Thriller planning: Location Scouting

Thriller planning: Location Scouting

For our thriller opening we need three locations. One of these is a narrow, winding road, preferably with street lights and with a ditch next to it or nearby. The second location that we need is a tall building, with its windows lit-up and preferably with external lighting from the ground, shining up it. The third and final location is a room with a desk and a big chair.


The road

For the road and ditch, we decided to look at the roads around Mousehold Heath, as we’d found out that some of them have streetlights. We found that Gurney Rd. would have been perfect, as it was very winding and had streetlights on both sides. However, unfortunately it was so busy that we were unable to take pictures of it let alone be able to film on it. But, we found a very good, narrow little road coming off it which had streetlights on one side and had no traffic. We also found a Gilman Rd. - which is now a footpath and cycle path. Because of this it would have been ideal to film on as there wouldn't be the issue of traffic at all, however it did not have streetlights, and we wouldn’t have been able to use car lights either so we’d have no lighting.

This is a map of the area we looked at:

These are the pictures we took of this road:

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I think that this would be a good location to film as it has all the qualities that we initially wanted for the road sequence, and it has streetlights which is a huge bonus. Another great bonus is that this road has very little traffic, so we would be able to film quite comfortably on it.

These following pictures are of Gilman Rd, also coming off Gurney Rd:

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In some ways this Gilman Rd would be better than the other small road above. For example, it is much longer and more meandering. Also, the problem of traffic would be completely eliminated as cars are not allowed on here, as it is a footpath and cyclepath. However, there are no streetlights, which is a large disadvantage when compared to the other road. Also, as we couldn't get a car on it, there is no alternative lighting option.

After considering both roads, we decided on using the little road that we looked at first as the location for this sequence. The main reason for this was the issue of lighting, as we'd have to make separate arrangements inorder to have decent lighting, which would create needless hassle as the lighting is already there on the other road.

The ditch

We found a good ditch by the side of Gurney Rd. This is good for us as it would be easy to link it with the road sequence. These are the pictures that we took of the ditch:

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The Building

We needed a tall, and preferably, office building. Inorder to find this, we looked around at the Norwich Union buildings in the city centre, near the bus station, and at the new flats at Riverside, near the football ground. Ideally, we would also have liked the building to have external lighting on the ground, shining up it. However, we knew that this would be unlikely in Norwich.

These are the pictures we took of the buildings:

The Norwich Union building:

1. I am really pleased with this image, the building looks great and the low angle that we planned to film it with makes it appear all the more domineering and threatening.

2.I also like this picture, although the low angle effect is perhaps not so successful as in the previous image.

3. This image is maybe the best of the three, as I think that the low angle shot is achieved with great success here.

The Riverside Buildings:

1. I am quite pleased with this photo, as the low angle shot works well. On the other hand, the windows aren't quite we were looking for as they are a bit too small and reveal the fact that this is a flat where normal people live.

2. I think that this image is much better than the previous one, due to the railing that cuts across the foreground of the picture diagonally. I think that this really makes the building appear much more sinister, especially when it will be in the dark, when we are filming.

3.I think that this photo is better yet, as the side angle hides the small windows that were initially a concern, and the railing is skewed even more. Again, the railing works to great effect.

4. This one is better yet, as the further use of the side angle reveals more if the glass corner which looksreally good. Also, the railing is at even more of an angle which adds extra effect.

4. I quite like the angle of this photo but on the other hand I don't think that it is the right building for the sequence, as these balconies do seem too private and homey.

5. I really like the angles in this image, the skewed low angle effect works really well, especially with the metal railing.

6. I think that the symmetry in this image looks quite good, however again the buildings look slightly too private and therefore unrealistic.

The Office

For our third anf inal location we need a room that can be disguised as an office with a desk in and has blinds. We thought that a classroom would be perfect for this, as it has plenty of space for it to be rearranged just the way we want it, and most of them have blinds infront of the windows. These are the pictures of a classroom that we like for this location:

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