Alright, folks, gather ’round, because today I’m diving into something totally wild I tried out. It all started with this crazy idea: What if I made a short film concept about a cop who goes full-on vigilante in a post-apocalyptic wasteland?
The Brainstorm
First, I just let my imagination run wild. I started scribbling down whatever popped into my head. Think Mad Max meets, like, Dirty Harry, but even grittier. I pictured this lone cop, haunted by his past, roaming a ruined city, dispensing his own brand of rough justice.
I spent a good few hours just jotting down keywords:
- Deserted cityscapes
- Makeshift weapons
- Moral ambiguity – is he really a good guy?
- Survival at all costs
- Ruthless gangs
- Dust, everythings cover by dust.
Character Development
Next, I needed to flesh out this cop. I didn’t want a superhero. I wanted someone flawed, someone broken. I started asking myself questions:
- What was his name? (I went with “Jax” – sounded tough enough.)
- What drove him to become a vigilante? (Lost his family, maybe?)
- What are his skills? (Ex-military, expert marksman, hand-to-hand combat… the works.)
- What’s his weakness? (Maybe he drinks too much, maybe he’s reckless.)
I spent a whole evening just building up Jax’s backstory. It felt like creating a character for a video game, only way more intense.
World-Building
Then came the fun part – designing the world. I knew I wanted a desolate, decaying city. I started looking at pictures of abandoned places, Chernobyl, Detroit… you know, places that looked like the world had ended.
I imagined what caused the apocalypse. Was it a war? A plague? I leaned towards a nuclear war, because, well, it’s classic. I visualized how people would survive, what kind of gangs would form, what resources would be scarce. I even sketched out some maps of the city, marking key locations like Jax’s hideout, gang territories, and water sources.
Plotting the Story
This was the tricky part. I had a character and a world, but I needed a story. I started with a simple premise: Jax stumbles upon a group of survivors being terrorized by a particularly nasty gang. He has to decide whether to get involved or just keep walking.
I roughed out a basic three-act structure:
- Act 1: Introduce Jax and the world. Show his isolation and his brutal methods.
- Act 2: Jax crosses paths with the survivors and the gang. Conflict escalates.
- Act 3: Showdown! Jax takes on the gang, maybe sacrificing himself in the process.
I didn’t go into too much detail, but I had enough to give me a sense of direction. I added more details to make it more real.
Visualizing the Film
Okay, so, I can’t actually make a movie (yet!). But, I started collecting images, photos, anything that helped me visualize the film.
I started thinking about the cinematography. I wanted a washed-out, desaturated look, lots of handheld camera work to give it that raw, documentary feel. I even thought about the music – something gritty and industrial, maybe with some mournful blues thrown in.
The Outcome
After a week of tinkering, dreaming, and a whole lot of coffee, I had something that felt… real. It was just a concept, a collection of notes and sketches, but it was my concept. It was a world I’d built, a character I’d created, a story I’d plotted. And honestly, it felt amazing. I’d taken an initial idea and turned it into something tangible. It felt good.
Who knows, maybe one day I’ll actually turn this into a real short film. But for now, it’s a reminder that even the craziest ideas can be brought to life with a little bit of effort and a whole lot of imagination.
Go and try it!
