When I first read the script for our little short, I was both excited and a little scared, because I had no idea where to even start preparing for it. Initially I consciously avoided getting tied down to any distinct vision, since many of the final decisions would end up being dictated by what was available, and not by the flight of my fancy.
I decided to start with locations for the practical reason of the location being potentially the most limiting aspect and also the least controllable and alterable, given our lacking resources.
The location had to satisfy some pretty restrictive parameters:
– being remote enough not to betray proximity to the modern civilization even in the background.
– close by the water to have a beach or sanded area for the ritual to take place, since there had to be water spirits in the ritual itself.
– allow for a good range of accessible angles for shooting.
– preferably have wooded areas nearby to shoot pursuit scenes (prophecy sequence) without having to extend shooting days or travel time between locations.
– be a deserted enough place to allow for a full day of shooting without being disturbed or causing disturbance to others.
The first and the last of these parameters were related, and satisfying one would likely satisfy the other, but finding such places within easy distance of NYC is not a very easy task, especially on summer weekends, when the good half of New York population leaves the city streets in a very similar search of nature, water and relative solitude.
After spending some late spring-early summer weekends outdoors, I settled on these 3 choices for the main scene:
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| Location Option #1 |
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| Location Option #2 |
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| Location Option #3 |
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| Location Option #3 |
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More about the choices after the jump...
The second location, although I liked its sinister and mysterious look the most, unfortunately, did not offer enough of a clearing for the ritual and enough shooting angle varieties. Plus, for a late summer shooting it presented another imminent danger – mosquitoes.
The first and third had limitations in schedule due to tide times, but we could work with that and the limitation was the same for both, so it did not weigh in the choice.
The first location was very good for the main ritual, but it was actually within city limits, and did not offer much choice for the other scenes within easy distance. In addition, the opposite shore was betraying clear signs of the times, which severely limited angle choices for the scene.
That left us with the third location and I went to work, selecting props and designing the ritual power spot. I wanted a very natural color scheme for the set to look organic and a natural extension of the place itself.
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