Bringing it to Life: Further Planning and Brainstorming (Part 2)

    In my last post, I talked about my plan for getting props and possible back-ups incase Craigslist proves to be completely unsuccessful. However, props are not the only components of a good scene. Mine-en-scene also includes the filming location itself, as well as lighting and costuming. Because I am still trying to figure out the physical characteristics of the scene itself, I'll focus on the filming location for now.

    If you were to look at the Pinterest board I've put together, you would most likely notice something: all of the photos included are taken in an empty, white room. Not only does this leave the viewer to focus on the props and subject, but it also gives a rather polished, modern and other-worldly look to the scene (especially when the subjects are wearing peculiar clothing, like in the image below):

    I am absolutely obsessed with this aesthetic, especially with the picture above. Unfortunately, being able to find an empty space where this documentary can be filmed will definitely be a challenge - and I have about two weeks to find one, if I want to stay on schedule.

    Due to my limited budget, I began asking around and even thinking about any areas available to me that could work. For instance, I could possibly clear out an area of my house to film, but there is heavy furniture everywhere and my dog will most likely be a disturbance while filming. Another option is to see whether filming in Kim's garage would be possible (we would most likely purchase some sort of white photography backdrop, or rethink the look of the location all together). 

    While I was asking around, my friend Wade had offered a spare room in his house that would soon be empty because of his dad planning to remove the furniture inside. I asked him to send me a few pictures once he got home, and this is what he sent (he also sent some pictures of his room incase the other room didn't work):

    This is basically the equivalent of me removing all of the furniture in my room, which could serve as a last resort, but I would rather search for a larger area. I really appreciate him offering his house especially since he is not even a part of the project, but it is not worth for him to go through all that trouble when I could achieve a similar result in my own home. My main concern, like I mentioned earlier, is the fact that the room is small. This could technically be countered with the use of wider lenses (like a 14mm); however, this would most likely look strange since it would warp the image. It could work, but again I want to look for something more practical and something that I know will produce the results I would like. 

    But again, not everything works out the way one expects, so I have to keep an open mind and try my best to find something that could be successful. I really want this documentary to be successful, so I will make sure to go the extra mile to secure the proper location, proper props, and proper interviewees to make this vision come to life. These are some alternatives I will be looking into in the coming days:

- Possible places to rent (might not be possible due to our minimal budget)

- Other possible filming locations that I could get through some connections

- Finding ways to further transform areas I have already considered in order to make them fulfill the requirements

    Anyway, wish me luck! This is by far one of the aspects of the production I am most worried about, so I really hope that Kim and I find something that works. Until next time!