LOCATION SHOOTING
Bruce Bisbey
Bruce Bisbey
Types of locations:
There are
two main types of locations.
- · Location shooting is the practice of filming in an actual setting.
- · Studio shoots in either a sound stage or back lot.
The filming location may be the same in which the story is
set (for example, scenes in the film The Interpreter were set and shot inside
the United Nations building), or it may stand in for a different locale (the
films Amadeus and The Illusionist were primarily set in Vienna, but were filmed
in Prague). Most films feature a combination of location and studio shoots;
often, interior scenes will be shot on a sound-stage while exterior scenes will
be shot on location. Second unit photograph is not generally considered a
location shoot.
Before filming, the locations are generally surveyed in
pre-production, a process known as location scouting and recce.
PROS & CONS
Location shooting has several advantages over filming on a
studio set. First and foremost, the expense can often be far lower than that of
constructing sets in a studio. The illusion of reality can also be stronger; on
a set, it is hard to replicate real-world wear and tear, as well as architectural
details, and the vastness of a city is difficult to recreate on a back-lot.
Shooting outside of the home country is sometimes used to bypass union rules,
labor regulations, or work stoppages. It can also allow "frozen"
currency to be used: the 1968 movie Kelly's Heroes was filmed in Yugoslavia
using profits that had been made on movie exhibitions in that country but could
not be exported.
Conversely, there are a number of reasons why a production
may choose not to shoot on location. Shooting on a set gives the crew a greater
control over the environment: a room may be created to the exacting
specifications of the story, for example, and there is no need to shut down
street traffic when shooting on a back-lot. Additionally, a given location may
have inconvenient restrictions. The convenience store where Clerks was shot was
open during the day, so the crew could only shoot at night; this necessitated
the shutters on the windows be closed to hide the fact that it was dark
outside.
Location shooting often takes place close to the studio; in
Hollywood films, this region is delineated in union agreements and is known as
the studio zone. Many location shoots, however, are far from the home studio,
sometimes on the other side of the world. In these instances, location shooting
can provide significant economic development benefits to the area in which they
are shot. Cast and crew heavily rely upon local facilities such as catering,
transportation, and accommodations. A film that becomes a blockbuster hit can
introduce movie audiences around the world to a visually breathtaking location
that they were previously unaware of, as the Lord of the Rings trilogy did for
New Zealand. This can boost tourism for years or even decades.
Location shooting usually requires a location manager, and
locations are usually chosen by a location scout. Many popular locations, such
as New York City in the United States, Toronto in Canada, and the Isle of Man
in the United Kingdom, have dedicated film offices to encourage location
shooting, and to suggest appropriate locations to film-makers.
In many cases a second unit is dispatched to film on
location, with a second unit director and sometimes with stand-in actors. These
shots can then be edited into the final film or TV program alongside
studio-shot sequences, to give an authentic flavor, without the expense or
trouble of a full-scale location shoot. NYPD Blue, for example, was filmed
primarily in Los Angeles, but used second unit footage of New York City for
color, as well as featuring a small number of episodes filmed on location with
the cast.
SUBSTITUTE LOCATIONS
It is common for films or television series to be set in one
place, but filmed in another, usually for reasons of economy or convenience,
but sometimes because the substitute location looks more historically
appropriate.
FILMING LOCATION
A filming location is a place where some or all of a film or
television series is produced, in addition to or instead of using sets constructed
on a movie studio backlot or soundstage. In filmmaking, a location is any place
where a film crew will be filming actors and recording their dialog. A location
where dialog is not recorded may be considered as a second unit photography
site. Filmmakers often choose to shoot on location because they believe that
greater realism can be achieved in a "real" place; however, location
shooting is often motivated by the film's budget. Many films shoot interior
scenes on a sound stage and exterior scenes on location.
It is often mistakenly believed that filming "on
location" takes place in the actual location in which its story is set,
but this is not necessarily the case.
Sources: Google, Wikipedia, IMDB, Pinterest, Film Terms,
Video Maker
Excellent article.
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