Tech Scout

Content
2
3

Tech ScoutContinuing with the Art Directing pre-production for my first thesis film, I went with some of the main crew members the other night to check out a location we were shooting at to see what kind of props we would need to get. Luckily, not that many.

The Director wants a mostly black and white room with small accents of color to match the main actors. The living room at the location is pretty white, making the colorful accent task a simple trip to Goodwill.

It’s always a good idea to stop by your locations beforehand and go over a few things:

  • Parking – Where’s the Grip Truck going to go? Is there ample parking for cast and crew or do you need to carpool?
  • Power – We don’t get generators (grad students do), so we have to use people’s house power. Where’s the fuse box?
  • Green Room – Where can the cast rest when they’re not needed? Where is craft services going to be set up?
  • Shot planning – Now is the time to storyboard and look around the location when you have it to yourself.
  • Lighting – Are there windows? Is this a night scene? Do you need to black them out to maintain continuity? Can your lights fit in the location?

It’s a lot easier to think about your shots and plan the action when you have the location to yourself and 15 people aren’t waiting on you.

Meeting the location owners beforehand and giving them a brief overview of what’s going to happen is also a wise idea. Fortunately, the owners of this location have had their house used in over 20 Film School productions, but for the uninitiated, 15 people invading their house with trucks, lights, tracks, and carts can be a bit overwhelming.

Good communication with the owner is great, because the last thing you want to do is burn a location (I believe there’s a burned location list somewhere around the school).

Get VP Land

Stay ahead of the latest tech that's changing the way we're making movies with our free newsletter

Get VP Land

The 2x weekly newsletter for media pros & creators on the latest news, trends, and behind-the-scenes breakdowns in virtual production and the future of video storytelling.

You May Also Like

BattleBots and South Beach

It's been a while and I'm sorry, but here's where my life in the real world is at: I'm officially done with Film...

500 Days of Summer

This past weekend Geoffrey Gilmore was back with a new film straight from Sundance - 500 Days of Summer, starring...

FSU Film School Q&As

I got an email a while ago from a prospective Film School student asking some questions about the film program at...