Idea Generation
- Rachel Eaton
- Mar 17
- 13 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Before the brief was delivered I had some initial ideas of some subjects that I could do the project on.
Initial ideas:
The importance of physical media
How to become a film nerd
Kdramas vs western tv dramas
Podcast series with end of series mini documentary
The decline of the movie industry
Getting young people into film
How to launch a career in film
How to become a director/actor
How a film set works, how a film is made, interviews with different roles in the production
How film impacts the our views on love
How each country makes a film, the differences between production and impact
Women making films, about women, for women
I am aiming to do my project on the topic of the film industry. However, there are different topics that may interest me aswell, like the media industry, acting, presenting, fashion, motorsport, music ect. So I will begin by researching the film industry in depth to help me generate ideas, and lightly look into other topics so I can have a range of ideas to choose from and test out.
I have to do a written piece alongside the technical piece, but that will most likely be a piece of research formatted into an article, a conclusion of what I have discovered throughout the process or about the subject in a whole. For my technical piece I choose to do a short film, however depending on my subject I may choose to do a podcast instead. The first thing I can do is research into documentaries to understand what type I may want to create.
There are the 6 modes of Address
An idea should have these elements:
Subject
Medium
Audience
Angle (where are you coming from when asking the question? are you going to be a part of it?)
Scope (What question are you going to ask? How much are you going to address)
Inspo
Why (why are you the right person to do this? why are you interested in it?)
Research on documentaries:
For inspiration look at shortverse documentaries:
I researched film industry topics and got some ideas for topics I could do my project on:
Women in filmmaking
Mental health in film, specifically depression and anxiety
The evolution of female protagonists in action films
Gender stereotypes in film
The rise of indie films in the streaming era
Cinematic portrayals of historical events
The use of long takes and their impact on storytelling
Cinema as a tool for social change with case studies
The phenomenon of cult films and their dedicated fanbases
Non-linear narratives in storytelling
The roles of film festivals in discovering new talent
The challenges and triumphs of adapting literature into film
The dynamics of on-screen chemistry: What makes it work?
The influence of cinema on fashion trends
The significance of opening and closing shots in films
The evolution of the teen movie
The role of archetypes in film genres
The impact of global locations of film production and storytelling
The use of silence as a narrative tool in cinema
The portrayal of villainy and moral ambiguity in film
The influence of social media on film marketing and audience engagement
The portrayal or relationships and love in rom coms
The future of cinema in the age of streaming services
Independent cinema and moving away from Hollywood norms
Sources:
I found lists of essay topics about film and took ideas that I found interesting so that I could delve deeper into them and find which ones I would be most passionate about and would have access to talk about. I have gathered around 37 ideas, some of which I had thought of myself, some of which were taken from idea research.
To decrease my list of ideas, I will pick the ones that interest me the most and then after I will conduct secondary research into my shortlisted ideas to get a better understanding of the topic and how I could make it into a a production myself. I will shortlist the ideas into my top 10, but I can always return back to other ideas if I find that an idea is not working.
Top 10 ideas:
How to become a film nerd/actor/filmmaker or how to make a film
Is the movie industry in decline?
The rise of independent films, cinema and moving away from Hollywood norms
Women making films, about women, for women
The influence of cinema on fashion trends
The future of cinema in the age of streaming services
The use of silence as a narrative tool in cinema
The role of archetypes in film genres
The importance of physical media
The dynamics of on-screen chemistry: What makes it work?
I will research all of these ideas individually to see which is most relevant and important now, which interests me the most and which I will have access to.
How to become a film nerd/actor or how to make a film
This idea is about creating a 'How to' style video, which will emerge me into the documentary as I set myself a goal to become a film nerd or an actor, whilst I investigate the topic of choice alongside, interviewing experts in the field who can help me along. My aim is to make an entertaining and informative documentary, where I investigate the topic by participating in it.
However there are three different ideas for a 'How to' style project, so I need to research each one separately:
Film nerd:
My goal in this topic would be to try and become a cinephile, by watching some of the greatest films of all time, having a letterboxed profile and adding reviews, asking experts and the public what the greatest films are for them, conducting research about what makes a good vs great film from the audience perspective vs critics, among other things, and relaying this information in piece to cameras to educate the viewers.
I will interview film experts, self-proclaimed cinephiles, people in the industry, film content creators and the public.
My question is what is the greatest film of all time? My aim is to become a film nerd/cinephile, learn about films, how they are made, how to analyse one, their impact on society and so on. I need to learn what is important to a cinephile and what they think about when it comes to film. I also want to look into how they consume and interact with film.
What this would require:
Watching at least the top 10 greatest films of all time, according to IMDb or Letterboxed
Researching and learning what makes a great film
Picking a film and analysing it and writing a review for letterboxed
Start posting film content on social media, which requires research and production
Interviewing film fans and content creators
Interviewing experts
Vox pops with public about the greatest films of all time
Do something on physical media and see if it is preferred among cinephiles to collect dvds and blu rays ect.
I could reach out to a film blog or something that film fans love, like letterboxed, rotten tomato, IMDb, HMV, FOPP, Netflix ect. for some sort of collaboration, whether that be an interview or something more.
Actor:
For this topic I will investigate how to become and actor and try to start an acting career from nothing, taking viewers along with me on the journey. The process will be similar to the film nerd topic. I will try to immerse myself into the acting scene locally and online and do things affordably and accessibly because not everyone is rich. I will do research into the acting industry and learn to act and practice the craft documenting my experience and aswell as interviewing experts to gain a better understanding and be guided on my journey.
I will interview actors (aspiring, beginner and experienced), casting directors, acting teachers, and hopefully connect with an acting school or agency to incorporate into my project.
What this would require:
Researching how to become an actor with no experience or connections
Creating connections in the industry
Studying the craft of acting
Practicing acting through social media content, short films ect
Finding an aim, e.g act in a short film by the end so it requires reaching out to local students and productions to see if I can audition for and possibly act in their short film
Take an acting class, workshop, coaching
Interviews with actors and experts in the industry
Constantly documenting my journey
I need to research how to become an actor and find a guide like Backstage. Then I need to try to follow it as best as I can in my situation. I may reach out to an acting company, blog, agency whatever for collaboration. E.g Backstage, Actors Access, The Actors Workshop, The Televsion Workshop, The Actors Gym, ActUpNorth, Mandy, Spotlight ect.
Make a film:
This will display the process of creating a film, with expert interviews to give insight about every part of the process of how a film is made. Alongside it I will try to make a short film of my own and document the process of that.
This will require me to make a film in a film so it may not work and will add to the challenge so I will rule this idea out.
Is the movie industry in decline?
I will investigate whether the industry is in decline, with expert interviews with people in indie and blockbusters aswell as people starting out.
The rise of independent films
This topic will be looking at the rise of independent films, and what role they play in the industry challenging Hollywood norms and showcasing diverse talent aswell as the recent success of indie films at the Oscars and other awards.
Topics:
The effect of streaming on indies
Boredom of sequels- lack of creativity from studios
Oscars recognition
Experimentation
Diverse stories: different voices, language, more human stories
Rise of cinema with megaplex cinemas bringing more opportunity to showcase indie films and a growth in popularity and demand
Women making films, about women, for women
This idea is about women filmmakers creating films about women characters aimed towards women as the audience. However it will celebrate not just that niche, but women in film generally, breaking barriers in the male-dominated films, especially directing. I will focus on women making films, producing, directing, writing aswell as characters in film who are challenging the female stereotypes and harmful portrayal of women in film, and how to combat that.
The influence of cinema on fashion trends
I will explore how cinema creates fashion trends how stylists create the wardrobe for films, what they consider and how it tells stories, and how press tours and interviews are styled to promote the film. I will talk to fashion experts, actors and fans.
The future of cinema in the age of streaming services
More and more films are going directly to streaming services, bypassing cinema and the traditional distribution process. I will investigate if there is a decrease in cinema attendance, if cinema culture has changed because of streaming services and aim to get an insight into how film makes it to the cinema vs streaming services. I will interview distributors, interview cinema owners and have a case study of an independent cinema.
The use of silence as a narrative tool in cinema
Silence can be a very powerful narrative tool, and I will research how it is used to great effect, provide examples and explain the different ways it works. I will interview writers, directors, actors and fans.
The role of archetypes in film genres
I will research archetypes and how they impact storytelling and characters and the wider effect on society, how society is displayed in film and how it influences the state of society. I will interview writers, actors, fans and critics, and maybe an expert who could explain the wider societal impact.
The importance of physical media
Physical media is extremely important but on decline due to streaming services. I will research the importance, how physical media is made, its importance in the modern world, how it can help keep the movie industry alive and thriving and investigate the ways that different people are trying to keep the format alive, fans and companies. I will interview people who collect physical media, the companies that sell physical media and distributors.
The dynamics of on-screen chemistry: What makes it work?
This one will let me focus on acting in film and the thoughts that go behind it. How actors interact, how real life relationships are portrayed safely and realistically on-screen. I will interview actors, intimacy coordinators, casting directors, directors and fans.
To make it easier to research I will shortlist the ideas to only 5:
How to become a film nerd/actor or how to make a film
The rise of independent films
The influence of cinema on fashion trends
The importance of physical media
The dynamics of on-screen chemistry: What makes it work?
I am going to develop my ideas of doing a performative documentary more.
How to become a film nerd ideas:
What is the film nerd?
What are the characteristics of a film nerd/cinephile?
What do film nerds do? How do they interact with films? Fan-culture of film
Sub-cultures of film nerds
I could pick one of the films and recreate an outfit from it and do a photoshoot for a part of the documentary.
How many times does a film nerd watch a film? How many times do you need to watch a film, to review it?
What matters to a film nerd? The directing, cinematography, acting, sound, colour, set ect.
What is the greatest film of all time? What do you go by when deciding the greatest? IMDb list? Letterboxed list? I can try and connect with letterboxed or BFI or something like that and that could influence the list I go by.
What do fans want from films and what do they take away?
Is collecting physical media important? I could collect the top 10 in dvd
I could start a podcast in the film, where I analyse the top 10 films I watch, or just make social media content for them, a short analysis
I need to learn how to analyse films
I am doing this to help me prepare for university where I am going to study filmmaking, and I feel behind in my knowledge of films
I could also compare cinema vs streaming service experience as I try to become a film nerd
From film noob to film nerd
Also take a look at fan favourite and culturally significant films, cult classics and must watch films before you die. Include recent releases.
How different genres affect film nerds? How culture and other things like that affect what films people like?
Indie or studio produced films?
Also reflect on bad films, the worst films of all time and what makes them objectively bad
Cult classics, films that everyone references, most referenced films of all time in other films and tv
Most popular vs greatest films of all time
How do you learn about films? How do you gain knowledge and become able to discuss films with others? Is it just by watching as many films as possible, is it by watching certain films?
Learn a bit of film history
How often do film nerds go to the cinema?
DVD or Blu-Ray or 4K?
What is it important to know about the film industry?
What communities do cinephiles form on and offline?
What makes a director, actor or genre a favourite of a film buff?
Do film nerds like to think positively when watching a film, or are they only considering ways to critique the film?
To what extent is the analysing powers of a film nerd, do they want to analyse every detail, find symbolism in everything or is it just about understanding the film and its meaning?
How much do film nerds know about the production of films?
Subject: Becoming a film nerd, gaining knowledge of films and trying to become part of the community
Medium: Film and article, performative documentary and an article from 1st person
Audience: Film fans and people in the film industry, young people and anyone with an general interest in films, which many people have
Angle: Immersing myself in the experience,
Scope: Top 10 greatest films of all time according to official lists, some classic must watch films, learning to analyse and discuss films, becoming a film nerd
Inspiration: Tik tok content series about becoming a film bro, Supersize Me inspired me to do a performative documentary where I am directly involved and set myself a challenge to try to complete
Why: I have an interest in film but not a great knowledge and haven't watched some classics, so I want to learn what it takes to be a cinephile and have a wide knowledge of film, preparing me for my university studies in filmmaking
Ideas:
For the intro it could be typing the title into google and it transitioning into an artistic tittle
I could do the top 10 films and do a bit about watching each of them, it isn't its own segment but runs throughout breaking up different segments to show that watching these films was a developing process like the whole documentary is, but watching the top 10 films is my main goal
Maybe I can make a podcast in the film, to display my film discussion skills, which is part of being a film nerd
Just like Andie Anderson I am the 'How to' girl
Show the state of my letterboxed and find which films I want to watch, adding them to my watchlist
Get advice from film experts on how to become more knowledgeable before I start the process
Do a vox pop about the greatest films of all time, that everyone should watch before they die
Have steps to follow for the process, a guide because that is what I am trying to create for the audience
Montage at the start of what I get up to during the process like a 'coming up' sequence'
Do a skit in it called film nerd on film nerd, a skit based on the actors on actors thing, but need to do research if that will be allowed
Maybe for the evaluation I could do a short video for social media to help promote it, sharing what I have learnt from the process, and talk about what went into it, like a behind-the-scenes
I will talk to a film fan (film nerd) to give me a guide on what to do and then after I begin the process I will talk to experts in the industry about how people interact with film and the wider impact of film fans on the industry, aswell as film nerds themselves about their personal experience as film connoisseurs
Becoming a film nerd is like film school, learn about films, different elements, watch films. Need to study film as an art form as part of the documentary
What makes 'How to become a film nerd' unique?
First of all it is a performative documentary, so its from my perspective and about my experience, which makes it inherently unique. Also it is a different take on the topic. Instead of researching and producing a piece that answers 'what is the best film of all time?' or 'what is the experience of film fans?' and interviewing people, I am directly trying to answer this question myself, show it in motion, I'm taking a unique angle. This will set me apart from competition, and adds human interest because viewers will be able to follow my journey and learn from my experience. There are a quite a few videos called 'how to ...' out there especially on social media however there is a gap for someone to do it about film, not loosing weight or becoming a genius, but becoming a film nerd.
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