Definition of Location and Budget

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Definition of Location and Budget

    I want to submit a family-themed script to a studio that's primarily interested in films with limited locations (they don't define how many is "limited.")

    If I just follow my pattern of movement from INT. to EXT. throughout the film, I have about 60 locations so I want to make sure I'm defining locations properly.

    A. If one is walking down the street and stops in front of a school, church and store, that's still considered one location, right? Or is it three locations?

    B. If they walk down this street tomorrow and stop at two different places, is this considered one new location or two new locations? I'm thinking they can shoot all the street scenes at one time to make it one location (combining A and B)?

    C. Per an old post, they're in a house with scenes in the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and in the driveway -- this is one location? Not four?

    D. Talking in a car is one location but is stopping at a rest stop, food store and gas station considered one or three locations? We only follow them inside the food store.

    Thanks.

  • #2
    Re: Definition of Location and Budget

    You can put the camera in a myriad of places in the same location.

    A. 1 location.

    B. 1 location

    C. 1 location

    D. How are you shooting the talk in the car? Green screen? Regardless, its 4 locations, unless all 3 stops are next to each other.

    Good luck on your project

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Definition of Location and Budget

      My usual disclaimer on subjects like this: I am not a professional of any kind in the film industry. I am only using common sense and the knowledge that I have picked up through the years.

      Per an old post, they're in a house with scenes in the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and in the driveway -- this is one location? Not four?
      You seem to think that the term "multiple locations" means a good bit of physical distance between any two places. But that is not the case.

      Bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and the driveway - that comes to four locations. Each location is a place to find or build with its own furniture or other physical properties. It is easier to change locations when the next one is the room up the hall, and not the lake twenty miles away, but it is still a new place to arrange with properties. Time and money are the key reasons that you want to keep the number of locations small.

      Within the kitchen you might have three or four different setups for shots, but those are still just one location.

      "The fact that you have seen professionals write poorly is no reason for you to imitate them." - ComicBent.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Definition of Location and Budget

        Originally posted by socalwriter1 View Post
        I want to submit a family-themed script to a studio that's primarily interested in films with limited locations (they don't define how many is "limited.")

        If I just follow my pattern of movement from INT. to EXT. throughout the film, I have about 60 locations so I want to make sure I'm defining locations properly.

        A. If one is walking down the street and stops in front of a school, church and store, that's still considered one location, right? Or is it three locations?
        It depends on different factors. I've worked on features and TV shows. Gone on location scouts with directors and location managers. It could be three locations depending on what the director really wants and the budget allows for. I learned that quickly when I first started working for a TV director. It's all an illusion. If the director saw a school he/she loved and then a church they also loved, but neither were across the street from each other as in the script, then they might shoot one scene at the school and then do a company move over to shoot at the church (2nd location) as well. They might even shoot certain angles toward the school for just one scene. Move to the church later that day or even another day, then shoot the reverse angles in front of the church to make it LOOK like it was across the street. That's one scene but TWO locations. Now in TV especially you try not to do that, but it can happen. So no, that's not necessarily one location. How many schools, churches and stores do you know of all right next to each other? Maybe in a few spots (NYC, LA, etc.) but not most places.

        One scene could be made up of multiple locations. OR one location could serve the purpose for multiple scenes/locations. As long as the company doesn't have to move, it's one location really.

        Originally posted by socalwriter1 View Post
        B. If they walk down this street tomorrow and stop at two different places, is this considered one new location or two new locations? I'm thinking they can shoot all the street scenes at one time to make it one location (combining A and B)?
        That should probably be one location. The location is basically a very limited an area it sounds like. But if you have to move the trucks, trailers, catering, etc. then that's going to be a whole new location. One doesn't want company moves if they can help it since it takes up a lot of time and burns up a day.

        Originally posted by socalwriter1 View Post
        C. Per an old post, they're in a house with scenes in the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and in the driveway -- this is one location? Not four?
        That is one location. A house is a location. The company/crew isn't going to be moving anywhere except from room to room. Those are just scenes/sets to dress in a single location. INT. HOUSE - BEDROOM, INT. HOUSE - BATHROOM, etc. The only way it'd be two locations is if the director wanted the kitchen and downstairs in one house and the upstairs in another house somewhere else, say in a different neighborhood. (This would be strongly discouraged, but that's what it would take to be more than one location.)

        A writer/director friend of mine shoots low budget movies. He used a friend of his house for multiple locations. It was an apartment for one person, the interior kitchen & living room for a completely different house miles away, the lead's bedroom for a completely different apartment, the second lead's apartment, and a wedding scene in the backyard. He shot all over that house. Even used the front entrance for a completely different apartment for some minor character. and an upstairs bedroom for another minor character. To an audience, they see multiple locations, but for a producer, that's only one location. He created six "different locations" out of one location. Saved a ton of time and money, since he shot there straight for like four days.

        Originally posted by socalwriter1 View Post
        D. Talking in a car is one location but is stopping at a rest stop, food store and gas station considered one or three locations? We only follow them inside the food store.
        Talking in a car is a scene. If you are on stage, then that's just a stage day. The location is the studio. If you are doing driving shots, which take up time due to car mounts & rigging -- depending on the budget -- then that takes time and the part of the road you are on and where base camp is, would be in essence one location. (Also towing the car is a big deal, though if it's low budget that surely won't happen.) A rest stop is one location. A food store - say, a 7-11 -- is another location. And the gas station is a third location. If you need the characters to get gas and food then make it one location, for example, to save some money & time. They get gas then walk inside to buy food & drinks. Though even that could be two locations, if the director liked the outside more of one gas station and the inside of some other place better.

        Again, it all depends on what the director wants AND what the producers & budget will allow for. But in terms of planning for a low budget film, locations are more about where does the crew show up? How long are they there? Is there a company move during the day, etc.?

        When you get into rooms or spaces at a particular location then that's really about how many scenes are there, how many sets have to be dressed, etc. That's slightly different but still can affect the budget obviously.

        But locations aren't really about counting INT. and EXT. It's about physical/actual locations the crew & equipment need to be in. The more you can shoot in one location -- as with the house my friend used -- the better off you are for lower budget films in particular.
        Will
        Done Deal Pro
        www.donedealpro.com

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Definition of Location and Budget

          Originally posted by socalwriter1 View Post
          I want to submit a family-themed script to a studio that's primarily interested in films with limited locations (they don't define how many is "limited.")

          If I just follow my pattern of movement from INT. to EXT. throughout the film, I have about 60 locations so I want to make sure I'm defining locations properly.

          A. If one is walking down the street and stops in front of a school, church and store, that's still considered one location, right? Or is it three locations?

          B. If they walk down this street tomorrow and stop at two different places, is this considered one new location or two new locations? I'm thinking they can shoot all the street scenes at one time to make it one location (combining A and B)?

          C. Per an old post, they're in a house with scenes in the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and in the driveway -- this is one location? Not four?

          D. Talking in a car is one location but is stopping at a rest stop, food store and gas station considered one or three locations? We only follow them inside the food store.

          Thanks.
          It's really quite simple. Any time you have to move the whole production, it's a new location. Company moves are a huge expense. So... the street they walk down looking in windows? One location. The kitchen, bathroom, bedroom of the same house? One location. The trick in low budget is to write your story so you can reuse the same few locations telling your story. The more days you shoot in one place, the less a film costs.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Definition of Location and Budget

            What Ed Fury said.

            The bottom line, they wanna know how many buildings they have to approach and ask permission to film. The fewer the better. It's just easier that way.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Definition of Location and Budget

              Thanks guys, this really helps.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Definition of Location and Budget

                There are a lot of good answers above. There's no definition of 'limited locations' but think generally anywhere from five to 30. How much the number of locations matters depends on the types of locations and where they are into relationship to each other. If 10 of your 15 locations are all in the same street or same building, that can make a big difference to having them in completely different towns or areas.

                Also, you can sometimes cheat this to make the impact of different locations seems less onerous to the budget minders. For example, you might have several locations very close to each other, all in the town's main street. Although they are separate locations with separate set-ups, they don't have addition logistical requirements for travel and accommodation and permissions, and this can be reflected in your sluglines, e.g.

                EXT. MAIN STREET - DRUG STORE - DAY
                EXT. MAIN STREET - BARBER'S SHOP - DAY
                EXT. MAIN STREET - ROB'S GAS STATION - DAY

                It's not really cheating, they are different locations, but in terms of production, logistics and budgeting it can make a significant difference. As soon as you add things such air travel and different accommodations to a budget, or different states or different counties, that spells a leap in costs. Think about containment.

                I know a lot of advice says just write what you want and forget about the budget or logistics because if the script is good enough these things will take care of themselves, but if you script is specifically targeted at a limited budget then it's the writer's job to know how to comply with the production limitations.

                ETA:
                I just realize Will has already explained most of this in his reply.
                "Friends make the worst enemies." Frank Underwood

                Comment

                Working...
                X