Locations

I decided to look at two different abandoned locations as settings for my film. Both locations had positive and negative aspects, and as well as looking at how the location would work in correspondence to my ideas, I had to look at the more practical side as well such as accessibility and how well lighting would work.

Location 1;
This location has quite a few postives that would work really well with my film, with the location fitting well into the story. One of the positives of this location is how spread out the building is with quite a few doorways and entrances into different parts as well as having a small outhouse. This will come in really useful when shooting scenes where the girl is running away or the murderer is sneaking up behind someone. Another positive about this location is the fact that is is not near any shops/houses etc so not only will that look good in the film, but make filming easier and run smoother due to lack of people around who could get in the way of shots. Another positive about this location is how overgrown the grounds are which the building(s) are on. This would make for good shots, camera angles and chase/hide scenes. This location also has a dip in the land which has filled up to create a pond. This would also come in handy in relation to the events of my film.
Although this poses as a very good location, there are negatives to take into consideration. Firstly, the fact that it is not local, meaning that it is harder to get too. Also relating to this point, the nearest you can get with a car is about a mile down the road, meaning that it would take a few journeys to carry up equipment and props. Another negative point is lack of electricity/lighting/street lights. As I plan to film at night to get the right effect of a horror film, I do need some form of light, and getting some will prove a challenge, however this will occur at most locations. Health and Safety is another issue to look at. Prior to filming and letting any one into the buildings, I will have to thoroughly make sure it is safe in terms of broken glass and other potential dangers to the actors/actresses and anyone else helping out as part of crew,

 

Location 2; 

This location initially looked really good for my shoot and had a lot of positives, but once I visited it, and looked at it in relation to my film and practical elements, it was not as great as it first seemed. Although this was the case, it has got a few positive points. Firstly, it is only a short distance from where I live making it very accessible and easy to get to, not only for me but for the actors/actresses and anyone else involved. Another positive point is the rooms in the building. There are corridors with different ruined rooms leading off from them, including a room with a wall of cracked mirrors which would look good in the film. Another positive about the building is it is a bit of a maze, and in a confused frantic state, the final girl could easily get lost, trip up, etc with the murderer following her which would result in good footage. 

Although these positives are quite strong, the negatives do outweigh them. One negative is that this location is situated right next to a busy road and path and is accessible to anyone. Not only does this mean people getting in the way of filming but doesn't fit in with the idea of the girls getting lost in the woods. Another problem is the lighting. Even in the middle of the day, I could see very little in the building without a torch and this would be even worse at night which would make a negative impact on my filming and resultant footage. Another thing about this location is that all the rooms are joined and part of one building. Although this can result in some good footage, the film would work better with a slightly hidden, detached building for the antagonist to hide out in.

Conclusion; 

After carefully looking at both of these locations, I have decided that I am going to use the first location due to various reasons including its remote location, the building, the overall feel of the place and the lighting is slightly better, although still a slight problem which will need solving.

Update; 
After going to check the location once more for lighting, I discovered that it had been permanently boarded up meaning I could not get in to shoot. This resulted in me finding a new location that I could easily get to. I decided on using the abandoned Stansted Motel in Takeley which I have previously used on a photo shoot. This will be better as I have better accessibility to the location, and can get to a power source easier, therefore removing the problem about lighting.