108 The Digital Filmmaking Handbook, 4E

Location Scouting

The locations and sets on which you choose to shoot will convey some of the most vital visual information in your story. Sometimes, set and location will convey even more than your script or your actors.

There’s no real rule for finding a location; you simply have to get out of the house and start looking around. There are, however, some things to remember and some questions to ask when looking for and selecting a location. Moreover, depending on the type of equipment you will be using, your location needs might vary. Consider the following when scouting locations:

nWill the owners of the property let you shoot there? You should, of course, always ask permission before shooting on private property. Though many people will let you shoot for free simply because they’ll be excited by the idea of a movie shoot, in other situations you might have to work a deal—either for cash or donations of improvements to the property. If you are planning to sell your finished project to a distributor, you’ll need to get a location release from the owners of the property.

nDo you need a permit to shoot? For shooting on civic or government-owned property, you’ll often need to get special permits from your local city hall or municipal government. Most large cities have film commissions whose primary purpose is to help film production crews get permits. Permits do cost money, though, so you’ll need to add this into the cost of shooting at a particular location. You can often get away with shooting clandestinely, without a permit, but there can be risks to this. Here in San Francisco, we’ve heard stories of permit-less production crews having all of their equipment confiscated by the local cops.

nDo you need both the inside and outside? You may not necessarily need access to both the inside and outside of a location. After all, you can always shoot your interiors on a set or in a building to which you have better, less expensive access. Storyboard carefully for these situations.

nCan you find the same type of location in a cheaper town? The inside of an office is the inside of an office. See if you can find office space nearby, but in a cheaper location.

nIs the location a reasonable distance from the rest of your shoot? Lugging equipment, cast, and crew to faraway locations can quickly become prohibitively expensive, particularly on a union shoot.

nDoes the location require redressing or modification? Removal of signs, addition of new signs, changing the look or “period” of the environs. This can be done through practical set dressings or through digital “dressing” and postprocessing, but it will add expense to that particular location.

nDoes the location afford the coverage you need? If the shots you plan require many different angles, you’ll need to consider your location carefully. For example, although your location might look great, be sure you can shoot it from multiple angles and reverse angles without getting unwanted scenery (see Figure 5.9).

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WHAT TO WATCH

For his movie Do the Right Thing, Spike Lee made major modifications to an entire city block in Brooklyn. With a clear idea of the storefronts he needed for his set—as well as their proximity to one another—his set designers proceeded to modify existing buildings to fit his needs. Because he had the use of an entire city block, he got all of the “in-between” locations (sidewalks, street corners, etc.), in addition to getting the individual storefronts he needed, and all within walking distance of each other. In the process of preparing the set, his location security guards cleared out and renovated a crack house, a set change that, obviously, made a lasting improvement in the neighborhood.

Figure 5.9

(Left) This Spanish-style mission might be just the location for some exteriors in your turn-of-the-century drama. (Middle) Unfortunately, it sits on a very busy, four-lane thoroughfare, which will make shooting clean audio very difficult. (Right) Also, across the street from the mission are very modern buildings and parking lots, which will make reverse angles difficult. (On the other hand, this location—San Francisco’s Mission Dolores—was good enough for Hitchcock! He featured it prominently in Vertigo. Of course, it wasn’t a period piece, and there was much less traffic in 1958.

nDoes your location have the physical space required for the size of your shoot? See Figure 5.10. In addition to your equipment, don’t forget the support needs of your crew (power generators, trucks, dressing rooms, catering, portable toilets, and so on).

nDoes the location have access to sufficient practical resources such as power? Remote locations pose other logistical problems, such as access to restrooms and refrigeration. Is there enough parking for your cast and crew?

nIs the location too noisy? Refrigerators, outside traffic, and air-conditioning are just a few things that will add a hum to your sound recordings. Overhead airplanes and other intermittent noises will require constant halting of your production while you wait for the noise to pass.

nWhat are the location requirements of your equipment? If you are shooting at night, you might be able to get away with more or less lighting, depending on the type of camera you are using. In addition, video cameras can have difficulty dealing with certain repeating patterns and textures. Closely spaced horizontal or vertical lines can create annoying interference patterns on your screen. Does your location contain such textures? If so, can you shoot around them?

110 The Digital Filmmaking Handbook, 4E

Figure 5.10

These cozy little houses could make a great location; however, the narrow street could make things difficult if you’re expecting to use a large crew. In addition, clearing the street of cars could require expensive city permits, making what seemed like a cheap location into a big expense.

nWhat about light and sound? Can you adequately light and mic your location for the needs of your particular equipment? Different cameras and formats have different needs in regard to light and sound. Plan for these accordingly.

nCan you improve the authenticity of your set with sound effects? Adding some simple ambient sounds to a shot—adding the cries of a circus barker to a shot of a tent, for example—can improve the authenticity of your set.

nCan you fake it? Cutting from a good, convincing establishing shot of a sun-dappled vineyard with appropriate ambient sound effects to an interior set that’s been properly decorated might be all you need to make your audience believe that you paid for a long shoot in the hills of Tuscany (see Figure 5.11).

Talk to your principal crew members when scouting locations. Does the production designer agree with your assessment of the feel of the set? Can he dress it accordingly? Does the cinematographer feel that she can shoot it in the way that you want? And can it be done affordably? Does your gaffer think the set can be outfitted? Careful location scouting will help you explore these issues and formulate questions to present to your crew.

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Figure 5.11

A few well-planned establishing shots combined with the right audio can quickly establish a Mid-Eastern location. When, in fact, you’ve only gone as far as a busy American street corner.

WHAT TO WATCH

John Sayles’s, Matewan, a 1987 tale of union troubles among West Virginia coal miners is an all-around example of excellent filmmaking. For the independent producer, it’s especially informative as it shows that a convincing period piece (a type of movie that can be very expensive) can be produced with an indie budget. You can read more about the production design of this movie in John Sayles’s excellent book Thinking in Pictures: The Making of the Movie Matewan.