As a beginner screenwriter, generating short film ideas can be a big roadblock. Especially when you’re just getting started or creating momentum as a writer.
Even when you’re an expert screenwriter who has written hundreds of scripts over the course of your career — which is great! — there will always be times when it feels like nothing good is coming to mind…and that makes writing feel impossible.
Without an idea generation system, we can lose momentum and stop writing entirely. Or worse, never get started in the first place.
To transform from a beginner to an expert, we must keep writing stories. That is the only way to gain screenwriting experience. Without that experience, we risk…
- Our stories falling flat with our audience and lacking complexity
- Never finding a writing process that works for us
- Not being trusted in the industry due to lack of experience.
We need to keep writing, and write a lot. We must write stories and put them out into the world. And, most importantly, we must write consistently.
With that said, let’s take a look at some easy ways you can come up with short film ideas:
My Secret Tool to Brainstorming Short Film Ideas
A Zettelkasten is a knowledge development tool that I use to keep my creative juices flowing. If you haven’t heard of it, a Zettelkasten is a German word that means card index system. It’s a way to capture and organize information on small pieces of paper called “Zettel” (or “cards”).
The main purpose of using a Zettelkasten is to develop knowledge to write non-fiction. But, I’ve adapted mine to also capture and develop my creative ideas as a writer.
I’ve been using my Zettelkasten for almost 6 months now. And, it’s the best thing I’ve ever done to improve my idea development. It helps me to see ideas everywhere, to keep those ideas, and to develop the ones that resonate.
I capture my writing ideas like how Lance Dustin Black’s collects his “cinematic ideas”:
Then, explore these ideas and piece them together into a story.
Zettelkasten for Easy Idea Generation and Development
A Zettelkasten is a tool that can be used to capture ideas as they come to you. You can then reflect on those ideas and expand on the ones that resonate with you. Plus, you can incorporate the knowledge you’ve gained and developed into your stories. This extra layer can make them more impactful for the audience.
How to Make a Zettelkasten for Yourself:
If you want a full deep dive into how to create a Zettelkasten, I encourage you to visit Scott Scheper’s platform. But, I will give you the basics:
A Zettelkasten is organized into three boxes: the Main box, the Bibliography box and Index box.
- The bibliography box is organized alphabetically by author’s/creator’s name. It is used to capture ideas as you consume content (like articles or books).
Here, I capture my short film ideas that come while I consume other’s content. I also note important quotes, excerpts, or phrases that were impactful to me, so I can write them in the main box.
Remember: ideas can come from all content you consume. Podcasts, books, blog posts, youtube videos, movies, tv shows, and more.
- The main box is organized by relevance (i.e. how they relate to each other). It is used to reflect on and develop the ideas that really resonated with you. This is where the magic happens!
At this stage, I expand on these writing ideas, and capture branching ideas as they come to me.
- The index box is organized alphabetically by category. It is used to reference concepts and ideas at a later date.
I use this box to note where my writing ideas have been captured.
What do you do when your ideas start becoming full screenplays?
I pull them out of my Zettelkasten and record them on notecards. That way, I can use them to organize and reorganize the ideas into a structure. Then, start writing.
I hope you’ve found some inspiration in this post! Now it’s time to get those creative juices flowing and start brainstorming your next short film ideas.
If you’re an aspiring actor-screenwriter looking for more content on how to build your career from scratch, make sure to subscribe to our email list and follow us on social media. I’ll be documenting my journey as I grow my career with no previous experience, education or connections. I’ll be giving all the tips, tricks, and advice I’ve learned along the way.
See you out there!
Love,
Ryn
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