Fiction Adaptation: Film - Locations

Where will I be filming?

As the time for filming is slowly creeping up, I've decided to choose the locations where I aim to film and explain why, which you can see below.

View point, Bluebell Hill - Chatham, Kent.

This is an area which is local to me. The location looks over the country side where you can see modernisation in the background: a small village, gas station, etc. This location to me would be very useful to help set the scene as to where the story from the poem may be situated.

Viewpoint - Taken from Google Images

I would use this location mainly for this reason and to show the progression of time, as my poem begins by saying "On London fell a clearer light; caressing pencils of the sun", meaning the use of an establishing shot would be useful to show this 'sun' progressing. The main problem with using this location is that it doesn't entirely look like London. However, this may not be entirely important as

the poem is set 100 years ago, meaning that the London city wouldn't be as developed and globalised like it is now. The setting is only meant to hint that it is London - it doesn't have to be there.

Viewpoint - Taken from Google Images

As well as using this to introduce the poem, I also plan to use this surrounding location for a few scenes where the two characters are seen acting in love/romance. For example, scenes of them laughing, kissing, hugging, etc (which I've explained in my script). The scene works well with this as the beauty of the view can link to the beauty of the character's romance, thus remaining symbolic.

I will need to be granted permission from the local council to see if I'm allowed to film at the location. The area is usually very quiet (especially in colder months) meaning there shouldn't be too much of a problem in terms of people or anything getting in the way.

The main problems with this field is not just the one I've previously mentioned, but mainly the weather. I would need these scenes to have nice sunlight and generally good weather, otherwise it wouldn't be as effective. For example, if it rained, the establishing shot wouldn't look very pleasant. It also wouldn't be as realistic if my two characters are sitting in a field when it is raining or if the weather is generally pretty dampening.

Timing is also essential for filming. I hope to film watching the sun set, for my establishing shot. This means that I need to make sure the timing and weather area both spot on, otherwise this could be problematic. However, I aim to use this as one of my locations.

Rochester High Street - Kent.

This location will only be used for 1/2 scenes - I am only planning on using it showing the couple holding hands walking down the high street, and then another scene where she is walking down the exact same piece of the hughstreet but on her own.

Rochester High Street (taken from Google)

I've chosen this high street in particular because it is generally an old-fashioned high street. It has a cobbled road and there aren't any major retail shops - most of them are individually ran. This means it is more likely to suit for the time which my film is set in (around 100 years ago) - I couldn't film in a modern high street as it simply wouldn't fit with the story's setting/time.

However, I will also need to gain permission from the local council to film on the high street, even though I won't be filming there for long. I also need to make sure I choose a quiet time and day to film on, so that people won't get in the way of the shot (not forgetting not having consent to film them). This is why I aim to film on a weekday early morning as the high street isn't used that much. If it is still busy, I aim to plan on a Sunday afternoon instead as this too is usually a quiet time as most of the shops will be shut/will be shutting down for the day.

Castle Grounds, Rochester - Kent.

Castle Grounds: the grounds are very simple and open-spaced,
which could be metaphorical for the loneliness of the female
character. Taken from Google Images.

This location too will only be used for a scene or two. I aim to use this scene to show the husband leaving to go to war. As you can see from the image, the location is quite open spaced and is situated on the grounds of Rochester castle. The reasons why I've decide to use this is mainly because the castle can be interpreted to be symbolic for war, thus relating to the character.

Castle Grounds: the iconic castle lays next to this location,
which can be symbolic for the war (as the male character
is leaving to go to war). Taken from Google Images

Apart from this, the location itself is very simplistic: its literally just an open green space with a pathway. This too is useful for the time which my film is set in as it isn't modernised and probably looked very similar to what it does now and 100 years ago. The lack of features in the location too can refer to how the female character feels like now that her character has left her. For example, the open space could be metaphorical for the loneliness which she now feels.

I would also need permission from the local council to film here, however this is only just up the road from Rochester high street (another location) meaning it is likely that I can film here if I can film on the high street due to the similar location.


This area too is often quiet so filming here shouldn't be a problem. Nonetheless, weather isn't a problem for filming in this location. In fact, it may even work better if the weather was gloomy and rainy, as it helps to add emotion to the two characters departing each other. Therefore, there aren't any major problems in terms of filming at this location.

Dark, Small Room (Location Unknown)

An idea of what the room could look like. It should be empty
(minus a chair and table) and I should be able to light up
certain areas of the room with artificial lighting.

This location will be used for the room where I have scenes showing the female character as if she is writing the poem as it is being narrated. Although I don't actually have this location sorted yet, I thought it would be relevant to show why I need it. Nonetheless, this room should be very simplistic and not be distractive, as my aim is to use this room purely to show that the character is 'writing' the poem. The only necessity I will need will be to have chiaroscuro lighting - this should bright up the table which she is writing on and the character herself.

I'm not too worried about trying to find this location, as all I simply need is a dark room - even the size isn't that important as it should be so dark you might not be able to even work out the size of the room, let alone whats in it. I could likely film this scene in a room at my work (the Historic Dockyard), as the dockyard has lots of unused rooms and buildings. This of course would need permission however shouldn't be a problem as there is often quite a lot of filming at the dockyard anyway.

Basic, Old-fashioned Living Room (Location Unknown)

Example of the living room
I'm aiming for.
Taken from Google Images

I am still yet to find the exact location for this. This location will be used for when the female character begins to loose herself as she worries about her husband in the war. The scenes where she becomes upset, paranoid and angry. I've decided to use these scenes in a living room so that the audience can understand that she is in her natural environment (at home). 

However the main reasons why I used a living room instead of say, a bedroom, is so that the scene where she reads the newspaper and plays with the rose can take place, as she will be sitting down on a chair where her dining table is.

The mise-en-scene in this room must be able to relate to the setting of the first world war - very old fashioned. This means having ornaments, wooden table and chairs, wooden floor (if possible), and so on. This is probably going to be one of the most problematic locations as it is hard to find a living

Another example of a living room. They
both have wooden furniture and an old-
fashioned rug which would work very well.
Taken from Google Images.

room which is based around 100 years ago, meaning that this location might disrupt the effectiveness of the setting of my film.

Nonetheless, if I can't manage to find a living room as described, I could always set this scene in a much easier location. For example, this scene too could be outside as there is no actual reason for her to be indoors. It could be set as if she has walked to buy the newspaper, read the headline then broke down and fell on the floor, dropping the newspaper on the floor and allowing the scene to continue. It may even be more effective if she broke down at a similar spot where she left her husband, as it tells the audience that she says goodbye and looses her husband in the same spot.

Therefore, this backup will be used if I feel i can't find a strong enough living room. The weather too isn't problematic for this either, in fact, the scene would work better as say the rain could emphasise her emotions and generally be more effective by adding this dampened effect on the female character.

Remembrance Statue (The Lines Field. Gillingham - Kent?)

Another location I will need will be a remembrance statue for the scene where the female character places a rose next to it, to say goodbye to her husband. I've decided to use a statue instead of a graveyard purely for the fact I won't need to focus on a certain graveyard, as my film is only fictional and isn't actually based on the death of a soldier from the first world war.

The Lines Remembrance Statue, Gillingham.
Taken from Google Images

Therefore by using a statue I won't need to focus on the name, as the statue is for a list of soldier names. I could use a panning shot to show the names of the soldiers who died to make the scene more clarified and generally more emotive. Nonetheless, the statue is very iconic for the first world war, meaning that the audience should easily be able to recognise what it is I'm trying to show.

The only problem with using a remembrance statue is that it doesn't fit with the setting time of my film. This is because it is meant to be set literally towards the end of the war, meaning that the statue might not've been made so early. However, this isn't a major problem and my audience might not even be able to notice this.

I was planning on using the statue at the lines in Gillingham due to it being so iconic. Nonetheless, the main problem with this is mainly for its height - the statue is rather huge making it harder to film the female character approaching it and putting the rose down next to it.

This statue however is placed on a large grassy field, meaning that I could even use this location instead of the castle grounds location if there are any problems with it.

Therefore, I will continue to look for a similar statue, however hopefully one which is smaller. This too will likely be needed permission for the local council and it may be slightly hard to film incase other people are looking at the statue whilst I'm trying to film.

Thinks to Watch Out for when Filming

On the actual film day as well, I've noted down what I should keep an eye on in terms of anything which could disrupt or get in the way of my filming, which you can see below:

   - The Weather (as previously mentioned)

   - The Time (as previously mentioned)

   - Any events on the day where I will be filming. Some locations I am filming at sometimes have 

     special events on, meaning that I would have to reschedule my days of filming. For example, The
     Lines has a fireworks night approaching and the 'Castle Grounds' has a fete there a couple of times
     a year, relating to festivals which are also on 'Rochester High Street'. However, I have checked for 

     any upcoming events which may be in the way which fortunately don't cross for when I want to 

     film.