by Bri Castellini
You can have the most incredible, dedicated cast and crew in the world, the best equipment, and an Oscar-worthy script, but if you don’t have places to actually film, none of that matters. Luckily, it can be easier than you might realize to scrape together adequate locations to bring your concept to life.
First, a reminder from my column about pre-production, relating to the considerations you should keep in mind when scouting potential locations:
- Have you seen the location during the time of day you will be filming? Scouting is so, so important, meaning that you take your director and, preferably, your sound person and DP, on a tour of the location to get everyone on the same page and to experience what a day of shooting might look like. Sometimes, a location is great, but there isn’t enough space for a tripod, or there’s a particularly loud exercise group nearby at the exact time you’d want to film your scenes.
- How easy is this location to get to? How close to public transportation is it, or is there sufficient parking availability?
- Is there ambient sound that will cause problems? This means everything from crowds to a refrigerator you can’t turn off, to traffic, to a construction site nearby.
- Is there enough space for the camera and crew? Remember, there will be quite a few people behind the camera as well as in front of it, all of whom need to be hidden from view. Sometimes these problems can be addressed if you’re able to move the furniture around to accommodate, but if the space isn’t yours, ALWAYS ASK.
- Where is the nearest bathroom? This is especially a concern for outdoor shoots.
- Is there another area nearby you can use for “holding?” Holding is just an area, preferably away from where the actual filming is taking place, for cast and crew to hang out when they’re not needed. Even during breaks, try to take them away from set, otherwise, you risk production design or continuity.
- Will this location be available again for reshoots or for multiple shooting days? You’ll frequently end up filming multiple days in a single location, so you need to make sure a location is available for as long as you actually need it.
- How much control do you have over the space? Can you control lighting/rearrange furniture/put up posters and set decorations? Can you redirect traffic or tell people in other rooms to pipe down? Does one need licenses or other approval for outdoor scenes? Do they need to be prepared to lie to cops? The more control you have over the variables, the better a location is going to be. Otherwise, you better be good at improv.
Now, moving on: