Locations For Filming

The short film that we are making will be in the genre of horror, the horror film will be located in the forest/woods, so we have been looking for local areas which fit the criteria.

The first place that I thought of was Eastham woods, this area suits the criteria because there are many dirt trails inside and also there are many trees surrounding the area. I particularly like this location because it is very close to my house (5 minutes walk) so I wouldn't have to be arranging transport. There is also a bear pit in Eastham woods, which would be very useful in our filming, such as people getting trapped in there with no escape etc.    

I believe that my target audience would agree that Eastham Woods is an ideal place to film due to the potential of many areas in the woods . Eastham Woods provides a bear pit, which when filmed in the dark would create a very eerie atmosphere. The large overgrown trees near the entrance of the woods also provide a great natural darkness as they block out the sunlight.
The only issue that we could come across when filming is the distraction of people walking past the camera, these woods are visited frequently by the public, so we may have to film late at night when it is less busy.
                                                                                                                      

The second location that I thought of that met the criteria was dibbinsdale woods, this is once again a very local area which is easy to access and free to the public. Not only does the dibbinsdale woods have an area with lots of greenery such as tall trees and bushes, but it has a tunnel which could be used for suspense, especially when filmed late at night.

 I believe that my target audience would agree that this is a great place for filming. the interesting imagery (woodwork dragon) and the luscious green trees really give us something exotic to film. Dibbinsdale woods are also relatively local, so they are accessible. An issue that we may come across is that groups frequently go out for excursions in the woods, such as scouts/beavers. This could distract us from our filming.

What are the dangers of creating independent films?

The film business is very dangerous. The film Papadopoulos and sons was made with an £800,000 budget, and they have only made £400,000 back, this emphasises the fact that the film industry isn't always going to make you rich and famous. Here is a graph showing the costs involved with making a film like this:

Often, you will find that independent films will go to SVOD services, the independent companies will do this because they do not want to take the risk of letting it go to box office, as it may flop. The SVOD services guarantee the independent film companies money, which takes the risk out of the equation.