Case Study: Pre-Production

At the beach with a locked gate.

During Pre-Production you try to think of everything. However, it’s hard to think of the beach being closed; the ocean tide just rolls on eternally, but if there’s a gate at the entrance to the parking lot it can be locked. We found that out bright and early one morning at a lovely section of beach in Malibu, California.

It was a big shooting day and we had no desire to scrub it but there was no place to park except right in the driveway in front of the gate so we had to split up. We took the fewest amount of people possible and hopped over the fence and began a rather lengthy trek to the shore while the rest of the cast and crew stayed with our vehicles and waited for someone to show up with the key.

We were able to knock off quite a few shots this way and eventually the gate was opened and the rest of the gang drove down to the parking lot. By splitting up we didn’t lose too much time and were able to get everything done that we had planned.

You just can’t panic when something pops up to impede your progress. When you’re scouting locations it’s a good idea to look for alternative spots that are nearby. That way you’ve got something to fall back on if the first plan doesn’t work out for some reason.

Scott Freiheit

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