Your checklist is ready. Script, casting, and camera are all sorted, but still shooting location is not finalized. Yes, we understand there is a lot more going on in your head alongside allocating a handsome budget for the prime locations. It is difficult to compromise on a story by choosing a location that lacks authenticity or is inconveniently located and time-bound property. Also, you are afraid that the technical problems, traffic, and crowd may ruin your precious time, finances, and human resources.
So what is the way out of these dilemmas?
The answer: Carry your research, put in the legwork, and take a decision.
Here are the 5 things that you must consider before you finalize a location for your next promising project.
Exterior Location
Shooting outdoors presents its own set of difficulties. Noise breaks the momentum. You may be filming a very serious scene, and the constant car honking or religious verses from the loudspeaker may just come uninvited. Filmmakers often ignore this fact while scouting a film location. The fact is that microphones catch the minutest of sound, which can become a problem later on.
Outdoor shooting is affected by sunlight as well. Your location might be giving breathtaking views at 6 am but at 9 am; you may discover the sun is backlighting all your shots and making it impossible to get the final take. Thus, it is critical to pen down these factors as they look like -very little issues, but shooting a whole scene again, might become a problem.
Safety
You may not require a permit or any sort of licensing while shooting in a private location, mere permission from the owner is enough. As such, it is advisable to approach local law enforcement beforehand to avoid any issues in case of contingencies. Also, the police will be aware of the crew and camera shoot in progress and be ready to stop a crime.
Permits
Likely, lightweight types of equipment don’t require any permits or permissions when filming on public streets and crowdy locations. However, if you are blocking traffic and limiting access to business or staging an action scene or a scene of violence, you may need only to acquire a permit from the local authority. Working with prior tickets will make you feel secure and prevent scary misunderstandings.
Authenticity
Authenticity plays a vital role as it imparts life to the scene. If the scene calls for a hospital setting with fine equipment and an ICU corridor and you wish to put the same in the bungalow room, remember no one is going to buy the same. There must be a credible substitute that speaks for itself. The NK studios have the most credible setup for Restaurants, Police stations, streets, jails, and corporate offices. You can modify and personalize the same as your shoot asks. Remember, a fake-looking location can take the audience out of the moment.
Efficiency
If you are working on a few scenes altogether you may be aware of the fact that the most time-consuming part is moving from one location to another. Taking the articles and props, or being struck in traffic can waste your time and resources while you are already behind schedule. Therefore, it is always advisable to, finalize locations in proximity or one studio to remove the hindrances of place and time. Shooting different scenes in the vicinity offers numerous advantages and effective utilization of resources.
Conclusion
It is certainly, difficult to pick a perfect film location as it involves a lot of groundwork. The best way is to chalk out the strategy and budget in the very early phase of the production process. As soon as the script is approved research and process of finding the best shooting location. Make the decision wisely, allocate the resources, and bring your creative vision to life. The above-mentioned tips can help you finalize a shooting location that can serve all your needs. Check out our prime services and location, all under one roof here.
