Finding inspiration for a short film can be challenging, but it’s also an exciting opportunity to explore your creativity and develop your skills. Here are some helpful techniques to help beginners get started.
When you’re just starting out, there are a handful of different things you may be up against, including limitations of time, locations, cast and crew, budget, and technical know-how, especially if you’re learning how to make a short film by yourself.
Making a short film is a perfect gateway into the film industry, providing hands-on experience in every aspect of filmmaking, but coming up with ideas for your short film isn’t always easy. To help, here are some effective methods for developing ideas for a first project.
How to brainstorm short film ideas
It’s time to brainstorm. Finding the right idea begins with identifying what excites you about the films you love. What keeps you glued to the screen?
Making a list of keywords related to genre, situation, or mood is a great start. Techniques like “brainwriting” can take this further, especially in a group setting. In “brainwriting”, everyone writes down their ideas independently. These written ideas are then shared, allowing others to add or build on them. Everyone can contribute and you avoid groupthink, leading to more diverse and creative concepts.
Elliot Grove, the founder of Raindance Independent Film Festival, suggests one of the best ways to brainstorm short film ideas is to write little and often. Jot down or voice memo your short film ideas to remember them, revisit them, and then build these ideas later on.
Short film format ideas
Use the fact that your project is a “short” film as an exciting limitation. This forces you to tell your story as concisely and effectively as possible. Consider the art of brevity found in commercials, like Ridley Scott’s iconic “1984” Apple Macintosh ad, which manages to fit a whole story into a minute-long sequence — now, that takes some skill!
Other short-form film formats worth exploring:
- Movie trailers — If your story idea feels more feature-length, make it a short film by only making the trailer. Write just enough to describe a bigger movie while having fun with the “hype” presentation style.
- Cartoons — The classic Looney Tunes shorts told charming stories with iconic characters. Animation, real or rendered, is a superb approach for short films you might want to consider.
- Video art — Often more concerned with visuals over any narrative, video is a growing force in contemporary art.
Music videos
Song lyrics are always telling a story. Creating a narrative music video around a song or using music in place of a narrative can be a great way of making a short statement.
In fact, acclaimed movie director David Fincher started out making pop promos for leading artists like Madonna. While using commercial music is off-limits due to copyright, there are other ways!
- Local artists — Offer to create a music video for a local unsigned singer or band. Not only is the licensing issue ok, but it could also provide on- and off-screen collaboration.
- Royalty-free music — Explore a wide range of royalty-free music on Artlist. Either make a 3-4 minute video for a composition or find inspiring music for your short film’s soundtrack.
- Tone deaf — Could you portray the message of a popular hit song without actually playing the music at all?
Use artwork to inspire your short film ideas
Using a piece of art to spark your idea is a great starting point. You might think of a piece of art as a single frame within a story and then build a short film around it.
Hollywood feature films are rich with art references. The movie ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ (2003) tells artist Johannes Vermeer’s story via his famous painting of the same name
Using a piece of art as your starting point also gives you some helpful limitations to the story — putting the ‘short’ into short film, as it were.
Edward Hopper’s Room In New York (1932) is an example of an old painting to build a story around. Think about who these people are, what they’re doing, and how they got there. The same goes for many paintings and conceptual art – there’s a whole world of untapped short stories out there.
Where to find short film ideas online
If art isn’t your thing, then there are other places to look for inspiration:
- News headlines — John Lennon jumbled up news headlines to write Beatle’s classic “A Day In the Life,” and the same idea could help you form the plot of a short film.
- Wiki at random — Leave it to chance and click “Random article” on Wikipedia to find a starting point. We got “Bahadurpur,” a village in India, so bring on some Bollywood!
- Reddit ideas — Dive into the Writing Prompts subreddit for a treasure trove of situational sentences to build upon. Make sure to credit your sources.
- Plot generators — Use online tools that create basic story ideas based on your inputs.
- Story dice apps — Roll virtual dice to generate random plot elements across different categories.
Improvise as you go
Sometimes, your tools can guide your story. Experimenting with visual effects or editing techniques can lead to unique ideas. For example
- Specialized effects — Experiment with glitches, warping footage, or time-bending tools to craft sci-fi narratives.
- 3D compositing — Blend animation with real footage to create a seamless mix of imagination and reality.
- Green screen magic — Your short films aren’t confined to real locations. Transport your story to any setting without leaving your room. Get tips on using a green screen here.
- Text and subtitles —- Explore silent films with captions or subtitles as the primary storytelling tool.
Silent short film ideas
The silent approach can be traced back to the Lumière brothers. Experimental surrealist shorts like Un Chien Andalou (1929), where director Luis Buñuel and artist Salvador Dali made a bizarre, unsettling film using early cinema tricks, prove that dialogue isn’t always necessary. With creative visuals and clever editing, you can tell compelling stories in minutes.
“The Blended Life” is a 2019 short student film by Nikhilesh Bansod. More conventional in style but still dialog-silent, it uses contemporary CGI and 3D compositing to blur the line between VFX and reality. Less than 2 minutes long, it’s a concise example of how a showcase of video skills can produce an engaging narrative.
Watch other short films to help inspire your ideas
Platforms like YouTube are full of inspiring short films. Watching and analyzing them can provide valuable insights and spark new ideas. Sharing your concepts with others and gathering feedback is also a vital part of the creative process.
The short film format is a playground for limitless creativity. So, grab your camera, brainstorm your ideas, and start creating.
Ready to bring your short film idea to life? Find the perfect soundtrack and elevate your storytelling with royalty-free music from Artlist. Start exploring today!
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