Locations For The Short Film - Pre-Production Planning - Sam Swinson

Locations For The Short Film - Pre-Production                    Planning - Sam Swinson

For our short film, we will need a few different locations including a house, road and a woods. We need to make sure that the locations we choose are easily accessible for all group members. Also, when we are shooting we are going to shoot the shots by location, for example, when we go to the field location we will shoot all the shots that need to be shot in that location.

Locations We Will Need:

• Field:
• We will need a field location of a big open space with grass. We will need this for the first scene and third scene. There are a few places near to the group member that we could use. For example, there is the Bolnore Recreational Ground, there is an open field in Blunts Woods and there is Victoria Park which is an open field space. All of these spaces are public places which means we would not need permission to film there, however, we might need to put up signs saying that we are films just so that other people don't get scared or confused at what we are doing.

Blunt's Woods

Bolnore Reck

Victoria Park

• Woods:
• Another location that we need is a woods. We will need this location for scenes 1, 3 and 5. Some of the places we could use for these scenes include: Ashengrounds woods and Blunt's woods. These are both public places meaning we would not need permission to film here, however, lots of dog walkers use these places so to avoid disturbing them we could choose a time of the day where we won't disturb many people, we could choose a part of the woods that is not used that much or we could put up signs saying that filming is in progress.

Ashenground Woods 

Blunt's Woods

• Bedroom:
• In addition, we need a bedroom location for the protagonist and his friend. This will be used in the first scene and the sixth scene. We could use any of the group members houses for these locations, however, Jake has said that we might be able to use his bedroom and his spare bedroom as the locations. This means that we will need permission to use it from his parents.
• Garden:
• Furthermore, we need a garden location. This will be for the fourth scene where the protagonist is just staring at the ground in his garden. Like the other house location, we could use any of the group members houses for this shot. Jake has a garden that fits the shot that we want very well because his garden is on a slow meaning that the protagonist can sit at the top of the garden and stare down at the house. This would mean if we use his house then we would need permission from his parents.
• Bridge Road:
• On top of this, we need a bridge road location for the protagonist to walk down. This will be for the third scene where we see the protagonist continuing to live a normal life, however, he is sad. We want the protagonist to walk in the middle of the road and make sure that there are no cars and pedestrians in the road to connote the emptiness inside him. For this location, there is a road in Bolnore that is normally not used during the day meaning we should get some time to set up and film the protagonist in the middle of the road. 

Road in Bolnore

• Road Side:
• In addition, we need a road location with a pavement. This location is for the final scene and this is the road that the protagonist will be looking ominous on and it will be where he 'committes suicide'. The road we have chosen to use is the bypass behind Haywards Heath. This road can get very busy during the day because it is a bypass used by people who want to avoid driving through Haywards Heath town. Therefore, we will need to place the camera in locations that won't affect the drivers or place the equipment in any harm. Additionally, the protagonist is going to be close to the edge of the pavement which means that we will have to be careful because of the live traffic.

Rocky Lane, Haywards Heath

Pictures of the Locations:

Here are some pictures that I took when I visited the locations in real life. The reason that I visited all of these locations was to make sure that it would be safe to film at the locations. Also, it was to check that the locations would fit the short film that we are creating.

Rocky Lane - Road Location

Rocky Lane - Road Location

Rocky Lane - Road Location

Bolnore Field - Field Location

Bolnore Field - Field Location

Bolnore Field - Field Location

Bolnore Field - Field Location

Bolnore Bridge - Bridge Location

Bolnore Bridge - Bridge Location

Ashenground Woods - Woods Location

Ashenground Woods - Woods Location

Ashenground Woods - Woods Location

Reason For Choosing Locations:

Here are the locations that we have decided to use for our short film and the reasons that we have chosen them:

• Ashenground Woods
• This the location that we are going to use as the woods location for our short film.
• Firstly, this woods doesn't get overcrowded which means that we will be able to film here and not disturb any locals.
• Also, this is a close location to all of the group members houses so getting to the location is a short walk away.
• On top of this, the location has plenty of space for us to try out certain techniques. For example, we want to have a pan and then the camera stops moving, but, the characters keep walking and then there is a wipe with the transition line following the characters to the next shot. Additionally, there are plenty of trees to create a shot using slit framing so that part of the frame is blocked by the tree. This is going to be used to represent the protagonist blocking people from coming into his life which is why he only has one friend. 
• Bridge Road
• This is the location that we are going to use as the bridge road location for the short film.
• Firstly, the location is not used by a lot of cars during the day which will give us time to set up the equipment and the protagonist so that he is walking in the middle of the road with no one around him to represent the emptiness inside him. 
• Also, this is a 20 mph road which is after a bend and from observing this location drivers slow down their cars a lot when coming onto the bridge which will give us sufficient time to clear the road if any cars do come. However, because we are working on a road with live traffic we will have to have one of the group members being on look out for cars. 
• Bolnore Recreational Ground
• This is the location that we are going to use as the field location for the short film.
• To start, this is almost empty during the day which means when we use it for the later part of the short film the lack of people around the protagonist is a direct representation of his loneliness.
• On top of this, it is a massive field and if we only use a small portion of the field then we will not disturb any members of the public that are using the field. 
• Furthermore, this is very close to all the other locations that we are going to use which is good because it means we don't have to travel very far.
• Rocky Lane
• This is the location that we are going to use as the road location for the short film.
• Firstly, the location is good because it can get busy which means it can be a real representation of a road side. However, this location is one of the best road locations because it is  a 30 mph road so cars are not travelling super fast and there won't be many cars during the day which is good because we won't distract too many drivers with out filming. 
• Also, some thing to note is that because we are deal with live traffic we will have to be extra careful with the equipment and actors to make sure nothing in is the way of any danger.
• Jake's House
• This is the location that we are going to be use for the garden location and the bed room location.
• This is good because the location is very close to the other group members houses.
• In addition, the garden of Jake's house it perfect for the scene where the protagonist is at the top of the garden looking down at the house.