T273 Blog: Empire: The Rise & Fall of the Sweet Life

Empire: The Rise & Fall of the Sweet Life

by Jake Neece & Ryan Shields

Richard Marshall

Younger Marshall Played by Chris Good

Older Marshall Played by Scott Curtis

Location Scout Survey

Project Name:

Empire: The Rise & Fall of the Sweet Life

Completed by: Jake Neece & Ryan Shields

Scout Date & Time:

1. April 5, 2017

2. April 10, 2017

Location address:

1. 3030 Conant Dr. Mishawka 46544 (Scott’s House)

2. 1700 Mishawaka Ave, South Bend, IN 46615 (IUSB)

Day and time of shoot:

Friday April 14, 2017

Friday April 21, 2017

Location description (interior/ exterior):

1. Scott lives in a modest house within old Reverewood in Mishawaka. The layout consists of three upstairs bedrooms and two large basement rooms. The basement rooms consist of a “hang out” room and Scott’s studio room. The living room and kitchen occupy the main level of the house. The exterior is that of a uniform floor planned sub-division house.

2. IUSB Chemistry labs. These labs are found in the first basement level of Northside Hall. These labs will be perfect to capture that “on the cutting edge of the 1970s,” we desire for the opening scene. Neat technology will be juxtaposed by the walls and décor of a building that has seen little renovation in the past 40 years. This location requires the least amount of shooting time.

Describe the scene and action. How many people are on camera?

Most shots will be solely focused on Richard Marshall (Scott) as he observes a world void of the affinity for high fructose corn syrup.

1. Marshall will be sitting in his chair watching a newscast. Over the shoulder shot perspective of newscast. With regard to the 180 degree rule, we will get reaction shots to the news. Clinton will also get himself a bowl of cereal in the kitchen. We will shoot a master scene and then focus on close ups.

2. A slow pan in and will focus on young Marshall, a group of four scientists clapping will surround him. The same pan will be reshot with older Marshall with the intention to graphic match the two shots. There will be no one else in the “older Marshall” shot. The shift from a happy retro coloration to a darker, almost dingy, coloration to emphasize the shift in Marshall’s life.

How much space is needed?

1. Not much space required. The hardest framing element will be the over the shoulder shot as Marshall watches television as I intend to use a 50 mm prime lens. I will play with the lighting and aperture to get an aesthetically pleasing depth of field. I will also try rack focusing for this shot.

2. The chemistry lab will be tricky. We will need to be conscious of the space a 47” track will occupy. I also intend to use the 50 mm prime for these two shots, thus a sufficient amount of space is required.

Will the action be shot from one or multiple locations?

Multiple. We will be shooting at two or three locations, depending on Down to Earth Grocery store’s willingness to participate.

Is there off-screen space available?

The only scene that we could potentially utilize off-screen space would be the grocery scene. We haven’t gotten the approval to shoot at Down to Earth, but once we get word of what resources are available we will plan the scene.

What are the light levels and sources of light? How does this impact your scene?

We will be using the dimmable LED lights on our subjects. I also have three 160 LED lights we will use as fill lights where needed. We will use gold light reflectors for the “flashback” scene and diffused light for the “modern” scenes.

Are you recording sound? Are there any issues to be aware of?

We will be recording sound and need to be conscious of the external sounds in the grocery store. We will also need to be aware of mic placement at Scott’s house to avoid the hum of electronics.

Is there any special equipment needed?

The 47” Pan Track will be required for the opening shots. I will mount it to two tripods, one at each end.

We will also need fabric to diffuse the large LED lights.

Are there any concerns that need to be addressed about shooting at this location?

We want the IUSB chemistry labs and Down to Earth to be comfortable with our shooting in their lab and store. We will emphasize the care we will approach the task with.