Now What?
In junior high I briefly experimented with journalism on my school newspaper. The first thing we learned there was that every good story should answer five questions, called the FIVE W's. They are: WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? and WHY? If you don't know where to start in developing a story, these questions will start you in the right direction.
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Most ideas deal with "what" happens in the story, in which case the first question becomes, "who?" My story "The Contract" (which later became part of my current project, The Substance of Hope) began with an idea I got from a local news story. A guy hires a hit-man to do away with someone, later comes to regret the action, but fears the consequences of backing out of the deal. That's my "what"; now I need a "who". But not just any "who" will do; it has to be a "who" which somehow complements my "what".
The idea suggests a character with some moral sense (he feels regret) but perhaps too quick to act - hence the dilemma he finds himself in. I could have made him a small, unimportant loser trying desperately to command some respect through his actions; I chose instead to make him a fairly successful, proud man. This gives it more of the feel of a Classic tragedy, as we watch the decline of a good but flawed man. If the audience wants him to escape tragedy in the end, they'll be more involved in the story. Based on early feedback from my script, it seems to have worked.
In high school English classes, the "where" and "when" of a story are grouped together and called the "setting". People behave differently at work than they do at home. We act differently at the beginning of the day than at the end of the day. One rule of thumb, if you're writing a script to eventually produce yourself, keep it local.
A final note on the question of "when" -- the book The Art of Dramatic Writing talks about the importance of a character being ready, emotionally, to be the center of your story. Certainly the point in your character's life at which something happens to him is an important part of the story, though I would hesitate to say he should be "ready".
I don't think Hamlet was "ready", that is to say mature enough, for the responsibilities thrust on him in Shakespeare's play. If he were, he'd have done what needed to be done at the beginning and the play would have been much shorter. If the events of the play had happened a few years later in his life, the story would have been much different.
To return to my own script, at one point I felt the character's decision to have his ex-wife killed was out of the blue and unmotivated. Yet it was a vital plot point, without which the story I wanted to tell would never happen. That's when I gave him his own business, which he was in danger of losing in the divorce. With his job, his pride, his self-worth and independence, not to mention his money, in jeopardy he reacted hastily and lashed out. In this case, the character needed a compelling "why" to move the story forward.
That's it. Five simple questions to start you toward turning an idea into a screenplay. Remember, the order I list them here is fairly arbitrary - each one affects and is affected by the others. But, put together, they should give you the basics you need to start telling your story. Good luck!