How do you come up with ideas so fast?

[Tomas Riuka]

I wonder, how all of you come up with ideas and all the details of the movie, you're gonna make for TIMEFEST so fast? topic just been announced and most of creator already have stories, names, actors, jeez... how is that? i'm still trying to find my story :D

[Charlie Anderson]

lots and lots of drugs

[Charlie Anderson]

no actually things just come to mind pretty quickly for me. If I just sit and don't think of anything except for a theme something interesting will pop into my brain and I'll concetrate on that random idea and try to make it work. If it doesn't I just start over and try again.

[Mark Harris]

Sometimes in these fests, I have ideas that I've wanted to do for some time, and the theme of the fest just happens to match the idea.

But I am not one of those who hears the fest announced, has a great idea and announces first draft of the script done the next day. I don't get brilliant ideas like that so quickly.

Generally, if I have no ideas and need to generate them from scratch, I start simple with a character in a room. And I give that character something to want, and just start writing. Usually, something comes out of that eventually.

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I just had an idea come to me last night while walking my dog. It may even supersede my current idea (Devolution). Or I may do both. Too early to tell yet.

It really nails the TIME theme though.

[Charlie Anderson]

plus I hate my job so I day dream and let my imagination wander a whole lot

[Mark Johnson]

Sometimes in these fests, I have ideas that I've wanted to do for some time, and the theme of the fest just happens to match the idea.

But I am not one of those who hears the fest announced, has a great idea and announces first draft of the script done the next day. I don't get brilliant ideas like that so quickly.

Generally, if I have no ideas and need to generate them from scratch, I start simple with a character in a room. And I give that character something to want, and just start writing. Usually, something comes out of that eventually.
Like Mark says, we have a trunk full of ideas that we keep adding and subtracting from so that when a Fest is announced we usually have something in a bare bones form that we've wanted to shoot. Tim and I are constantly mentioning ideas to each other or writing down dialog from day-to-day encounters that we think may be useful in a film some time. I remember recently we were on the freeway and saw this funky old truck being driven by a neanderthal-type guy and there was a sign in the back window that said "truck for sale" with his phone number. At the same time a very proper looking business man came up the other side while talking on his cell phone. I immediately suggested to Tim that it would be a cool scene if I called the big guy in the truck on my cell and said, "hey asshole, I'm in the Honda in the lane to your right and I just wanted to tell you that nobody in their right mind would pay ten bucks for that p.o.s. you're driving." Then we'd see the big guy start chasing the businessman, who wouldn't have any idea what was going on and it would sort of be a comic version of the film "Duel." So, we threw that in with about fifty other similar scene ideas in a folder we keep.

As far as announcing completion of the First Draft of the script within the first few days of the Fest ... Well, we usually lie about that because its fun to make people think we can turn out a script so quickly. We are, after all, in L. A. and nobody ever shoots straight about the status of their script or their casting! :)

[Tomas Riuka]

I got it :) thanks for your stories guys! i should start collecting ideas as well... we'll see what we come up with for the timefest :)

[13th Judas]

lots and lots of drugs

damn, i already quit a long time ago. looks like this hobby will make me bring the old pipe out :laugh:

[barnapkins]

Make a lists. Start with writing words and go right down the page. I just learned this technique, i thought it was lame and didn't want to try it but i did and it works.

or

Ill think of something ive always wanted to try (effect in after effects maybe) then build a story around that.

[Ki-Ki]

Watching films or tv shows.

[Brandon Rice]

Come up with a seed idea, and just start writing it out in rough form... see where it goes... then change it up based on elements required or a better direction.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

I ask myself - what would Fat Monster do?

That's where I get my ideas.

[Gohanto]

I have a word document with nothing but story, character, and shot ideas which I re-read through every so often and many time I re-read an idea differently so that it could actually work. Many times though it just finding two okay concepts and putting them together when I find things I'd like to do.

Although the real question is, how do people get their scripts together so fast then still uploading on the last day?

[pmark23]

I keep a doc open and type in ideas as I get them. After several years it's quite a few megs and has hundreds of story ideas.

[Tom Marshall]

Lsd... If that doesn't work, I just ask myself, what would Jack Daniel Stanley do?

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

LSD ... JDS there's only one letter of difference :)

[Tom Marshall]

Kinda like IBM and HAL. :laugh:

[ilauzirika]

In fact i didn't come with a story, the story came to a few days before the announcement of the new fest. When the new fest was announced I already had the story. Now I ust have to maake a script.....

[Tomas Riuka]

Great guys :) i got some concept but still working an a twist, hopefully i'm not gonna disappoint you :)

[Matthew R. Rodwell]

I hear "voices"

[Tomas Riuka]

seems like i came up with an idea myself quite fast... put up some different "requirements" out of them thought of possible targets, outcomes and everything just fell into places! scriptwriting process started! thanks to conspiracypenguinproductions!

[Tom Marshall]

I hear "voices"

Right now? Or in general? :thumbsup:

[ugafan]

how do you come up with ideas so fast?

time travel.

[Rodney V. Smith]

the stories are already written. it's up to us to remember how to write them

[traviscool]

I just heard about the time fest- I was moving so I did not get a lot of internet time. But I already have a pretty solid idea, hard to say where it came from. I just think about something crazy or haunting or shocking something very climatic like a car crash, or a bomb, foot chase, anything really then I just make up the events that lead up to it.

[Matthew R. Rodwell]

Right now? Or in general? :thumbsup:

In general, they usually tell me to burn things but this time they told me a little story that I am going to use for TimeFest :Drogar-Evil(DBG):

[Matt Sconce]

I see pictures in my mind...usually to music. I see emotional moments and they coalesce into an idea that I then flesh out by brainstorming with people I trust.

[sfoster]

Actually I am constantly writing Characters. Once it's announced, I pick a genre, a style, a story structure and then add the characters in. From there it's just filling in the blanks with creative thinking. You can hash out your concept in a few hours if you know your characters. Then you start casting while you are writing. Your actors may bring something to the character that takes you in a different direction which always makes it fun! NOW Having said that, this will be my first DVX fest, but I have done some other timed competitions. This isn't that fast actually! Try the 24hour film fest. You have 24 hours to write, cast, shoot, and edit your 2 minute film! INSANITY

[dory_breaux]

i adapted an idea i have had for a while.

[Mike@AF]

I already had 3 ideas that fit into this theme, surprisingly. Two are feature ideas and one is a short idea that we're considering developing into a feature. One of the features already has a treatment and the other will actually have a completed feature script tomorrow (taking a break from working on it right now). So we're considering adapting shorts from the two features and shooting the other short as well. Bottom line, they're all existing stories and extensions of existing stories.

[DChang]

I just read the rules and started thinking of ways to meet the requirements and the ideas started flowing. I personally start thinking of shots and scenes I can do and then think of a story.

I tried to think of movies but those all turned out bad cause well all the movies sucked. The last thing I want to enter to Timefest is something like NEXT :D

[Kholi]

I'd like to see someone pull off a NEXT in TimeFest. Pull it off well, I mean. Nothin' wrong with that.

[Vader]

i try to use the force to conjour my ideas mainly..

[John LaBonney]

i try to use the force to conjour my ideas mainly..

Let's try not to be too geeky, Clark.

[kevinkshah]

i think ideas come quickly and naturally, but then shaping them & executing them... that's what takes so damn long.

and post, and finding means to feed yourself and yours

but ideas, they sure are fleeting and quick as has been my experience.

(most are not 4 star ideas btw, but hopefully some that see their way to fruition are...)

[Scott W. Smith]

Painter Grant Wood (American Gothic) said; "All the good ideas I ever had came to me while I was milking a cow."

I've never milked a cow but I did write a blog called "Where Do Ideas Come From? (A+B=C)" (http://screenwritingfromiowa.wordpress.com/2008/03/01/where-do-ideas-come-from-abc/) that you may find useful. Coming up with ideas is a bit like staying in shape...it has to be a lifestyle.

[Zak Forsman]

thanks, scott. excellent read. you know, someone gave me that book, "The Artist’s Way", but i never read it. perhaps it's time to crack it open.

[soeborg]

Just listen to people