How to GET IDEAS for making your own films | TOP 5 TIPS

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Steve Ramsden here with DIY Moviemaking and today we are looking at my top 5 tips for getting ideas to make your own films!

So one of the biggest challenges with setting out to make a film is getting the idea in the first place. Now one way is of course to work with a separate writer and ask if they have any existing ideas for you to adapt or direct as your own film. But most low-budget filmmakers often start off without knowing any writers or they just want to try their own ideas so they don’t need to wait around for other people to help. So I’m going to assume you want to get on with making your own film, so here are my top 5 tips on getting a good idea.

Tip number one is to start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can. This is because RESTRICTIONS OFTEN HELP CREATIVITY. One example of this you see in everyday life is time. What happens when you have no deadline? You get no work done. What happens with a deadline? Well, you’re more likely to do the work. It’s the same with resources. If you only have a smartphone, or one lens, or one location, or one actor, then come up with something that works with just that. Need an idea for a film? Then work backwards from what you have access to, which is also known as ‘resource filmmaking’!

Tip number two is to start with an idea that is short. It’s easier to begin by making short films and work your way up to something longer. The shorter the better for your first project, and just concentrate on making a great short film rather than an average long film. And some ideas will actually work better for a short film anyway. So don’t think trying something very short is a bad thing – if anything, if you share it online, the shorter it is, the more people will probably watch it.

Tip number three is to pick an idea of the right scale for what you think you can currently do. Ask yourself if you honestly have the resources to tell your story, in terms of time, locations, people to act or be crew, and most of all money. So try and keep your idea cheap - most people don’t have a lot of cash to spend on their passion projects.

Tip number 4 is to use the basic principals of drama – traditionally you need a character, they need a goal and you need some conflict that is preventing them achieving that goal. Most stories no matter how big or small will do this – they will establish a character, they will give them a problem, and they will make them act on it, and then there’s a result of some kind – either they succeed or fail.

Tip number 5 is: if you are looking to make something to simply share online, you might want to think about the things you probably enjoy when you watch things this way. The big three things usually are: is it RELEVANT, is it RELATABLE and is it SHAREABLE?

So there you go folks, that’s my 5 tips for getting an idea to make your own films, so get thinking of that killer idea that you can make right now. Stop waiting for the perfect moment, it doesn’t exist, just write your ideas down. And if you want to learn more about low budget filmmaking in general then head to diymoviemaking.com or the links below and check out my full courses.