Location Report
For my A2 Film Studies coursework portfolio, aside from my textual analysis I
have produced planning materials in order to help me proceed towards creating
a short film. In addition, I also produced a 3000 word essay which incorporated
my inspirational ideas and aims for my final production, the topic of my essay
was to Explore how the representation of women in films has changed overtime
from 1940s to the present day. I have produced a location report of the most
suitable locations of where I plan to film my short film taking things such as
setting, lighting, and mise-en-scene into consideration, as well as the
accessibility and convenience of the location.
Location One:
Bedroom one, with Jade in frame
This bedroom one was initially meant to be the prime locating for my short film
as I had planned to use this bedroom for my protagonists character. I liked this
room and thought it would be perfect at representing my protagonist character
Jade as mature, which was reflected by the neutral toned walls and colour
scheme of the bedroom as well as the double bed etc. The props positioned on
the bedside table once again signifying the maturity of her character with things
such as sprays and perfumes which highlights her development. Due to the fact
that the bedroom used for the character of Jade is one of the most important
location in my film because its the setting of a majority of Jades scenes. In
addition to this, it allows audiences with any additional character information
that is not given through Jades dialogue or behaviour because teenagers
bedrooms is where teenagers spend a lot of their time, and it is personalised
thus reflective of their personality. I planned to use a variety of shots such as;
extreme close up shots, Wide shots, cut in shots to allow the audience to feel
more connected to her character and to foreshadow the story of my film. For an
example the invasive shots e.g. close ups, extreme close up shots etc. that I plan
on using is to symbolise how her private life was invaded by her ex boyfriend, by
him uploading the picture of him online. Evidently, the cinematography is a vital
micro element to consider when filming, things such as camera movement and
variety of shots were another reason as to why using this bedroom was
important to me because it was a big enough area that allowed me to explore
different camera movements and shots in depth. A majority of the narrative in
my short film is displayed through the diegetic sound of Soliloquys and dialogue.
The use of the soliloquy allows the audience to really relate to my protagonist
character, which is good in any case as it means I was effective in making my
character and inevitably my film communicate with the audience which increases
the chance that they will empathise with Jade. This room being mostly a cream
colour additional to making my protagonist character be portrayed as mature it
also presents a calming and lighter atmosphere. However, the brightness of the
room from the room colour and room windows clashed with my filming and the
footage came out grainy thus causing me having to re film multiple times using a
different ISO on the camera. Until I eventually just changed the location of the
scenes, as it appeared the brightness of the room and my actors skin tones
clashed.
Bedroom 2 with Jade in frame
Location 3: Namras bedroom
I decided to use this bedroom because it is a girly bedroom with pink leopard
printed walls. I felt as though it matched with the character of Namrahs
personality quite well. The room portrays the childish and immature and rather
girly part of Namra that is not always clear through her dialogue but definitely
still there. The appearance of the bedroom will allow audiences to have an
insight into the character of Namra thus making her character relatable with the
audience but more specifically with teenage girls. Furthermore, the lighting in
this room is good as the bright coloured walls contrast to the subject in frame
that I was really fond of as I found it aesthetically pleasing. Another reason for
deciding to use this location is because it is a nice space so it was easier for me
to explore the variety of shots and camera movements. Not only did the room
provide me with the opportunity of being creative with the cinematography but
also I was able to be creative with the props and put little things in to maximise
the emphasis of immature on the character of Namra. For an example the bed
sheets were an extra thing I included in order to portray Namra as even more
childish and girly.
Location 3: Outside with Tyson
I have chosen to film the character
Tysons part outside, so the
audience feels less connected or sympathetic with him. With Tyson being outside
not only does it represent that he is an outsider but it makes it harder for the
audience of my film to relate to him then it would be if he was in his bedroom.
Seeing as he is the antagonist of my film I dont want the audience to feel as
though they can relate which is why I have decided to essentially isolate his
character and make him bland and hard to know his personality through the use
of micro elements as well as location. I also want to film Tysons scene outside
for symbolic reason, which was to symbolise how cold and mean what he done to
the protagonist Jade was (leaking a picture of her which he didnt have
permission to do). As I know that when I film for my sort film the weather will be
cold as it will be in winter time.
Location 4: School
I will use 3 different areas of my school for this scene to display that the picture
of Jade has been seen by a large audience. The different locations used will show
a few teenagers looking at the picture and laughing, This scene is important as it
is after this that the character jade decided she needs to seek online support, so
I have to set this scene in a place which is realistic so it can appear as natural
and true as possible and I feel like there is no better location to that apart from a
school building. I chose to film in the places in the school which couldnt be
mistaken for anything else, things such as a classroom, the hallway by lockers
and the sixth form block as these locations can not be mistaken for another
location. I have to highlight that point as there is no sound in these scenes these
scenes are strictly just visuals of the other school friends reactions and I dont
want the fact that there is no dialogue to confuse the audience or make them
feel as though they dont know what is going on
