Pre-Production: Finalize Locations

 As production continues, one crucial step is to finalize our filming locations. The right location is very important in setting the tone and mood of the scenes, and we've carefully chosen spots that can enhance the horror aspect of our story. 

The Promenade Shopping Plaza

Our first finalized location is the Promenade Shopping Plaza, which is a nearby shopping center with a parking garage that we plan on using. We originally had planned on using the top of the garage but we never finalized where, until we found the promenade and decided it had the perfect atmosphere. In this scene, our main character, Eva, meets the stalker at the top of the garage. After a quick conversation, he gets into his car, unaware of the danger she's about to face. We chose a parking garage because it provides a level of isolation, especially as we plan to film the scene during a week day with fewer people around. The view from the top of the garage also creates an eerie shot that builds tension as the audience watches Eva make the decision to get into the car. One challenge with this location was deciding the best time for filming as the garage is sometimes busy during during certain hours. To solve this, we decided on shooting during a week day during quieter times, particularly the evening when there's less traffic. 

Loxahatchee Road 

Loxahatchee Road is a rural area near the Everglades, where we plan to film the scene showing the stalker driving Eva to an isolated location. This is very important in our story since it shows the point where Eva realizes she's being taken to a remote area, creating a feeling of dread. We chose this location since Loxahatchee is far from any urban areas which provides the isolation we need for this scene. It's quiet and eerie with minimal traffic or people which will allow us to film without distractions. One of the challenges we may face is ensuring that the lighting would work in our favor. To ensure lighting is consistent, we plan to film this shot at night time. There's pros and cons to filming in the dark. The pros include that the lighting will remain consistent. This is especially important since Lox is where the sun sets, so we want to make sure we don't film during sunset especially if it takes more than one day. Another pro is the insolation of the location. For cons, we mainly worried about making sure we will be able to see the outside of the car as it's driving during night time. But, this shouldn't be an issue because we will have multiple cars there; so if lighting is an issue we can use someone's headlights on a car or in the background as a light source.

Lastly, we've finalized a few interior locations at the director's house. The stalker's bedroom and Sofia's room are two locations that will help establish character dynamics and set the tone for the rest of the film. The director's house offers a convenient and cost-effective setting for some of the intimate scenes. One challenge we may face on the first day of production is ensuring that every piece of furniture, decoration, and prop makes sense for the character and location. We will have to take time with the director on the day of shooting on what will best represent the characters' inner lives.

The Stalker's Bedroom: There is where we'll show the stalker in his own space, adding onto his obsession with Eva. 

Sofia's Bedroom: In a scene involving Eva's best friend, Sofia, we'll be shooting in the directors own room. This location was chosen because of its cozy feeling, which contrasts heavily with the darker location of the Stalker's room.