Location scouting

Bedminster Car Park

The above film stills capture Bedminster Car Park. It is only a couple of minutes' walk from our college so is easily accessible. The car park is neglected, uncleaned and underused. It has an eerie atmosphere and tone, coinciding with the codes and conventions of thriller films. The gloominess of the car park perfectly combines tension and suspense to create a dramatic atmosphere for the viewer. Behind the car park is a backdrop of overgrown hedges and trees, shadowing the area from citizenry. Its secluded spot establishes isolation, a key theme of our media product. A limitation of the car park as a setting for our film opening is that it is occasionally and unpredictably accessed by cars. The revving of maneuvering vehicles could disrupt filming, thus creating an inconvenient requirement for reshoots.

Earlier, we had considered filming in the underground car park at IKEA. However, we concluded that this location was poorly lit and bustling with activity. The crowdedness of the setting disenabled us to evoke a sense of eeriness and isolation. 

Bedroom #1

Kindly, Sam, a member of the group, has allowed their bedroom to be used as the setting for Ty's character's bedroom. Therefore, the bedroom is readily accessible. We have to decided to film in a bedroom because its mise-en-scéne denotes Ty as a stereotypical teenager (social group.) For example, it is a disorganised, cluttered and dimly-lit room containing props typically related to adolescence, e.g. laptop. The visual condition of the bedroom environment enables our target audience to bracket with Ty's character because their bedroom is likely to be similarly presented. The posters on the wall depict Ty as youthful, which symbolises the character's innocence. 

Bedroom #2

Kaden politely proposed that his bedroom be used as the setting for his character, a hitman. Unlike Sam's bedroom, Kaden's bedroom is relatively organised. However, it is not highly-decorated and lacks character. This is effective because it is enigmatic: the bedroom has limited props symbolic of Kaden's character. Therefore, the emptiness of the room reinforces the ambiguity surrounding who the hitman truly is. The lack of adornment in the room, embellished white walls and its simplicity represents the hitman as emotionless, a conventional characteristic of antagonists in thriller films. The room is small; its physical isolation creates a sense of entrapment, making its eeriness inescapable for viewers. 

Bathroom

For a scene to be used during the split-screen, we have intended to film in the bathrooms of Sam and Kaden's homes. Therefore, if reshooting is required, we will readily be able to access our sets because they are the property of the crew. This bathroom in particular is effective because it contains promotional products (e.g. Dove(TM) soap.) It is also a small bathroom. Ultimately, the mise-en-scéne of the bathroom and all of our interior sets create social realism, thus they construct verisimilitude. Our settings are representative of those typically used in British thriller films. 

Additional shots