The location can be very varied and flexible as due to producing a trailer, we are not restricted to a linear plot. Therefore we can jump from location to location as a part of our trailer. We believe that including multiple locations will help to draw in a bigger audience because people will feel like the film will be more intrinsic and complex rather than boring, and offering more locations offers audiences more opportunities to view locations they are familiar with; those with knowledge of the location may have a higher interest in the film as it is familiar to them and may identify with the narrative.
From looking at trailers like 'London Has Fallen', a lot of their locations are large, iconic places such as Buckingham palace and the Whitehouse, however due to our low budget we are not able to travel to, and film at these vast locations, nor recreate them in a studio. Therefore we tried to include a range of locations within our budget to offer this variation to our audiences and intrigue them further, whilst maintaining within our budget.
Possible Locations: 1) Lizard, Cornwall.
The sea mist and fog made it an ideal location for the genre of our film as it created an eerie and mysterious setting, a typical convention of the thriller genre. Therefore I felt this could be a good location for our filming.
Along the cliff edge, a small abandoned black shed with bordered windows was also present. This would be the perfect location for our hostage to be taken to into our film, and could be used in the trailer to suggest the theme of kidnapping and connote a hostile / entrapped environment. In addition, being on the cliff edge shows the isolated and decorate location, another convention of our chosen genre.
Leading up to the shed, the walkway was very narrow and windy, as shown below. Again I felt this would be suited for our trailer as the windy pathway could almost connote the protagonists emotions being flustered and unstable, as though panicking, possibly as the hostage is trying to escape her kidnapper. It is also on the edge of the cliff again, and so the fear of falling down and danger is suggested, themes within our narrative and that we'd like to create in our trailer.
However, due to the distance away from home and our base, it was financially impossible to cover travelling costs for all those who would have to travel; actors, producers, etc. It also seemed unrealistic in asking these individuals to travel 6-7 hours by train to reach the location. In addition, there was no guarantee that on the day of filming, th weather would be overcast or of the same fog / cloud and so the location may fail to create this eerie atmosphere needed for our genre, and so due to these factors the location was considered not possible.
2) Markyate, England
Markyate is an old country village, located in England. Due to the isolation of the village, we felt this location would suit our thriller genre well. It was also approximately 60 minutes away, and so easier to get to than Lizard, our previous considered location.
When exploring Markyate, we came across an abandoned farm house. The building was falling apart and so connoted a creepy and sinister atmosophere, perfect for the scene of capturing Becki.
However, due to health and safety and the risk of the building actually collapsing, we felt it was not safe enough to film in. It may also have been private property and so we would have had to have gained permission from the owner or possible the local council, who would most likely have denied our request due to the safety of the building.
3) France, Le Troley
This abondedned ware house was a possible location we considered due to its isolated environment.
The abondedned warehouse could have created a scary and frightening atmosphere, possibly symbolising Becki's current feelings of fear in being kidnapped. However, again due to the safety issues of the building, such as the roof caving in, and the uncertainty of strength of the actual structure, for example the steps had eroded away very thin; it was too dangerous to film. In addition, it was financially impossible as we did not have the budget to pay for flights, accommodation etc in France, and could not expect actors to pay for this.
4) Stockmen Field, Bishops Stortford
Another possible location was Stockmen Field. This was ideal as it has woodlands and hills, and so could be the destination for where the kidnapper took Becki. It also had small ditches, which we considered to be the area the kidanpper takes Becki. It is also next door to the chosen location of the dinner table scene, and so would be very practical for actors to stay in one area, and not have to travel.
Although forestry areas, they were not very big, and houses can be seen behind the ditches and so would not have portrayed the same feeling of isolation and being in the middle of no-where, which is a convention needed to portray the Thriller genre.
5) London Stansted Airport
Initially, we considered the narrative focusing on the kidnapper taking the hostage abroad, and so decided to visit Stansted Airport.
This was convenient to travel to as it is approximately 10 minutes from our school, and so traveling to location would have been possible for all actors to get to.
We sent an email to the airport, requesting permission to film there, but we did not get a response from them in time of our filming date, and so did not receive permission to film there. See the letter of request below:
Our Chosen Locations: For our final outside locations, we chose two areas. The first was in Darnell, Berkhamsted. Here we filmed the kidnapping scene. The second was in Bishops Stortford, Thorley Woods and is where we filmed the kidnapper taking Becki into a WW2 bunker.
Darnell, Berkhamsted
The location of where Becki was taken during her walk.
World War 2 bunker and woods, Bishops Stortford
The location of where Becki was taken to once kidnapped, and held hostage here.
My house, Bishops Stortford
The location of where Becki and her family sat for dinner, before she was taken.