Location Research

In film, the setting and location is very significant and it can either make or break a film. It tells us a lot about the film itself, its genre, the time its set, the characters that are going to be involved and sometimes even its target audience. It sets up the audiences expectations and lets the know what they are about to watch and whether they want to watch it. Here are a few locations which are dominant in certain genres:

Location 1 - School

This location is usually used in either the chick flick genre or teen genre. It immediately tells the audience that teenagers and children are going to be the main roles in the film and that the story will probably be based around a problem at school or problems the school pupils in general face. Most of the time the establishing shots of schools are from the front with grass at the front then big wooden double entrance doors. There always seems to be trees and shrubs lining the pathway leading up to the doorway and steps going inside. Whenever the audience see a long shot of a location like this we can easily recognize it as a school because it fits with the conventions. Most of the time the schools used are American so this is what we would expect to see from an American school campus. Also many shots of the front of the school involve seeing a yellow American school bus. Although this wouldn't be significant to an English school film, the audience can immediately relate it to an American school as it is a very iconic image and a representative symbol of the American schooling system.

Inside the school the corridors are always narrow and dull. The scenes that are shot in them are always filled with people and it always seems noisy and chaotic. The halls are always lined with grey lockers. Many of the scenes are shot around the characters lockers as people associate this as the 'cool' place to hang out. Also the audience can find out a lot about the character from their locker as in most films they are decorated with pictures and things which reflect the characters personality for example in High School Musical 2, Sharpay's locker is decorated in pink with a giant mirror showing she is self obsessed and very girly.

The canteen is another place where many of the scenes are shot. The canteen seating arrangement tells the audience a lot about the characters roles within the school and it can also help predict any future conflicts that may occur. For example in 'Mean Girls' each different clique sits at a different table and who you chose to sit with at lunch determines your clique. The canteen is always very stereotypical with food being on the trays and the tables being able to seat many people. The audience can instantly recognise the location as a canteen because of the layout of the area and how the character's act in it. We expect to see people eating off of trays around tables when we think of canteens, it is our stereotypical view, so this is what the directors try and match up the real scene too as to make it much more identifiable as a canteen.

The classrooms, despite being in a school, are never really as significant as the hallways and canteen. We assume as an audience that this is because much of the conversation takes place outside the classroom in the hustle and bustle as inside the classroom we believe the characters to be working. The room is always laid out in the same way with the single desks all facing the teachers desk and board at the front of the class. Where the characters sit in the classroom also plays some significance to their role inside the school. The audience always make the assumption that the naughty pupils will be near the back, the day dreamers by the window and the teachers pets at the front.

These factors all help to set up the location as a school and to make it seem as real to the audience as possible so that when we watch the film it makes the story more plausible and believable.

Location 2 - Woods

This is an iconic location for a horror movie and when we see an image of a wood we immediately associate it with the horror genre.

The establishing shots of woods are normally from LS, low angle and shot straight at it so that the audience can get a real sense of the denseness of the trees and how disturbing they are. It places us into the characters shoes which makes it more scary for the audience and makes us more involved in the film. From these establishing shots we can identify straight away that this is going to be a creepy film and that bad things are going to happen to the characters involved. We want to get inside and warn the characters because of their naivety so therefore it makes the audience more involved from the very beginning as the setting is so recognizable.

The woods used in these films normally contain trees that are tall and think leaved. They seem menacing and scary and as if you are venturing into the unknown. It adds to the tension created by the other elements of the film and makes it even more scary because in a wood you are venturing out of the openness and the audience are then left asking the questions 'Who could be lurking behind the next tree?'.

The fact that a wood is so closed in but yet such a vast space also adds to the suspense and terror of the horror film which is why it is so often used. The fact that it gives the illusion that the characters are trapped in a confined space but yet the audience know that if they tried to run away they wouldn't get very far because it is so dense and huge. It gives the sense that once you are in there you can never get out which makes the film more dramatic and chilling.

In films such as 'The Blair Witch Project' the entire film is based around the notion that woods look the same no matter where abouts you are in them and you can easily get lost. It also is based around the fact that you don't know who could be in there with you because you cannot see across the entire scope of it, just short distances because your vision is impaired by the trees. It creates tension and suspense and the audience become more frightened because they too do not know what to expect. It is all very eery and spooky and creates a certain atmosphere which gets the audience in the mood for what is about to happen.

Many films which are set in woods normally contain a long, narrow road leading into it. This gives a sense of confinement and claustrophobia which the audience can immediately relate to and know that something bad is going to happen inside these woods. It gives the sense that the characters are trekking deep into the unknown and will more than likely never find there way back.

When the directors chose the location they take all these factors into account and for a horror film, shooting it in a wood seems like an appropriate location to create as much drama as possible. Over time, as it has been used so much for this particular genre, it is now recognised as the stereotypical horror setting.

Location 3 - Saloon

We can instantly recognize a saloon setting as being part of a Western as they are commonly set in the American frontier where saloons are an iconic element. This immediately tells the audience that the film is going to involve cowboys, shooting and other typical elements of a Western therefore telling the audience straight away that if they like Western's they should watch the film.

The saloon doors are very iconic images in a Western. As soon as the audience see a shot of the saloon doors we can instantly tell that the film is set in a Western setting and in fairly old times. They are recognisable and unique to the Western genre therefore the director puts them in as to make sure the audience know what they are about to watch and will find it hard to confuse it with another genre.

Establishing shots of the saloon are usually done in these films to set the scene. The audience can really get a sense of where it is set and the type of town it is from the way the saloon looks and the events which occur in and around the saloon. For example if there is an establishing shot of the saloon and it all seems deserted it shows the audience that it is an eery town with very little going on, whereas if there was an establishing shot of the saloon and there were drunken people coming out and lots of dancing girls we would know that the town is very roudy and lots of trouble probably occurs in it. These establishing shots are normally LS and straight at it so therefore we can see as much of the saloon and surrounding scenery as possible.

The setting inside the saloon is usually the same from film to film. It is mainly all made out of wood with a long bar and bar stalls along the back wall. Around the place there are normally a few wooden tables and chairs. It is made to feel old and antique so that the audience know that they are watching a film set in Western times. The action always takes place around the bar, inside the saloon, which connotes to the audience that many of the problems occur while under the influence of alcohol and that the bar is a central place in the town.

Sometimes the camera draws attention to the decoration on the walls by using CU and ECU. This tells the audience that these decorations are relevant to the story or setting and they are usually an animals skull or trinket that the owner of the saloon or leader cowboy has collected and put up on the wall. It tells you a lot about the person who it belongs to and sometimes can tell the history of the saloon or town itself. In Western films this history can be very relevant to the storyline because sometimes this is where the conflict between the characters comes from.

The director along with the actors work together to create a particular mood for the saloon so that the audience feel specific things when they see it. This can set up the film and its plot and warn the audience what is instore for them if they continue to watch on.