location recci at the park

When we went on our location recce to the park we found some major issues that we knew would affect our filming. Due to weather conditions we decided that we could not film in the park because:

1. It is now winter and therefore the location is wet and muddy making it harder for us to move around and film. If for example we film the first part of the script and then one of the actors step into a muddy puddle by accident it would be hard for us to continue filming because this would affect the continuity. The audience would wonder how he got his leg muddy and how it wasn’t like that in the first place. This would then mean that we would have to film again and find a reason for why his leg is muddy. The benches were also wet, making it harder for the Aldo, Nabil and Sarah to sit and talk as if nothing was going on.
2. Lighting was also a big issue because when we went out on a location recce and filmed a scene from the script we saw from looking back on the camera that the lighting in the scene was much darker and subtle than on real life. This is a serious issue because when filming a comedy the lighting has to be bright and clear representing the humorous and funny side to life. Having dark lighting would make the film seem more of a drama and horror rather than a comedy. It can have a major affect on our audience because if they can’t see the scene clear enough, it would not only irritate them but it would make them feel more distanced from the action, realising it is not real and they would find the scene more depressing rather than funny.
3. Mise-en-scéne is also a major concern because when we were on our location recce we found that the surrounding of the park seemed very gloomy and dull. All the flowers had completely disappeared and the leaves of the trees had also gone, only showing the bare branches. This gives out the idea that we are filming a horror film rather than a comedy, thus changing our genre. The surrounding of a comedy film is very warm and bright, usually consisting of bright furniture or nature such as trees and flowers blossoming. 
4. Finally we found that the wind was also our main problem because it makes a loud noise and therefore it can disrupt the dialogue of the characters, making it hard for the audience to understand them. Secondly the force of the wind would make it harder for us to keep a steady shot when filming and so as a result the film would consist of shaky scenes breaking the connection the audience feel with the characters, making them realise the film is not realistic. In addition the force of the wind would make it hard for the characters to stay still and not make sure that they fall down or prevent their clothing from being blown away. This issue would apply to Lilly also because we wanted Lilly to keep her hair out in order for her to swish it about as this follows the conventions of other comedy and romantic films like Shallow Hal and various Indian films; where a beautiful girl comes out swishing her hair, emphasizing her beauty and perfection. However because of the wind we knew that her hair would be covering her face and therefore her facial expressions which is something that the audience must see in order to connect with her character.    

We decided to look at the weather forecast in order to see if there would be a change in the weather and if there was a day where there would be a clear sky with some sun then we would decide to film on that day. This is a print screen of the weather forecast that I took and we immediately knew that filming outside would be an issue because the weather is getting much colder with a lot of snow and rain and therefore there was no point for us waiting to see if there was going to be a sunny day, so we decided to film on a different location which didn’t involve being outside.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/44069123/Location-Recci-The-Park

Silva