Decisions/changes regarding Location

By Stephanie Caldecott

Location 1

Saddleworth Moors Church Road, Rural Uppermill

Our original location idea for the footage we would be shooting outside was Saddleworth Moors, as we wanted a remote, isolated area so that we could film without interruption and so that the setting was representative of the lost, isolated town in our film. However we found problems with this location such as the danger of losing signal on our phone and the risk to the safety of crew and cast.

We decided to make the change from Saddleworth Moors to a long road in Rural Uppermill. We decided to do this after doing a risk assessment of Saddleworth Moors and realising that by using a different location, we would be a lot safer. We also wanted to film a car crash scene, which we would need a road for, so this location was a lot more convenient.

Location 2

My House Laurens Grandmas House

We first decided to use my house to film the inside shots of our film and spent a day filming these shots. However, we didn’t feel that the shots were representative of the setting and atmosphere we were aiming to create. Instead, we took experience from the filming day and used the day as ‘preparation for filming’ as even though we didn’t get any shots, we became more familiar with the cameras/equipment.

After deciding we weren’t going to use my house, we got permission off Laurens Grandma to use her house as it fits in a lot more with the ‘small town’ and traditional atmosphere we intended to create within our film. The area was also a lot quieter and less populated, much like the town in the Silent Hill film, which we took inspiration from.

Location 3

Oldham Town Centre St Patricks Church, Oldham

We wanted to get footage of different, old-style buildings that could make up the image of an isolated town within our film trailer. We originally wanted to use shots of buildings in and around Oldham as there is a few buildings that would successfully convey the authenticity and tradition within our fictional town. However, we ran the risk of having to film during busy hours and catching passers-by on film, so we decided to change our idea.

Because we still wanted some old architecture in our film, we decided to get some footage of a traditional, old-looking church outside our college. This was convenient as we could film during college hours and immediately take our footage to the edit suite. The shots also fit in with the idea of extremist religion within our film.