Location Research- finding the right location

One of the most important issues we are facing is finding a location we want for the film trailer, and one that we are allowed to film at, we have all been researching a lot into this as it is a key element and we can't film until we find a location.

Location scouting-

When location scouting we were looking for sites which we would be able to get too fairly easily, ideally looking for places within or around London. This location is positioned in West London, making it ideal for filming as it still within the Capital. This was a vital aspect when considering filming the trailer as we may need to re-shoot several times, to get footage we wanted to use so this location was appealing.

•  The grade II listed building is large and the outside has been not that well maintained, meaning some of the paint has peeled away, giving the idea that the house has not been cared for or has been deserted.

•  Because of its large size it has a grand feel to it, and our group were considering using it in an opening scene to show an idea of wealth and power.

•  The building is painted white, allowing us to play on connotations of innocence, purity- which are idea typically played on in the thriller/horror genre.

•  The building is surrounded by large grounds which give it an air of isolation, and there are old dead trees surrounding the house- which give it an eerie, creepy atmosphere.

Inside

• The idea of wealth and power is juxtaposed when you look inside of the building, as the inside is unfurnished and predominately empty, we could use this to demonstrate that there has been some sort of financial crisis which has led to people leaving.

• There is however still a sense of grandre as the place is impressively large inside, however the inside is darkly lit, and relies only on natural sunlight, making the place slightly creepy, ideal for a thriller film location.
• There is a huge chandelier still hanging in a old dining hall, which suggests an earlier time of wealth and also again reiterates the idea of abandonment.

• Another characteristic feature of the house, is the staircase which would enable us to play around with levels, and angles i.e. it is a good landing space for a high angle or birds eye shot, as (shown in the below picture)

• Underneath the house: is a large cellar.
• This would provide a good shooting location, for a scene showing people hiding. 
• Or if we want to explore the idea of people living in captivity or being held against their will, we could exploit the connotations of entrapment that are commonly associated with basements or underground spaces.
• The lighting in the cellars is entirely artificial- allowing for the possibility to completely control and filter the type of light we think would be most effective for our film and allowing us to experiment with using different lighting intensity levels.

• The location offers a number of out houses
• The benefit of having the outhouses is; they look quite rural and rustic so connote simple living, this means they contrast to the Grander of the rest of the outdoor space. So we could use them too possibly to demonstrate class, or social boundaries.

•  It also has a lake- traditionally used in films either to represent danger (conventionally within thrillers lake’s are where unstable protagonists are found drown and thus create an enigma or they are used to show luxury and indulgence.