Location Scouting 1

I knew I wanted the childhood home shots to be done in my childhood home as there were multiple doorways that resemble the one I had in my head for the montage-ish part of the short film. I did a couple of test shots by placing my phone on a tripod and imaging where I could add the animation. An important part of the montage is also the lighting. I wanted there to be a light source coming in from the side of the frame (almost like representing Gary’s enlightenment leading him to his emotional arc). This room had that and not only was it from artificial lighting, there was also a big window, allowing for a lot of natural light in the room. Although it wasn't as dramatic as I illustrated in the storyboard, it matched my vision completely.

Another important part of this montage is the composition, I really wanted to have the frame slightly cut off by an archway or a doorway, to show the restricted nature of Gary's reality. I tried this out at a couple different doorways, and found the arched doorway (top right image) to be the most appropriate.

For the first scene, the study in my home was the perfect location as it matched the homey, manly, kind of business-like but also, it’s just a home office vibe. The wood surrounding the room also gave it a more grounded feel.

I will have to clean up the Christmas decoration before filming.

One of the biggest difficulties with filming at this location is the very limited window of time at this location and reshoots are impossible, so it was a one to two take situation. As the location is in Hong Kong and I reside in Malaysia, I had to set up a filming schedule for myself, where I got up at different times of the day just to get the lighting I wanted and the sets. I also had to make sure no one moved or touched any part of the set whilst I was filming. Although, the positives were that I had extra hands helping me move the furniture around, so the set looks more aged as the montage progressed.