Location Scouting

For our video we are planning on using several different locations. To begin with we plan on re-shooting the performance section of the video at Pirate Studios in Kirkstall. This is a better studio as it is a bigger space so we will have more room for different shot types and angles. As well as this, the studio is more lit than the previous location therefore the quality of the footage will be better.

For the narrative section of the video we will have to use several locations as we will follow the protagonist through his story. His progression will therefore taking him to new places meaning that we have to find more suitable locations. To begin with we will meet the protagonist in the German Christmas Market in the centre of Leeds. I was in Leeds this week and went to familiarise herself with the market and take pictures so we could plan where we want our protagonist to be positioned. The market has several stalls and is covered in fairy lights which gives it the festive, happy mood we desired in order to contrast with the cold exclusion of homelessness.

There are also gaps between the stalls which we were very excited about as we wanted to 'find' our protagonist hidden away in the market and this is the perfect place to position them, allowing them to be within and yet without.

We also discovered that there are attractions which would make for great establishing shots in our video such as a carousel, inflatable snow globe and ferris wheel. We even thought we might be able to go in the wheel, price dependant, to get some establishing shots of Leeds from a higher vantage point.

There are also bumper cars which could look great if we wanted them to create a 'happy' festive mood at the tart of the video to contrast with the sadness of the following narrative. 

Overall we are very happy with this location and will definitely be making use of it in our video.

Ed has done some location scouting around Leeds whilst he's been there on an evening and found some places which would be nice to film in:

We particularly liked this location because of the light it provided which would produce better quality footage. 

Then we will follow him to Leeds Train Station where in the first narrative he tries to escape the abuse he receives in the city.

We also took a couple of pictures during the day:

We thought we could shoot from the island in the middle of the road as it gives us a good perspective of the station. 

In the second narrative this is where we see the protagonist taken by his friend who is trying to help him start a new life. After this we will use the bridge at Shipley Train Station.

This is where the first story ends as we see the protagonist collapse on the bridge. But in the second narrative we will need a house and a front room in which the protagonist can set up their new life. After this we will go back to Leeds city Centre but this time the protagonist will be dressed in a suit to show how far he has come since he was homeless. We were thinking of ending the video with our protagonist walking through Victoria Gate in Leeds to contrast with the streets he was living on before.

We were also thinking that maybe, after the song has finished, we bring the video to a close in a cyclical nature by having our protagonist put money in another homeless man's cup to foreshadow the same development in their life as we see in the video. This would be a poignant way to end the video and create a more hopeful feeling about the end of homelessness.