Boozehound Films

Why You Should Make the Films You Actually Want to Watch

This week, I’ve decided to do something a little different with my weekly update blog post. Rather than writing about what I’ve been working on, I wanted to share a piece of advice that I regularly give my students, because it is something I believe too many filmmakers forget when they first start out. One of the most common situations I encounter is this: a student sits in front of me and enthusiastically lists all of the comedy films they love. They talk about the films they return to again and again, the characters that make them laugh, and the stories they genuinely enjoy watching. Then, when it comes time for them to make their own project, suddenly every idea they present is a serious, “worthy” drama.

Whenever this happens, I always ask the same question: why do you want to make this film?

That question is important because, as filmmakers, we often forget that we are our own first audience member. If you are not making the types of films you would actually choose to watch as a viewer, then who are you making them for? If you love comedy, make comedy. If you are drawn to horror, make horror. If you enjoy fantasy adventures, lean into that. You should not feel pressured to make serious dramas simply because they are often perceived as more prestigious or more likely to attract awards. The films that excite you as a viewer are often the clearest clue to the films you are naturally suited to creating.

Watching Backrooms, I couldn’t help but feel that this was exactly the kind of film I’m talking about. It doesn’t feel like a project that was created because someone thought it would fit neatly into the market or appeal to the widest possible audience. Instead, it feels like the work of a filmmaker who simply wanted to bring a concept they were passionate about to the screen. Kane Parsons had already spent years developing the Backrooms universe through his Kane Pixels YouTube channel, and that passion is evident in every frame of the film. Rather than chasing trends or trying to make the film he thought he should make, he committed wholeheartedly to making the film he genuinely wanted to see. For me, Backrooms perfectly embodies the idea that the most compelling films often come from filmmakers who are brave enough to follow their own creative instincts.

The exercise I give every screenwriting class

This is one of the reasons I begin my screenwriting courses with the same exercise. It is designed to reveal what you are naturally drawn to as a viewer and, by extension, as a writer. I first encountered this exercise during my time at film school under my lecturer, Justin Shevlin, and I have used it with students ever since. Unlike a simple “favourites” list, this exercise focuses on repetition: what films do you return to again and again?

Step 1: List your most-watched films

Write down five to ten films that you have watched more than any others. Do not choose the films you believe are the “best” films, or even necessarily your favourite films. Focus purely on repetition: the films you have watched the most. Often, these are films from childhood or adolescence, when repeat-viewing habits are most common.

Step 2: Identify patterns

Now examine your list and look for connections. Ask yourself questions such as:

• Do these films share similar themes?
• Are the protagonists driven by similar goals or needs?
• Do they belong to the same genre or subgenre?
• Do they contain similar relationships or dynamics?
• Do they follow similar narrative structures or plot types?
• Are they subversive of genre or narrative conventions?
• Do they contain similar plot elements?
• Are they structured in similar ways?

Write down every pattern you can identify, even if it seems minor. The goal is accumulation rather than certainty, so do not limit yourself to the questions above. Note every similarity you can find, no matter how small it may seem.

Step 3: Distil your creative tendencies

Once you have identified recurring patterns, try to summarise them into a few clear statements about your taste. For example:

• “I am drawn to stories about unlikely friendships.”
• “I respond to underdog protagonists in fantastical worlds.”
• “I enjoy genre films with strong social themes.”
• “I like ensemble stories with strong camaraderie.”
• “I am drawn to subversive horror.”

These statements are important because they begin to define your instinctive storytelling interests.

My own example

When I completed this exercise, my list included The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Hot Fuzz, The Lion King, and The Wizard of Oz. A clear pattern emerged: all of these films revolve around unlikely or unconventional friendships.

• The Lord of the Rings features characters from opposing races, most notably Legolas and Gimli, forming deep bonds.
• Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure brings together underachieving teenagers and historical figures.
• Hot Fuzz centres on an odd-couple partnership between Nicholas Angel and Danny Butterman.
• The Lion King builds a friendship between a lion, a meerkat, and a warthog.
• The Wizard of Oz follows a girl forming bonds with a scarecrow, tin man, and cowardly lion.

The strength of the pattern is what matters. The clearer it becomes, the more useful it is as a foundation for ideas. The more films on your list that fit the same pattern, the stronger the base it gives you for building future stories.

Step 4: Use it as a launch point

Take your strongest pattern and use it as the starting point for brainstorming. Ask yourself:

• What story would explore this theme in a new way?
• What genre could I place this idea into?
• What would happen if I exaggerated this pattern?
• What would happen if I inverted it?

This is not a one-time exercise. It is a reference tool you can return to whenever you need clarity about what you are naturally drawn to as a storyteller. So, if you are struggling to decide what film to make next, do not start by asking what you think you should make. Start by asking what films you genuinely love to watch. Because the truth is simple: you are your first audience member. The films you enjoy as a viewer will most likely be the films you enjoy writing, and those are often the films you are best equipped to make. If you follow your passion and trust in your creative instincts, who knows, maybe you could have the next Backrooms on your hands.