Location Scouting - Alleyways

I have found some possible alleyways which could be of use to our filming, or even just as a backdrop to our poster.

This has the possibilty of working well for one of our poster designs, and we could choose whether to use the wall side or the wooden fence side. This alley way also has a different style of gate at either end, so if we wanted to include these, we could chose which one would work better. 

This isn't really an alleyway however if we shot facing the fence at a diagonal angle it would look quite good, especially around dusk with the trees in the background. 

This alleyway was one I didn't expect to find (hence the bad quality) however it is extremely long, ans in the distance you can see at night it has a vast number of shadows that we could have the imagnary friend hidden in when our protagonist is walking along. I also think that the darkness would emphasize a vulnerable side to our protagonist, and how she is really in a lot of danger. 

Evaluation of location scouting: Klinger factory

Last week we made a visit to a local abandoned factory, the Klinger factory. We visited with the hopes of being able to film there for our teaser trailer. As you can see, the front of the building was all boarded up, and a new fence had been placed after a fire in the spring. This was our first problem, so we had to search around the perimeter looking for another access point.

 After nearly an hour of searching, we found a overgrown pathway at the back of the building, we walked down along by a fence and found a gap. We walked through and scanned the area. Sadly, there was a clearing the other side of the fence, however there was a long drop, which would wouldn't have been able to get back out of in. In addition to this, there were also more wooden panels and metal fences surrounding the ground nearest the factory.

As we were leaving we saw this danger of death sign, so perhaps it was a good thing that we didn't manage to enter the factory, especially since the first floor had completely crumbled in the fire.

After location scouting I coincidentally found a newspaper clipping of the fire which had taken place in April at the factory!

Attic Location: Research

I decided that I would extend my location research on the attic by taking some shots of the Victim in the location to see what kind of angles and camera movements we could use, whether the lighting was effective and therefore whether we would want to use the location overall:

Pros:

• The pros of the location were that the decoration was very effective, with the wooden beams and brickwork which looks ragged and dangerous, making the room look very creepy. 
• There was some natural lighting which made it easy to get some good shots, but the low positioned lamp also helped get some very effective shots and made the lighting low-key and creepy, which I liked. 
• The beams made it easy to get some different shots, such as high angle shots with gave a more innocent and hunted look to the Victim, and made it creepier. This gives us a lot more legroom to be creative with our filming for instance with difference shots and movements.
• Overall, the space looked pretty creepy and we would have enough space to pull off our planned scene in the location.

Cons:

• There was not too much space due to the boiler being in the way, therefore we would not have as much space as we would if the boiler were not there, or if we used another location. This inhibits us somewhat in terms of camera angles and shots. 
• The window means that we would most likely have to shoot the scene during the night, which is a little bit difficult but not something we couldn't achieve. 

Mise en Scene:

• We would have to clear away a lot of items to make sure they weren't in the shot. This would also give us a lot more room to be creative with filming. This could be time consuming but necessary.
• We could move a few creepy props into the shot- ropes, chains, gags for instance. We would also have two or three dead bodies lying on the floor in the shot.
• We could splatter some red paint on the walls, and even put a red handprint to replicate the struggle that many of the victims would have put up when they were kidnapped by the protagonist. 

Location for Kidnapping Scene: Shortlist of ideas

After some research we found that the factory in Dartford was not only very hard to find, but had a high chance of no longer existing and therefore we started looking around for a new location for the last scene. We decided to come up with a list of multiple locations with details on location and their appearance according to either pictures I've taken or found on the internet. I felt that I learnt from rushing too quickly into deciding on a location before looking around at other options and making sure the location was available. One of the downsides to the internet, I found, was that many of the websites about 'derelict' places are out of date largely and so a place which apparently is abandoned on the site could have been destroyed or reoccupied in recent years, meaning some more extensive research must take place before hand.

1) Klinger Factory 

This is a video of the Klinger Factory in Sidcup. We would use one of the interior rooms for the scenes.

Practical Usability:

• Although it is quite close, an exact location is hard to find on the internet and so we would have to go into further research in order to find out where it is. A past group have used the factory and so we could ask them for advice on finding the location.
• In recent months, there has been a fire at the location and according to reports some of the first floor has been destroyed which means that we may not be able to film there, if the rooms on the lower floors aren't accessible.
• Fencing has recently been added to the site following the fire. Many people online say it is not easily accessible because of this unless you are experienced in climbing and exploring different urban areas. This could be an extreme issue as we would have props - such as a chair- actors and filming equipment with us when we go to film.
• There are people who often go to visit the factory as well as tramps and squatters which may get in the way of filming.

Appearance: 

• The factory would be a good option to use as the interior rooms look rundown and ragged, as well as isolated which adds to the fear factor. 
• The only issue would be that we would be more likely to use the factory during the day due to it being a difficult one to get into and so it may reduce the effect of the location.

2) Holy Trinity Convent

This is an abandoned trinitarian convent in Bromley. We would use one of the interior rooms of the location.

Practical Usability: 

• The location is fairly close being in Bromley, however an exact location is still unknown. Again, we could ask the previous group as they visited it after thinking of using it instead of the Klinger Factory.
• A major issue of the convent is how to get in it as according to reports online, you need to climb through a window in order to get in, which proposes difficulty when with a horde of actors with props and filming equipment.

Appearance: 

• The appearance is effective as although the rooms are run down and look pretty isolated, they have a lot of religious features and architecture which adds to the edge of the horror genre. 
• This may seem a little at odds with the psychological genre however.

3) Dungeon

This is an unused room in the school building which does not have any natural light in and may be suitable.

Practical Usability: 

• This location would be the easiest to use as it is on the school premises and so we would easily be able to transport props and actors, especially when the whole media group and the actors would already be at the school before filming.
• We may have to film after school however which would require permission. As well as this, the room may be used for other things on occasions and soon could be transformed into an Art storage room which would completely ruin everything.

Appearance: 

• The room doesn't have any windows and so there is not much natural lighting which adds to the creepy effect. 
• As well as this, the white, ragged brick walls give a scary edge to the room with the bare wooden floor. I like the ladder as well as it conveys that the location is underground and unreachable. 
• However, there are a lot of things being stored in the room and this could cause difficulties.

4) House loft

Practical Usability: 

• This location would be fairly easy to use as we know the location well and would easily be able to make our way there. 
• Each actor and member of the group would have to make their way to someone's house, which would not be too difficult. It would also be fairly simple to transport props to.

Appearance:

• The appearance of the loft is pretty creepy as the brickwork is in an upside down V formation which is unusual, and as well as this there are parts in the wall that have been broken away, as well as black marks running down the walls. This makes it look very ragged and creepy.
• The lighting is very low key which would suit the mood of the last scene and the light is obviously coming from one source and so the plan of having the victim blinded by the light would work pretty well. The light being in an unconventional spot also creates very creepy looking shadows when someone puts their hand across it, which we could work into the trailer.
• The beams across the loft would work pretty well as we could incorporate them into many effective panning shots and even use them to get higher angles when shooting the victim.

Location Confirmation

• We decided that the best location for our library scene would be the library in the school, as (as you can see in the photo) its rather cosy and small and there are 3 little booths with books which would be the best place for our character to have a moment. 
• We also thought this would be the best place because although there are some people which go occasionally, compared to other public libraries the area is much quieter and less visited. 
• We would also need to gain permission from the librarian to film and maybe be able to have the library for a few minutes, the lighting of the library is another thing we particularly liked as the lights are a warm orange which really gives the idea of a cosiness and intimacy. 
• There are also big windows on one side of the library which look out onto the town, we thought this seemed quite nice and it gave some distance between the area and the town. 
• The booths were also suitable as there are many places we can put the camera and the angles we can achieve in the area are quite effective. 

Location for Kidnapping Scene: Warehouse

After some discussion regarding the locations that we found previously for the kidnapping scene, we decided that we would try elsewhere as they didn't come across as isolated and just seemed like garages in someones house. Therefore we looked around online for some abandoned warehouses in the area to use instead as these would look hopefully run down, isolated and therefore give a chilling and eerie effect.
On 'derelictlondon' we found various suitable locations and so I judged them on their appearance and how convenient they are to get to.

Wells Factory- Dartford

Surrounding Area of the Abandoned Factory:

In the surrounding area of the factory there are features like this old brick wall and metalllic objects lying around. The foilage around the area is also very overgrown which gives a ragged, rough feel to the location. We would use this area in brief shots in the montage running up to the climax and show how the Victim is being taken there, or is kidnapped there.

The exterior of the Abandoned Factory:

The exterior is reminiscent of an old American barn which is featured in many horror movies, especially ones with supernatural elements.
The outside also looks very run down and covered in overgrown foilage which we can show in the last montage as well with the victim being dragged through the bushes. The paint is obviously fading but it is clear to see that the wood was once red which connotes danger and death, an effective meaning for the location to have in the last scene.

Interior of the abandoned Factory:

The interior of the factor is mostly made of wood which gives an olden feel. It is messy and a lot of parts have fallen apart. It obviously looks like its in the middle of nowhere with the windows.
The problem with the interior is that it is quite bright so we would have to either use different techniques to convey a gloomy atmosphere or go when it is slightly darker.

Convenience of the location:

It is not too far away because it is Dartford, the only annoyance is that it is far away from any busstops or railway stations and requires a long walk to get to, which we would have to do with a lot of equipment and also the actors in two.

Location Research: Room for kidnapping

On our storyboard, we feature a final scene where the victim has been kidnapped and taken away. This scene will have be the climax of the trailer and reveal that there have been previous kidnappings and a lot of people have been endangered. It will not reveal explicitly that the protagonist is the kidnapper and so will beckon the audience to want to watch the film to answer these questions.

We want this scene to be set in a small, very dark, creepy looking room- preferably with metallic objects around to give a sense of discomfort and danger. It is my job to look around and look at the pros and cons of each location that we come across:

1)This image of a garage shows that the room is quite dark and has no natural light, which makes it suitable as the location as it makes it look dingy and creepy. There are metal poles on the floor and mechanical objects which make the room look hard and uncomfortable and the garage door looks harsh and intimidating. However, the room is quite obviously a garage and this detracts from the scariness of it as it doesn't look like an isolated area and comes across as easy to escape from. Many objects in the room would have to be removed in order for the mise en scene to be correct.



2) This image shows a small cupboard which we could use as an alternative option for the room. It is small which adds to the claustrophobic feel making it more creepy. The room doesn't have any windows or natural light which makes it dingy and the lighting low-key making it suitable for a scary setting. It is quite cluttered which again makes it tight and cramped. However, with the door shut it would be hard to film in the room without seeming unprofessional.




3) This image shows a shed. Yet again, there is no natural light, however this may be difference during the day and so we would need to film in this location after dark. The darkness of the room makes it suitable for a horror setting as it is very low-key. The room is full of mechanic tools and other things which makes it very dangerous looking. It is not obviously a garage/shed so it could come across as an isolated location, making it difficult to escape from and more chilling.

Bedroom location: Mise en Scene

Before:

One of our main issues whilst filming was our location of the bedroom as the mise en Scene of the room was not suitable for the character that we wanted to convey. We previously decided that the character who would become the victim would need to come across as a character who would be unsympathetic and uneducated in terms of mental illness. We thought it would be easiest to do this by making our character seem shallow and a stereotypical teenage girl, so that our target audience could easily identify what we, as the filmmakers, wanted the personality of the character to be. Therefore her room needed to fit in with this character.

 We immediately decided that major changes would need to take place within the room to make it suit the character, primarily by removing various items which clashes with the personality of the victim. This included all of the books on the bookshelf as we didn't perceive the character to be very interested in reading fictional works, the guitars in the corner of the room as we thought although she could be musical, these would distract from the main points we wanted to put across about her character.

We also took down any obvious posters, such as this band poster as it completely clashed with the personality and appearance of the character. We had to be careful when editing the room that we couldn't see any hidden parts in inconspicuous parts of the room which we wouldn't think to look, such as in the reflections of mirrors. We wouldn't want to film the scene and only notice a Mise en Scene error retrospectively as this would require us to re-film every shot again in the location.

We also thought that overall, the room was too plain for the provocative character that we were trying to convey. As we see here, the wardrobes were bare and no items around the room indicated that the character was in any way like how we wanted her to seem. We also didn't think that she would be the type of character to keep her room in good order, like is shown in the photograph.

After:

1) Shelves

Initially, we removed all the books and fluffy teddy bears and sculptures down from the shelves as these did not suit that character at all. To replace these, we put in lotions, make-up, sprays and all sorts of other cosmetics to show that she cares greatly about her appearance. We tried to make sure these looked as full as possible by putting rows and rows of cosmetics, rather than one shallow collection at the front. As well as this, we put them in a random order and knocked over some bottles to make them look authentic.

2) Floor

We focused heavily on making the floor look messy so that the audience could tell that she was a careless person. We covered the floor with shoes, making sure that all shows were ones that we thought would suit that character's style, to avoid any mismatching in that respects. We also added a pile of school work on the floor, to show the level of importance that she places on her education. The cosmetics being places above the school work in each shot would convey the character's priorities in life.

3) Wardrobes

On the wardrobes, we decided to plaster pictures that we had printed off of various celebrities to show off that side of the character. We thought these would make her seem more like the usual teenager, and made sure that the celebrities which we used were typical of our age group by asking around what our peers thought would be effective, and what they have as posters in their rooms. We also moved a mirror against one of the wardrobe doors, as we thought a mirror would be essential in the scene to show off her vanity. It also helped to make the room look less spacious, and more cluttered. We had to balance the mirror on a set of drawers to make it stand out more, and from it we could hang more items which would show off the character's tastes, such as the pink nightgown and more pink clothing, hopefully making the dominant colour in the shot pink and conveying her femininity.

Location Research and evaluation (Bedroom)

For part of our trailer, we will need to utilize a bedroom for one of our actors. It is important to review which rooms we have available and consider what mise en scene impacts there are. I have evaluated the rooms below.

I think the room above will be a good choice for us because of the pale decor, it allows us to have a blank slate and can add extra colours to connote parts of the character's personality if necessary. I also can see a possible place that we could have a laptop positioned which is where the privacy part of our trailer comes into play. If necessary we would also be able to shoot the laptop on the shelf without getting the books above on the shelf in the same shot if they were going to conflict with the personality of the character. 

This is a good desk area however due to the space of the room it could be quite difficult to film in. Although this would be a good space for a laptop to be placed and allow us to focus on the privacy aspects, we would have to remove all the items from the desk due to mise en scene, which wouldn't be fair on Danielle. It is still an option though. 

All around this bedroom on the walls out of shot it a continuous photo wall which could not be removed, which takes out the possibility of using the desk area in this room. In addition to this there is a huge number of colours, including the walls, which could convey the wrong message about our character when analyzing the mise en scene. The only way this room could be used is if the laptop would be placed on the bed, however this wouldn't be so practical as the laptop could wobble in shots as there is no stable surface for it. There is also limited lighting in this room. 

This bedroom could be a possibility because it has a good desk space next to a window, meaning we would have a good light source. For shots of the laptop we wouldn't have to worry about mise en scene too much because we could easily remove the items already there, however the mise en scene throughout the rest of the room may be an issue, such as the red walls and American flag. This would not fit with the personality of our character in question and may lead the viewer to be confused about the personality we are portraying them to have.

When evaluating these possible options, I believe the first one is the best choice because it is most like a blank canvas which we can make fit our character easily. The other rooms would all need a lot of work to see if they were usable, such as removing an entire photo wall, space limitations and moving lots of personal belongings which wouldn't work in our trailer. 

Mise en scene we could incorporate:

-Books (linking to the library scene

-Note pads - expressing their thoughtful nature

-Fairly plain decor - so we can add any small details with elements of colour if necessary.

-Pens and pencils

-A laptop

Items we can NOT include in shots

-Photographs

- Clutter

-ornaments

-Cups

-Beauty product bottles etc