Research into Locations

After watching THE SHINING for the first time, I have been inspired to research more into the area of suitable locations for a thriller film. The location of a film is essential because it can make or break it, because it is a great way of incorporating suspense and atmosphere into the film. Similarly, if the location isn't correct/realistic (i.e. filming a suicide scene in a college classroom) it can ruin the whole thing. Because most thriller films don't take place in college classrooms, this blog will encompass my research into more suitable locations.

THE SHINING is a good film to analyse for locations because it is set in a desolate hotel, where the main character must remain inside for five months. Because of heavy snow, he (and his family) have no way of going outside. Essentially, they have no escape. This, together with the fact that the hotel has a history of a man murdering his wife and two kids, sets the scene for a fantastic (and stereotypical) thriller/horror film.





IDEAS OF TYPICAL LOCATIONS IN THRILLERS -

• a church/a churchyard. I think that this is a very typical location for a thriller film, because a lot of thriller films have ideas of demonic creatures which must be fought by either religious people, or those who gain faith after such experiences.
• hospitals for the insane/prison cells.
• forests, because of their desolation and seclusion.
• hotels. big, empty, and often creepy.
• strange, unknown houses. For example, those films which go down the 'babysitter' route, in which the main character stays in a house they are unfamiliar with to babysit demonic children!
• mansions/houses with history.
• empty parks, because of the convention of using little children in thrillers because their supposed innocence can be quite disturbing when juxtaposed with horrific events.

 Some of the listed locations would not be possible for us to film in, for example, empty mansions and hotels. However, we would be able to film in forests, churches and parks. However, because our developing idea at the moment is the concept of suicide woven into the relationship of a teenage boy and girl, it doesn't seem like a forest or a church would be suitable or realistic for such a scenario. 
That leaves the option of a house - which could be tricky because our homes would need to be transformed into something more practical for a thriller film. However, the opening of our film would not need to be shot in only one location - we could easily blend more than one concept into the same idea. For example, the boyfriend could be filmed in the house whereas the girlfriend could be filmed elsewhere (for example an empty park, such as the one in the picture above).