Chapter 5

Scouting Locations

Part of the director’s prep process is scouting for locations: looking for practical places to shoot that meet the needs of the script. It could be a stadium, a church, a street, a house, a skyscraper, or whatever suits the story. It could be for exterior scenes or interior scenes. It could be for night or day scenes. Sometimes it feels like looking for a needle in a haystack. But the director is aided by the capable assistance of a specific department that focuses on finding that needle.

One of the department heads you will be working with is the location manager. His job is to find potential locations and—once you have chosen them—to negotiate the deal, then to oversee the interaction between the shooting crew and the site. Whether the dog is barking next door, the gardener down the street has a loud leaf blower, or the homeowner’s wall paint got nicked while furniture was being moved, the location manager has to deal with it. But first, he has to show you some options.

BEFORE THE SCOUT

On day one of your prep, as you know, there will be a concept meeting, in which department heads gather to discuss the script and get the director’s input. One of the things that will be discussed is whether sets will be built or practical (the real thing), which is generally the producer’s call, based on the budget. If the script calls for something big and complicated (a street, a stadium), it will probably be a practical location. If it’s a location that isn’t already a standing set (previously constructed and used) but it’s conceivable financially and logistically to build it (a living room, a jail cell), the choice might be to create that set on stage. If so, the production designer, with input from the director, will design a swing set that is specifically built for the needs of that individual script.

If the decision is to find a practical location, the first step is to discuss exactly what you will be looking for with the location manager. You will talk about size, style, and concept. Let’s say you’re looking for an exterior of a house. What is the architecture? Is it mid-century modern, craftsman bungalow, brick Tudor? Is it small and cozy or big and expensive? Is it on a busy street or a quiet street? What does the reverse (across the street) need to look like? What script specifics are needed—a porch, a walkway, a garage? What overall feeling does the location need to impart—is this a happy place, a sad place, a haunted place? Most important, what does the location tell us about the characters?

The location manager sends a team of assistants out to look for sites that meet the criteria.

Then pictures of potential opportunities are presented to the director and producer, and if any of them look like they might work, then a trip (or scout) will be organized to see the place(s) in person. In the scout van will be the director, the production designer, the line producer, the 1st AD, and the location manager. You all ride together driven by a Teamster (union driver) who knows how to get there. The director generally sits in the front passenger seat next to the driver. (Bethany doesn’t because she gets carsick when she continually turns around to talk to those behind her.)

CHOOSING THE LOCATION (A.K.A. THE SMALL VAN)

The first thing to determine is whether a location has the right “feeling.” A location is a character, in the same way that an actor is a character. What does this location “say” about the script? Second, does this location provide everything the script dictates? Once those questions have been answered, then there are many nuts-and-bolts questions to answer as to whether this location is feasible financially and logistically.

Here is a list of questions to ask yourself about a location in order to determine whether it is right for you and your script:

•  Does this place have the right feeling?

•  Does it physically provide what I need?

•  Does it have the right style, colors, and impact?

•  Is the surrounding environment conducive to shooting? Or is the neighborhood unfriendly—too much traffic to control, an airport or railroad track nearby, or any other factors that make it difficult to shoot?

•  If it’s a day exterior, does the situation of the site allow for shooting the actors in backlight? (That is, is the sun behind them rather than in front of them?) We talk more about this in Chapter 11 because it is a critical factor in lighting well and quickly.

•  If it’s a night exterior, is the site conducive to bringing in large condors (electric high-rise platforms) in order to put brilliant lights up high to illuminate the surroundings?

Is there enough parking nearby for base camp (location hub; Figure 5.1) and crew and extra parking? Ten-ton (“forty-footer”) trucks carry the equipment of the crew, and there are usually at least four of those: camera, grip/electric, prop, wardrobe. Then there are actor trailers (portable dressing rooms), makeup/hair trailer, and honeywagons (bathrooms). Plus, you need parking for the cars of the cast and crew. Even if you are directing a smaller production, there will still be base camp requirements.

FIGURE 5.1 A base camp requires many trucks to hold all the departments’ equipment.
Photo by Paul Snider, NCIS

•  For commercial locations, like a restaurant or a store, can you disrupt their business hours in a way that works for production and for the site owner?

•  For public locations, like streets or stadiums, does the city allow filming there? Will you be able to get a permit and governmental/police support?

And here are some questions to ask yourself regarding interior locations:

•  Is it big enough? Remember that you need double the space because a camera and lights take up a lot of room. You can always make a room look smaller by photographing only a section of it. But you cannot make a small practical space larger than it is.

•  Is it air-conditioned? (Lights get hot.) If it is not, the production will have to bring temporary air conditioners, unless you’re shooting somewhere like Minnesota in the winter, in which case they’ll have to bring heaters!

•  Is there space for video village (where the monitors are) and is there an additional space (a green room) for actors to wait? Is there a place for equipment (a staging area) to be kept while waiting to be used? Is there an additional space that can serve as a holding area for background artists?

•  Is there a way to run electrical cable to the generator so that it will not be seen on camera?

•  Are there enough entrances? With cast and crew coming and going from base camp and equipment trucks, you need extra access. If there’s only one door in and out of the place, it will be extremely frustrating.

Often, a practical location will provide good bones (the basic requirements) but will need augmenting by the art department. Such a case is to be expected, because after all, the location wasn’t built with your script in mind. You may need to remove furniture and replace it with pieces that will suit your story better, or paint some walls, or repurpose a room. So when you are scouting, it’s best to keep an open mind and see the potential that might be hiding under the current owner’s choices. And speaking of owners, be careful how you talk about a place, especially if they are graciously showing you their house. Be kind. It can only help if you ingratiate yourself with the owners rather than alienating them. The location may be logistically “almost” perfect, and you will need to find a creative way to make up for deficiencies. For example, if you are shooting in a house that doesn’t have extra space for a green room and video village, you could put tents up in the driveway and provide space that way.

The location manager will not show you pictures of a location you cannot choose. In other words, the basics have been done. The owner has been approached, has given tentative approval, and the preliminary requirements (getting a permit, parking, and neighborhood viability) have been deemed possible. Once the director has chosen a location, the work begins in earnest.

Sometimes that means getting the permission of every property owner in the vicinity and sometimes that kind of saturation approval is impossible. It always means getting a permit from the local government and pre-posting in the neighborhood to make sure parking is available. If it’s a residential neighborhood, it means ascertaining that you can complete the work and exit the area by 11:00 p.m., which is often the local government requirement. And most important, it means negotiating with the location owner on the site rental. Sometimes a deal cannot be made.

So there is a decent chance that the location you picked for artistic reasons will be denied to you for practical reasons. In that case, you go back to the drawing board, have a backup plan, and continue on with your prep. In our experience, you always end up with the right place anyway. It may take more creativity, but it always ends up with you shooting somewhere, and it turns out to be the exact perfect place.

THE TECHNICAL SCOUT (A.K.A. THE BIG VAN)

At the end of your prep, you will go back to your chosen location(s) for a technical scout (tech scout). This time, in addition to those who previously scouted the location, you will take the following crewmembers:

director of photography (DP)

transportation coordinator

art director

set decorator (set dec)

leadman (set dec’s second-in-command)

electric best boy (reports to the gaffer)

grip best boy (reports to the key grip)

rigging gaffer

2nd assistant director (AD).

Each of those people is responsible for duties that need to be done at this location, and each of them will have questions. Once the group has assembled at the location, the first order of business is for you, the director, to explain how you plan to shoot the scenes. It is critical to be specific and thorough, so your crew can prepare themselves to do their best work. So you will talk them through each of your angles, especially for exterior locations. Everyone needs to know what will be seen and what will not be seen on camera so they can plan ahead.

The transportation (often shortened to “transpo”) coordinator will want to know where to park the trucks and the generator. The DP will want to know exactly where you plan to put the camera and what the scope is of each shot. If you plan to use a crane, you will discuss where to put its base and how you plan to use the arm’s sweeping motion. Figure 5.2 gives you an idea of the size of a crane; this one is a technocrane, which means the camera is operated remotely and the arm can telescope in and out.

FIGURE 5.2 With its telescoping arm and remote-controlled camera, a technocrane can achieve many different angles for visual filmmaking.

The DP will also discuss with the best boys and the rigging gaffer how to pre-rig with lights and their cables ahead of time so that there is more time for actual shooting. The art department will be interested in what needs to be taken out of the location and what needs to be provided in the way of production design. The assistant directors will discuss where to put the people: actors, extras, and caterer. Everyone will base their decisions on what the director has specified, so it is vitally important that the blocking and shot listing has been completed. If you need to return to the location after the initial scout but before the tech scout to walk through the set and finalize your shot list, that can absolutely be arranged.

If you don’t arrange for this interim scout, the skills of remembering a location become very important. The production designer will make sure that you receive a floor plan and photos of this location, and you can plan your shots based on that. However, many directors feel more confident about their blocking when they have planned it while revisiting the space without a lot of crewmembers in tow.

SHOOTING AT YOUR LOCATION (A.K.A. PUTTING THE MONEY ON THE SCREEN)

Once the shooting day arrives, remember to actually shoot the location in a way that shows why you picked it. If it’s a grand location, show it. Shoot a wide shot that encompasses all the location’s qualities. If you picked it for its texture and history, show that too. Make sure that the location’s storytelling contribution is actually on film, because it’s easy to forget that when you are in the midst of a hectic day. We repeat: your location is a character in the story too!

Going on location is the filming equivalent of the circus coming to town. There are a lot of people, a lot of equipment, and the production company is going to pitch their tent and do a show for a day or two (or more, especially if it’s a feature). And then they’re going to pack up again and move somewhere else—ideally, leaving the location intact, without damage or destruction. It will be noisy and chaotic and will interrupt the usual everyday pattern of the site. But if it’s done well, with adequate preparation and with respect for those whose lives are disrupted, it can be fun, productive, and bring a sense of verisimilitude that only a real place can bring to storytelling.