We all find ourselves with a lot of time on our hands at the moment.
There are those out there who are using this unique time to get creative. There are also those out there that are using this time to watch Netflix. But the two activities needn’t be mutually exclusive.
You might have decided you will use this time to finish that half-finished screenplay that’s been sitting on your desktop for a year. Or you might want to use this time to start the screenplay you’ve always wanted to write.
But how can you make this practical? What can you actually do to get the creative process started? And how you can you turn ideas you have whilst watching Netflix into a reality?
Let’s take a look at some tips and tricks for kicking the creative process into gear:
1 – Watch Films/TV That Inspire You Rather Than Just Inform You
What are those films/TV shows that really light up your imagination? Do you ever find yourself drawn back to a film or specific series episode but can’t quite put your finger on why?
It might be tempting to constantly resort to binging the latest docu-series. But make sure you’re not getting complacent with your viewing habits. Are you watching films/series that get your creative juices flowing? Of course, it’s important to have a balance of both. But make sure that you’re giving yourself a healthy diet of stories that relax and entertain you and stories that inspire and provoke you.
It’s worth sitting down to analyze why you love your favorite film or TV show.
- What are the themes? Why might they speak to you?
- What is the style? Why might that speak to you?
- Who are the main characters? What is it about them that you like or relate to?
By getting to the root of why you like something you will help kickstart your own creative process.
- What are the themes you want to talk about?
- What is the style that most reflects you?
- Who are the kinds of characters you want to represent?
2. Try Free-Writing Loglines
Don’t overthink it at this stage. Just put pen to paper (or more likely fingers to keyboards). A great way to get fully into the creative process is to just go with the flow.
However, writing loglines is a way of keeping that flow relatively focused and ordered.
- A logline is a concise and striking summary of your screenplay in one or two sentences.
- It describes the main purpose of your story and makes perfectly clear what the goal of the protagonist is and the stakes of reaching that goal are.
For example, the logline of Booksmart is: ‘On the eve of their high school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends realize they should have worked less and played more. Determined not to fall short of their peers, the girls try to cram four years of fun into one night.’
So brainstorm some ideas with these rules in mind. What is the setting, protagonist, goal and stakes? These don’t have to be perfect at this stage. But by getting ideas down on the page you will have well and truly kickstarted the creative process.
Furthermore, you’ll be able to see what sticks and what doesn’t. You might have a page full of ideas that leave you feeling cold. Or there might be a diamond in the rough there, that idea that you feel you can expand on and start developing.
3. Surround Yourself With Research but Find the Characters
Is there a particular subject you want to explore? A certain historical time period that fascinates you? Researching such things is a great way to get into your creative process.
The motivation of research is a great way of surrounding yourself with inspiration. So you love Roman history? You could delve into countless books on the time period, countless movies, countless pieces of art and academic research. The opportunity to fully immerse in this world is definitely there. By making it come to life in your imagination you might be more likely to come across the story you want to tell.
What’s important, however, is to always look for who the protagonist in this world and story will be. Having a clear and detailed picture of a time period or subject is a great asset. But it will mean nothing unless there is a convincing and captivating character leading the audience through this time period or subject.
Try and think of these two aspects as separate elements that need to be brought together. Develop the idea of who you want your character to be and what their main motivation will be. Then plunge them into the world/subject matter you want.
Sometimes a protagonist will scream out from a particular subject matter or time period (a famous character or someone at the forefront of a subject, for example). Sometimes you’ll have to work hard to find that all-important guide for your story.
Conclusion
There’s no official way to kickstart your creative process. Everyone is different and sometimes finding what works for you is almost as difficult as doing the actual creative bit.
But easing yourself in, with techniques such as the above, can be vital. Don’t start your creative process with a jolt but embed yourself in a way of thinking. A way of thinking that can unfold over time. Time spent embedding yourself in the right creative process will be time saved on the other end of your screenplay.
Photo Credit
Image by Lukas Bieri from Pixabay
Guest Author Bio
James Robert
James Robert is a content writer for Industrial Scripts. Founded in 2010 by a former Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures script consultant, today Industrial Scripts is one of the world’s leading script development companies. With over 1,000 verified testimonials, we deliver superior support to writers and filmmakers from around the world, while our online and offline training courses educate and inspire. Finally, our popular blog – Character Driven – informs and entertains.
Recent Guest Author Articles:
- From License to Lifestyle - How State Choice Impacts Nursing Journeys
- Your Online Reputation Is Everything (Here's How to Build It Fast)
- 5 Spiritual Resources to Help Humanity in Times of Crisis
- Between Judgment and Hope: Navigating the Gray Areas of the Justice System
- Empowered to Advocate: How to Become the Voice for the Silent
Please Share Your Thoughts - Leave A Comment!