Find The Right Location

Location, location, location. We’ve all heard the old saying, and when planning out your video production, having a good location to film at is essential. Besides having the right “look”, there are many logistical things that need to be considered and factored into your decision process. Not considering them can make your production day a rough one. For this this installment of what clients should know about video production, it’s all about locations.

The Right Vibe

Let’s start with one of the primary considerations – the look and feel of a location. Your video is telling a story, even if the video is about safety at your factory, there are places that will help communicate that story better visually then others. In pre-production, it’s good to work out what kind of emotions you want to create in your video and then consider what spots will best bring that out. It could be a house, an office, a warehouse, a park, a laboratory…or someplace else – it all depends on the story. We did a short documentary on someone’s use of new medical technology, and the best places to tell that story were a home, a doctor’s office, and a national park. For a commercial spot on mobile phones, a studio set built like a kitchen and living room was the ideal place. One thing to remember is that even if there are logistical challenges to filming at a location, if it feels and looks right from a story point of view, those challenges can usually be overcome with a little extra work. There are many things we can “fix in post”, but a location that doesn’t work isn’t one of them. Sometimes spaces that don’t seem quite right just need a little creative vision and they can become perfect. We once filmed in an under-construction office building. Using a window as backdrop, you’d never know that the walls were bare and steel girders could be seen above.

Location Scouting

For some projects, we do a location scout so that we can find and/or view spaces that might be good for filming, and what angles in them might work best for filming. Doing a scout is extremely helpful in not only finding the right location, but determining a number of logistical things as well. Some of those are:

– Where’s the best place for us to park and unload our gear
– Where can we load in from?
– Is there elevator access if filming on a higher floor?
– If there is furniture in any room we’re filming in, is it moveable?
– Do any windows have shades? Will there be direct sunlight coming through them? Can we get access to just outside the windows?
– How high are the ceilings?
– How quiet is the location? Any possible noise issues we should be aware of or plan for?
– How many power outlets are there and where are they? Any power restrictions we should be aware of?
– Where are the restrooms?
– Is there a place to store/stage our gear?
Knowing all these factors help in making the production day go smoother, which in turn helps us work more efficiently and quickly.

Don’t Forget Audio

An important aspect of any production is audio, and we need to make sure that the location we’re filming at is quiet enough for us to record clean audio. Most of the time, this isn’t an issue, especially if we’re shooting at a studio. But for other locations such things as traffic, passing planes, voices from outside, landscapers, and even insects (we had a shoot where loud cicadas interrupted our shoot) can all cause delays in filming as you wait for them to become quiet. There aren’t many video producers who haven’t had to pay off a landscaper to stop using his leaf blower. If you’re filming outside, it’s also a good idea to make sure there won’t be any construction happening near where you’re shooting – again, relating this from experience as well. And if inside, how loud is the air conditioner, and is it possible to turn it off?

It’s easy to get caught up in the visuals of a location so that you never think about audio, but it really should be an equal part of the discussion. When doing a location scout, make sure you take a minute to stand silently and just listen…you’d be surprised how much ambient sound is around you that you naturally just tune out.

These are some of the bigger things to consider before starting a project. At 100 Acre Films, we understand that part of telling your story is doing it in the most appropriate location possible. We’ll work with you to find the best spot, and work through any logistics involved to make the production day go smoothly.