The Location in which a film is set plays a very important role in establishing what the film could entail, an example of this would be if you where making a film about sharks such as Jaws, then the film is not going to be located in the middle of London is it?.. A more suitable location would be on the beach.

Different locations also carry hidden codes, examples of this include the following;

Forest- Forests usually are portrayed to be unsafe, dark and scary (Blair Witch Project)

House- The home is generally seen as a place of safety, however, it can also be seen as a place where you are trapped.

Desert- The desert can signify freedom as in western films.

University- A university signifies a place of hope

Council Estate- A council estate connotes a place with strong community spirit, violence and often poverty. (This is England)

When deciding on possible locations to film there are a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration….

• Accessibility- How easy will it be for your actors to get to and from the location?

• Facilities- if the location is far out, are there any toilet facilities for actors?

• Will the location fit the genre of the film?

• How does the location tie in with the story line?

• Would the weather affect being able to film in the chosen location?

• Are there any health and safety issues that need to be considered?

• How public is the location? Will this affect the ability to film?

There where a few locations in which would have been suitable locations for our film…

Potential Location #1: Cowes High School; This location would be perfect as it is easily accessible for all actors. There are also many interesting sheds and buildings that look like they could be deserted.

This image shows a discoloured old shed, that looks derelict and abandoned this creates an eerie feeling which is part of the enigma code, and signifies danger to the audience.

This image shows that the windows are boarded up- the enigma here is “why are the windows boarded up? What are they trying to keep out?” the once white walls are also discoloured. White signifies purity but this has been stained with muck. The window panels also look dated which gives the illusion that it is abandoned.

This image shows that the glass is shattered; the shattered glass almost mirrors a spiders web. The building appears to be in a state of disrepair which once more indicates it being isolated.

This image simply reinforces the state of the building.

The walls of this building are covered in grime and the blue door looks shabby and rundown; this is the sort of place that nobody would want to go to- it gives the feeling of being inaccessible.

This image further emphasizes the poor condition of this building- the moss growing on the ground connotes nobody goes there- anything/ anyone who goes there will become ‘contaminated.’

It is easy to imagine this ‘shack’ in a horror movie, it is run down and boarded up and doesn’t look very inviting.

Here you can see large gaps in the wood, pieces of corrugated sheet metal have been used and the door looks almost unhinged!

The hinges of these doors are rusted shut this signifies there being no way out.

It is easy to imagine somebody hiding in the roof of this derelict building spying through the slats of wood. The diagonal lines of the wood mirror bars of a prison- any body in here is unlikely to escape.

“Out of Bounds” this seems to have a stigma attached- if you are found in this area, you will be punished…. However, the red bricks of the wall look very modern so may not be suitable for a horror movie.

This image shows barbed wire and missing fence panels, this teamed with the dead plants is typical of a horror film location. As with many of the other images, this one creates an isolated, eerie feeling.

The pile of logs connotes remoteness and the idea that there is no electricity and no ‘life’. The audience may think that as there are cut logs, there must be an axe… in a horror film, this may signify an axe murderer.

This image depicts being cornered and trapped- the mould signifies time.

Potential Location #2: Quarr Abbey: Quarr Abbey is situated on the Isle of Wight and is home to monks. There is a large monastery and some ruins. As you approach the monastery there is a long drive way that is bordered by tall, sparse lifeless trees which adds to the atmosphere.

This location has a very supernatural feeling and some of the photographs that I took here captured white matter that some people may be described as orbs or spirits.

After speaking to a number of people who fall inside my target audience, it was clear that a lot of people find trees to be symbolic of the horror genre. “To me, trees are visually creepy and spine chilling.”

These image show “creepy” looking trees’ they are wilting and sparse of greenery: greenery connotes life and health, where as lack of colour- as shown here connotes being drained of life, they have a deathly quality.

These trees are tall and thin which gives the illusion that there is no where to hide as they are not thick and dense. This gives the feeling of being vulnerable and exposed.

This image is of the abbey at dusk, The blurred outline mirrors that of a Dracula castle, there is a sense of mystery and foreboding. Unfortunately, the image here doesn’t demonstrate the eerie beauty that was visible to the eye.

These two images show the abbey during day light. Once again, the true magnificence is not obvious. Despite being a place of worship, during the daytime, the abbey is prison like in appearance which connotes being trapped with no way out. Enigma code- no way out… only through death?

The Abbey would have been the perfect location for “Blood Circle”- The Mise en scene would have allowed the audience to automatically know that it was a horror, and the eerie feel may have helped the actors to get into character. The Abbey is surrounded by vast lands, trees and decaying ruins which would have added to the overall feel of the film. However, I wouldn’t personally have felt comfortable filming at the abbey as it is a place of worship which should be respected, and I wouldn’t want to encroach on the monks privacy in a place which they hold in such high esteem.

Potential Location #3: Church:

Churches have captivating architecture and a spiritual quality. Thinking about summoning spirits with a Ouija board in such a spiritual place Is almost spine chilling. Ouija boards within a church seems to be a taboo subject, there is a sense of danger and it is almost seen as ‘immoral.’ For these reasons I felt that a church would be a good location to film “Blood Circle” as the audience would feel uncomfortable with the idea.

All three of the locations would be suitable to film “Blood Circle” However, due to moral reasons, I believe that the best location would be to film at Cowes High School as it is easily accessible and actors would be able to get there and back easily, there are toilet facilities, mirrors for applying and removing any make-up and places for any costume changes. The location definitely fits the horror genre as there are many derelict looking outbuildings.

After filming at Cowes High School and looking back over the filming, I decided that the quality of the filming was not good enough and would need to be re-filmed. Unfortunately, due to time restrictions and school holidays, we where not able to use this location for our re-shoot. Instead, we re-filmed Blood Circle in an ordinary house- this will place the audience on the edge of their seats- “If it can happen in that house, could it happen in my house?” The location is also easily accessible and has facilities. The front room where the Ouija Board was filmed has a lot of red- this signifies blood and danger! The “ghost child” scenes are shot with green background; which looks sterile and cold.