One of the most common if not overused adages in filmmaking is write what you know. But there’s good reason for it: It works¹.

When in a room with an Executive, Agent or Producer, the question is often asked, “Why are you the only person who can tell this story?” Well, when the movie idea comes from the Screenwriter’s own life, that’s a pretty convincing answer.

Where to come up with great movie ideas? Watch this video to find out.

Says Filmmaker Jason Charnick, “Most of my ideas do indeed come from personal experience. I always feel I need to be connected to the work in a way that’s personal to me.”

But what kind of personal experiences? Let’s find out!

Movies are generally about conflict. And even in the most supportive and healthiest of upbringings, childhood experiences and memories often make for great movie ideas.

This clip from Rushmore captures all the ways that high school students can experience this time in their lives. For Max Fischer, he wants all the experiences.

Why?

Consider all the many coming-of-age films from over a century’s worth of cinema: Rebel Without a Cause, American Graffiti, Dead Poets Society, Rushmore, and Moonlight just to name a few. No two adolescences are the same, which means that this time in life can be a rich one for movie ideas.

Graduating college. Getting married. Having a baby. Suffering loss. Any and all these life-changing events happen to many people, which can make them relatable to audiences on a large scale—and that is exactly why they make for compelling movie ideas.

In The Graduate, Ben Braddock is a recent college grad who doesn’t know what to do next with his life… That is until Mrs. Robinson comes along.

Much of what cinema is about is finding common ground through someone else’s story. That’s why seminal films such as The Graduate, Ordinary People, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding have continued to influence both Filmmakers and fans even decades after they were released.

While these films depict their characters’ particular experiences, the universality of those experiences resonate with those of us watching them play out on the big screen.

Love and relationships encompass far more than just getting married. Some relationships don’t work out. Some do but still don’t result in marriage. People get betrayed. Others do the betraying.

Casablanca’s Rick and Ilsa are the quintessential star-crossed lovers.

Few instances of personal experience can be more powerful than that of love and romance. So for the Screenwriter who feels at a loss for interesting movie ideas, they may need to look no further than their own romantic past for inspiration.

Some of the most iconic films are romances, including Casablanca, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Love Story, When Harry Met Sally…, and The Notebook. Whether a love that has endured, evolved or faded away, this personal experience is typically a great steppingstone for screenplays.

Travel allows us to experience different people, places, and cultures. It often makes for special memories as well.

As Roman Holiday demonstrates, even a real life princess needs to get away from it all every once in a while.

Think about it; it’s the photographs from trips and vacations that typically end up on work desks, living room walls, and computer wallpaper screens. So when a Screenwriter struggles to come up with that next great movie idea, it might be time to think back to a past holiday for inspiration.

Roman Holiday, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Dirty Dancing, and Eat Pray Love are just a few of the many films that use a locale unknown to the protagonists as a backdrop for the action that unfolds.

Depending on the job, many people spend at least a third of their lives, give or take, at their workplace or towards their professional ambitions. That’s a lot of hours.

Broadcast News does a memorable job of showcasing the triumphs and failures that come in the workplace.

It naturally follows that the location where that person has spent so much time would be a resource when it comes to finding interesting movie ideas. Writers in particular can mine their career past and present for script fodder. Why is that? Because they often have to take on various and sometimes odd gigs to keep the bills paid and food in the fridge until their creative payday comes in.

Hence, all the many films about work and its highs and lows. Consider His Girl Friday, 9 to 5, Broadcast News, Office Space, The Devil Wears Prada… All movies that center on life at the office.

It’s clear at this point that a Screenwriter’s own life can be a terrific resource when it comes to movie ideas. But that doesn’t mean it’s the only resource.

The world is a pretty big place and has no lack of opportunities for Writers looking for creative inspiration². In some instances, all it takes is looking outside the window to find that next great narrative.

We all want to come up with original movie ideas. But how? This video offers some tips.

Actor and Filmmaker Skylar Schock has this to say about her movie idea inspiration:

“I tend to be inspired by a mix of both personal experiences and outside influences. Often times it becomes a hybrid of putting a character like myself in a story inspired by something I read about or am drawn to. I also pay attention to what content I can’t stop consuming. For example, when I read about a person that moves me or I listen to a podcast I just don’t want to end, I will try and figure out how that ‘thing’ might play out in a film or script.”

And it’s that outside content that can trigger a Writer’s next big movie idea.

We already talked about how going to a new destination can stir the imagination, but the imagination is hardly bounded by it.

Amélie is a film-length love letter to Paris, as this clip of the film demonstrates.

All a Screenwriter has to do is get curious about any city or country in the world to get inspired. Paris, Rome, Cairo, Tokyo. Just pick a place. Films often find their magic not in the travel to a destination, but in what that destination’s culture or history offers.

Films like Before Sunrise, Seven Years in Tibet, Chocolat, Amélie, and Lost in Translation are as much about the charm of the location as they are about the characters in it.

Some Screenwriters want to write a life story… Just not their own. Fair enough.

Being a Writer doesn’t mean having to use the most personal and intimate moments of their lives for their scripts. But there are plenty of other stories out there. To be exact, seven and a half billion of them.

Not every movie idea should be pursued. This video explains both how to work with others on movie ideas and knowing when to let an idea go.

While true that many great films are biopics about well-known public figures, they are just a fraction of all the many more stories to share. As a Writer, the work is getting curious. What about that elderly neighbor? Or an old schoolmate? Or even the bagger at the grocery store?

There’s no shortage of options, but one important disclaimer: Should another person’s life story be used for a script, explicit written permission must be given.³ So go ahead and write that great movie idea—just get the okay from the subject of it first!

There are no more original ideas, right? Perhaps. But that doesn’t mean a great script can’t be written from a familiar story.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs kicked off what has become the highly successful use of public domain stories for Disney over the course of nearly 100 years.

Existing intellectual property has shown no signs of slowing down when it comes to what the studios in Hollywood want. But for the average Screenwriter, there’s just no way to afford the fees that come with getting the rights to such content… unless it’s public domain!

As with personal life stories, knowing what is legally permissible is of utmost importance⁴. That aside, Writers have at their disposal thousands of ideas that they can change, update, or faithfully adapt that are all in the public domain.

Not convinced? Consider Disney. This filmmaking giant has largely made its fortune on public domain stories, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and of course Frozen!

Not a day goes by in the world without something notable happening whether inspirational or heartbreaking. And in some instances, it’s a bit of both. Now considering just how long the world has been around, that’s a lot of stories to be told!

In appropriately dramatic fashion, Titanic retells the fateful night for the 2,240
passengers and crew on the iconic ship.

Sure, some have already had their time in the sun, such as films about ancient Rome or World War II. But all a Screenwriter needs to do is pick up a history book or newspaper to find some great movie ideas. If the past is more compelling, maybe that next idea will be about the Middle Ages or the Great Depression. If what is happening at this very moment is more intriguing, that’s an option, too.

Between films such as Lawrence of Arabia, Schindler’s List, Braveheart, Titanic, Saving Private Ryan, and more, it’s clear that Screenwriters have an endless source of movie ideas from world events to last a lifetime.

We’ve covered some of the most popular and successful ways to discover that next great movie idea. But the possibilities are truly limitless! Inspiration can be found nearly everywhere.

 You discovered a great movie idea? Congratulations! Now it’s time to execute it.

Consider these other brainstorming options for getting those creative juices flowing!

• Pick a movie genre you’d like to explore.
• Do a stream-of-consciousness journaling session.
• Get out into nature and lets the ideas come to you.
• All those random thoughts you have throughout the day? Write them down!
• Concerned about a social issue? Channel it into a script.
• Ask your friends and family about movie ideas they’d like to see on screen.
• Pick a holiday and write a screenplay around it.
• Browse interesting buildings and other unique locations. Create a story around one of them.
• Choose an interesting object like an antique vase or piece of heirloom jewelry and use it as a springboard for a screenplay.
• Make up your own superhero and a script story for them!
• Collect photos that you find compelling and use them for screenplay inspiration.
• Find inspiration from other artistic mediums such as paintings, sculptures, and songs.
• Flawed characters are always the most interesting. Pick a fault and base a script around a character with it.
• Everyone loves a great movie villain. Find inspiration by creating a script around an unlikeable character.
• Go back to your old material and tackle it from a fresh perspective.
• Get inspired by other Writers! Now might just be the perfect time to collaborate with another Screenwriter.

When it comes down to it, movie ideas are only as good as the Screenwriter putting them down on paper.

Beyond technical expertise and the discipline to do the work, the Writer must be passionate about the idea. Whether that inspiration comes from the Screenwriter’s life or outside of it, they can never truly run out of movie ideas. They need only to look with fresh eyes at their own experiences or those of the world around them for that next screenwriting stroke of genius.