Thanks for the comments, guys; this has turned into a very interesting and insightful thread! You've certainly given a lot to think about.

I think I have discovered a certain level of planning is required, at least for me to get going. Basically, I don't have much in the way of sets & props so improvising is a little harder especially if I want to do interior scenes. So far, I have a general overall idea (what Cobra's nefarious scheme is, how the Joes get involved) although not too much of an idea how to end it. I did start to shoot the first episode back in late summer but things ground to a halt when I realised I needed a scene set in some kind of base, office or something to let the story flow. I've since acquired an HQ although I'll probably need to build some sets too. And then all my outdoor shots will have to be redone because the story featured a jungle mission team including Recondo, who I can't use now because I follow the comics' continuity...!

Well, today was my last day of work having been made redundant, so for a while I'll probably have some time to put some work in on getting my dio off the ground -- I'll definitely be referring to this thread!