INTRODUCTION
For the Location Recce, we had to decide on 6 different locations to film our shots. Eventually, we narrowed our options down to: NB02 classroom, LRC studyroom, girl's toilet, hallway, emergency staircase and the elevator. We had to take into consideration the power supplies, lighting and sound options of each locations and thought that these were the best possible options for us.
GIRLS TOILETS
The girl's toilet is one of our six locations. We considered using this in the first place for the mirror, as one of the scenes depicts a girl looking into the mirror only to be met with a frightening reflection. Unfortunately, the toilet has no sockets or a power supply so having electrical equipment may potentially be a problem. The lighting is not an issue as the lights in the toilet are automatic. However, this also means adjusting the light would be difficult, especially if we were to film in low key lighting. The sound in the toilet is no problem, it does not echo and you would be able to hear clearly if we were to film in there.
For this scene, we received inspiration from previous films which had used a bathroom or a mirror. The idea of using a bathroom/toilet was first brought up after someone recognised that it had a terrifying effect on the audience in SAW. The idea of a dirty, grimey place to be spooked fitted in with our ideas. We also decided to use a mirror, as the use of the reflection in "Mirrors" was a scary concept for audiences to think about.
HALLWAY
One of our locations was detailed to be a hallway. I had a look at several different corridors around the college and found the six "spookiest" ones. They are situated on the English corridor, RE corridor, Business area and the flyover right before the English corridor. The lighting for these places were not an issue as it was automatic and so we would have no problem filming there. The Sound wasn't an issue as it did not echo too much and overall was not very loud at all. The power supply would be a problem as there were no nearby power sockets, except inside the classrooms so this could be problematic.
When looking at hallways, one of our main influences came from "The Shining." The scene which depicts Danny on a tricycle, riding around the hotel and eventually encountering two girls is iconic. We believed that the idea of a long, narrow hallway would create a sense of fear for the audience. We also looked at how they used hallways in J-Horrors and this is evident in "The Grudge" and so we cite this as one of our influences in including a hallway scene.
LRC STUDY ROOM
We chose the LRC Room for its white walls and plain white clock. It plays an important part in one of our scenes and we believe it is vital for our final product. Our group discussed the possible locations where we could have white walls and decided this was the best place. The lighting could be problematic as a lot of natural light comes through the windows. The have to keep sound at minimal level as the LRC is generally a place for quiet work which again could be a problem. However, we have a readily available power supply from the sockets in the LRC study room which is good news for our group.
For the white room, we had a look at which films already have included this. We couldn't find any, however, we found a scene from "American Horror Stories" which depicts a girl being tied up to a bed in a mental asylum. We believed that this could connote powerful imagery to the audience as it acts almost as an oxymoron. With white being the colour of peace, it is ironic that people who are left in the white room are far from finding peace within.
EMERGENCY STAIRCASE
The Emergency staircase in the South block was one of our first ideas to use as a location. The naturally secluded and dim aura to the staircase meant it was great for a horror setting. The lighting is dark and it could be a problem, however, it could be used to our advantage. The sound could be problematic as it is generates echoes and so the sound could be affected. Also, another problem would be with the power supply as there are no sockets available for electrical equipment if we were to use any.
The notion of including a scene with some sort of staircase was influenced by "The Grudge." The film utilises the staircase in a way which makes the antagonist seem more frightening and hopefully we are able to do this with our scene. Additionally, it could be scary for our audience as we believe the idea of something normal such as a staircase could hold so many terrifying connotations with it.
ELEVATOR
The elevator was one of our final decisions. Eventually we decided it would be the best for a specific scene of ours. The lighting is not too bright and the dimness could mean an unintentionally scarier scene as it evokes fear. The sound is not too bad but it can create some echoes which could be a problem. However, I believe for the scene we are filming that the sound will not be used much and not much noise will be generated from the scene. There is no power supply and the elevator is quite compact so this could be problematic.
We were influenced into including an elevator scene by the film "Devil" in which people are trapped in an elevator and one emerges as the antagonist. An elevator is secluded, eerily quiet and could evoke senses of claustrophobia which we thought we could make very effective. There is also the tension before the elevator opens as you do not know what to expect, and we hope to exploit this to make a scarier trailer.