Hannah, Henry and Sameer visited Hampstead Heath on Tuesday 24th July. Based on a tip-off from Ms Brookes, we set off in search for an abandoned mental institute. From the description, the potential location had long corridors, pillars and was half indoors, half outdoors. This was perfect for us in the sense that we are looking for somewhere with corridors and an old disused feel. However, from the outset we were aware that the indoors-outdoors aspect could be problematic, as it could seriously ruin the mood of the song.
After an hour or two of searching, we think we found the location we were being pointed to. An NHS hospital - housing a day outpatients department, a maternity ward and a mental health ward - fitting Ms Brookes' description looked perfect from the outside. However, as soon as we went through the gates with our camera, a woman came to speak to us. She not only lied that there was not (and never had been) a mental health ward there - which would have been altogether more convincing if there wasn't a 'Mental Health Ward - First Floor' sign over her shoulder - she refused outright at the idea of filming there. This was understandable, considering it was now a fully functioning hospital, which must have been come back into use since Ms Brookes last used it.
We learnt a lot from this recce and there are many things we can do to for next time to make sure we're more successful and effective.
- PLANNING: Although this time we couldn't find it, it's important for next time we look for the exact address for the location to save time wading through forests or fields. This can be done by getting maps and contact details of the potential location.
- PERMISSION: Only once we got there did it become really clear that we looked pretty amateur not having any sort of official permission from the school - we could have been anyone for all they knew. Next time, we must have letter from Ms Blackborow to prove who we are and to give some sort of legitimacy to the shoot.
- CONTACT: If we can find the contact details of the owner of the location beforehand, it would be good to get in touch in advance of the recce. This way, we can give full details of our plans, intentions and give a good first impression.
After an hour or two of searching, we think we found the location we were being pointed to. An NHS hospital - housing a day outpatients department, a maternity ward and a mental health ward - fitting Ms Brookes' description looked perfect from the outside. However, as soon as we went through the gates with our camera, a woman came to speak to us. She not only lied that there was not (and never had been) a mental health ward there - which would have been altogether more convincing if there wasn't a 'Mental Health Ward - First Floor' sign over her shoulder - she refused outright at the idea of filming there. This was understandable, considering it was now a fully functioning hospital, which must have been come back into use since Ms Brookes last used it.
We learnt a lot from this recce and there are many things we can do to for next time to make sure we're more successful and effective.
- PLANNING: Although this time we couldn't find it, it's important for next time we look for the exact address for the location to save time wading through forests or fields. This can be done by getting maps and contact details of the potential location.
- PERMISSION: Only once we got there did it become really clear that we looked pretty amateur not having any sort of official permission from the school - we could have been anyone for all they knew. Next time, we must have letter from Ms Blackborow to prove who we are and to give some sort of legitimacy to the shoot.
- CONTACT: If we can find the contact details of the owner of the location beforehand, it would be good to get in touch in advance of the recce. This way, we can give full details of our plans, intentions and give a good first impression.
This training module from the BBC Training & Development website details all of the things to do before, during and after a recce. We will consult it very carefully for our next test shoot - which will hopefully be in the coming weeks.
Video: To follow
Video: To follow
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