Free Screenwriting Resource: The Theology of Screenwriting
The #1-rated movie on the IMDB Top 250 list is The Shawshank Redemption.
Redemption. A theological term.
In fact, it’s possible to see theological themes and dynamics in almost every movie.
Conversion. Doubt. Evil. Faith. Forgiveness. Salvation. Sin. Temptation.
Through my eyes, Drive is every bit a theologically infused movie as is It’s a Wonderful Life, and Fight Club as is The Shawshank Redemption. Each is a story about individuals attempting to find their place in life, meaning in their existence. Even comedies like Bridesmaids, Tootsie and Groundhog Day have a kind of metaphorical theology at work in them.
The word “theology” when broken down into its Greek components simply means “words about God,” and if we look at God as a metaphor in terms of story, we run smack into dynamics like a character’s destiny and the inevitable fate of a specific story universe. Joseph Campbell asserted that The Hero’s Journey is about transformation, and that right there takes us into the realm of conversion, belief, grace and many other theological idioms.
Here is a series of posts on The Theology of Screenwriting:
As writers, we can imbue our stories with emotional depth and conceptual meaning by exploring religious themes as metaphors.
Go here to access links to all of the select group of Free Screenwriting Resources from Go Into The Story.
Each day in October, I’m going to highlight a screenwriting resource available on the blog. Why? Because with over 20,000 posts and 80+ archived topics, I want to make sure readers are aware of the many assets available here for reading and research. And they are all free!