How to Come Up With Unique Ideas for Your Next Short Movie

Rebecca Alston

[ Rebecca Alston is a 30-something mother, full-time wife, and a foodie! She enjoys writing, decorating, making cookies, playing with her girls, decorating the house and traveling green! Mamas Like Me, her personal blog, is made with love. ]

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A lot goes into being a successful videographer and/or filmmaker. Getting the perfect shot, being able to tell a story and choosing the right setting are all crucial aspects. It is also vital to know things like how to convert film reels to dvd, how to edit your movie, and how to ensure it captures the attention and eyeballs of the audience.

There are also many habits of successful directors that you should look to develop. But before you can actually do any of that, you need to have an idea for a film. If you have no film idea, there is nothing to shoot, to edit, or to fine-tune.

Unfortunately, coming up with a unique idea for a short movie can be challenging, and could take weeks, months, or even longer. However, there are some tips you can use to better come up with an idea, and this article is going to go over a few of them.

Look at Your Life Experiences

Perhaps the best way to come up with unique short movie ideas is to look at your life. If you write what you know and are connected to, it will often contribute to a better movie. Pull ideas from past experiences, or even base them off of your everyday life.

You can create a short movie about a specific experience you have had, exaggerate a scenario you found yourself in, or loosely base characters after people you have around you. All of this can help you connect more with your story, and provide you with many potential options for what you create.

Only you have had these collective experiences, and take time to make note of specific things in your life or past that would make great themes within your film. If you have a creative and active imagination, you can also completely make up a unique story or setting. This might take some time and effort, but is how some of the very best short films are made. Something not existing previously doesn’t mean you cannot use or create it for your short movie.

Consider Current Events

Another place to look for short movie ideas are the current events happening all over the world. No matter where you look, there is something noteworthy going on. Some of it is uplifting and positive, while others might be upsetting and worrisome. Both can be the catalysts of some amazing short movies. You can head to social media for inspiration, check out the news or even learn about important happenings in your communities.

These short movies based on current events can not only be entertaining, but can shed some light on something important that is going on in the world that deserves more attention. A movie can also help people relate to something and understand it more than a news release or article might.

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Visit New Places

Among the best ways to inspire yourself and come up with an idea for your movie is to visit new places. Sometimes, seeing a certain landscape or type of architecture can be all you need for the seeds of a story to start to grow.

Whether you want to visit beautiful movie locations, or simply places that get your mind racing with ideas, be sure to get out of your comfort zone and explore. Also, you don’t have to go across the world to find great locations to inspire yourself or even film. You are likely closer to some than you ever would have thought.

Speak to Interesting People

The people you surround yourself with often play a role in the type of movie you end up creating. It could be based on them, or even be related to something they have said or done at one time or another. We are the product of those around us, and the same can often be said for your short movie.

So if you want easier inspiration, find ways to come in contact with interesting people. Learn their stories and hear their thoughts, and you will be well on your way to a great idea. Of course, if they provide you with an idea, be sure to add your own unique flair or spin to it, as opposed to simply copying what they have said.

Start With the End and Work Backwards

When brainstorming ideas for short movies, many filmmakers will begin with the start of the film. It makes sense to work chronologically, but it isn’t the only way to go about doing things. A more fruitful idea is often to begin with the end of the movie, and work backwards. This allows you to better focus on what sorts of scenes and situations you need to reach your desired ending, and will often lead to a leaner and more streamlined end product.

You won’t have a film full of filler, and will instead know exactly what you need to include in order for the film to make sense once it reaches your ending.

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Keep it Simple

One major problem that impacts many filmmakers and writers is that they try to get too complex and complicated with their ideas. Trying to make a complicated plot in many different settings featuring a variety of characters can often be too large an undertaking for a short movie. Instead, your short movie should only take place in a few locations total, and feature only a handful of characters at most.

You may only have a few minutes to work with, and it’s better to fully introduce and have the audience connect with a character or two, than to barely learn anything about a larger collection of subjects. You should be able to talk about your short movie in a sentence or two, anything more and it borders on being too complex and involved to make a good short movie.

If you keep this idea in mind, it can ensure you remain focused on your idea and don’t get caught up trying to do too much.

In conclusion, any of these tactics can help you come up with unique ideas for your next short movie.

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