Location Scouting

Scouting and confirming the locations where you’ll make each scene happen, is key to setting up your shooting schedule, and an essential part of pre-production.

Typically, on larger productions with quite a few different scenes, there would be a process of identifying all of the scenes taking place in a particular location. Then when locations are confirmed, there would be a process in deciding which order to shoot each location based on availability and proximity to the next location. However, since our Sample Scripts are pretty straight forward and only contain a few scenes, all of the scenes are able to be shot on school grounds, so this complex scheduling process can skipped over.

If you’d like more information on scheduling your shoot by location order (especially if your students have opted to write an original film) these informative links are very useful:

Why do Directors shoot scenes out of order?

Why is it cheaper to film a movie out of sequence?

You will still need to scout and confirm locations.

Exercise: Scouting and confirming Locations

It’s time to start looking for actual locations that will fit your story. Go through the script and identify the scenes that you’ll be shooting.

Using Lunchbox by Justene Musin you can see that all scene descriptions are listed below.

1.  EXT. SCHOOL GROUNDS – DAY

2.  EXT. SCHOOL GROUNDS – DAY (further away)

3.  EXT. SCHOOL GROUNDS – DAY (further away than both previous times)

Take all of your students on a location scouting trip around the school, encouraging each team to discuss and make notes on:

  1. LIGHT: What the light is like in the space? (Does it need extra lighting / Is existing light a problem?)

  2. SOUND: How noisy is the space? (Will this interfere with dialogue recording?)

  3. CAMERA: Is there enough space to fit in the cameras, lights and other equipment?

  4. SET DRESSING: What set dressing items will it take to make each location look just like it has been written in the scene?   

  5. FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR / PRODUCER: Is the location dangerous for any reason? Are there safety precautions that need to be taken, or a does a different location need to be found?

  6. PRODUCER: Will it be hard or easy to get access / permission to film at each location?

NB: Because all of the scenes in this script are set outside, it is worth also identifying a location inside or under cover as well, just in case the weather is not suitable to shoot the film outside.

At each location discuss with your class whether it will be suitable to shoot the scene there not. When there is agreement, confirm it by having the Assistant Director write in their notebook the actual physical location your team has chosen for each location described in the script.

For instance:

1.  EXT. SCHOOL GROUNDS – DAY

= PARNELL SCHOOL PLAYGROUND (OR PARNELL SCHOOL HALL IF RAINING)