Location Research & Set Pieces

In this post I will be showing you the locations that will be used within our film short and I will also be adding in the set pieces that will be used within each area of the location.

Exterior image of our Location:

The location for our 5 minute short is a house setting - somewhere that many arguments take place between couples and it also relates to our film's title which is "Behind Closed Doors" as in you don't know what happens in somebodies home once their front door is closed. 

The stairwell created the perfect death scene idea as it could be both an accident or on purpose should somebody fall down the stairs and its something so simple. 

The house's look itself looks like a family home, which is the atmosphere we want for our film. 

Although Richard works in an office and the audience can assume he has money, we feel that having our characters still living with Richard's parents allows us more give on the ages of our characters and the actors we get to play them.

Kitchen/hallway:

   

The hallway & kitchen are one of the three rooms we chose for our film to be set. We included the kitchen because not only do many arguments often start there, it has that element of danger in it - especially if there is somebody - like in our film - who is getting incredibly angry. The sharp objects like knives add that extra aspect of suspense - especially if we have Richard standing right next to some while the argument is going on, because at any moment he could reach over and grab it or for the woman to use it as defence. This won't happen in out film, however that aspect is still there and makes the kitchen one of the best places.

The hallway, although it is rather narrow which could cause us a slight problem with the filming equipment, is where we will be filming Alice lying at the bottom of the stairs and using it mostly at the end of our film when the female arrives to take Richard to the funeral.

Set Pieces

A photo frame will be needed for a film short so that Richard can pick it up and hopefully smash it on the floor. Inside will be a photo of Richard and Alice which he will then tear in half and let them fall to the ground.

Living Room:

We chose the living room as another area of out location to shoot because it is meant to be a place where you can sit and relax and many memories happen within a person's living room more than any place in the house. By using the living room as a place for our argument we are subverting this idea of tranquillity and replacing it with the sense of hostility and an idea of being trapped.

 The table in the background is where we will be staging the romantic meal by using set pieces.

Set Pieces

These wine glasses are what will be placed upon the table for the romantic meal that Alice has made ready for Richard to come home from work. They are also one of the things that Richard will be throwing and smashing during the argument.

Obviously we won't be getting our actors to really drink wine and we don't want to have the glasses with wine in them due to one of them being smashed, so we are going to have the wine bottle placed near the centre of the table between the two meals. I thought red wine would be best as it links in with Christianity. The wine bottle in the picture won't necessarily be the wine brand we use - it's just an example. 

For there to be a romantic meal set out, we thought Alice could either have laid out the food just before he was meant to arrive home OR we simply have clean plates where they are supposed to be sat. The second idea may prove easier so we don't have to worry about serving up food and making it look exactly the same for each scene and cut that we do. 

 The digital clock is what we will be using for Alice to be monitoring the time. It's easier to film the time changing on a digital clock rather than a 24 hour clock. This will possibly be somewhere rather close to the sofa where Alice will be sitting at the start of the film.

Cutlery will be used to lay the table for obvious reasons. We don't want the audience thinking our characters eat with their hands - especially not at a romantic meal. 

 A romantic meal wouldn't be the same without candles, however these candles will be melted down rather a lot to show the length of time Alice has been waiting for Richard to come home. The candles we will use will most likely be in jars or candle holders as to stop the mess.
We decided later on that we would make a link between christianity and the candles through using the Christian's Advent Wreath which includes 4 red candles and the white candle that is lit on Christmas Day. We felt that using 2 red candles and 1 white candle would subtle symbolise Alice's religion but still keeping the romantic theme.

The flowers in the centre of the table are needed to just set the scene and to make sure the reader understands that this meal is certainly a romantic occasion at first glance, and that it is obvious Alice is angry at the fact that Richard has missed it. 

Stairwell:

The stairwell is probably one of the most important locations in our short and possibly the most difficult. This is where we will be shooting the climax of our film where Alice falls down the stairs - of course we won't literally be getting out actress to throw herself down them. They are also important as they are where Richard is first seen sitting on the them and the last place you see him at the end of the film before he gets up to leave the house.