average number of locations in films

B

boulder

Well-known member
Just out of curiosity I was trying to find if there is an average number of locations for big budget vs indie films. I was curious because for many indie films I get a sense of claustrophobia as the film's world is limited to few locations. A web search proved fruitless.

P.S. I imagine someone will bring up "Rope", but I mean in general.
 
This isn't a question which will have a meaningful answer. You could take every film and calculate an average, but it won't really tell you anything useful. It's very much like asking "how long is a piece of string, on average?"
 
Not to mention that it has a direct correlation to budget. So I would assume indy features have less locations, and most likely more indoor locations as outdoor are far more expensive, especially night, and especially remote wilderness locations...
 
boulder said:
Just out of curiosity I was trying to find if there is an average number of locations for big budget vs indie films. I was curious because for many indie films I get a sense of claustrophobia as the film's world is limited to few locations. A web search proved fruitless.

P.S. I imagine someone will bring up "Rope", but I mean in general.
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Well, here's the thing: what can no budgeteers do about having very limited locations? It's low budget. Great locations in abundance either cost money or require leaving large cities and roughing it elsewhere. I do understand what you're saying, though, and I think it's a pretty big deal, also a very hard thing to overcome.

It's an interesting question, although David is right, you could just grab a few big movies and count how many locations you see. Inception had to have had a good thirty, with a few main set pieces.

My favorite movie had about fifteen locations/sets not including smaller locations in those (bedrooms, etc), and at least three of them were revisited repeatedly throughout the course of the feature. That's Ghostbusters, by the way.

On the other hand, another favorite literally had like six or seven (hyper indie) and it never felt limited in scope or scale, because it was designed around those locations. That one is Primer.

The more I think about it, the more it seems that the locations are not distinct or have little influence in no budget projects which is why it may seem so limited. In Primer, almost every location had a very unique purpose, right down to the hotel room rooms they stayed in.

When you can say "maybe we should shoot this scene outside, instead" during the course of shooting, then the location doesn't matter.

Anyway, good question to spark thought.
 
I bring this up because I think it’s something for indies to be aware of. I’m going out of my way to have many cinematic locations and it just meant keeping an eye out and doing some smooth talking (and perhaps a bit of money). I became aware of this cinematic claustrophobia quite often in indie films and its something I’ve never heard mentioned before.
 
boulder said:
Just out of curiosity I was trying to find if there is an average number of locations for big budget vs indie films. I was curious because for many indie films I get a sense of claustrophobia as the film's world is limited to few locations.
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There is no average number, but there is a trend that you've already noticed. Low budget films use as few locations as possible. Big budget films use as many locations as necessary. Adding new locales is one of the most direct ways to add "production value" to a low budget film. That's part of why a film like "Monsters" looks so much bigger than it is. They shot it on a driving tour of South America, so lots of settings and visual variety.

In TV, when a show overspends and starts running out of money, they make "bottle shows," which are episodes with a single location. This is why the hero of your show ends up trapped in a hospital stalked by a killer, or chained up in a warehouse, reflecting on his past adventures via clips from previous shows.
 
How many locations has Phonebooth? One? I didnt saw it, but it will be interesting to know it.
 
hawaj said:
How many locations has Phonebooth? One? I didnt saw it, but it will be interesting to know it.
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It actually had quite a few. You would have to go to something unusual like "Lifeboat" or "Rope" to hold to a single location.
 
i feel inclined to mention 12 angry men and high noon whenever i can.(rear window was mention in another thread).

some indie films, older indie films, and some exploitation films, and some really bad parodies had tons of locations on tight budgets.

i think the problem goes beyond the number of locations and more into there use. lack of transitioning shots and not using the full extent of locations might be the problem. the monotone rhythm of the story and the acting.

how many locations were there in jaws(there was a discussion about jaws in another thread). how many locations in one of the "shorts" in pulp fiction. how many locations in alien.

some of the newer no budgets, you would see one room, one angle, where you could have seen an entire house, camera movement, characters moving in the scene, multiple shots, different views, change of pace, interesting dialogue, one or two more characters, and unfortunately most of the time you can't get a good soundtrack. it might not be part of the budget.

(i keep forgetting titles) there was a film-noir courtroom drama that had 2 hallways, a room/office and stairs from one house, a courtroom, one scene in a set of a train station coffee shop(which i think is from another noir movie) and one flash back to another set/room(which is also from another movie), every location except the room and the courtroom were probably less than a few minutes of screen time. but the main character kept moving in that room/office, new characters introduced, the main character going in and out of the room. and it was interesting, there was a story, subplots, lying, a murder, a trial, deception, comedic relief, denial, manipulation.
 
Kholi said:
The more I think about it, the more it seems that the locations are not distinct or have little influence in no budget projects which is why it may seem so limited. In Primer, almost every location had a very unique purpose, right down to the hotel room rooms they stayed in.

When you can say "maybe we should shoot this scene outside, instead" during the course of shooting, then the location doesn't matter.
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That is a damn good point, Kholi - and one I'd never thought of in that way before.
Neil Simon used to say that he would edit his plays by going through the dialogue and seeing if any of the lines could have been said by any other character
(to make sure they all had a distinct viewpoint and voice).
He would rewrite or cut any lines he found didn't fit his requirements.

What you're saying is basically the same thing - in regard to location.
 
Luis Caffesse said:
That is a damn good point, Kholi - and one I'd never thought of in that way before.
Neil Simon used to say that he would edit his plays by going through the dialogue and seeing if any of the lines could have been said by any other character
(to make sure they all had a distinct viewpoint and voice).
He would rewrite or cut any lines he found didn't fit his requirements.

What you're saying is basically the same thing - in regard to location.
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I like that idea. Hmmm I may have to adopt that on this rewrite.

Kinda adding onto that, though... it adds another question to the list: can you afford to be that specific? The no budget way is to be as modular and flexible as possible, but by doing that you compromise a lot of vision (depending on the script, some stuff works just on borrowed living rooms etc). Suppose, ideally, you would write around the best locations you know you can get for free or very cheap, but that changes the presentation of the narrative as well.

xD Someone remind me why it's even worth it to do low/no-budget again?

Amr Rahmy said:
some of the newer no budgets, you would see one room, one angle, where you could have seen an entire house, camera movement, characters moving in the scene, multiple shots, different views, change of pace, interesting dialogue, one or two more characters, and unfortunately most of the time you can't get a good soundtrack. it might not be part of the budget.
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Comes down to the way it's shot, agreed, and how the space is utilized. I finally got what one of my friends meant by "claustrophobic". There are times when I was adamant about covering things in twos and threes, but we just didn't have the locations for that and looking back on it, I can see why I should've just met the demands of the locations versus trying to make them work for what I thought was best.

Again, though, that changes the presentation of the narrative. A comedic scene forced to play out head-and-shoulders, overs, you're likely to lose a lot of impact and punches. You're choosing between the flat angle and performance, or the best looking composition for the space you're playing in.

That's a hard choice to make.
 
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