Tell Me Your Movie Idea!

[general_kill]

I am taking a class on filming and I'm stomped for ideas for a movie. I find myself with more ideas on how to make a movie than what to make the movie about. I want to try out all kinds of cool camera angles and camera tricks but I don't even know what I want to make a movie about!

So I came here because I know everyone is opinionated and full of ideas. So please feel free to share your movie ideas. It can be a simple plot summary like:

Romeo meets Juliet.
The families of the two lovers hate each other.
Romeo fakes death.
Juliet kills herself because she doesn't want to live without Romeo.
Romeo wakes up, sees Juliet dead, and kills himself because he doesn't want to live without Juliet.

Or you can go as indepth as you want and give me a plot or funny joke to include. The more indepth you get the better! You can even tell me which celebrity stars you want starring in the movie so I can get a better feel for what kind of actors/actresses I should get to play the role.

My movie isn't due for another 3 months so I have plenty of time to plan the camera shots, plot, and camera effects. I'm really looking foward to hearing from you guys!

 

[ThePrankMonkey]

person makes original film
person shows original film
person is credited for being original

beyond this i cant help you. too many remakes out there have made me cynical.

i will say i think you should go for something unique in concept or at least delivery. what exactly i dont know.

 

[general_kill]

person makes original film
person shows original film
person is credited for being original

beyond this i cant help you. too many remakes out there have made me cynical.

i will say i think you should go for something unique in concept or at least delivery. what exactly i dont know.

Oh definitely, I won't copy any of your ideas exactly. Right now I just want to brain storm. I will definitely give credit to anyone who contributed to the film.

It's a short movie by the way, 10 minutes long. I'm allowed to go longer if I want to but my teacher told me that most student made movies fall apart after 10 minutes.

 

[tombeef]

trust me, the hardest part of a movie and/or story is coming up with one you really love. Just do what comes to you, if you think to hard, you tend to force things. I've written many stories and helped film/write movies myself, and often the first few "impulse" ideas are the best ones. Otherwise, i would rather not offer specific advice, since your opinion of a good movie could be totaly different then mine.

 

[tombeef]

ok, 10 minutes usually means just a few characters. Focus on a source of conflict between the characters, not much detail in between.

Here's a short story someone I know wrote that I enjoy, sorry If I seem to be hijacking, but I think it gets the point across of what needs to be done in a short time frame.

 

[general_kill]

Otherwise, i would rather not offer specific advice, since your opinion of a good movie could be totaly different then mine.

I'm actually kind of insulted by that comment. I value films like Forest Gump, not because of what ever special effect it has, but because of the great acting and plot. However, I've just been made aware of the importance of camera work in movies which is why I focused on the camera issue.

 

[Rambuchan]

My movie isn't due for another 3 months so I have plenty of time to plan the camera shots, plot, and camera effects. I'm really looking foward to hearing from you guys!

How are you planning the angles and shots if you don't know what it is you are shooting?

Forget the camera stuff for now. You need your story. 10 minutes is actually a long time frame if you consider that commercials can tell so much with so little. Play with the fact it is 10 minutes though. The best short films don't pretend to be mini feature films, they are shorts. For example, a great one was about a guy who went into a canteen and tried to drink 100 cups of coffee, simply because they kept filling up your cup. That got interesting.

Also, don't crowd your story with too many characters. 10 mins is only about enough time for your average viewer to start caring enough for perhaps 5 - 6 characters, tops. Go with 1 - 3 strong characters, make their relationship fraught / bizarre / in conflict / unrequited, but not 'dude and dude shootin' the sh!t'. Make the story's world simple too. For example, don't write a Star Wars or Waterworld, cos you'll be pushed to film it to any good standard in 3 months on a student budget. Some of the best approaches on a low budget are conversations at a table in a restaurant, or entirely in a lift, for example. This requires only one location if you can churn out good dialogue and a gripping situation / relationship dynamic. Just bear in mind that you'll have to source locations, sets, props, vehicles, actors etc for what you write. But don't let it constrain your writing, just start with a simple framework and you should move off on the right track.

Finally, when you come round to the shooting: Remember that filmmaking is a team effort above all. You get plenty of egos on set and that's just the way, but really, you need a whole load of skills and personalities to pull it off. So make sure you reach out to those people and divide up the jobs so folk can focus on their lighting / sound / camera / production office / catering work. You also need to plan meticulously. It's very easy to waste huge amounts of time (and money) when you haven't got people all working on their tasks in an efficient way. Think about what needs to be set up and order that. Eg. Don't go and dress the set with spider's webs if you haven't sent the Lighting boys in to get their heavy, greasy kit up. Ask your teacher for templates of 'call sheets' and scheduling software. Basically, it's usually around 1-3 minutes to a page of script with those standard formats (give or take dialogue). So you should know when you're getting to a story that sits around 10 mins.

Good luck!

 

[tombeef]

I'm actually kind of insulted by that comment. I value films like Forest Gump, not because of what ever special effect it has, but because of the great acting and plot. However, I've just been made aware of the importance of camera work in movies which is why I focused on the camera issue.

Sorry if that insults you but... I didn't really like Forest Gump. People will disagree on anything; acting, special affects, story. I personally like the acting and story in A Clockwerk Orange, but I know a few people who say the acting is overdone and the story is to bizarre.

Anyways, good luck with your movie, finally finishing a movie you truly enjoy is a great feeling of accomplishment.

 

[tombeef]

How are you planning the angles and shots if you don't know what it is you are shooting?

Also, don't crowd your story with too many characters. 10 mins is only about enough time for your average viewer to start caring enough for perhaps 5 - 6 characters, tops. Go with 1 - 3 strong characters, make their relationship fraught / bizarre / in conflict / unrequited, but not 'dude and dude shootin' the sh!t'. Make the story's world simple too. For example, don't write a Star Wars or Waterworld, cos you'll be pushed to film it to any good standard in 3 months on a student budget. Some of the best approaches on a low budget are conversations at a table in a restaurant, or entirely in a lift, for example. This requires only one location if you can churn out good dialogue and a gripping situation / relationship dynamic. Just bear in mind that you'll have to source locations, sets, props, vehicles, actors etc for what you write. But don't let it constraint your writing, just start with a simple framework and you should move off on the right track.

he got the main points here, a short movie is about; a strong conflict, a few strong characters, and a simple, but imaginable setting. Writing has to come first, work on screenplay. Then go from there. Cast the parts, chose locations, and finally film. Camera angles don't do any good if you don't have a script to go with them.

Good luck.

 

[Rambuchan]

Thanks for the abbreviations and translations service. Sure you got everything in there?

 

[Abaddon]

take me as the lead actor,
add a drunk cheer leading squad
sit back and record for about an hour?


every male on the planet would love it.

 

[Rambuchan]

Are you suggesting I live on another planet Sloz?

 

[tombeef]

Thanks for the abbreviations and translations service. Sure you got everything in there?

Yep. Basically you expanded on what I had previously said, then I abbreviated your expansion of what I said. Basically, a loop.

 

[general_kill]

Sorry if that insults you but... I didn't really like Forest Gump. People will disagree on anything; acting, special affects, story. I personally like the acting and story in A Clockwerk Orange, but I know a few people who say the acting is overdone and the story is to bizarre.

It's funny, you mentioned that, I did notice how my view of certain movies are completely different from others.

I thought the second Ace Ventura movie was the greatest thing ever when I saw it. I thought I was going to die laughing when Jim Carey was fighting that little crazy guy from the other tribe and he kept getting accidentally stabbed in the leg by his helper. But Roger Ebert put it into his "I hated, hated, hated this movie" book.

And I didn't like Pulp Fiction, liked the first volume of Kill Bill, but didn't like the second. I'm sure most people would disagree about my view on Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill volume 2 also.

 

[Rambuchan]

Tombeef: You're not familiar with crossposting are you? Just chill and get on with giving the boy advice.

 

[Abaddon]

Are you suggesting I live on another planet Sloz?

Chose my reply:

A. Its something i have pondered from time to time

B. Its something i have pondered since you bought gnomes as a serious present.

 

[Rambuchan]

Those poll options suck!

 

[Abaddon]

Yeah, sorry;

C. I only ponder GRMs fighting GDRs.

 

[tombeef]

Tombeef: You're not familiar with crossposting are you? Just chill and get on with giving the boy advice.

Sorry, sorry. It's just I should be studying for exams, not posting, so anything I do post I rush.

Again, I apologize. I probably came off as very stupid.

I loved Pulp foction, and liked Kill Bill one way more then Kill Bill 2, though the last one wasn't very good.