Scouting - Final Piece

I have decided that, since my plot focuses on a zombie apocalypse, I should primarily film outdoors as it has better lighting but also because it reflects the downfall of the world/civilisation. Furthermore, the research I have done, doesn't seem to show zombie films beginning indoors - Dawn of the Dead (2004) seems to focus on the downfall of society and therefore the outdoors - showing clips of cities in chaos. Clearly I would struggle to film riots given that they are dangerous to get close to and aren't regular in occurrence, nor does it seem wise to organise and stage one. Due to this I have decided to film desolate or quiet areas but add in clips of a 'fake' news report and stock footage of riots, again similar to how Dawn of the Dead (2004) compiled its footage.

Location 1: Field and Road

Here you can see that I have photographed a road with two fields on either side, this would be a great area to shoot: it is quiet and so we wouldn't be interrupted during the shoot, additionally it means that there wont be any interruptions and the lack of busyness means that it might seem apocalyptic - with most of society not roaming around freely. The long road could also lend to a nice shot of the protagonist looking 'at the road ahead', the road symbolising the protagonist's journey and thus setting up the film (as a good opening should).

The issues that this location brings is that it could be dangerous and it could be terrible to shoot at. Firstly, it is a field and could therefore be too muddy and cause slipping; the fact that it's a road, albeit a quiet one, it could mean that the shooting is interrupted by nature walkers or even cars - which could be a danger. Secondly, there seems to be little coverage from the wind which could affect audio or even the quality of shots; the weather could equally turn bad and we'd have no shielding from the elements, deteriorating the quality of audio however this could be added in post.

In terms of how it looks, I believe that it is too green and lush to reflect the post-apocalyptic setting of my film opening. However, this could be corrected in post by adapting the filter on the clips. So overall, I believe that this is a good location to shoot, especially since it is a quiet and not busy area - these being issues that my friends faced previously during their shoot.

Location 2: Loading Bay and Bins

A more modern and city-based location, it would certainly appeal to the conventions of zombie apocalypse media that uses cities as a setting - since it is so densely populated, it would be a good area to focus. These areas are also relatively quiet, however they are more likely to have background noise compared to Location 1 - since there could be loud crowds, street performers or construction workers nearby in the city. Therefore clear audio could be an issue here, plus lighting could be difficult with the buildings in the way of the Sun. Although the audio could be done in post, as previously mentioned.

Notably, there are a lot of bins that could move (either by a careless bystander/crew member or just the wind) which certainly leaves a lot of room for continuity errors. Additionally I don't think they're public enough of areas to go along the approach of 'post apocalyptic city', I could film the main streets when they are deserted on a morning - much like how they filmed 28 Days Later - however, morning are darker given that it's winter so this wont work. Similarly to 28 Days Later though, I could include some shots of the streets above to use as establishing shots, indicating the effects of the outbreak.

In general, I don't think that the second set of locations is as good as Location 1. It seems like an easier location to manage and keeping an eye out for nature walkers or cars will be unlikely but easy given how long the road is.