60 Second Screenwriter: How to come up with story ideas?

A video series addressing key screenwriting concerns in one minute.

Some time ago, I proposed an idea to my DePaul University School of Cinematic Arts colleagues: What if we produced a lively, informative series of videos called 60 Second Screenwriter? The concept was simple: Aggregate questions relevant to anyone interested in the craft of screenwriting, then use DePaul students and faculty to produce the series?

And we did it! There are 14 videos, each about one minute long.

Today: How to come up with story ideas?

Two tips from the video: Be proactive in generating story ideas. The second one? Watch the video and discover the two most important words you can use to brainstorm story concepts.

I had a great time producing the 60 Second Screenwriter series working with my fellow faculty members and a terrific group of undergraduate and graduate students. Here is the production team:

Director: Penny Penniston
Producer: Scott Myers
Cinematography: Shannon Kuncé
Production Audio Mixer: Eagle Liao
Editor & Colorist: Ana Christian
Post Audio: Joey DeFabio

You may see more videos in the series at our YouTube channel.