Look online, around your house, etc. for an object and come up with a script idea about it. Or a scene idea.
Example: I found a picture of a clock online and came up with a script idea about time stopping at random times for a man.
Screenwriting : Script Idea/Scene Idea Exercise – OBJECT by Maurice Vaughan
Script Idea/Scene Idea Exercise – OBJECT
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This is a great exercise. I used my journal. The script idea is a man find s a journal that grants his every wish he writes in it but they all come with a catch.
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I like that idea, Bobby G. And I like that there's a catch. That makes the idea even more interesting.
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At my most recent MFA residency I did a cross-genre study in creative non-fiction.The professor had us think back to an old pair of shoes that we remember having and then use that prompt to write a story. It was a fantastic exercise.
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I like that, Michael Fitzer! That's two exercises in one. Using an object to come up with a story idea and using the past to come up with an idea.
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Great idea! In front of me on my desk is a tiny Lego vending machine. I can imagine a script that starts with someone regaining consciousness only to find he's inside a giant vending machine, trapped in a food pouch that says his name in a colorful font. A huge being is standing in front of the glass scrutinizing him, assessing whether or not he's worth the fifty cents. The creature inserts the impossibly large (and loud) coins in the slot, punches D4 on the pad just out of view, and the large coil holding the character's pouch in place begins to rotate, pushing him towards the drop.
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Thanks, Patrick "PK" Koepke. That's creative! I'd watch that movie! I can see it as a Sci-Fi, Horror, Thriller, or Action. Even an Animation movie.
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Maurice Vaughan It could definitely work as any of those. Maybe a light-hearted animated sci-fi film where the protagonist is used to being "big" (a CEO, a military general, sports star, etc.) now deals with being small. An easy character arc to be sure, but effective.
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I can see it being a light-hearted animated Sci-Fi and having a lot of clever, fun scenes, Patrick "PK" Koepke. And maybe there are other characters in the giant vending machine. You could go in different directions with the story.
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Definitely agree, Maurice Vaughan! This was a fun mental exercise and a good reminder that inspiration is right in front of us all the time, if we just look around.
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(Imagine a "Murphy's Law" type character, always doubting, negative, etc. and when he's selected he gets caught on the glass and doesn't drop.)