Short Film Ideas to Boost Film Productivity

The difficulties that come with making movies tend to keep many independent filmmakers in pre-production limbo. Here are short film ideas that can help you move past the scripting stage and actually get a motion picture completed.

Time-Restricted Film Challenges

Motivate yourself to become more productive using official filmmaking contests such as the 48 hour film project or local 24 hour competitions for inspiration. Write a short film script, shoot it and edit it within a specific amount of time that you set for yourself. Make sure to adhere to strict guidelines regarding the 24-48 hour deadlines, which can help you become more disciplined and focused on reaching filmmaking goals. The time restrictions can even be longer, such as 72 hours up to one full week if necessary, depending on the needs of your production. The purpose of this challenge is to encourage you to become more active by developing short film ideas that can be completed without enormous production budgets, creative setbacks and factors that hinder your productivity.

Holiday Inspired Genre Films

Expand your filmmaking horizons by producing movies that vary in genre and format. The holidays can be used as inspiration for short film ideas that are centered around specific times of the year. Some filmmaking options include producing a love story during the month of February, family films in December, and one short horror film as October approaches. Shoot each film in a style that differs from the previous project, such as making documentaries in the spring if you produced animation during the fall. You can also make alternative versions or mockumentaries of movies that were already released. Consider placing characters or plots in different settings such as creating a "Little Fockers" movie where the characters are forest animals or aliens from outer space.

Book Adaptations

Buy the rights to a short story or children's book from self-published authors, students or literary contest winners and then create a movie that is based on this material. You may even be able to partner with the author or publisher later on to promote each other's projects. The adaptation is among many short film ideas that allow you to collaborate with other professionals while becoming a productive filmmaker. Accompany the author on their book tour, where you can sell DVDs of your movie and then share the proceeds if necessary.