Looking Back: Change of Location

 Last Minute Location Madness

"Dear diary, I had everything planned out but I encountered an unforeseen event: The filming was going to happen in just two days and I received a suggestion to use a completely different location to what I had planned!"

Hi everyone!

In this post, I wanted to reflect upon what happened just a couple of days before filming... My mum told me that she had a friend who had to sell her parents' house, and that because they were moving out, she could let me film my packing and leaving scene there!

I was shocked and, being used to having everything under control, my first reaction was to decline the offer. I did not realise the potential of the opportunity at first, because I had planned everything beforehand. My storyboard had been designed specifically to have the action take place in my living room, and I was not prepared to use a different location without knowing what it was like!

Nevertheless, I am always open to new ideas so, after the first shock, I decided to look into this new possibility. I talked to the owner of the house and she was very kind and talked me through the type of place it was. She mentioned that the place had a lot of light, so I decided to give it a try because (as I mentioned in the mise-en-scène analysis) I wanted my film to have plenty of natural light.

When we arrived there that morning, I realised that the living room (where I had planned to film) was too ornate and sophisticated, and would clash with the previous location I had used, which was an issue as both were supposed to be in the same house.

 

However, I took a look at the entrance and fell in love with the floor-to-ceiling glass windows and a more relaxed atmosphere, and instantly decided that was where I wanted to film. After we set all the props and tidied the room a little, I realised I had made the correct decision, as the room even had a door on the side that allowed the blocking to be more interesting and make the action more dynamic.

The lesson that I learned from this is that it is ok to be scared and shocked at first, but with a little bit of bravery, you will not miss out on the wonderful opportunities that come along the way. 

xx Natalia