Ok, so the very first question you need to ask yourself before you make your film is “what should I make a film about?” That’s a pretty tricky question. You’d better take some time to think about that. I can’t tell you what to to make a film about, but I can make some suggestions on where to start.
A well known saying is “write what you know.” Well, ok, that makes sence. Especially when you’re first starting. After all, you don’t really want to go through all the research on writting a screenplay about Jesse Marcel when you know nothing about the Roswell Crash or Area 51. And why on earth would you try writing a script from the point of veiw of a struggling 52 year old black woman when you’re a 22 year old rich white kid?
On the other hand, you live every day of your life with “what you know”, right? You’re probably sick of it and don’t want to spend another second with yourself. (At least I don’t… but hey, maybe you had a better day than me!)
My opinion? Write what you care about! So the idea of space exploration interests the hell out of you, but you’ve never been outside of your hometown let along the stratosphere. So what? If you really care about space exploration, you’ll find the inspiration to find out more about it and write a convincing first draft! And you’ll probably have fun doing it, too!
More so than writing about a guy who works the midnight shift at a plastic factory practically breaking his back everyday just so he can make his car payment. Sure, you ARE that midnight plastic making guy with a decent car (at least until your muffler rusts through next month, and your breaks go bad a week after the muffler gets fixed. Sorry to be the one to tell you about that!), but that doesn’t mean you should write about it! You’ll be even MORE depressed writting about your sad sorry life than actually living it!
And please, PLEASE, do NOT write an autobiography. An english teacher once told me (well, my class, at least) “Don’t give me the story of your life. I don’t care.”
So figure out what you WANT to write about. What interests you enough to sit at a computer and write a 85-130 page script over the next 3 weeks-3 years. Then, write it.
And if I hear of ANY new movies about a guy breaking his back on the midnight shift for Plastec, I’m going to demand back end points!
hey Travis,
you’re so right — you have to be passionate about what you write about otherwise you may make it through the first draft but, you may not make it through the rewrites. or care enough to pitch it.
and spare me the life stories — just because you had an experience doesn’t mean it’s interesting. it has to have some universal — or at least wide — appeal.
–juli