Hello Creative folks..... I hope you all are having a great day ahead. When we sit to brainstorm ideas, we aim for high concepts most of the time. But there are few movies who had made on ordinary concepts still was a hit. We don't need to chase for extra ordinary all the time but sometimes ordinary but little extra can work for us.
Share your thoughts on this and let me know how do you craft ordinary concepts to little extra ? ?
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Hi, Priya Mistry. Hope you have a great day ahead too! You're right. I like to come up with a concept, then think, "How can I make it more original?" Maybe add a monster, add a mystery, change the story's location, etc.
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Hello Priya Mistry I wrote about this 12 hours ago; you can check it out.
In my opinion, a very ordinary, romantic song can become a nightmare for a character in your story, reminding them of a painful experience, affecting their day, and making them aggressive. This is just in terms of the story and the idea.
A dream or nightmare experienced by the protagonist can drive the film's events from misery to bliss, or vice versa. This is just in terms of the story and the idea.
As for the execution, I would write that when the song plays, the scene slows down completely, the pupils dilate, the heart races, the fingers tremble, the character takes two steps and falls to the ground, then we move to another scene where the character falls at the location of the painful memory. This is just in terms of the execution method that makes the ordinary extraordinary.
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You're absolutely right that "high concept" isn't the only path to success—some of the most compelling films are deceptively simple ideas elevated by exceptional execution.
Examples of "ordinary + extra":
Manchester by the Sea: Man returns home for his brother's funeral. The "extra" is the devastating emotional depth and fractured family dynamics.
Before Sunrise: Two strangers talk on a train, then walk around Vienna. The "extra" is the authenticity of connection and philosophical dialogue.
Lady Bird: Teenage girl navigates senior year and fights with her mom. The "extra" is specificity, honesty, and Greta Gerwig's distinct voice.
How to elevate ordinary concepts:
- Specificity over generality: Don't write "a family drama"—write about a specific family with specific, particular wounds
- Unique perspective: Tell familiar stories through voices or cultural lenses rarely seen
- Emotional authenticity: Make audiences feel something genuine rather than manufactured sentiment
- Distinctive voice: Your writing style itself becomes the differentiator
The "little extra" is usually you! Your specific observations, your honest emotional truth, your distinct way of seeing the world. Ordinary life told extraordinarily well beats high-concept told generically every time.
World cinema is really succeeding on this front at the time. Movies like The Secret Agent, It Was Just An Accident, No Other Choice are not super flashy no holds barred movies. They are quiet and about simple conflicts having outsized consequences
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For me, it all comes down to unique characters. So many storylines repeat themselves that it's not so much "how can I do this different" but "what if the main character were ..." I try to conceive a unique character first and then drop that person into the story world and see how they react to situations that have probably been portrayed dozens of times already. Different personalities will respond in wildly different ways to the same scenario. Provides a fresh take on a plot that might otherwise seem stale.
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Erik Gagnon , yes that's the great idea. it works in different way with multiple options. Thank you for sharing this tip here. I will play with characters whenever it needed.
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Pat Alexander , thank you so much for sharing all these wonderful techniques. I'll definitely execute them. You have explained it very accurately...
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A.J .Abd El-Rahman El-Janainy, thank you for sharing this. I will check it out what you have suggested.
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Maurice Vaughan, yes you are right. Asking all these questions helps a lot to provide variety of options regarding characters, situations and helps with structure.
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For me, “ordinary to extra” usually comes from specificity and perspective, not a bigger concept. The premise can be simple, but if the point of view is clear and the characters want something deeply personal, it starts to feel fresh.
Often it’s one strong choice, a constraint, a moral dilemma, or an emotional contradiction, that elevates an ordinary idea.