PRE-PRODUCTION BLOG: LOCATION SCOUTING

One of the most exciting aspects of production is finding a location to set your story. I knew Welcome Home was a household drama and also a thriller short film. The location needed to feel looming, cold, strange, and exceptional to Elsabe, a protagonist who is from the opposite side of the world. The home also needed to have a beauty and charm that Elsabe could grow to appreciate. I knew historical architecture would have the power to call attention to itself as a character of its own in the film, so I needed to search the city with the largest number of historical homes in the Northwest: North Tacoma, Washington. I’ve called Tacoma home with my mom since spring 2019, and it had this immediate sense of narrative and mystery. The homes here almost demanded cinematic stories to be told there.

The first challenge was that film crews are incredibly disruptive to a family household, so we knew getting permission to shoot in our Neighbor’s occupied homes would be impossible without generous compensation. My attention soon turned to vacation home rentals. I was immediately engrossed by discovering The Nightengale, a “victorian experience” on Airbnb. The home was built in 1890s and had been developed into three units for Airbnb guests. The limited scope of the short screenplay meant we could in theory shoot the entire film in a 2-night stay at The Nightengale. The hosts have been incredibly helpful to accommodate the demanding needs of film production.

Because of COVID-19, we knew housing the cast and crew under the same roof would be important to keep our circle small. There are many beds in the home, letting the critical crew and cast traveling in from Seattle to spend the night. With long 10+ hour days scheduled for the shoot, we knew eliminating transportation time would be critical.

The first step in securing the location meant a location scout by Producer Alex James, Director of Photography (DP) Tommy Tang, and Gaffer Zach Boone in July. Thorough photography of every room assisted the Art Department’s planning for Set Dressing. A study of the windows and Light Fixtures of the home gave DP Tommy Tang and Gaffer Zach Boone an understanding of how to use and modify natural light for principal photography. Reference imagery has been critical in developing a shotlist and storyboards in pre-production. One neat find we discovered was a servant’s staircase traveling from the Kitchen to the upstairs Bathroom. This inspired me to write in an additional scene of suspense in the screenplay.

While the majority of the story takes place inside the Nightengale, there were two other locations to be scouted. One was a Residential alleyway, which the team helped scout with the use of Google Streetview nearby the Nightengale. Finally, the story called for a large exterior staircase in the backyard of the home, which the Nightengale could not provide. I sent many letters to historical homeowners around North Tacoma with Victorian exteriors featuring a backyard staircase. We are lucky to be shooting all exterior scenes at 802 Yakima Ave, half a mile away from the Nightengale. A careful negotiation is ongoing between the homeowner and myself stipulating all the permissions necessary to shoot in the property.