RECCE (2): Beatrice Webb Garden House

Recce (2) 

Luckily, Luke felt strongly about us going on a recce to Beatrice Webb, so he organised for us to meet on the 9th of February at 2pm (a time that worked for us all). He thought it was important that we get a better idea of the space and lighting before planning any larger props or certain shots.

The first thing Luke showed us were the red blinds which could be pulled down to craft silhouettes of the branches and beams over the window; though incredibly beautiful, we didn't feel as if it matched what we had pictured for our sequence.

He then proceeded to show us the view outside, which was of the Surrey Hills and woods - it was perfect for our setting of a house in the countryside should we choose to have the view visible to the camera. It also provided a great source of lighting, but the only issue was with the time of day we would be shooting as we didn't know, which would dictate where we would need to shoot from due to the direction of the light.

Upon discussing this, Luke suggested that we board the windows from the outside with pieces of cardboard with holes poked through them to provide a stable source of light so that we could still play with our silhouette idea. Boarding the windows from outside also meant that it wouldn't come up on camera.

In order to save time on set, we realised that at least two of our group members and Luke would need to spend the evening before the shoot day preparing the boards and props, which I happily volunteered to do as I am a day student and am more flexible with the time that I return home. 

Lastly, we went into the storage cupboard attached to the garden room. Due to the largeness of the other space, as a group we realised that the scene may appear awkward to the sparseness of the set. As a solution, I asked Luke if it would be possible to place the woman in the storage cupboard with more clutter and the door slightly propped open (the suitcases would need to be removed which would be done the night before), and to board the windows as the view of the boarding house gave it too much of an urban look. The man, on the other hand, would be outside in only half of the room with just his scientific setup. Luke liked the idea and agreed, but mentioned that we would need to brainstorm props that we could place in the garden house to reveal more about his character.

Overall, I am extremely glad and grateful that we got the chance to do the recce as we wouldn't have noticed the storage cupboard, and it gave us a better idea of the space that we would be working in.