What are the best ways to explore themes of power and control in a screenplay?

Power and control are universal themes that can create compelling drama, conflict, and character development in a screenplay. Whether you are writing a thriller, a comedy, or a historical epic, you can use different techniques to explore how your characters gain, lose, or abuse power and control in their situations. In this article, we will discuss some of the best ways to explore these themes in your screenplay, such as:

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1 Establishing the stakes

The stakes of your story are the consequences of what your characters want and what they stand to lose if they fail. The higher the stakes, the more power and control matter to your characters and your audience. To establish the stakes, you need to make clear what your protagonist's goal is, what obstacles they face, and what will happen if they don't achieve it. For example, in The Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers to participate in a deadly competition to save her sister and overthrow a tyrannical regime. The stakes are life and death, freedom and oppression.

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Paula Wirtanen

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Setting the screenplay in an environment where power and control are easily felt and manifested i.e. prison, military, religious organization or a corporate setting are already based on a hierarchy and structure that can be undone by chaos and deviancy from rules and norms. But to highlight what power and control one should also consider if they are going to make these themes positive or negative. For example, war films often tend to show the organized structure of the military as a force of good. Then stories of corporations are often steeped with unhealthy power dynamics and manipulation. In fact, Game of Thrones examines – at least in book form – well the themes of power and control. Without either, one is free but likely alone.

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2 Creating power dynamics

Power dynamics are the relationships between your characters based on their relative positions of power and control. You can create power dynamics by showing how your characters interact with each other, how they influence or manipulate each other, and how they react to changes in power and control. For example, in The Godfather, Michael Corleone goes from being a reluctant outsider to a ruthless leader of a crime family. His power dynamics with his father, his wife, his enemies, and his allies change throughout the story.

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3 Using symbols and motifs

Symbols and motifs are recurring images, objects, or ideas that represent or reinforce your themes of power and control. You can use symbols and motifs to create visual or verbal cues that remind your audience of the meaning and significance of your themes. For example, in The Lion King, the circle of life is a symbol and a motif that represents the natural order of power and control in the animal kingdom. It is also a contrast to Scar's attempt to disrupt and corrupt that order.

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4 Showing the consequences

The consequences are the outcomes of your characters' actions and decisions based on their power and control. You can show the consequences to reveal the moral, emotional, or physical impact of your themes on your characters and your world. For example, in Breaking Bad, Walter White's transformation from a mild-mannered chemistry teacher to a drug lord has devastating consequences for his family, his friends, his enemies, and himself.

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5 Challenging the status quo

The status quo is the existing state of affairs or the norm in your story world. You can challenge the status quo by introducing a conflict, a change, or a question that disrupts or challenges the established power and control structures. For example, in The Matrix, Neo discovers that the world he knows is a simulation controlled by machines and joins a rebellion to free humanity from their enslavement.

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6 Offering a resolution

The resolution is the final outcome or the answer to your story's main question. You can offer a resolution that shows how your themes of power and control are resolved or unresolved in your story world. For example, in The Lord of the Rings, Frodo destroys the One Ring, which ends the Dark Lord's power and control over Middle-earth. However, he also loses his innocence and his peace of mind in the process.

By using these techniques, you can explore themes of power and control in a screenplay that engages, entertains, and enlightens your audience.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What are the best ways to explore themes of power and control in a screenplay?

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1 Establishing the stakes

2 Creating power dynamics

3 Using symbols and motifs

4 Showing the consequences

5 Challenging the status quo

6 Offering a resolution

7 Here’s what else to consider

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