Location Scouting

A main part of pre-production is finding the right locations to film in, they have to suit scene but also be suitable for filming - it has to be big enough to fit the camera on a tripod, the camera operator, director and sound recordist.

For my short film, which is set in an airport waiting lounge, I contacted my local airport and enquired about filming there, I received a response saying that he would ask security and the Airport manager, however after not receiving an immediate response I came up with a backup plan.

Update 24/2/16
I received a response from James at the airport, who told me that the airport will be available for me to use on 4 certain dates. We then scheduled for me to meet on Friday 4th to look for a suitable area within the airport. I will decide then if the location is right and suitable for filming or whether I will have to use my backup plan.

Update 4/3/16
The airport allowed me to look at 3 possible locations, the first was a large function room - it had lots of space and seating available but had lots of echo and didn't look like an airport. The next room had a large window which gave us natural light and access to see the planes taking off however it didn't have any sockets and although natural light was present we would still need to use studio lights. The final room was the best fit and we are so lucky to have been given access to it, the room has a mix of natural and artificial light; it was reasonably big and airy but didn't have much echo but the icing on the cake was that there are checking desks that are not being used in the room. This gave us the perfect mix of having an airport location but still having a secluded area to work in.

Room 1 -

Room 2-

Room 3 (the chosen venue) -

The backup plan was to find a suitable location at base (college) since my script involves the use of a vending machine, I looked at the locations surrounding these at college. In SRC 1 there is a small room with 3 vending machines and some sofas, however, I believe this is not the right place to film as there is no sockets to plug in lights, which would be needed as the area is quite dark - opposite to that of an airport. Also, the area is the main walkway to a corridor so there would constantly be people and sound.

In SRC 2, which is quieter, the vending machine is in an open area with chairs and a sofa. This could be possible however there are lots of things on display that show it is a college. It would be quite difficult filming but the background may actually aid the film and help make it more realistic.

The vending machine shows a brand therefore would need to be covered and none of the products inside would be allowed to be shown, when Braden eats the bag of crisps it would have to have been made by us and not advertise a brand.

This is the section where I would have the characters sitting for most of the scene, there is a socket next to the vending machine which would allow us to add additional lighting if the natural lighting is not sufficient. The only downfall is that the sign for the hair and spa is on the wall, which restricts the camera placement.

Scene 2 takes place in an aeroplane, I wrote this scene as one that could be removed if I didn't have access to a plane interior.

The plane interior is the Aviation students' and is used for practical tasks.

I would have the characters sit in the rows of 3 chairs and then film their conversations from the front and side. It is a small dark space but I feel it is possible to film the scene successfully here. 

Extras would be sitting in the chairs but would not always be present as in order to film the back row of students the camera operator will need to use the seats at the side to get the right angle to show them all.