Sometimes writers tell me that they want to write a script that explores an important but familiar theme and want to know what they can do to make it appealing to the marketplace. One solution is to create a metaphor for the theme and build your script (or novel) around it.
For instance, the theme of E.T. is love and friendship. The thematic elements could all have been done in a much more conventional way—for instance, the boy could have befriended another kid, maybe a foreigner, who moves into the neighborhood. For the danger element, maybe this kid’s father is trying to kidnap him to take him away from the mother, who gained sole custody. That could have been an excellent film, but would it have had the same success? Probably not.
One master of this technique was Rod Serling, with the old “Twilight Zone.” They used sci-fi metaphors for many important themes such as racism, the pressure to conform, and the concept of beauty and ugliness. If you want to explore this, get a DVD of the original “Twilight Zone” episodes—they’re still brilliant.
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