How to Think of Ideas for Your Web Video

"What can I make my video about?"

"Got any ideas?"

Does this sound familiar? It is probably why you are here in the first place, right? Well, I am not going to give you any specific idea for your video in this article. But before you get mad and leave, let me say that by reading this article, it will help you easily come up with an idea by yourself in no time. Oh ... doesn't sound so bad after all, eh? Well read on. There are two types of videos you most likely want to make, comedy or horror.

Well let's get the first one out of the way. You want to make a funny comedy skit, right? Go ahead, admit it, it's okay. So where do you get an idea? I am sure that you are familiar with late night weekend TV shows featuring comedy skits. Every week they have to pack six to ten comedy skits into a one-hour show. How do they come up with all those ideas? Spoofs, that is how. Spoofs are quick and easy skit ideas. Think of some familiar show, movie, commercial or topic you know of, turn it around and spoof it. Modify the show's title or brand name and put a twist on its meaning. Change the characters' names with funny words. Think of how the show, scene or commercial can be done in a different and unexpected way.

A newscast or a news report is another type of spoof skit that is easy to do. For ideas, all you have to do is watch the news, or you can think of your own news stories. A fire, burglary, news conference or special events are always good scenarios. Maybe you could try a news magazine-type show, and do an interview with a fake entertainer, sports hero or other guest. Current topics and events are always useful for coming up with ideas. What is happening in the world around you? Can you stay within the bounds of decency and taste with the topics you choose? If all else fails just pick an everyday thing that you do to build your story around, like eating a bowl of cereal, getting the mail, taking out the trash, making a snack, or washing your hair. Try a subject you have knowledge in and are familiar with, like a favorite hobby. Any situation or daily task can be a source for ideas. It doesn't sound so hard coming up with ideas now, huh?

Here is one last thing about comedy. If you want to do comedy, go for it. Just remember that making something funny is not as easy as it might seem. It requires physical timing, proper planning and plenty of rehearsals. I do not mean to be a stick in the mud, but this is how it is. Comedy is about the hardest thing to pull off successfully. It is easier for actors to be dramatic, angry or scared. To pull off the timing of a physical pratfall, or speak funny dialogue, make it all look natural and unassuming, requires greater skills from the actors. What is more, your skit will require good comedic writing skills. I only say this because if you plan on uploading your comedy masterpiece on some web site for the whole world to see, prepare yourself for a little criticism by others who see it. If you just throw your video together without any planning, guess what? Your video will look that way, and the response it receives may be more deflating and discouraging than it needs to be. To avoid any additional and unnecessary criticism, maybe once you think of an idea, the next thing you should do is to plan your idea out. You want everybody to think your video is funny, right?

Maybe you feel adventurous and want to do a science fiction thriller, horror, or murder mystery skit. This will require even more writing and planning if you want people to like it. Starting to see a pattern here? I suppose you can just tell the basics of the scene and let the actors ad-lib, but how much time do you want to spend with the actors, debating the details of what you want them to say or do? Think about the others helping you with your video. Will they want to wait around for you to make up your mind? If you are paying them, no problem, they can wait. But when they are doing it for free, they might get bored waiting around for you to decide what to do next. They came to help you record a video. Whether it is a funny skit, or horror scene, wouldn't it be easier and less time consuming if you had a script? Hopefully, deciding on an idea for your video is now easier than you thought. Putting it all together into a skit that is funny, or makes sense is another matter.

Let us say that you have a basic comedy idea. Two people sitting on a park bench, watching others walk by. Simple enough. Okay, you begin by listing ideas on a piece of scrap paper. Does your video take place on a sunny day, or is it windy? Does it take place at night (see Lighting)? What kind of personalities does each of the two characters have? How will you introduce them to the viewer? Will they just be sitting there, or walk into the scene? Who do you think will be at the park? What kind of different people do you think will pass by your characters? What things usually happen at a park during the day, or at night? Write down any ideas you can think of, you do not have to use all of them.

Pick out a few favorites in your list, and expand each idea on another sheet of paper. How will your characters respond and interact with the people or situations you choose? What will the characters do? Don't worry about dialogue for now, or what will be said. Just write down what will happen for each idea. Pick out a few more ideas, and briefly expand on those. Not every idea will work out, so you want to have some back ups. Next, create an outline on another page. Again, do not worry about what will be said. How will your story begin? How can you quickly introduce the characters? Which idea will take place first, and which will be next? How will you end your video? The ending is the final comedic or dramatic moment you have built up to. Do you know what you have now? In the film and television industries, it is called a script treatment. It is basically just an overview of your story, but now your ideas have a beginning, middle and end. Now ask yourself, does it still sound like something you want to make into a video? Great! Let's move on.

Now you will need to write a script. It does not have to be a fancy one, but this may not be your favorite part of the process. It might even take you longer to do this than actually taping your video. Just remember that it is necessary. It will make your video look more polished and rehearsed, and will make taping it so much easier. Writing a script is not that hard, really. All you are doing is adding the words of what will be said. You already know what will happen by reading your script treatment. See how that previous brainstorming and writing paid off? Now just add the words. If you need help writing a simple script, read my article 'TV Careers: Scriptwriting and Audio Visual (A/V) Scripts for Television and Video'. You will find the reference link on this page.

You may even want to make a storyboard of your video for a visual aide. A storyboard is just a reference tool to use while you are taping your scenes, so you can remember how you originally envisioned them. A storyboard looks like a simple comic strip, and it doesn't have to be very elaborate. You can draw stick figures if you want. All you are after is a visual reference to use besides your script. Writing the words of what will be said is really more important. This may not be your favorite part, but you have to remember. The reason you want to make your video is because you were inspired at some time, by something you saw, that was created by someone else. Whatever it was that inspired you, you were inspired by proper planning, a well-written script, skillful acting, exceptional directing, and creative editing in post-production. Whether your video is a comedy, or science fiction thriller, if you want people to like it, you have to put some effort into it.

Having said all of this, there are plenty of videos out there of people doing funny things to themselves or with objects, sometimes just ad-libbing in front of a camera. I suppose there are a few of these people with genuine talent and natural comedic gifts. They may even occasionally create something with mass-appeal entertainment value, without a great deal of planning. But can that be said of all the videos you see on the web? It seems that the most popular online videos are those that have a certain amount of production values, and are well thought out. This is why you are still reading this article. You want your video to stand out and be noticed.

Whatever your idea is, whatever it is you want to say or present, the hope is that your video will be entertaining, and accepted with an understanding of how you envisioned and interpreted it. It does not make a difference if your video is a simple skit, or an artistic personal statement. This is what you really want, acceptance. The idea you come up with is easy, and only the beginning of what you want to create for us to see. Your first efforts may not be your best, but that is OK. You can be satisfied in knowing that your next video will always be better than your last one. I can tell you this from personal experience. Good luck with finding an idea for your video, and most importantly, have fun making it.