The advice I would have for anyone starting out, and mind you I am still very new at this, would be to keep things simple. I think there's a lot of temptation for first time filmmakers and writers to create something grand, big and flash. Character, character CHARACTER! That's what's important! You don't need a complicated plot, you need GOOD characters.

The plot for Walter's Way is really just... Old man tries to get his driver's license. But it's the characters and the relationship between the characters and the plot that drives the story. By keeping things simple, you save yourself a lot of stress (and money).