photo credit: Sergio Conde Sánchez
Every great thing starts out as a small idea. This is a fact that every film-maker must come to accept. One should not expect to wake one morning with all the ideas needed to make a great film already in mind. What is important though is that at inspiration is seized immediately so that it can serve as the basis for other creative ideas to come out. People may not really notice it but even the epic movies all came from a single small idea. It is just that these ideas were later on developed further through a process called brainstorming. Brainstorming is not a task that can even compose five percent of the entire film-making process. However, its importance lies in the fact that it is here where all the aspects that can define a film are thought about.
It is best that the brainstorming session is participated by those who can really contribute to the agenda. These are persons who may share the same creative penchant. It is also necessary that parameters are set so that everyone who is in the brainstorming session would contribute ideas depending on the themes agreed upon. This will minimize the time spent for the session and will make it more fruitful also. Ideally, the brainstorming sessions should be attended by the director, the producers, and the screenwriters. In some instances, the actors may also join.
Creating the Hook
The movie’s hook is that one idea which actually holds the entire film together. Aside from wielding the unity of all the scenes and themes, the hook is also what makes the movie memorable for the viewers. Oftentimes, its title sums up or represents the hook in the most effective manner. While the hook can be very simple, it can be the most difficult to produce. That is why it is better that film-maker or a screenwriter take time in developing it. There are actually many possible sources of inspiration for the hook idea. One can base it on his or her journal, where the most spontaneous thoughts are written. It can be inspired by the events that are described in the latest headlines from broadcast and printed news. This may sound a bit weird but a cemetery can also be a great source of possible hook ideas. One can just walk around and read the inscriptions on the tombstones and be able to come up with beautiful story.
Since films are usually representations of what is happening in real life, it pays to have conversations with friends on almost everything, especially their respective states in life. One does not have to base the hook on just one life story. Creating a fictionalized version inspired by many life stories is a common practice. It may also help if a film-maker just travels around and experience the life and cultures of peoples in different countries. This would not only broaden their horizons; it would also result into more unique stories that can be told through film, a chance for other countries to have their cultures highlighted.
Watching old movies can also help a lot in coming up with a good hook. However, a film-maker should make sure that the movies he would watch are really old, perhaps four to five decades old. The problem with watching the more recent ones may just result in inspirations that bear very little difference from the said movies. Another good alternative for movies would be reading books, especially the classics. Not very many people are into reading the classics because of less appreciation for the kind of language used. The themes of such books can be made easier to understand by making movie versions. One thing that must be avoided would be watching television. TV can provide inspirations but the hook ideas resulting from it can be something that has become very familiar to moviegoers. Almost everyone watches TV, which is why finding out about the origin of the hook ideas can be a lot easier.
Making the Story Research
Creating the hook is just the beginning of the story’s development. Once the central idea is determined, the next step would be to add meat to it so that it could become a complete story. While imagination can be at play here, it is best that some concrete facts are also included. This would make the movie more believable for the moviegoers, especially if it is not under the fantasy film genre. Story research would certainly be necessary. With the internet, story research has become very easy to perform. However, it would even be better if the research is done in the field. Interviews of people with real experiences related to the hook idea tend to be more credible and, therefore, more intriguing for moviegoers.
The Premise
The premise is the subjective message of the film. It is actually the reflection of the film-makers’ personal stand on the issue that they are dealing with in the movie. This can be a tricky concern because it is true that reason why people watch movies is that they want to be entertained. They certainly do not spend a few dollars for the theatre just to listen to ideas being preached. Nevertheless, the relevance of movies is not just in its entertainment value but also in the message that it delivers. A film-maker who thinks otherwise and who only focuses on the entertainment value actually is in favor of the status quo, depicting his own points of view without really having to say or show anything in the film.
In making the movie’s premise, certain points have to be remembered. These include lessons to be learned by the audience, moral issues that should be discussed, conditions in society that need to be changed, people’s attitude or behavior that should be reformed, and government policies that need to be opposed or promoted. It is clear that the premise is what differentiates the film-maker from others because this is where his personal views are established. The challenge, however, would be to make sure that the message would be delivered without having to generate contempt from people with opposing views.
A good film-maker can handle well the combination of entertainment value and the more serious concern of premise in the movie. One who is really good at the craft would make sure that movie is entertaining without compromising the messages that should be delivered. He would also make sure that the lessons are to be learned by the audience, or issues to be understood by them, without having to bore them for the film’s lack of entertainment values.
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