For both new audiovisual filmmakers and long-time creators, the initial challenge will always be to turn on the lightbulb of ideas. This stage even precedes pre-production and sets the course for an organic relationship between departments. If you want to attract that inspiring muse or are simply looking to start a film project on the right foot, this post may fit you perfectly. We understand that there are no cookbooks for something that must be learned in practice, so we bring you some specific tips that will help you shout “Eureka!” Once and for all.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Innovation is the key
Step 1. Don't be afraid of creativity
Many times it is the craziest ideas that will end up being the most acclaimed. They are the most unruly characters in the industry who create remembrance wherever they go. Let's look at the bad boy of the industry, Lars Von Trier, who at the point of risky and even abusive concepts has penetrated the memoryIf you firmly believe that your idea has value, jump into the ring. It is estimated that there are a little more than 500,000 films created. Such an overwhelming number does not fit a cowardly personality
Step 2. Conceive your ideas as part of something bigger, have projection
In a hyper-mediated world, it is no longer enough to set a product adrift and wait with closed eyes for its imminent success. It takes a bit of insight to find what marketers would call a blue ocean. That space where, thanks to our differences, ideas take off on their own. In case your goal is to be commercially successful, don't lose sight of recent references. Iron Man, released in 2008, started the mode of ‘meta-universes’ in the cinema and until now it has not stopped. What can you think of?Step 3. Ask yourself how convenient it is to follow the rules
Sometimes being newbies forces us to follow the methods of others. And that's okay, one of the most effective ways to learn is through imitation. That does not mean that there are not several formulas waiting to be discovered.Citizen Kane is a 1941 film that illustrates this perfectly as it represented a cataclysmic disruption to the traditional way of filmmaking in the West. With technical innovations, courage, and a shift from ending to epilogue, this film went on the shelves of history
Step 4. Research and complicate any topic
We know that it turns out to cram your project with references. Here we recommend doing it with caution and only doing it when it feels right. Rather, do your research on the general topic you want to talk about and base it on a solid conceptual body. Look at it this way: Would you like to make a space movie? Well be sure to read up on physics and astronomy. Knowing what you are talking about will give seriousness and power to the project.2001, A Space Odyssey from the highly acclaimed direct Stanley Kubrick, is a film set in a space that was barely known at the time (it was a year before the Apollo 11 mission took place) and if something does very well it is build credibility. Whoever sees it is not wondering if that is really space. The immersion is complete
Step 5. Vacuum big
You never know what might happen after a project is finished. The important thing is to ride the road with the mentality that what I have done will help me feed other ideas. As we will see, it is important to look at the past. If there is still no baggage to go to, don't worry. The case of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), the first animated feature film in English, proves that resilience is capable of creating a world of dreams.
Step 6. Keep in mind that no dream is impossible in the world of cinema
Money and crowbar are two familiar concepts in the industry. Eliminate them from your vocabulary and start your search.Amélie, a French film from 2002, has managed to penetrate all spheres of the industry without being precisely from Hollywood. In addition, this year's Oscar Awards consolidated Latin American cinema as a power in the medium. Don't let fear stop your aspirations
Method 2 of 3: Never forget the past
Step 1. Look for meanings to situations already experienced
Fleeting ideas are gold mines. Who hasn't had those moments of divine inspiration? However, sitting around waiting for something to click inside you is problematic. The same experience can be obtained by doing an introspective examination, going to memory. How do you think the creative process of Alfonso Cuarón, one of the most influential directors of the moment, could have been when he wrote Roma. It was by appealing to his life story that he managed to consolidate his films as one of the most successful of the year.By the way, to put your ideal on paper it is advisable to go through several levels. Starting with a conceptual plane and reaching the staff. For art, writing with the heart generates empathy. Try it
Step 2. Consult with family and friends or be inspired by them
Nothing better than verbalizing ideas. In our mind, words do not stop being intentions, when expressing them they gain strength and, in addition, they generate commitment. Doesn't it happen to you that when you talk to someone about a topic, you understand it better? Explain what you would like to do with your loved ones.It doesn't matter if you are blank. Talking will always be a source of learning. Having a theme in mind, breaking it down with whoever you prefer will always be an extra
Step 3. Don't let ideas escape
Whether to write a pitch or to write a script, emotions usually last for moments. Create a conducive environment and play energizing music. Some prefer to make a sketch on paper of these preliminary approaches and the truth is that having a pen on hand will always connect the writer with what is written. The important thing is that when you find the moment, capture whatever is happening in your head; I was ruthlessly making spelling or writing errors, you'll take care of that later.- Always have something to write with and a small notebook on hand. If you have your cell phone, don't forget the notes option or use that special chat on WhatsApp where you write things to do.
- If you don't feel like writing, there will always be the option to scribble or draw. The penalty outside. When we were little we represented the world like that, why not do it again?
Method 3 of 3: Transcend through the heart
Step 1. Music is your best ally
And not only to boil colors, smells, sensations; you can also use it as an instrument to create powerful stories. We know that audiovisual creators are not musical composers and for those who start with tight budgets it is not always easy to access songs that, if purchased, would entail an onerous expense. Remember that there are numerous sites where independent artists post their compositions for free use, as long as the copyright licenses applied for each case are respected.- There are songs that cannot be divorced from films that marked history, becoming even more important than the films to which they belong. Unforgettable are still some pieces like Stand by Me from the homonymous movie and other gems like You're the One thath I Want from the musical Grease.
- You don't have to think about the musical setting ahead of time. What is advisable is not to ignore any reference. Ask yourself why a certain song is giving you a certain sensation and translate your answer into the language of the big screen.
Step 2. Bring out your most human part
Fiction cinema moved away from its fellow man, documentary cinema, not without first appropriating its human sense to tell stories. It is this philanthropic spirit that must be cultivated before materializing a project. Since the birth of the documentary with Nanuk, the Eskimo by Robert Flaherty, the human sense was tattooed for the aftermath of audiovisual production. The cinema, above all things, must appeal to reflection. So first of all, make sure that the process to be started has an end according to your ideals.