PLANNING LOCATION

FOR MY SHORT FILM: AN UNDERDOG’S WORLD

LOCATION PROVES VERY SIGNIFICANT IN THE MAKING OF A FILM AS IT IS ONE OF THE MAIN THOUGHT PROVOKERS WITHIN THE MAIN KEY MEDIA CONCEPTS THAT ENCOURAGES

AUDIENCES TO RECOGNISE THE REPRESENTATION OF DIFFERENT IDEOLOGIES. THIS THEREFORE MEANS THAT IN ORDER TO APPEAL TO MY AUDIENCE AND ENCOURAGE THEM

TO RECOGNISE THE THEMES I AM HOPING TO PORTRAY I MUST USE LOCATION ACCURATELY AND PROFESSIONALLY.

THE HOBBIT IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHERE LOCATION HAS BEEN USED TO THE ADVANTAGE OF PRODUCERS IN ORDER TO ENCOURAGE AN AUDIENCE TO REACT

DIFFERENTLY. THE FILM USED THE UNUSUAL TERRAIN OF NEW ZEALAND IN ORDER TO REPRESENT THE STARK CONTRASTS IN THE DIFFERENT WORLDS AND REGIONS OF THE

FILMS CREATURES.

IN ORDER TO COMPLIMENT OTHER ASPECTS OF MIS EN SCENE SUCH AS COSTUME AND CAMERA LANGUAGE I NEED TO CONSIDER HOW I AM HOPING

MY AUDIENCE TO REACT TO THE SITUATION THEY ARE PRESENTED WITH. THEREFORE I MUST ENSURE THAT I FOLLOW THE BASIC RULES OF PLANNING LOCATION AND FIT THE LOCATION TO THE SITUATION BEING PORTRAYED, FOR EXAMPLE MY MAIN CHARACTER WILL BE SHOWN DURING THE FIRST SHOT IN BED AND THEREFORE I MUST BE LOOKING TO FILM IN A BEDROOM SUITABLE OF THAT FOR A LONELY MAN IN HIS EARLY 30S. THIS WOULD MEAN THAT A HOUSE WITH PINK WALLS WOULD NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR EXAMPLE AS

STEREOTYPICALLY MY TARGETED AUDIENCE WOULD ASSOCIATE THE COLOUR PINK WITH A YOUNG GIRLS BEDROOM.

AS A RESULT WE DECIDED AS A GROUP TO CHOOSE A HOUSE WITH NEUTRAL COLOURS AND DULL LIGHTING IN ORDER TO ACCENTUATE THE BORING AND SLIGHTLY UPSETTING

ATMOSPHERE OF EACH SCENE WITHIN JOHN’S HOME. BY DOING THIS WE HOPED TO REFLECT HOW THE MAIN CHARACTER’S DAILY ROUTINE WAS TEDIOUS AND DISMAL. AFTER CONDUCTING SOME RESEARCH INTO HOME OWNERS WHO WOULD BE HAPPY TO GIVE UP THEIR HOME AS A LOCATION WE FOUND A PROPERTY THAT WOULD BE WILLING TO LET US

FILM. HOWEVER WE FACED AN ISSUE IN TERMS OF HAVING A LOGICAL NARRATIVE. THE PROPERTY WAS A FOUR BEDROOM HOUSE THAT WOULD CONSEQUENTLY APPEAR TOO BIG FOR ONE MAN LIVING ALONE. WE FOUND A SOLUTION TO THIS ISSUE BY PLANNING OUR

SHOTS AND CAMERA MOVEMENT AROUND THE SETTING SO THAT THE LESSER SPACE COULD BE SEEN IN THE SETTING SO THAT THE HOUSE WILL LOOK SMALLER AND NOT SO BIG. THIS WILL HOPEFULLY AVOID DISRUPTING THE REPRESENTATION CREATED IN THE

SETTING THAT SHOULD REFLECT THE LIFE OF A DULL AND SOLEMN CHARACTER.

CASTING LOCATION SHOTS

IN ORDER TO CREATE MOCKING OF MY MAIN CHARACTER TO AN EFFECTIVE EXTENT I FEEL THAT REALISTIC SETTINGS MUST BE USED, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE

SUPERMARKET MY CHARACTER WILL VISIT TO BUY THE NUTELLA. HAVING USED MIS EN SCENE TO REPRESENT MY MAIN CHARACTER AS A FOOL AND HAVING HIM DRESSED IN ONLY

HIS PYJAMAS AND A COAT IT WOULD SEEM THAT PLACING HIM IN A REAL SUPERMARKET WHERE THERE ARE GENUINE CUSTOMERS DOING THEIR WEEKLY SHOPPING WOULD

EXAGGERATE THE RIDICULE I AM HOPING TO CAPTURE IN THE SCENE. THE LOCATION OF MY TARGET AUDIENCE IS ALSO SIGNIFICANT IN THE PLANNING OF FILM LOCATION AS THE SETTING MUST BE RECOGNISABLE TO AN AUDIENCE WHO ARE LIVING IN AND AROUND LONDON, ENGLAND. THIS THEREFORE MEANS THAT IF I AM TO TARGET MY AUDIENCE

CORRECTLY I MUST CONSIDER THE USE OF A NATIONAL SUPERMARKET CHAIN AS THIS WILL ENCOURAGE RECOGNITION OF A TYPICAL SUPERMARKET SET OUT. ONE THAT IS COMMONLY

USED IN STORES SUCH AS SAINSBURY’S AND TESCOS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

WHEN DISCUSSING SETTINGS WITH MY GROUP WE DECIDED THAT IT WOULD BE BEST TO ATTEMPT TO REACH OUT TO A NATIONAL CHAIN SUCH AS TESCO’S IN ORDER TO MAKE OUR FILM APPEAR REALISTIC AND PROFESSIONAL. AS A RESULT WE CONTACTED TESCO

THROUGH THEIR MEDIA HANDLE;AFTER SOME DELIBERATION OVER HOW WE WOULD BE FILMING IN STORE AND WITH

WHAT EQUIPMENT TESCO’S AGREED TO LET US FILM ON THE PREMISES ON THE BASIS THAT WE DO NOT FILM ANY OF THEIR CUSTOMERS. IN GAINING PERMISSION TO FILM AT

THIS LOCATION WE SOLIDIFIED THE QUALITY OF OUR SHORT FILM AS OUR TARGETED AUDIENCE WOULD NOW BE ABLE TO MORE EASILY RECOGNISE THE COMMONLY USED

SUPERMARKET SCENE AND THEREFORE CONSIDER OUR FINAL PRODUCT TO LOOK MUCH MORE PROFESSIONAL IN COMPARISON TO ONE THAT WAS FILMED IN A MADE OR EDITED

SET.