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There’s an implied responsibility when you blog. Generally you want to convey a lesson, deliver a message, or bring something to light that people would otherwise dismiss. But sometimes you just want to rant about something cool. Today’s story is about two gals, a guy, and a cheap motel; or as I like to call it, location scouting.

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Here are a couple of quick reminders. First, location scouting is when you look for a place to shoot your project. Second, this semester I’m working on a 6 to 8 minute film. Third, all of this is impossible to do without help. End of review.

My project, Casual Encounters, is about a man who wants to redefine the relationship he has with a prostitute. There is a lot of juiciness there, but I’ll save that for another blog post. My immediate challenge was trying to find a location.

The first thing I did when scouting locations was to do an online search. I used the Google search engine and looked up “hooker motels.” Yep…I said, “hooker motels.”  That led me to a site that listed the “4 hr nap” motels on Lincoln. I called every motel on the list for rates. After compiling a “want” list, I decided go for a visit.

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I was planning to go by myself, but I was fortunate enough to get producing assistance from a pair of German interns named Steffi and Sophia. This is the first time I’ve been able to work with producers, so based on the effort they have given I may have to try to work on European films. So the interns and my classmate Jerrod volunteered to help.

I went to the “name withheld” motel and asked for their going rate. I had to explain that this was not for personal use but for educational purposes. Then I had to explain that educational purposes meant I was a film student. And by film student, I meant a real film student at Columbia College Chicago. After that was cleared up, we were allowed to check out one a room.

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There were crumbs on the sheets, no door on the closet, and a broken mirror in the bathroom. I could see why someone would only want to use this place for four hours. It was shady but CHEAP. After taking a few measurements, the manager gave us the boot. This was the first time I had a taste of the world I created.

The next motel was much nicer, however we were given a new quote $15 higher than the one over the phone. I was really disappointed about the price, but the sheets were clean.

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We were turned away at the next two motels because they did not want any filming on site. The last establishment was a little further north. It had a little bit of charm and lots of mirrors. They were on the walls, the ceiling, and over the jacuzzi. This motel had an authentic flavor especially because we could hear business being conducted through the walls. After that it was time to get out.

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We can’t all be experts, but we can try to make our work as honest as possible. Location scouting is necessary in order to give visual realism. Sometimes you have to step outside of your comfort zone to find it. But when you do step out, it may be best that you don’t do it alone.