I’m always thinking about writing, and ideas for stories have come to me while doing wildly different things at various times. But, typically, I never sit down at the computer trying to think of exciting concepts. For example, yesterday, I came downstairs to feed the dog and defrost some chicken, and my wife watched a romance movie. While giving my Wheaton Terrier his much-anticipated meal, I thought of a fun idea to lampoon a specific type of romance film. Today, ideas for the story are percolating, and I already have two opening scenes in my outline.
1) How do you pick topics for screenplays?
2) Are they always ideas that inspire you?
3) Do you pick concepts that don’t inspire you because you’re following market trends and your primary objective is a saleable or commercial story?
4) How much does creating good art factor into your decision-making process?
5) Do you vet the film market to see if similar concepts already exist? Does that influence your decision to proceed?
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I look at photos to get ideas.
Sometimes the ideas inspire me, so I write the scripts.
Sometimes the ideas don't inspire me, but I write the scripts anyway because of market trends.
Creating good art plays a major role in my scripts because I want to write scripts that have great visuals and something to say.
I vet the film market to see if there are similar concepts. If I see a similar concept, sometimes I rework my idea so it's unique.
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The evening news is a gold mine.
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I take part in many forms of art, this allows me to wait until I'm inspired in one particular discipline. I will jot down ideas, but in terms of actually going for it, that might mean waiting years. Sometimes I'll get multiple ideas in a very short space of time. I chuck a lot of ideas away in between. Hopefully that way only the best of me is shared.
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I worked in advertising for a while so had to come with ideas very quickly sometimes. We used to do ‘one hour briefs’. But sometimes ideas would come out of brainstorms and other times out of talks with your creative partner; and often thinking alone, where one thing leads to another, or just going for a walk. Movie ideas tend to come from a big overall thought, then refining. And sometimes I really don’t know where ideas come from.I tend not to think if it’s artistic or not, big ideas can often be artistic neutral, but the execution can be either artistic, or mainstream, or both. Good luck with the writing and music.
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Phillip, a lot of my screenplay ideas come from the headlines...be they today's or yesterday's.
News events that've made headlines since the 2010s inspired me to write "Pixie Dust" and "Pipe Up!" ("Pixie Dust" centered on dormmates tired of being marginalized who wanted to help other students facing the same kind of mistreatment, while "Pipe Up!" had to do with keeping a famous restaurant from being turned into the new local office of America's Department of Homeland Security.)
Headlines from the Twentieth Century inspired "Jingle Belles" (the 1959 Iowa plane crash that claimed three rock stars) and "Rivertown Rock!" (the Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964) as well as the 1930s gangster comedy "Got Any More Bullets, Sister?" And the one I'm right now working on, "Small Flyers," looks at American life on the heels of World War 2.
Many of my script ideas, though, have come from music: "Tin Mine" spoofed Hollywood musicals, "Really Old School" and "Thumpers" looked at ragtime, "Bleeding Gums" was my jazz screenplay, "Gayle Strawberry and Her Soda Pop Music Makers" and "Yes, Indeed!" both celebrated swing music, "Fine Tooth Comb" was my Dixieland script, "The Nutcrackers" focused on blues music, and "Andrea," "Golden Oldies," "Jingle Belles," and "Rivertown Rock!" featured rock.
Love of spoofs led me not only to write "Bullets, Sister" and "Tin Mine," but also the Cinderella takeoff "Cynthia Harmon," the vaudeville tribute "Shorthose and Flaxbeard," and the comedy-Western "Kitten on the Keys." (And "Pipe Up!" kidded theater organ music and its fans.)
I'm really not one to chase trends...I feel more comfortable writing stuff I'd like to go see. And I just want to make doggone sure I'm telling a story people will want to check out...something they can actually believe.
Well, time for me to jump off the soapbox...and wish you all the VERY BEST, Phillip!
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If you could go anywhere cinematic & do anything, where & what would it be. Start there, bring your bass guitar, a kilo of cocaine & a small handgun just in case, things are not as they seem . . ..& start typing
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I have two concurrent strategies;
On the one side I'm looking at things very much as a producer where I'm looking at cultural trends, the marketplace, the resources available, and trying to create material that's effectively on brand. With that, I'm taking feedback from the likes of sales agents and, of course, at the whim of what may or may not excite an investor.
On the other side, I'm conscious of nurturing myself as an artist and making sure I develop stories that matter to me and say something I really want to say. While those may not have much in the way of commercial prospects, writing them is important to me and they can still draw in collaborators who like the writing but need something more aligned to their needs.
Documentaries are a powerful one for me but nothing beats getting out into the real world and simply experiencing as much of it as possible. For what it's worth, it's academically proven that nothing does more for creativity than moving into an entirely new culture and embedding ourselves within it.
The writers who suffer are the ones who sit around at home consuming what's familiar to them and obsessing with the mainstream.
As ever, finding comfort in who you are as a writer is critical. There's nothing wrong with leaning toward quirky little niche concepts because it's those that motivate you to write.
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Since writing specs is mostly investment in oneself, I'd say one of each...still, if one wants to be noticed, one gotta bring fresh concept to the table...that's the bacon...anyone can write script based on existing IP or remake...but inventing new stuff that works...now that's a whole different ballgame...