Location Scouting

Applications

Location scouting is more of an art than a science. To be able to interpret the director’s desired vision and find a location that properly communicates the story is a difficult skill. It’s simple enough to pick a place and declare “I want to shoot there!” It’s much harder to take into account whether it’s practical to obtain permission for shooting, where lighting and camera equipment can be placed, how expensive it will be to rent the location, and so on.

By first learning the logistics of scouting, you can spend more time being creative in thinking of places and areas that might photograph well. At the end of the chapter is a form that can be used when going on a location scout. It contains blanks and checkboxes for all the most important factors to record about a site.

Even if you have the locations for your film chosen, I would recommend filling out the form for each place anyway. This process can highlight and identify problems or difficulties you may experience while shooting there. You can then plan around any obstacles you recognize.

General Instructions

Before you begin scouting, you’ll need to generate a location list. This list should contain all the sites listed in the script. If you have an electronic version of the screenplay, most screenwriting programs will automatically generate a location report. The following table contains a sample report generated by the screenwriting program Final Draft from a short film script:

In addition to listing all the unique locations, this report contains the number of times that each appears in the script (the Occurrences column). This number can aid you in planning how long you’ll need to use a location. It can also give you an idea of how important each place may be to the overall story.

Once you have a location list, you’re ready to begin scouting. Be sure to bring a map, a compass, and a long tape measure. The map will allow you to mark down the locations and see their proximity to major highways and landmarks. The compass will help you determine the direction individual parts of the building are facing. The direction will be important in determining the sun’s location at the various times of day for any daylight exterior shoots. You’ll use the tape measure for everything from determining the distance from the buildings to the curb to measuring the width of a room to gauging the height of hedges that surround a house.

You should also carry at least one still camera to record the location for “show-and-tell” later. Digital cameras are great because you can take many pictures without worrying about the expense of each shot. You can also see the shot on the small color screen to make sure you got all of the detail you needed. If the shoot requires an entire building or street, you might do well to bring a camcorder. Full motion video can help you to record the neighborhood and the surrounding environment to give the director an idea of the general area.

The factors of interior/exterior and day/night are going to be the primary considerations in determining when and where you’ll be scouting. It seems that seldom do the ideal exteriors having corresponding ideal interiors. Therefore, you’re better off grouping your scouting expedition to inspect all the interior days/nights, all the exterior days, and all the exterior nights together. By grouping of the potential locations into these three categories, you can maximize the use of your time.

Artistic Considerations

After availability, the artistic considerations are the most important factor when considering a location. Problems of parking, power, and other obstacles can typically be addressed, but if the location doesn’t look appropriate to the story, then the quality of the film is compromised.

When you look at a location, what does it say to you? What is your first impression? Does it say wealth or poverty? Hope or despair? Dream or nightmare? Modern or provincial? Is your impression determined by the neighborhood and the houses around it? If you ignore the direct environment and imagine shooting only that particular location, does it say something different?

Location scouting takes thinking like a director, because great locations advance the story or reflect elements of the plot or a character in the script. While interiors can and generally are modified by the Art Department, exteriors are far more difficult. For exteriors, try to find locations that closely match the vision of the script.

You will need to take photos of all the locations that you visit. Even if you think it’s inappropriate, take a photo. If later the director describes the ideal location of something you’ve rejected, you won’t immediately have to head back out. Photos are a quick and excellent way for a number of people to examine a variety of sites that may be in many different locations. Once the list of possibilities has been narrowed down, it’s much easier to create an inspection-driving plan for the principals.

TIP

If you are roaming all over scouting for locations, it’s often useful to note the page number or grid designation from a Thomas Bros. guide or map on your location report. That way, it’s easy for you to find again if you need to guide someone to the location and you can easily fax them a map of the area.

Visual Considerations

After the artistic concerns, the location needs to be evaluated in terms of lighting and shooting. As far as a production is concerned, the only reason a location exists is the ability to catch it on film. If the location is perfect except it’s impossible to light or a film crew can’t fit inside the available space, then the site has no value.

For example, an exterior night shoot in the woods is one of the most difficult locations to use even if it is easily accessible. Not only is a huge amount of light needed since there is generally no ambient light available (in a downtown shoot, city light often just has to be augmented), how is any light source motivated to the viewer? That is to say, why in the story would there be a bright light in the woods at night? A forest that’s brightly lit at night will generally look fake unless a visual cue is given to the viewer (such as a large nearby campfire). Aspects of obtaining a good exposed image are an important consideration when examining a location.

Some of the most important visual considerations include:

•  Ambient light Is there too little? Too much? Just right? If a romantic night interior is needed, a street lamp just outside the window may be hard to work around. Filming in a factory with dozens of suspended lamps that can’t be properly adjusted for light level may be a problem since they may be in the frame and would look odd if turned off. Note all existing light sources that will be present at the time of the shoot.

•  Immovable objects in frame Will objects in frame need to be hidden? Power lines can ruin an otherwise perfectly framed exterior shot. A shot that requires an open sky can be a problem if there are telephone poles everywhere. High trees, bushes, mountains, or buildings block the sun earlier than sunset which may cause other problems. For interiors, a large oak bed that can’t be moved or a safe bolted to the floor are examples of problem objects.

•  Level ground Level ground is very important for quickly setting up a dolly track. Soft ground, mud, hills, and dunes can all make a dolly shot very difficult and time-consuming. When the ground isn’t level or hard, be sure to record this in your location notes.

•  Match the interiors and the exteriors If the actors will enter one location (such as a house), but another location will be used for the interior (such as a soundstage), what number of doors and windows must be duplicated? A location with vast windows over an ocean view may be difficult for the DP and Art Department to replicate on a stage.

Sun tracking

For the exterior location that you are considering, it’s critical to examine how the sun will move across the sky. Shadows from other buildings alone may make the Director of Photography declare the location unworthy. For daylight exteriors, determine how the sun is positioned during different times of the day and how this will affect the shadows of surrounding landscape objects (buildings, poles, mountains, etc.).

The sun generally moves at 14° per hour, though it moves faster around noon. Put a piece of tape on the ground facing east/west. Use your arm to describe the arc of the sun. This will help you visualize where the shadows will be cast in relation to the locations you will be shooting.

You might also get a sun location calculator. Some programs that do this are available on the Internet for free download. Check out what’s available and see if you can find a program that can be used with your computer platform (Palm, iBook, etc.).

Logistical Factors

Once you’ve found a location that seems like it might work for the script, there are numerous practical implications that must be considered. Generally these are not the factors that make or break the use of a location, but determine the difficulty and cost of shooting there.

Can you get permits to shoot at a particular location? Many guerilla filmmakers have a cavalier attitude about permits because of the difficulty and expense of obtaining them. Some locations, such as the New York subway, can levy astronomical fines if you’re caught filming there. Others will confiscate your equipment. Some might do both. Be sure to understand what you’re up against before you decide to risk it.

Be aware that even if you’re not explicitly caught without permits, you can poison the well for future shoots there. A disgruntled neighbor or employee can make excessive noise, call the police, prohibit convenient parking, and generally make things very difficult. Never forget that you may have later pickup days at that location. Woe be it to the filmmaker that abuses the surrounding inhabitants.

Make sure the area around the location is safe! It’s wonderful if you want to shoot a ghetto-based gangland drama, but often gangland is not a good place to find locations. It is the film production’s responsibility to assure the safety of the cast and crew, so filming in a dangerous spot is a no-no. Also, problems of equipment theft must be considered. Even if the location is perfect and the rent for it is cheap, think carefully before filming in a very poor neighborhood.

Surroundings

Shooting even a simple movie can be taxing on the neighborhood around you. Lack of parking for the necessary cars and equipment can turn an ideal location into a nightmare. You should always consider the placement of necessary vehicles and facilities when examining a location.

Some of the most important factors include:

•  Rest rooms Are there rest rooms for the crew nearby? There is no better way to alienate cast and crew than by having too few bathrooms or locating them too far away. Make certain that the proper number of rest rooms are located at an appropriate distance from the set.

•  Crew parking Working in Los Angeles, finding appropriate parking for the crew can be a difficult task. Check to make sure that there aren’t scheduled street sweepings during your days of filming, otherwise an already difficult parking situation can become impossible. Also you don’t want the car of your lead actress towed away during the shoot, so try and plan ahead where parking is acceptable and where it isn’t.

•  Camera/grip truck or van At the very least, make sure that there is a close place to park during loading and unloading. Hauling heavy grip and camera equipment long distances is exhausting and time wasting. Half of the shooting day may be wasted just getting equipment to and from a distant set.

•  Make-up location Don’t count on the actors to make themselves up before they arrive. Since the talent usually spend a good deal of time waiting for the shot to be ready, the make-up location is usually the place where they can wait comfortably. You’ll benefit in better performances if you ensure that the make-up location is nice. It may require the rental of a tent or a make-up bus (often called a honey wagon).

•  Generator location If the generator must be close to the shooting location, this can cause serious problems for the sound department. Any location that has a space near the set that’s shielded by a barrier (brick wall, dense hedge, etc.) is definitely a plus for that site.

•  Prop truck The art department may have to unload furniture, curtains, framed pictures, lamps, and any number of props. Parking might be required the day before if they need to prep the set.

•  Craft services The craft services (snacks, water, etc.) should be easily accessible by the set. People often like to chat at craft services, so a location that has a sound barrier to the shooting set is ideal.

•  Room for administration If you will need the producers or other administration on set, be sure to have a location to park their van or other working vehicle. They may need electrical and phone hookups as well for computers, fax machines, and printers.

Even if you’re combining vehicles (one van carries the talent, camera equipment, and lighting), you will need to locate this vehicle close to the shooting location. Is there available room? Can you take up five parking spaces without angering the neighbors? Make sure these factors are considered.

Is power available at the location? Unless you have a generator, you will need power for the lights at a minimum. Although the camera department generally has charged batteries, they may need power to recharge if the shoot is long. Also note if the power outlets at the location have two or three holes (three means the plug is grounded). A location wired with two hole outlets is older (since the ground plug outlet has been standard for at least the last 15 years), so the internal wiring may have less available power capacity.

Is there shade if it’s hot or warmth if it’s cold? Extremes in temperature can destroy a film schedule. Try to make sure the location has protection from the elements for the cast, camera, and crew. Filming inside an abandoned building may seem like a great idea until the temperature drops and the location has no available heat source.

Sound concerns

The sound department will thank you if you can include notes relating to the sound conditions of the location. Although the principal players in a production rarely consult the sound crew on location selection, any sound-related notes will help them prepare for the conditions they’ll face. The sound crew can adjust their selection of microphones and recording equipment to suit the area.

For exterior shots, is the location next to a freeway? An airport? Other sources of loud noise? Is there construction going on one street over? Power lines, dogs, etc. can all make problem noises for the soundtrack.

For interior shots, is there central air conditioning? Can it be turned off if too loud during the shoot? What about refrigerators? Does the apartment have thin walls where the neighbors will be heard? Do the existing lights give off any humming sound? Can they be switched off?

One location scout I know uses a decibel level meter he bought at Radio Shack. He says that our ears too quickly accommodate themselves to ambient noise. What subjectively sounds OK to a location scout may be very loud to the microphones. Therefore, he records the objective decibel sound level at each location.

Make sure you take some type of notes about the sound landscape for both exterior and interior locations. Information provided in advance can even help to determine whether certain microphone types (such as a boom mic) can be used at all.

Special Day/Date Considerations

As you draw close to generating a shooting schedule, you will need to consider the days and the dates on which each shoot day occurs for particular locations. I’ve had the unlucky experience of working for a production that schedules entirely around actor and location availability and ignores the presence of holidays. On one shoot, a location that had previously been fine became a nightmare because of the holiday traffic and parking.

Take into account any holidays that fall within the shooting schedule and how they might impact your location. Will the street you’re shooting on become the site of a St. Patrick’s Day parade? Is the restaurant next door to the location advertising a Mecca for Mother’s Day brunch? Is a heavy dialogue scene scheduled on the 4th of July when firecrackers will make the soundtrack unusable? On the positive side, will Easter Sunday keep most of the traffic away from downtown where you’re shooting?

Even if the script calls for the event to take place on a holiday, it’s usually better to shoot background footage on the holiday itself or maybe just record an audio track of authentic noise for mixing in postproduction.

The day of the week can also cause problems. Is your location next to a hip dance club? Shooting Friday night at 8 p.m. can create traffic problems as well as the sounds of drunken revelers. Scheduling call time at 9 a.m. Monday morning for a downtown location is asking for everyone to be late.

Although these special considerations are not necessarily part of the location report, it is a good idea to consider them. Note any potentially glaring conflicts on your report. This is one of those little details that a good location scout tries to address, so the production company can take them into account.

Location Layout Templates

There are often times when locations need to be diagrammed for various reasons. For example, often a low-budget shoot is limited in the shoot range. A car may need to be shot driving down a small town street, turning around and parking. By creating a quick street layout template, the director can determine where to place the camera.

If geography is important to the scene, make a little map drawing of the area. It’s much better to make this sketch and not need it, then to need it and not have made it.

Location Scouting Form

In figure 5-1 you’ll see a sample location form. I’ve found this form to be extremely useful when scouting for myself and worth its weight in gold when looking for someone else.

The small drawing space supplied in the left corner labeled “Location layout and orientation” is provided to allow you to make a quick sketch of the location. The “N” direction provides an indicator to show you the direction North, so lighting considerations can be made. This area is also available to staple a polaroid or other location photograph.

This template has all the primary information necessary for most location scouts. However, everyone has different needs. Feel free to modify the form to include any particular considerations that might be important to your particular shoot.

Suggestions

Here are a few suggestions to help you with location scouting:

•  Make a location flyer You may need a location (such as a house) and find an entire street of the ideal type. If you have a location flyer that describes your needs and contact information, you can put it on doorknobs and post it on lampposts. The people that are most interested will contact you. You can usually get two or three potential locations this way and that will allow you to choose which location is best based on your shoot considerations such as price, accessibility, etc.

•  Check the web for locations Websites such as www.cinemascout.com will sometimes show pictures as well as have links to information on permits and the rental cost per day. At the very least, check the website of the city where you’ll be shooting for information on permits. Also, it’s generally a good idea to locate the nearest hospital and fire department just in case anything unpleasant happens on set.

FIGURE 5.1 An example location form for performing location scouting.

•  Ask a real estate agent Many times a real estate agent can point you in right direction for a location you’re seeking. The agent might even suggest a seller who has a house on the market that wouldn’t mind earning a few extra dollars before they’ve moved out. Additionally, real estate agents know all about areas and can generally warn you about things such as local dangers or new construction that might take place at the time of your shoot.

•  Check if a location be used multiple times Often a single office can be transformed using angles and set decorations to appear as two or more offices. Check if you can adapt a single location to represent multiple locations on film. This process of redressing can save a great deal of time and money.