Pre-Prod. Location Design

LOCATION DESIGN

Through research & guidance from other production designers, location scouts and much deliberating with Aimee, we've decided to go with two primary locations, with the potential addition to a few other on location spots. The two primary locations will be the studios that're based here in the UK, London specifically (Camberwell film & photo hire space), and the second would be out on location, in the United States of America, in the state of West Virginia, Fayetteville. The house is rather large, and has the right aesthetic & age, having been built in 1788, here are some pictures of both locations to really get a sense of what we're dealing with. The location is one of the many important aspects of filming, just as finding the right actors to portray a role, and just as important as the choice of music used in the film. 

There are a lot of things to consider when choosing the right location for the shoot, the lighting, the external variables, how things can be controlled, i.e light, sound, people etc, and how manipulated the surroundings can be to suit your desired style. You want to try and find the most natural & appropriate location, which leaves no raised eyebrows amongst your audience in terms of questioning the validity of it as this is imperative to the films success. A film's location is the most important and active aspect in filming. The audience will appreciate the visuals pouring over the scene details and start to immerse themselves within the film. A film I watched recently, The Notebook, has a scene in it that perfectly summarises my point with its own choice of location. When Noah takes Allie out canoeing, white geese covered the surface of the pond, and as Noah navigated their way among the Cyprus trees; they were happy. It was just beginning to rain when their moods changed and Allie became angry—angry because she believed that Noah never wrote to her like he promised her that he would—she tells Noah it was over, but then, he reaches, pulls Allie into his arms and…well, this scene is probably one of the most memorable scenes to some people. Its impact and validity weighed heavily on the location where this scene was shot. 

A series that also uses it's location to maximise it's product value & it's overall sense of validity is True Detective, - a quick synopsis - it's constructed as a nonlinear narrative, season one focuses on Louisiana State Police homicide detectives Rustin "Rust" Cohle(Matthew McConaughey) and Martin "Marty" Hart (Woody Harrelson), who investigated the murder of prostitute Dora Lange in 1995. 

Oak Alley Plantation - Key Location 
Oak Alley Plantation’s famous big house and rows of live oak trees in True Detective’s pilot episode, you will see some of the stunning, lush landscape that surrounds them. In the show, the scene where detectives Rust Cohle and Marty Hart discover Dora Lange’s body. That was filmed in a remote section of the plantation’s property, this automatically adding more depth to the episode, allowing for a more immersive viewing experience. I think without the usage of this location, you wouldn't get the same experience & if anything a worse one because the audience watching may potentially question the validity.

Fort Macomb - Key Location
Fans of True Detective learn in an early episode of a frightening and mysterious place called Carcosa. It is one of the main settings for the show, and with its maze of nearly 200-year-old brick catacombs, also happens to be one of the most scenic & atmospheric locations for the first series. It's also the history behind this location that adds to the fictional version. It's actual name is Forc Macomb, and it was built roughly in the 1800s to protect New Orleans from invaders. It was then used during the Civil War, which i found fascinating, as this location has such a rich history that evidently adds more than any studio created environment could. I know by saying that it goes against our argument for using a studio space but for the right reasons, both on location shoots & studios offer equally good things. The location for this scene was pivotal in setting the tone & adding to the suspense & intensity of the scene, as without that location, it would of never really had the same impact on the audience.   

(Fort Macomb)

ON LOCATION - SPRING TAVERN HOUSE, FAYETTEVILLE, U.S 1788

This location would be key in establishing the tone & general aesthetic for the project. I feel that this particular house is right for the filming outside of the property because it's grand, it shows wealth, which the family had & it would fit all of the family members within it. It's also situated within the actual neighbour of the disaster, so there would be some connection there which i feel would add to the authenticity of the episode, obviously though bearing that in mind, and being sensitive to the topic we're tackling & representing. It will also add some kind of validity & would allow the audience to become immersed whilst watching it, creating an overall fluid, organic & impressive piece. Another reason why we felt this location would be right for our project is that it matches up with the script, and that it a key element in searching for a location, making sure that they match from written to their visual interpretation. Overall I think this location will bring only a positive influence in what we want to achieve & should add to the production values in every way. 

IN STUDIO - CAMBERWELL FILM & PHOTO HIRE SPACE

As the majority of our actors/actresses will be scouted from the U.K we feel it would be cost effect to base the majority of the studio shoots here. The studio space also allows us to be as creative as possible, with no restrictions to light changes from being out in the open spaces, & interaction with the general public. We would have control over all filming variables and that is pivotal to what would be the success of this project. So as the episode features the living room, the mum & dads room, the boys bedroom, the hallway & stairs, we feel we could create each room, with a set designer specifically the way we would want it, and a way that would allow us to maximise our camera capacity in terms of shooting styles & techniques. This location brings security, affordability which Aimee covers within the budget, a creative sense of freedom, perfect sound as it would have no interference from outside like you'd get on location, the right colour & tone for the location would be easily achievable within the studio space as all light is controlled. Editing could also be done whilst sitting in the studio, with no stress of the outside world breathing down your neck, also manipulating our own lighting kit to fit the tone, and not relying on the sun or reflectors. The benefits of shooting within the studio space for these particular scenes outweigh those of shooting out on location. The scenes would only be shots of the family within the house, and I feel by choosing to shoot them in a studio space would be the right call. 

OTHER LOCATIONS POTENTIALLY NEEDED - 
As the two location's stated above would be our primary sources, there are still scenes within our production that need to be accounted for in terms of getting locations confirmed & where they actually would be filmed. These locations will come clearer to us once we've finalised the script. Then we will be able to confirm the minor locations which will only feature for a few scenes.