life.” The idea of a “d
ark passenger” traveling with us throughout life is something that many people can connect with. We all have a dark side. This was a clever way of helping us to visualize Dexter’s struggle. Then, at the very end of the finale, Dexter finds Rita (his wife) dead and bloody in the bathtub. His son is sitting in a pool of blood, just like Dexter did when his mom was killed. This visual symbolism is backed by the V.O., “Born in blood. Both of us. Harry was right. I thought I could change what I am. Keep my family safe, but it doesn’t matter what I do, what I choose. I am what’s wrong. This is fate.” The writers on Dexter do a beautiful job of utilizing theme and symbolism in their storytelling. This contributes to it being a dynamic and compelling drama series.

  Breaking Bad tells the tale of a chemistry teacher, Walt White, his wife, Skyler, and teenage son, Walt Jr. (who has cerebral palsy.). Walt’s diagnosis of Stage III cancer and a prognosis of two years to live strikes him with fear, not for himself, but for his family’s future financial security. He enters a netherworld of drugs and crime. The series explores how a fatal diagnosis such as Walt’s releases a typical man from the daily concerns and constraints of normal society and follows his transformation from family man to a kingpin of the drug trade.

  In Breaking Bad, there was an episode titled “Phoenix,” written by John Sheban, where money was heavily symbolic of what was driving the story lines. I broke down the act outs, so that you can see how the symbolic use of money added a layer to the story. In the teaser, Walt rushes to Skyler’s hospital room after completing a drug deal. He finds Ted, her boss, there. Ted was there for the birth of Walt and Skyler’s daughter. Walt was not. At the end of the teaser, Walt hides the drug money. In Act I, Walter’s accomplice, Jesse, tells him that he (Jesse) was robbed. Jesse doesn’t tell Walt that he was too high on drugs to know that he was robbed and the drugs are gone. At the end of Act I, Walt shows his newborn daughter the money from his drug sales. Walt’s goal is to protect his family’s future. Money is the symbol of this goal. At the end of Act II, Jesse tells his girlfriend, Jane, that Walt owes him $480,000. At the end of Act III, Jane calls Walt and blackmails him for the money he owes Jesse. In Act IV, Walt brings Jesse the money. Walt asks how he can trust that Jane won’t say anything. Jesse assures him that he’ll never hear from him or Jane again. End of Act IV, Walt watches Jane choke to death on her vomit while asleep next to Jesse. Walt considers saving Jane’s life. But he doesn’t. This shows the emotional and spiritual losses Walt endures to achieve his goal and get the money for his family’s future. The show does a powerful job of showing the value of theme and symbolism.

  When you watch television and films, look for theme and symbolism. Think about the moments that affect you the most. Are they the result of the writer’s use of theme and symbolism? The scripts that have stood out the most to me in my career were written by writers who have a strong understanding of the value of theme and symbolism. As much as theme and symbolism can be intimidating in the writing process, they will help your audience to feel, connect, see, and believe in the story that you are trying to tell.

  EXERCISE

  When you consider your own universal life moments, as well as the life moments of your family and friends, start to think in terms of theme and symbolism. Do you see a recurring pattern in your life? Do you identify with a theme that you know you’ve experienced over and over again? If so, recognize that being able to utilize this in your writing will help you to find the gold in your voice. The deeper your well, the more you have to draw from. Start to look at themes and symbolism as blessings that come up in your life because they are the breath behind your words.

  When you think about adding theme and symbolism to your story, try giving them their own arc. By this I mean, instead of just dropping in a theme or symbol once, develop them. Build on your theme and symbolism like you do your story. Use them to elevate and enhance your story.

  Chapter Eighteen

  WHAT DRIVES YOU TO SUCCEED?

  When a man feels throbbing within him the power to do what he undertakes as well as it can possibly be done, this is happiness, this is success.

  ~ Orison Swett Marden

  Success is something all of us would like to achieve on different levels and in different ways. Success means something different to each one of us. We have our own personal reasons for why we want it and what drives us to it. Why is success so important to you? Success is often the result of a goal well set. It signifies the result of a very long journey toward it. It makes us feel validated. It often represents hours upon hours of dedication and commitment to a dream. Succeeding represents the idea of achievement. Achievement adds meaning and value to all the hard work we put into the attainment. We are driven by so many different things in our lives. Emotion is one of the biggest motivations behind our drive. We strive to attain a feeling. Success is often connected to the feeling that we think attaining it will bring us. Some strong drives for success include wealth, desire, faith, ambition, love, liberty, security, happiness, validation, greed, revenge, and justice.

  Start by thinking about what success represents in your own life. In what areas of your life have you found success? What do you desire from it? Desire is a very strong drive in the achievement of success. Usually, there are other things behind the desire. We desire to attain success so that we can feel security, have peace and contentment, give to others, provide for our families, and have freedom to pursue other areas that are important in our lives. These are some of the positive experiences that people go through with success.

  Success also has its dark side. For example, think about all the stories you’ve heard about lottery winners whose lives were worse after they won. There is no doubt that when they played the lottery they were driven to win so that they could make their lives easier. This is the universal association connected with money. How could a lot of money make someone’s life worse? I am sure that many of us ponder this question. We feel that if it were us, we would know how to handle it. Yet, wealth makes a person’s life change. When our socio-economic level changes in a drastic way overnight, all because we bought a lottery ticket or because we were on a reality show or game show and won, there may not be a feeling that you earned the outcome. If you didn’t earn it, then there are all kinds of negative emotions that can come with this experience. In cases like this, it feels like even if you didn’t earn it the conventional way, you can put it to good use and have a positive experience with it. How you choose to move forward as a result of your success is what reflects your character.

  Success comes with a responsibility to learn how to manage it. We think success equals happiness. You also hear many stories of greed, entitlement, and arrogance. Success is a gift. However, if we equate success and happiness with a lot of money, there is going to be a rude awakening when we get there and discover that the experience is not what we thought it would be. I’ve seen many people who had this attachment and when they arrived, were severely let down. The people who understand how to manage success when it enters their lives are the ones who see that in order to gain the true fulfillment from the experience, the work that we do inside is even more important than the work we do outside.

  In my career, I’ve seen people’s status change pretty drastically overnight when a television show succeeds. When I started at Spelling Television Inc., the show Beverly Hills, 90210 was one year in. It was starting to gain huge momentum. The cast members were young. Seeing how they each managed making millions of dollars was a fascinating experience. For some, managing it was not a problem. For others, it was. This difficulty corresponded to the age that they were when it came into their lives. I don’t think that many of us would know in our teens and early twenties how to manage millions of dollars. You haven’t had a chance to be humbled enough by life before success. Now, it’s not to say that those who have found tremendous success after working for years to attain it do that much better at managing their money, but when you have lived more life, you often become more mature with how you h
andle and manage change.

  Working so closely with Aaron Spelling helped me to see and understand what drove him to succeed. From my standpoint, it wasn’t the wealth that was his desire. It was the launching of a dream that inspired him to succeed. He loved knowing that he could make things happen for people. He loved giving. There were moments that I felt like he was embarrassed by his wealth. He would often crack jokes to put people at ease and try to poke fun at himself. This was revealing to me. He was completely self-made, yet he did not take things for granted. Here was a man who I knew had worked to the bone for every bit of success that came his way, yet I never felt he was comfortable with the experience. He was a man who could afford to buy the most expensive of meals, yet Pinks hot dogs was one of his favorite things to eat. I found this so endearing. I knew that he had come from humble beginnings. I knew that his work ethic had a huge effect on my own development and love for story. Aaron Spelling was driven by the dream and by making it happen for as many people as possible. This was a drive that inspired me.

  In my own life, my own drive for success has changed so much over the years. It has definitely evolved as I have evolved. When I graduated from USC, I would say I was mostly motivated by proving that I could support myself without having to go to my parents for money. As this came to be, I remember the sincere feeling of elation just knowing that I could do it. My parents had both come from humble beginnings. Yet, education was a huge motivator in both their upbringings. They instilled the importance of education and learning in our family. They gave a lot to charity, both money and time. My sister and I used to do Meals on Wheels with my mother. I still have strong memories of helping the elderly through this program. I saw my mother and father give so much to family over the years that it showed me how success could not only help you, it could help those you love to achieve their dreams.