Kidnapping is a central theme running through many successful films, and it
continues to be a subject that intrigues screenwriters and audiences.
In the films,
Ransom and Not Without My Daughter, children are kidnapped. Their parents, the protagonists, risk their own lives to save the children. In the thriller, Silence of the Lambs, a psychotic serial killer
kidnaps a senator's daughter and she is saved by an FBI agent. And in the recent box-office hit, Saw, the protagonist and his family are kidnapped and held in two
different places. The unexpected twist at the end of Saw creates the horror aspect of this film.
There are many ways you can spin the theme of kidnapping to create a script with exciting twists. Ask yourself several questions to develop an action-packed script using the theme of kidnapping:
1.Who
is kidnapped? This person is the victim. Describe him or her. Then describe the antagonist, the person responsible for the kidnapping.
2.What
does the antagonist do to carry out the kidnapping?
3.When does the kidnapping occur?
4.Where
does the kidnapping occur? Describe the location where it occurs, as well as the reason the antagonist chooses this location.
5.Why
does the antagonist carry out the kidnapping? Is there something that motivates him or her to kidnap someone?
6. How
does the protagonist match wits with the kidnapper to save the victim and resolve the conflict? Does the protagonist have a special skill or ability? If so,
describe this skill or ability and the way in which he acquired it.
Use the answers to these questions to develop a story concept for a script that uses the theme of kidnapping.
