Shot Idea - Spiral Staircase and Possible Locations

On our storyboard we included a shot of our character, played by me, running down a spiral staircase. When thinking of how to frame this shot, I drew inspiration from 'When the Sun Goes Down' by the Arctic Monkeys, which also has a shot of a spiral staircase. I think that the extreme low angle, achieved by placing the camera directly under the staircase, looking up, has really captured the beauty and intricacy of the staircase's structure. A confusing, disorientated atmosphere has been created as the shot appears as though it could be looking upwards or downwards, I think that this would work well within our music video as we want our shots to emulate the character's feelings of being lost and trying to escape. The spiral structure also fits in with our idea of having repeated circular shapes throughout our video, for example, round sunglasses and a birds-eye view of a round maze. I feel that this will help to enforce the theme of 'hypnotism', linking in with the lyric 'hypnotic taking over me'. I like the gritty look of these stairs, I think that this would be in keeping with our other filming locations. I think that, unlike the Arctic Monkeys' video, our shot should be from above, looking down, as this would make the character appear more vulnerable, emphasising her lost mindset.

When the Sun Goes Down

We have thought about various possible locations that we could film this shot in:

Covent Garden Tube Station:

We liked the idea of filming at Convent Garden tube station as it is an easily accessible location and we liked the tight, narrow look of the stairs as we feel that this adds an element of claustrophobia that further adds to the idea of trying to escape, however after looking at the location, it appears to be quite difficult to obtain a birds-eye shot like the one we have envisioned.

Oval Tube Station:

We were attracted to this location as, not only is it easily accessible, but we will also  be capable of filming from above. The spiral shape can easily be seen, so is ideal in evoking a 'hypnotic' feel. I think that the yellow paint on the steps is quite distracting and doesn't fit with our desired colour palette, it is too bright.

Premier Inn - Blackfriars:

We liked the round shape of the stairs, however, we feel that the staircase is too bland and 'clean', we wanted a grittier location that would be in keeping with our other locations - Camden and Brick Lane, both of which have very vibrant atmospheres. As these stairs are within a hotel, it would also be difficult to get filming permission.

Queen's House - Greenwich:

This is one of the most famous and most photographed spiral staircases in London, we were drawn to its beauty. However, we felt that it was too 'pretty' with not enough grit to match our other locations. We would also be unable to film here as the house is currently closed for renovations.

Henrietta Place Car Park - Marylebone (CHOSEN LOCATION):

This staircase is located in a public car park just a short walk from Oxford Circus tube station, making it easily accessible. We liked the grittiness of these stairs as they are not particularly well kept, I think that this helps to symbolise the character's deteriorating personality. Even though these stairs are not circular like other ones that we have looked at, I think that the geometric, harsh angles work in our favour, adding an edgier feel.