Location scouting

Unexpectedly meeting a storyboard artist 

Yesterday we went to see a location for our upcoming short film No Return.
We had scouted a bar in Poblado, Medellin and had agreed to meet the owner, whom I had never met.

For some reason I had pictured the bar owner to be a half-alcoholic, rough-looking slob, but I was pleased to meet a distinguished physician, who immediately showed us around the whole premise and then asked us if we were looking for any other locations.
Sure, we are looking for an apartment...
"Let's go and see my place" he said and then presented us to his cousin and his cousin's mother. Then he took us to the bar's garage where his pickup was parked. "Here they filmed a scene of the film In Coma", he said. In Coma is a Colombian feature that came out last year and was pretty decent.

Cool, we enter the pickup and then the owner's cousin presents himself as a storyboard artist who had lived in California for 30+ years working with digital art for films and commercials. Okay!

The apartment was nice, but we decided we would need more space (on film everything looks tiny). But we agreed to shoot at the bar, and then the cousin showed us his conceptual art he had done for different film projects. They actually looked really good! I showed him some reference pictures for our other upcoming short film Hero. He said he would gladly collaborate with us and do some conceptual art for free. No joke? Awesome!


Tech scout

Today we went to the village where our bank location is for No Return. Normally after a first visit, if a location shows out to be suitable, the next step is to do a "tech scout" (except signing contracts). So we went with the producer, the producer assistant, the art director, the camera operator and the gaffer. Unfortunately the director of photography could not make it, but he sent the gaffer instead.

We discussed the lighting, the angles and how to decorate and prepare the place. The executive of the bank, as last time, was very collaborative and generous with letting us run around with cameras, measuring-tape and note-pads as the customers were there.

On the way back we stopped and looked for an outdoor location for Hero.

Thank you God! I am happy with how the preparations are going, we have a team that is ready to do some great work and things are falling into place as if they were blessed from above.