Can you find the BGP on this film set?

Location, location, location.

A gaffer once told me he’d rather have one bare bulb to light a gorgeous location than a whole truck full of fixtures to try to make an ugly location look good.  Since we’re talking about a guy who’s profession is to use a bunch of cool lights to make things look beautiful, that’s a powerful statement.

For a director, a location can make all the difference in your shoot.  After all, if you and the actors don’t bring the magic, at least the audience can enjoy the pretty backdrop!  Beyond that, a great location can create the opportunity for shots you might not have otherwise had, through framing objects, creating zones of color, tone, or texture, or giving new context to a scene.

It’s a shame, then, that independent productions often come up lacking in the locations department.  I run into this problem often.  Great locations usually cost money, and on independent films where too few people are doing too much without enough, locations have a habit of getting the short shrift—until a day or two before it’s time to start shooting.  It’s not uncommon to find yourself walking onto a location you didn’t even know about the day before, let alone get to scout.

So if you find yourself shooting in a location you’ve never seen before, here are five ways to look like a pro and remind the producers why they hired you in the first place. (continue reading…)