Location Research

Location Research

The choice of location is a key aspect in a film where some or all of the film is produced. Directors choose their locations specifically for their film because they believe it creates the most realism for the audience. Verisimilitude is the biggest feature a director has to take into consideration, because their role is to make sure the film is as believable and realistic as possible, and this is what the choice of location can provide. The locations can often be iconic to the actors or directors personal life which can deliver an undermining message for the audience. The location needs to be picked carefully so that it coincides with the mise-en-scene and the plot of the film. We have taken a visit to a variety of different rural locations which we may decide to shoot at, they have given us a rough idea of what to expect if we choose to film there, and have also helped us adapt to our film brief to make sure the maximum amount of realism is portrayed. Our choice of locations consist of landscape and rural areas so far, with a lack of urbanity, this links in with our plot ideas because of the expectations and realism the audience would want to experience.

House of the Protagonist:

The first location we visited was the potential house of the protagonist. We would use this house as an establishing shot in the background, with the main focus being on the characters, meaning it wouldn’t be displayed as much as other locations. However it is still important to the film, because it is where the journey begins, and gives the audience a rough interpretation into the vulnerable protagonists’ life, portraying a wider image and view of her. We chose this location as a possibility because it is a reasonably large property, conforming to the stereotypes of missing girls. It also looks like an American-style house which adds to the depiction of the film because it looks like a hierarchy house which corresponds with the main character.

The house is very picturesque due to the bright outlay and the greenery surrounding it. The way the drive splits off is effective because it displays wealth due to the larger acres of land. We also agree that the positioning of the trees neighbouring the entrance of the driveway adds to they mysteriousness and crime of the film because it shadows over the entrance, so it is very secretive. We are also hoping that the weather will be similar to the day we took these pictures because the dull and dreary weather allows the leaves and trees to add to the effectiveness of the suspension we wish to create.

This is a close up shot of the front of the house which could possibly be featured in our film, the old-fashioned style door adds to the prosperity of the house as it is surrounded by the sophisticated environment and pillars. The way the car is parked also conforms to the stereotypical conventions of a crime film because it suggests that people are in the house, creating more realism for the audience. We plan to use this shot when the protagonist leaves the house at the beginning, the stone driveway will help us make the dietetic sound effective due to the loud noises created when running or walking on them.

These are shots from both sides of the road surrounding the establishing house, the large trees continuing down the road is conventional with our film and the choice of house. The leaves on either side of the pavement adds to the winter vibe which creates mixed emotions for the audience, helping to increase the tension due to it stereotypically being a festive, family time of the year. The big house displayed on the other side of the road is also effective because it fits in with the house we have chosen and increases the scare factor of the film as it conforms to the stereotypes - there aren't many people around to help due to the large separated houses, spread down the road.

Journey for the Protagonist:

Our plot of the main character going for a run would be situated in this second location. It is a very stereotypical running location due to the narrow footpath and the greenery surrounding it. It also limits the area the focus of the audience has to be on, making the film easier to follow and the framing not being too cramped or busy. The narrow footpath connotes an ally which conforms to the stereotypical views of where crimes occur, this fits in with our plot of the protagonist being abducted. The leaves scattered on the floor also helps to add to the wintery vibes which are presented. The path is straight, so the forced direction helps increase the tension because the audience won’t know what’s round the corner and there is little room for an escape.

 
The pathway is situated off of a main road, so it helps add to the tension as the audience may not be expecting what is about to occur. However if we choose this location for one of the scenes then we could surprise the audience by not creating any enigmas and just showing our character on a peaceful run, in this situation due to the main road being nearby, making it unrealistic if anything was too happen. However filming the runner running up this pathway from the main road helps the scenes locations differentiate from one another and aids the continuity of the sequence, making it more easily understood and outlines the fact she is in a secluded location.

 

Despite this location being incredibly scenic and picturesque, I think it is too open for our plot due to the pathway being too wide; this decreases the scare factor and tension we wish to create. The gaps in between the trees disperse the light, making it a brighter and warmer place to be. Even though there are still plenty of trees covering the edges, I don’t believe it would be suitable for our film. I think it would work well in a romantic film.

 

 Large areas for the abduction:

The large green area isn’t a vital part of the film because the audience will only see green grass; however this location we found was seen as iconic and suitable due to the drooping trees and the wooden gate. The grass still fits in with confined areas, creating larger pressure. The shot over the gate would work really well when filming because it allows the audience to view what is happening in the background over the daunting but traditional gate, which could allow the audience to watch the action from a different perspective - suggesting there may be someone else involved, helping to add to the suspense. It also helps us too vary the shot types and angles, making it more interesting to watch.

Here are our other shots of locations which we took. We believe they are suitable, however we believe the other shots shown above are better for our purpose so we are more inclined to use those location, however some of these may still feature in our opening two minutes.

Protagonist Costume Research

 Protagonist Costume Ideas

The type of costume you choose for a character is very important because it can help the audience to get to know the character, for example their class, where they live, age or even gender as well as enforcing both realism and continuity, which is an important feature for us. The choice of costume we have picked I think represents our character and the conventions that go with her.

Lily, the protagonist, is the first character which the audience are introduced to; this is when she is just about to go on a run. Through the use of her appearance we aim to try and follow the stereotypical conventions of a young female victim, helping to stick to the stereotypes which seem to have been successful in the past, as well as make the film clear and easy to follow for the audience. Stereo-typically victims in these types of genres have blonde hair which connotes to the typical dumb blonde association. We hope that this will suggest to the audience that the character is unaware of the dangers that surround her, helping to build tension and create a sense of dramatic irony as the audience knows what will happen before the character does. From our research, we have decided to put Christie is well known, branded running clothes with a feminine edge. Her expensive clothing provides reasoning behind the unneeded attention she receives, again emphasising how the character  is oblivious to the dangers around her, which in this case does become a problem when she is abducted. The costume is very uniformed and smart which also helps the audience to understand that Lily is from a higher class, which could also be another reason behind the antagonist's attack due to  jealousy.

The trainers that Christie, our actress, is going to wear have clearly been used a lot this makes it more realistic and shows that she goes on runs regularly, suggesting that the crime committed has been pre-meditated. The trainers we are using are from Nike, this is an expensive sports brand which again enforces her higher class background where they can spend a lot of money on small thing like trainers.

Plot Cinematography

Cinematography of our protagonist returning home

In the scenes of our protagonist returning home:

• Extreme close up
• Close up
• Over the shoulder shot
• Mid shot

There are not many shots we will be using in this scene because it is only a brief glimpse of our protagonist returning home, however it is a vital scene because the audience will become aware that the protagonist will be returning home while the antagonist is snooping around upstairs. The close up shots are ideal because the audience have now got to know the protagonist so it would not seem so random to use extreme close ups without displaying any facial features because the audience would be able to recognise that it is the protagonist. An over the shoulder shot would help add to the suspense as the audience will be able to see where the protagonist is going, displaying a point of view shot, allowing them to engage.

Shots we will not be using:

• Long shot
• Tracking shot
• Low angle

We will not be using a high angle shot because that would result in the protagonist being displayed as the powerful and dominant character, where as our plot is the reverse of this and a high angle shot would be more relevant. A tracking shot will increase the length of the shot which, in our case, is not affordable due to a limit of time.

Plot Cinematography

 Cinematography whilst our protagonist is running

For our opening two minutes, we have a rough idea of the sort of shots and editing techniques we will be using to make the two minutes of footage as successful and effective as possible.

In the scenes of our protagonist running, we plan to use:

• Tracking shot
• Medium shot
• Long shot
• Close up
• Eye-line Match
• Pull Focus
• Point of View shot
• High Angle

These are our plans for the types of shot we wish to use, however when filming this may not materialise due to practicality and the image of the shots. We believe using a tracking shot while the protagonist is running is an ideal shot for when someone is mobile. It allows the audience to follow the route and direction, and understand where the runner is aiming to end up at. This may prove difficult thought because due to previous experiences, we do find that proceeding with a tracking shot is hard to make it successful due to our low skill level, plus the speed of which the runner is running out makes it hard to smoothly follow her. A long shot is evidently easy to use, and we are planning to use it regularly, this is because it is a simple procedure, but works effectively, producing a dynamic image, including the understanding which we aim to portray for the audience. A medium shot and close up shot are both challenging shots to carry out, however we have used these shots for a snippet of the first scene, and despite them being slightly shaky, they work effectively, meeting our aims. An eye-line match may be an unusual choice of technique to use, especially when someone is on the move, however we are planning to use it when our protagonist comes to a halt and starts measuring her pulse, we believe this will add to the tension because it gives the audience a false scare that someone may be in the woods. Pull focus is tricky to use when our camera is not a specialised hi-tech piece of equipment. However we are willing to attempt to follow through with it successfully from behind a few branches, originally concentrating on the branches and then pulling the focus to a shallow focus.

The shots we aren’t planning on using:

• Extreme close up
• Low angle
• Birds – eye view shot
• Two shot

The reasoning for not using these shots is apparent, especially for the type of action which is going to be taken place. For a girl running in the woods, a two-shot is not applicable due to their only being one character present. A birds-eye view shot is not available for our whole opening two minutes due to the cost and the availability. The low angle shot will hopefully be used later on in the film, however for our runner we want to portray her vulnerability through a high-angle shot, not a low-angle shot which would make her look powerful. An extreme-close up is an incredibly challenging shot to convey because the steadiness of the camera will not be of a decent level, and the constant movement of our protagonist would mean that the framing of the shot would not work.

Film Brief

A brief outline of our final opening two minute idea

For our opening two minutes we have decided to merge crime action and thriller into one film. This will hopefully allow us to use a wide range of techniques which we aim to execute effectively. Our opening two minutes centres around one main character with minor characters featuring in different scenes. 

 
Film Brief

Plot: Crime action thriller revolving around a case of abduction – main character is shown leaving house, saying bye to parents and informing them of what she is doing before taking her dog on a run. Camera work starts with a long shot of the main character leaving the house before zooming out to an establishing shot, determining the setting and introducing the audience to the main character and her surroundings. Editing cuts to a male hand which the audience later assume belongs to the abductor. Hand is shown picking out main character from a group and circling around her face from a newspaper. Shot then cuts to men walking into an office, stereotypically dressed in suits with briefcases – audience later learn that this is an investigating team, investigating cases of several abductions in the area. Cuts continue to switch between main character innocently and obliviously running with her dog and the investigating team at work. Team of investigators are shown again still discussing the cases and what actions should be put in pace. Cuts continue to cross between main character on her run and investigating team growing increasingly worried in order to highlight the main character’s danger, before main character is shown to be missing and dog is shown ownerless. Opening scene ends with a cut to an abandoned house – audience assume this is where the man was circling around picture, with a camera panning around a room with pictures of previously abducted girls stuck to the walls. Camera zooms into a close up shot of the man pinning the picture onto the pin board. Last shot is of main character held hostage, unconscious in centre of the room before screen goes black.

Mise-en-scene: Lighting is natural from daylight outside of house - gets noticeably darker as character begins running down footpath due to tree overhang however it is all very realistic. Main character is dressed in typical running clothes with her dog on a lead. Abductor’s hand is shown with dirty nails, clearly a male. Props consist of headphones and a dog – limited props in order to enforce realism. Different locations will be used – scene is set at main character’s house before running through footpaths, Ashtead common and ‘the Splash’. Dark room is shown with abductors hand, however audience are unaware of the setting at the time. Little dialogue is used as main character is jogging, listening to music however a few words are light half heartedly muttered to dog and character informs parents of what she is doing before she leaves.

Sound: Diegetic sound of front door closing and dialogue. Diegetic sound of headphones is emphasised making it the centre of attention as character puts them in. Footsteps are heard walking over gravel and sounds of road are played in background. Non -diegetic at first but turns to diegetic when character comes to cross road. Diegetic sound of abductor circling around main character’s face in newspaper is emphasised. Non - diegetic sound of haunting sound motif plays in background whenever abductor is in shot.

Editing: Slow pace editing in order to follow main character out of her house. Fast editing to switch to abductor – main character given more prevalence – builds tension as more you don’t see much of the abductor. Camera cuts from the scene of the main character running to the man circling the picture (cross cutting)Editing slows as he picks her out of the group and circles her face.

Camera work: Starts with a close up shot of the front door, then zooming out to display an establishing shot of the house. 180 degree rule is used at different points of the film. Match on action is used when the main character is running. Tracking shot is used when following the main character running up the footpath. Close up of the abductors hand when circling the image.

Middle

Mise-en-scene: Lighting stays natural in daylight in order to show surroundings, costume is the same in order to show continuity. Investigating team dressed in stereotypical suit and briefcases. Minimal props however dog is shown owner-less with lead dragging behind and a dirty running trainer left behind after signs of a struggle. Location for main character stays the same in outdoor environment, investigating team are shown walking into a building before cutting men in an office. Dialogue is played of men discussing recent cases of abduction in the area.

Sound: Diegetic sound of main character panting and her footsteps is played, diegetic sound of people and cars outside office before more diegetic sound of people talking and general work environment inside the office. Sound bridge crossing between office scene and owner-less dog of distressed dog barking.

Editing: Slow editing showing workers entering the office. Cross cutting is then used between the office and the main character running; this is used to highlight the danger of our character which the character doesn't know of.

Camera work: An establishing shot is used to show the workers walking into the office to set the scene and give the audience an idea of what’s going on. While main character is running we use a tracking close-up shot to show her emotions and surrounding, this is also used for the dog. Medium shot of men talking about the 7 abductions also using match on action. A close up shot is used on the abandoned shoe which then zooms out to a long shot of the owner-less dog.

End

Mise-en-scene: The lighting which is used is dark and gloomy which is very typical of an abandoned house to scare the audience- However a Spotlight may be used to highlight the photos of the 7 girls on the wall. The costume of the main character will looked distressed and dirty to give the idea of a struggle. There will also be tape over the characters mouth to give the idea that she is not supposed to be found. The prop used in this scene which is set in the abounded house is chair which the main character is strapped to.

Sound: The only sound used in this scene is a non-diegetic sound of the sound-motif we used earlier in the opening scene which will be slow and low-however this time the music will be louder to add more emphasis to what’s happened. When the title of the film comes up the music may change a little.

Editing: Slow editing of the images so its gives the audience more detail and time. Fast editing is then used to give a flash of the main character’s body language-this will be done by using a deep focus on her and a blurred background-to draw the audience’s attention away from the surroundings.

Camera work: Panning shot on abandoned house to display the outside. A panning shot is then used to show the pictures of girls. Along shot is used to show that the main character is tied to a chair in the house close-up is lastly used to show the main character facial expression.

Main Charcter Interview - Tony

Main Character Interview

This is another brief interview with another character who will be featured in the opening two minutes of our film. Tony's role of the film is to play the leading detective, although he has little prevalence in the opening two minutes, if we were to make more of the film, he would become more of a main character. We chose Tony to be our leading investigator due to his background in reality, he has previously been a high ranked police officer, experiencing real-life situations like the one our film is based upon. This would help make his character more effective because he would understand the plot, and able to give us guidance into making it as realistic as possible. Although he comes across very hesitant and relaxed in the interview, I know he will be successful because he has seen plenty of films, Taken being one of his favourites, where he knows how they work. Tony is a very serious and straight to the point man, who will be able to crack on with the filming straight away without any distractions. Despite the large age gap, it is useful having an older adult part of the crew because it gives us a wider range of ideas and he has the benefit of time. We hope Tony will be able to work effectively with us and aid us in the creation of our opening two minutes.

Main Character Interview - Christie

Main Character Interview

This is just a brief interview with Christie, our proposed main character. We have chosen Christie as our main character as she is a close friend of ours and so we think it will benefit us as we will be able to work with her until we produce work that is at a quality we think suitable. We also know she will be reliable and has willingly given consent to making the commitment, meaning we will not be pushed for time and will be able to film scenes many times until we are satisfied. Another beneficial element of using Christie as our protagonist is that she has already featured previously in an AS opening two minutes, meaning she knows what to expect. Throughout this role, Christie will have little dialogue in order to emphasise the reality of the everyday situation she will be taking place in. Luckily, Christie's appearance fits the role of the stereotypical victim, helping to add to the realism of the film.  We are hopeful that Christie will fit this role successfully and aid us in making an effective opening two minutes in which we look forward to working with her.