Location Research

No film can be quality without a decent location. We use three locations in our short film opening that are a 'Wasteland' area, stairs and a bedroom.

We believe that each location we use should mean something and have a reason of a scene being filmed there. So here is out location  research:

Location 1- Dark gravel filled area- ext.

This location will feature near the beginning of the 2 minute opening. A dark eerie area is needed to represent the mysterious action that is occurring on screen at this location. The location needed to be abnormal and a place you wouldn’t traditionally go to ‘hang out’. 

Existing Media:

This gravel grounded area is an idea of what we are looking for in a location for our thriller film opening. The idea that there are crooked paving stones places within the gravel gives us the impressing of a place that isn’t quite right and not a place you would really want to hand out. The location we chose doesn’t need to be as perfect as this location. This image represents the ideas we have as a production team in what we’re looking for in a location for this opening. It has the feature of the opening we had in mind with the gravel ground and stones lying around.


Real Location chosen: 
 
The location chosen to us is perfect in representing the action that is going on onscreen at the time this location is shown. The location isn’t prefect which represents the idea that the main character Crimson isn’t as perfect as people thing. It gives the message of not judging things by the way they look. Also this location is rather eerie and not a place in which people would wish to hang out at night or be there on their own. The miss placed paving and broken fencing creates an atmosphere where the audience get the idea that only the eeriest and creepiest of people would hang out in a place like this. This then emphasises the idea of a mysterious figure hanging around in this area at night which allows them to draw the conclusion that whoever the character is isn’t going to be up to any good here. The fencing suggests that the figure shown shouldn’t be where they are meaning again they aren’t the nicest of people to be hanging out with. This again emphasises the action that then follows the establishing shot of this scene when a figure comes on with a hockey stick dragging in their hand. With an obviously creepy location such as this one, the audiences can easily put two and two together and work out that the character just shown has been out causing trouble but doesn’t give away to much of the upcoming storyline.


Location 2- Dark Alley- ext.

This location features in the film when the mysterious character walks off with the hockey stick dragging in their hand. This again needs to follow on from the previous location with its eeriness and darkness that doesn’t quite seem right.

Existing media:

 
This is the style in which we wanted this location to be. The alley is narrow and could probably only fit one or two people down which is what we want. In the dark a place like this would have the ‘you wouldn’t want to meet anyone in an alley like this’ look. 






Real Location Chosen:


This location gives us a lot to work with. The over grown weeds within the gravel suggest to the audience that no one ever goes here which instantly gives them the idea that this character that is seen in this location can’t be doing much good if they are hanging around in a place such as this. The gravel floor allows us to create tension though the sound it makes. When you hear the sound of gravel you know someone is coming or is nearby. The fact this loud gravel sound is going to be made and no one has come out to investigate or is around to see who it is suggests that it isn’t a place that people would want to or should go to. The fencing and walls allow us to represent the idea that its blocked off and that no one really should be going down here without permission. With this location the camera work as well as the sound can add to the overall effect and creation of atmosphere.

Location 3- Crimson’s Room int.

Crimson the main female character has two sides to here and so her room has two sides to it. It has this happy go lucky girly girl feel to it and then later on in the film it turns dark and vicious and so through her room we need to reflect this change as well as her personality.

Existing Image:


This image shows the girly girl side of crimson but shows it could easily be a cover up and easily changed to portray the dark murderous side hidden within the character.

Real Location Chosen:

This location will be dressed up with clothes and fairly lights to make it look more like a girl’s room. The size of the room will represent the wealth of her or her parents. Usually the more wealthy have a larger room such as this. The large sofa will be covered in clothes that are of fine materials to represent again the wealth she has and the colours will symbolise the innocence and purity the main character has. As the props list will show there will be many toys around the room such as collectable bear and dolls. They will be perfectly aligned around the room to represent the perfect side of the female as well as show the fact she cares about appearance reflecting the perfectness she shows in the way she looks and dresses. The number of bears and dolls will again show the wealth of this female and suggest that she is in some ways too perfect and wealthy. The lighting of the room will also represent the girly girl side of her and not show through her inner evil until later on in the scene. There will be candles around the room which will be there for later on in the opening.

When Crimson’s personality changes the style of her room changes too; the perfect dolls all around the room now not in line. One set of dolls are taken out and the head has been fetched off the male character and stuck to the female’s hand. This is there to represent the breakdown of the relationship between here and her boyfriend. It brings out her inner evil and the opinion she has on the male race. The candles there were there just for decoration are there to represent a sort of shrine now as they are all lit and lined around the room. They’re there to show the audience the person Crimson is becoming as well as allow them to predict the fate of Luke, Crimson’s Boyfriend.

Location 4- Crimson’s Staircase- int.

This really is there just to allow Luke to get into his girlfriend’s house and up to her room which he doesn’t know is a shrine. The stairs just need to look like a normal set of stairs that allow Luke easy access to Crimson’s private life without permission.

Existing Image:

The stairs don’t need to be too fancy even though Crimson is obviously rich as can be seen from the room Crimson is in. The idea of the stairs being metal and rather normal downgrades Crimson slightly which is what needs to happen in a way.

Real Location Chosen:

The stairs chosen will be decorated so that they look more like stairs in which you would find in a home. These stairs are rather large which still allows the audience to see the rich side of Crimson preventing them from suspecting the inner killer that Crimson has. These stairs represent the pathway to Crimson’s private life and that Luke is in the wrong by entering with force rather than asking and not demanding.

Location 5- The door to Crimson's House- ext. 

The door to Crimson's house where her boyfriend is soon to meet his doom in only appears for a few moments when Luke come storming into the house without knocking. We don't want the door to be too fancy and posh as it would detract from the horror that lies within the house now.

Existing Image:

This is the sort of door we were looking for, a wooden door with windows. With this location we want to start detracting from the idea that she's rich and start to give the audiences hint as to what Crimson is really like inside. 

Real Location Chosen: 
This location is what we are looking for for this scene. Its simplistic yet it does the job we want it to do, look dark and mysterious when Luke is shown storming through it. The door isn't as posh and intricate as the interior but at the point where this door is shown, we don't want the focus to be on how rich Crimson is. The audiences need to start thinking of the other side that Crimson has to her which leads them to the scene that is going to occur in the next shot up until the end of the film. This location isn't in the opening sequence much however it is an important fill shot for the lead up to the events that are about to unfold. There will be a few plants by the door to give the audience the homely feel that a house should have when you enter it which in a way side tracks the audience from seeing the obvious that Crimson is a killer. It distracts the audiences and prevents them from coming to the right conclusion straight away.