Final Filming Location

Acorn Farm - Acton Trussell
Acorn Farm, situated in Acton Trussell village, was our final choice of location for filming our music video. As the farm belongs to my grandparents we could not pass up the opportunity to have access to the whole area, the farmhouse, gardens, fields, animals, barn etc. After speaking to my grandparents, I got permission off them and we were able to move any gates/fences to expand potential filming areas, drive cars onto the land to use lights, use any of the animals (if we required them), have access to the farmhouse and use plugs/ extension. This would put us at a massive advantage and would make our filming a much more enjoyable and easier experience as opposed to choosing a public location such as The Chase or Shugborough Hall because we would have to ask permission and risk not being able to use certain areas of the site. It would also lengthen our time filming if we had to stop filming and wait for people on the site to be out of our camera views. 


Specific Areas
My group and I decided to take an afternoon and go up to the farm to decide exactly where we would filming and to sort out any potential problems we could face on the day. This would also enable us the plan ahead in case of bad weather on the day we filmed. We could prepare plans for 'in case of' situations to save as much time as possible and enjoy filming without any stress.


The Oak Tree 
The Oak tree, just right of the farm house, is extremely tall and aged. From a distance it creates a beautiful pattern, especially against a clear sky. The trunk of the tree is around 2.5 metres wide meaning it is very sturdy and would not be any potential danger to any one or any equipment whilst filming. We decided to use the Oak tree as one of the main focuses in our music video. Our lead singer (mimer) will be positioned around the tree when we film the shots including him. We decided that by creating shots from various angles, this would show off different views of the tree as well as the lead male. The old Oak tree is also symbolic of something 'dying' - the relationship that is sung about in You Could Be Happy is over therefore we thought that the 'dying' aged tree could represent the recently failed relationship he is expressing about.
The Barn
The barn situated at the farm is also extremely old and dated. The walls are made from concrete and wooden boards which also depicts a 'prison' or somewhere one could feel 'trapped'. This is where the dance routine will be shot and will help to symbolise the women in the failed relationship before the break up as it is suggested through the lyrics that she was trapped, "Do the things you always wanted to, without me there to hold you back, don't think just do..." On the day of filming, we shall have to clear up the area where the dance routine will be performed for example we will sweep up the majority of the hay that is on the ground - we do still want a rustic, natural looking environment so we won't worry too much about the neatness of the area. We will also assess what could potentially be dangerous around and inside the barn and remove anything that could be a risk.
The Fields/Animals
The farm house is surrounded by 25 acres of land (fields) and has stunning picturesque views all around them. The fields are separated into different 'segments' creating lots of smaller fields. If we need to, we are able to move the fences which separate the fields to make larger areas to work in. The horses are in the 'main' field day and night so we can move them or even use them if needs be. There is enough room for the horses to run and walked in large shapes. To portray the freedom of the woman sung about in the song,after the breakup of the relationship, we have considered using one of the horses to being led around the fields by a person (who would resemble the man) and eventually have the creature running free on her own to reflect her new found freedom since being away from the ex partner. 


My group and myself are very happy with our final location choice as we are giving ourselves the best opportunity to not only enjoy our filming experience but to also have a stress free and easier time filming as opposed to if we were to film elsewhere. I feel that the hidden meanings and connotations within the song can be easily put forward and visualised using our location which is very important to us.