Locations: Our Necessary Evil

[Flicker Pictures]

After years of making movies, or simply trying to, my least favorite part of the process remains securing a location(s) for production. Sometimes things pan out nicely and just fall into place without too much red tape (maybe you know someone who knows someone), but most of the time it's something I really don't look forward to. And without a proper location, there is no shoot!

Anyone care to share tricks of the trade you've learned along the way? How best to approach someone about shooting on their property?

 

[Cracker Funk]

Momento is a good example, but I think it's rare to see a script that strong. Guy Pierce is a better actor than people give him credit for.

Sling Blade was a brilliant example of minimal locations used to maximum effect.

I'm not saying a limited budget film has to shoot exclusively in Casinos and on the international space station. I think Antihero did fine with the whole "neighborhood robberies thing", so I agree that when it's organic to your plotline, great.

I'm just saying that maybe low budget horror films should try to include a fourth location (counting all forest shots as one location) That's all I'm saying.

I'm seeing people out there trying to get me to watch a 90 minute film with woods and a car.

Hey, thanks for the shout-out! For the record, we actually shot at more than 50 locations, including a movie theater, and that was in a 21-day shoot, with a 2-man crew!

However, all of those locations were private residences or public spaces in which we knew we could get away shooting without a permit. So, back on topic, yeah, the story was written with the easiest locations available in mind.

Nate, I don't think our two arguments are actually in disagreement with each other. Because the point you make would apply to productions that have a real budget. Whereas my point applies to productions that are working on a virtually non-existent budget. Yes, I agree, "Memento" is a rather extreme example of a brilliant script that doesn't require any grand production, and it does have some excellent acting. However, I still think it true that a great story can be told, by any aspiring filmmaker, regardless of how little they're working with.

However, If/when I have a real budget to work with, location will definitely be a high priority, so I think we actually agree. Cheers!

 

[rayw]

A pair of critically successful movies with less than exotic locations: WINTER'S BONE and FROZEN RIVER.

Old school?: TWELVE ANGRY MEN.
Two locations.

Extreme location limitations: BURIED.
I have no idea how they spent $2M for this considering what WINTER's BONE achieved with roughly the same budget.



When I get around to writing an indie feature to shoot myself it'll definitely be crafted around non-PITA locations.
When writing pie-in-the-sky spec screenplays... sheeeeeeeit. Interdimention space palaces with CG fembots engaged in intergalactic laser battles here we come!
The zero gravity all nude swim pool for Marisa Miller clones should look pretty cool.
Doesn't matter. Buncha pedophile studio suits are gonna put Emma Watson clones in there anyways. Whatever.

 

[JoshL]

Extreme location limitations: BURIED.
I have no idea how they spent $2M for this considering what WINTER's BONE achieved with roughly the same budget.

I assume Ryan Reynolds, or "how much do we have to pay you to NOT do Deadpool right now" (I'm not bitter, just eager).

But yeah, minimal locations can very much work if everything else is top notch. I'm looking forward to Flicker's "THE CRAPPY APARTMENT" and finishing the script for "TALES FROM THE BACK OF A FORD FOCUS" right now!

 

[Nate North]

A pair of critically successful movies with less than exotic locations: WINTER'S BONE and FROZEN RIVER.

Old school?: TWELVE ANGRY MEN.
Two locations.

Extreme location limitations: BURIED.
I have no idea how they spent $2M for this considering what WINTER's BONE achieved with roughly the same budget.
.

I absolutely hated Winter's Bone. Mostly because I could feel them cheaping out on me with every actor, with every scene, with every location. I could hardly follow the story because I was so distracted by their constant budgeting. I'm immensely sure that they hired a 3rd grader to do their colorist work, and the focus on backwoods hicks with their retardation driven feelings and motives was incredibly uninspiring. 20 people told me to watch this, and it made ishtar look like Citizen Kane.

Never saw frozen river, never saw buried. (becuase I knew from the box that I'd be subjected to a level of visual boredom beyond any reality TV show)

Some of this is budgeting, and some is laziness, and some is just people that get exited about how clever they are in stripping down their product that they forget that no one cares about how well they did budgeting. True genius is taking a low budget and making it look high, or at least complete.

Being clever with budgeting should be completely transparent. As in, you can't even tell they tried to restrict locations. If the locations match the natural evolution of the story, it becomes impossible to tell that they are cheaping out. But when you try to write a 90 minute story about your toilet stall, no one is going to appreciate how easy you took it on yourself.

12 Angry Men on the other hand, is a fantastic example of doing this the right way. If you don't have locations, you have to write 10x better material. Good luck with that. Every example of a limited scope film that I actually liked has that one thing in common, that it was a rare masterpiece of scriptwriting. I don't think it's good general advice to say "all you have to do is write one of the top 10 scripts of all time"

Because that's somewhat implausible for the majority of indie filmmakers, or pros.
I'd say "Enemy Mine" was a great example of making a film that didn't spend a lot of money on locations, but I've never received a script of that quality, ever.

 

[PaulGriffith]

The feature script we're developing is basically a one location. There's 3 locations in the first 15 minutes, then when everyone arrives at the main (fourth) location we're there for the next hour-hour and a half. It's a killer location though... a mansion. And we see lot's of rooms, insed and outside.

It's looking like an expensive location too. We're still developing script so I haven't looked super hard yet, but the basic searches I've done looks like it'll be around $20k a week to rent a vacation villa that's big enough haha. Once we're finished we may be able to get creative, and rooms in several nice house could be made to look like one big one, but you know, it is what it is. They story needs a freakin gigantic house, we'll find one .

 

[directorik]

I don't think it's good general advice to say "all you have to do is write one of the top 10 scripts of all time"

I agree.

But is is good advice to suggest a filmmaker with a limited
budget and limited access to locations write the best script
they can for their budget and locations. It might not end up
in the top ten of all time, but it might make an interesting,
watchable movie.

 

[brianluce]

I agree.

But is is good advice to suggest a filmmaker with a limited
budget and limited access to locations write the best script
they can for their budget and locations. It might not end up
in the top ten of all time, but it might make an interesting,
watchable movie.

It's actually great advice to say "Write one of the 10 best scripts of all time"; and it's great advice no mather your budget.. If you can do that, then you've got a shot at producing a good movie. Or if you don't want to produce it, you could enter it in the Nicholl and maybe make the quarterfinals.

 

[Gonzo_Entertainment]

"I absolutely hated Winter's Bone."

I hated it because it was made by a bunch of fucking yankees from New York. It's like if a couple of white dudes from Greenwich CT had made Boyz in the Hood. "Thanks for your bullshit guilty white liberal view of our community full of a bunch of stereotypes and preconceptions, but why don't you shove it up your ass".

 

[rayw]

I hated it because it was made by a bunch of fucking yankees from New York. It's like if a couple of white dudes from Greenwich CT had made Boyz in the Hood. "Thanks for your bullshit guilty white liberal view of our community full of a bunch of stereotypes and preconceptions, but why don't you shove it up your ass".

I hated it because it was misery-porn.
Here's the deal, the first time you watch it you understand that this seventeen year old kid, mature as she is, has got dangers and vulnerabilities just waiting to absolutely eff-up her life, such that it is, or that of her two little siblings.
- Soon to be homeless without a car to live in.
- Pedophile neighbor will take the boy but not the girl.
- Any one can just waltz into the house and hurt people while she's trapsing around on foot.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah. She's traumatized by having to chainsaw off her no good daddy's hands. Whatever.

But once the show is over... the miserable suspense is gone.
Ain't worth watching a second time other than for technical reasons.
Who gives a flying fig?

Now, if you watch the bonus director interview, OMG! whatabuncha silly city-folk!
They want to care about this and care about that and be sensitive to the minutia of the inconsequentials.
Blecht.
Just make the GD movie, will ya?
Puh-leeeeeze.

"Watch out for the swamp monkeys!"

LMAO!
Stupid city people.
Stay outta the GD sticks, will ya?!

 

[NickClapper]

I absolutely hated Winter's Bone. Mostly because I could feel them cheaping out on me with every actor, with every scene, with every location. I could hardly follow the story because I was so distracted by their constant budgeting. I'm immensely sure that they hired a 3rd grader to do their colorist work, and the focus on backwoods hicks with their retardation driven feelings and motives was incredibly uninspiring. 20 people told me to watch this, and it made ishtar look like Citizen Kane.

If I ever get the chance to work with actors like Jennifer Lawrence ( ) and John Hawkes I'll know that I've arrived. I thought that the acting in that film was near faultless, whatever you might think of the social politics.

 

[JoshL]

"I absolutely hated Winter's Bone."

I hated it because it was made by a bunch of fucking yankees from New York. It's like if a couple of white dudes from Greenwich CT had made Boyz in the Hood. "Thanks for your bullshit guilty white liberal view of our community full of a bunch of stereotypes and preconceptions, but why don't you shove it up your ass".

Have you read the book it was based on? I haven't read the book or seen the film yet, and I wonder how it compares. The author of the book has roots in the ozarks, so if there's any mockery there, it's at the very least informed. I do get your point though, and can see why it might bother you.

 

[Uranium City]

Please try to stay on target and don't derail...this is a thread about finding and securing locations, not about specific films.

 

[don patterson]

I do not have (many) years of making movies -- I have a handful (due to the lack of capital, not due to the lack of desire). I have many years of writing 'movies'. I also have many scripts. The scripts with expansive or expensive locations are spec(s). Those that are in 'neighborhood' (affordable locations) are the movies I want to make. Scripts I can afford to make. LOL. Reality, I can't shoot that realistic martian epic!

Example -- a production for 2012

Two years ago, I had a great idea for a movie about a census-worker stumbling upon millions of dollars in garbage bags, while locked in a chess game with a serial-killing, massive-illegal-drug-investor. Titled Death Walks Behind You. First thing I did was sign up to do the Census (tracking where people live in 2009 and the actual Census in 2010). CALL IT RESEARCH. I did the work as my main character would. Honest, long, hard-working hours (noted the cold-rain days in March and hurting feet) and, like my main character, was very 'polite'. Kept notes and 'copied' dialogue daily. Tracked down and found LOCATIONS for Census, within story while DOING story. Etc. Script finished. Had it read by others, cleaned up and copyrighted.

Then went back to many of those locations I deemed perfect within script and got the "YES" (and FREE) because they remembered me, the 'polite' guy. Not a single no. On the side, with my fingers crossed, (the story kicks butt) I hope to shoot it starting in Feb. 2012, following EXACTLY as the Census timeline.

I do this with all my 'neighborhood' styled scripts. Base locations AND story (and characters) with in my own backyard (central OHIO). Even scripts like WILLIE, where I can shoot 95% of the story, inexpensively, locally.

I know my neighborhood(s). There are thousands of stories to be told writing and making movies within my own backyard. Be polite. The worst thing they can say is no.

Another example.

I shot a 26-minute ghost story, at a perfect location, In A Vacant Building, free, because it belonged to one of the actors... Both were absolutely PERFECT for story.

The trick of the trade I've learned along the way is to be honest, polite and offer a percentage of profit for use of location on the LOCATION RELEASE (contract).
At the same time, keep the place clean. Don't do any damage. Include LOCATION in credits.

Best way to approach someone about shooting on their property, is to be 'polite', honest, share the script, introduce them to cast members and get them excited on the idea -- we are making a movie at your location! Give em a copy on DVD-R. Or many copies when finished. Be honest about the reality of financial returns -- if there are any. Show up on time when you say you are! Finish the production.

I am not an authority, famous or rich. My humble, two cents. Hope this helps. I just have fun being a visual story-teller.