100 Films That Have Stood The Test of Time.

Films stand the test of time for a reason. Most of the films that do have a brilliant script, and superb acting; but are low in special effects. Working in the film industry is one of the best careers you could possibly have. So get some popcorn, here is my top 100 films that every budding filmmaker should watch and learn from.

1. Citizen Kane (1941) (Obvious but brilliant)
2. All About Eve (1950)
3. The Godfather (1972)
4. The Godfather II (1974)
5. Shawshank Redemption (1994)
6. 12 Angry Men (1957)
7. Ben Hur (1959)
8. The Lion King (1994)
9. Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs. (1937)
10. The Breakfast Club (1985)
11. Jaws (1975)
12. Die Hard (1988)
13. Casablanca (1952)
14. The Jungle Book. (1967)
15. Dr Strangelove, Or How I learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb. (1964)
16. Caddyshack (1980)
17. Lawrence Of Arabia. (1962) This is Steven Spielberg’s favourite film, and for good reason.
18. The Life of Brian (1979)
19. Flight of The Phoenix (1965)
20. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
21. The Searchers. (1958)
22. Wizard of Oz (1939)
23. West Side Story (1961)
24. Girl Interrupted (1999)
25. On The Waterfront (1954)
26. Toy Story. (1995)
27. Dirty Dancing (1987)
28. Cleo From 5 to 7. (1962)
29. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
30. The Elephant Man (1980)
31. Cinema Paradiso (1988)
32. Annie Hall (1977)
33. Top Gun (1986)
34. The Big Sleep (1946)
35. Grease (1978)
36. Stand By Me (1986)
37. Rocky (1976)
38. Psycho (1960)
39. Goodfellas (1990)
40. The Omen (1976)
41. Raider’s of the Lost Ark. (1981)
42. Don’t Look Now (1973)
43. E.T. (1982)
44. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
45. To Kill a Mocking Bird. (1962)
46. Star Wars (1977)
47. American Beauty. (1999)
48. A Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)
49. Rear Window (1954)
50. High Society (1956)
51. North By Northwest (1959)
52. Oliver (1968)
53. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
54. Mary Poppins (1964)
55. True Grit (1969)
56. The Sound of Music (1965)
57. A Bridge Over the River Kwai. (1957)
58. Alien (1979)
59. The Longest Day. (1962)
60. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. (1958)
61. Brief Encounter (1945)
62. Pretty Women (1990)
63. Some Like It Hot. (1959)
64. The Great Escape (1963)
65. Rebecca (1940)
66. Gone With The Wind (1939)
67. Sullivan’s Travels. (1941)
68. The Apartment. (1960)
69. The Philadelphia Story. (1940)
70. Home Alone (1990)
71. The African Queen. (1951)
72. To Catch a Thief (1955)
73. Double Indemnity (1944)
74. Badlands (1973)
75. A Room with a View (1985)
76. Back to the Future (1985)
77. Karate Kid. (1984)
78. Reservoir Dogs(1992)
79. East of Eden (1955)
80. Mystic River (2003)
81. Pulp Fiction (1994)
82. Saving Private Ryan (1994)
83. Ghostbusters (1984)
84. When Harry Met Sally (1989)
85. Sleepless In Seattle (1993)
86. The Goonies (1985)
87. One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest (1975)
88. Halloween (1978)
89. Blade Runner (1982)
90. Thelma and Louise (1991)
91. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
92. Schindler’s List (1993)
93. La Dolce Vita (1961)
94. Leon (1994)
95. His Girl Friday (1940)
96. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
97. My Fair Lady (1964)
98. The Unforgiven (1992) “It’s a hell of a thing to kill a man, you take everything he’s got, and everything he’ll ever have.”
99. Shenandoah (1965)
100. Apocalypse Now (1979) “I wanted a mission, and for my sins, they gave me one.”

Coming Up With Script Ideas.

Sometimes it can be hard to think of a story that hasn’t been told. An original idea is hard to have. Which is why it may not be as important what your idea is, but instead, how you tell it. Where to get these ideas? Here are some hints and tips.

Books, newspapers and magazines.
Out of copyright books are great. Ever wondered why there are so many Shakespeare films? It’s not just his writing. Copyright lasts for 100 years. After that, you’re good to go. Don’t turn your nose up at old books. Human emotion and nature doesn’t really change much.

Getting stories from newspapers will make your film relevant and modern. Same thing with magazines. Editors commission articles that people will be interested in. You can choose something which you have some experience in to give the film an authentic edge.

Friends and family.
Though you may want to change some names and dates! Don’t worry too much, people rarely recognise themselves, especially their bad points.

Songs
I once wrote an entire script based on Johnny Cash’s “I Hung my Head”. My script got amazing feed back and people always tell me to sell it to the highest bidder.

Your personal experience.
Mine your life ruthlessly.

Relationships and break ups.
Something that everybody goes through. Always popular subjects and everyone has some stories to tell about theses subjects. Incredibly relatable.

Strangers.
Observe a lot. Note how people dress, move, act. What they say. A storyteller should always be a people watcher.

Brainstorm with friends.
Come up with ideas together. Do it the way that works for you. You can watch movies, listen to music, have a few beers. Whatever gets the creative juices flowing.

Hobbies and interests.
Write about what you know is the first rule of writing. Bring a fresh twist to one of your hobbies.

Political and historical events.
Get your facts as correct as possible and give it a fresh spin.

Film Characters To Put Into Your Student Film.

The key to low-budget film-making is to have as few locations as possible. Locations and travel cost money.

Anna Paquin who is in the vampire TV show True Blood

Now, onto characters. You can’t afford to have a baseball player in your film if you want to see him in action. The key is having characters who can look authentic without renting expensive stadiums.

CIA agents are always popular in films. All you need is an actor in a suit, and, possibly, a fake gun. (If you are filming outside with a fake gun you must alert the authorities and tell them you will be filming in the area. Least you get shot by armed police thinking you are some kind of homicidal killer).

FBI agents: Ditto.

Waitress. Make a gritty, real life drama. It is relatively easy to talk a cafe owner into filming in their establishment for free. They will probably say yes for some publicity and a thank you in the credits.

People in love; everyone loves a good love story, and a happy ending. The purpose of film is to tell a story visually. Is there possibly an easier story to tell than a story about love and relationships. Something we all understand and go through?

Gangsters. (see CIA agents) a suit, a fake cockney accent and a fake gun. Brevity is the soul of low-budget film-making. Be careful when doing a gangster film though. They are heard to do well as Martin Scorsese has put the bar so high. You could make a good short if you have a good, original take on it.

Zombies; It’s easy to find a trainee make up artist who wants to add to their portfolio so your zombies will be authentic. It’s another popular genre.

Vampires; They are huge right now thanks to Twilight and True Blood. How hard is it to find some black clothes and fake blood? Bloody easy in fact.

More important than the genre and characters for a film is the script. An original film, well acted, and with a good script can beat any big budget blockbuster. Money is no longer a problem for independent filmmakers. You can make a film on a shoestring budget.

Photo credit: DarkChacal