i need help w/ location (story world)

Randall_Oelerich

Randall_Oelerich

Veteran
Gearing up for a 4th revision rewrite of a feature screenplay. Supernatural thriller. My first feature screenplay actually, still working on it, though my mentor feels it is done I do not. Takes place at the proverbial haunted farmhouse with a barn in rural Anywhere, USA (family moves out of the city to the rural setitng for health reasons).

I would like to change the story world, get away from the overdone 'family travels to a haunted farmhouse' (although it worked for the recent movie The Messengers). The house must be at least a two story, and there must be barn or large shed of some sort (figures prominently in the story as does a two story rural house). I also need a body of water, preferably a river but as long as there is a body of water for a drowning that is fine.

Ideas? Alternatives? I think of the movie "The Dark" with Sean Bean, Maria Bello, Sophie Stuckey; genius imho as far as setting for a low budget indie--- Wales/Ireland cottage near the edge of cliffs overlooking the sea, a tool shed nearby; maybe something like that could work for my story (which, interestingly enough, I could film up along the Minnesota north shore which at certain areas can masqeuerade almost like the sea cliffs of Ireland if needed).
 
Keep in mind, the water doesn't necessarily need to be near the physical house, unless you do something foolish like write "Suzy looks up from the river bank at the house..." Any house and body of water can be used, even several miles away, as long as it is implied that they are nearby. Creative cuts will fool most folk.
 
Good point. If I were to ever film it myself, I could be more flexible on rented locations for the house, just find water location elsewhere on the cheap, etc.

Capt Quirk said:
Keep in mind, the water doesn't necessarily need to be near the physical house, unless you do something foolish like write "Suzy looks up from the river bank at the house..." Any house and body of water can be used, even several miles away, as long as it is implied that they are nearby. Creative cuts will fool most folk.
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there are websites that will help you with location scouting.

http://www.filminglocations.com/

u sign up for an account, no fee on ur part. and they help u find locations. they make there money off fees from ppl putting their houses on their website. then rates are negotiable from there. there are a lot of other sites but they charge a lot for scouting, this is the only one i found that did it for me for free.

hope it helps
 
Margo (Maggie) Prescott, Prescott Consulting; I did her complete course
http://home.earthlink.net/~maggie22/id82.html
where she guides you through writing an entire feature screenplay, helps you with revisions, edits, gives ideas, etc., for bout $1500. (she used to be an agent, has sold a couple of screenplays herself).

I like the cider press, lighthouse, etc. ideas. I was thinking something unusual like that, or vineyard, orchard, etc., maybe even isolated on an island (isolation is good for thrillers/horror). I really wanted a river, which is rare on small islands, but I could switch the river to the sea or a large cold lake, etc.


alex whitmer said:
Which mentor??!!

You know what would be cool and original is like an old cider press if you have one around.

Old lighthouses and cider mills get bought up and turned into bed and breakfasts, so they could be going there after they purchased it to begin restorations.

http://www.michigan.org/global/Media/580/1978_Franklin_Mill.jpg

Lots of these are two stories.

aw
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A cider press will have a river, and maybe an abandoned orchard could be cool. Lots of weird shadows and such.

Another cool location if you have it there is a maple farm, an old place where they used to tap trees and boil sap. Maybe a round a nice lake.

a
 
Alex, lest my post came off the wrong way, I want to also give credit to you here for doing paid coverage / feedback on my supernatural thriller screenplay, the screenplay that I first wrote from scratch and did a couple of rewrites working the my mentor/teacher Maggie Prescott.

Alex your feedback and suggestions on that script is greatly appreciated! I also had coverage on my screenplay done by sixty-buck Scott (now $80 I think).

So I am taking all advice, coverage, feedback into consideration as I do a 4th revision. Hopefully that will be it and I can try and sell it after this next rewrite, ugh.

alex whitmer said:
Which mentor??!!....
aw
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