Location Shots

Following making key decisions about the storyline of my film, I went out and took various location shots of possible places to film at which would achieve the desired effects, creating the mise-en-scene necessary for the horror genre. I decided to take these pictures in broad daylight as they are easier to look at and really just to get a basic idea of where i would like to film. Alongside the pictyres I will write a short explanation of why I have chosen the pictures which I have shortlisted and what relevance they have ...

Here i took a random snap shot while walking through a forest. This location could be used for when the characters start walking through the forest looking for wood. It has a small stream flowing along; where water is a typical convention from horror teaser trailers this seems appropriate in an attempt to create an ominious atmosphere.


This shot shows a wooden fence which the characters could have to climb over in order to get firewood. This metaphorical 'overcoming of obstacles' is something also common to the genre which I am following. The darkness of the forest is also appropriate as it will result in impared vision, giving a scarier mise en scene, creating a bigger panic. And being this shot is located with-in a forest it is ideal as we have the trees in the background, so in the night time they may cast shaddows and the sound of the branches will help towards an eerie effect.

This location shows a trail leading through an area of forest down into an even darker area ... this would give us scope to show the group of kids as they spread out, destroying the 'group' feeling, possibly leaving just one behind everyone else, vulnerable. This could symbolise the transition from comfort into an uneasy atmosphere - where the cuts in the trailer gradually get quicker, gradually building tension. I aimed to get this shot from a higher angle as i hope to film this as a P.O.V shot of the killer. So i hope that the height will show authority as he/ she looks down upon the victims

An establishing shot is essential to contextualise the action and create atmosphere ... hopefully here I could get a shot of the night sky and maybe the moon, against the backdrop of the dark forest. This would only be a quick cut, but would add to the atmosphere greatly and confirm that the action is taking place at night time. And again the angle at which this has been taken (a sort of low angle shot) would be good to use as the group of teenagers are walking through the undergrowth.

This photo here is one of my favorites mainly because when i look at it i can see the action happening. The group with their backs to the camera making their way through the bushes in the dark with torches bouncing off of the trees. Also, being there is a slight clearing in the trees this could be where the group make a stop and realise one of their number is missing as the clearing in the trees allows for more than one actor to be seen clearly.

This picture shows the River Roding as it goes under a bridge, again this would allow us to use the convention of water, which, at night time would be reflecting the moonlight and the night sky, adding to the eerieness etc. The bridge also adds a physical block between the camera and the land beyond, which creates a feeling of the unknown and installs fear in the audience.

So after taking some locations shots i now have a greater basis which i can now use to form my teaser trailer. The main action, i have decided to set in a woodland area mainly because it is a location which is commonly used in horror movies and gives off a good eerie effect. Especially when i was experimenting with the hand held camera at dusk, the light from the torch bounce off the trees creating a unusual atmosphere....