LOCATION SCOUTING

 

Scouting

The week before filming I went out to look at some potential locations to film. I had a place in mind, but I also went to a second location to make sure we found the best place to shoot. 

The first location had a large area of flat grass right next to the road, which was ideal for the last shot we had planned (a continuous tracking shot of the couple retrieving their stuff from the back of the car and setting up a picnic). However, in the background a green fence was visible. This put me off slightly, as we had been aiming to shoot somewhere that seemed remote and the fence was clear evidence of human activity.

Location one and location two, there was a winding road up the side of hill that added to the remote feeling of the location. It seemed like a good spot for a tracking drone shot as it was surrounded by thick vegetation and would contribute to the idea the couple are taking the body to an isolated area. This can come across as quite sinister as secluded areas are conventionally where the "dumping site" of a body is. This is also supported by remote locations typically being associated with murder (eg. the stereotype of hitchhikers being dangerous).

The second location also led right from the road onto the grass. The long slope of the area leading into vegetation successfully made the location feel isolated, however there were a lot more people here than the first location. We had to consider this when scheduling our shoot, as we were filming around the time of a public holiday. Although we had originally planned to film around sunset, we ended up shooting earlier to avoid the time where the most people gathered. 

The location scouting was successful as it allowed us to plan and practice our shots more accurately before the day of filming, but also made us aware we had to avoid times where lots of people gathered.