Skins Location Scouting Salibury.
One of the aspects required before you can start filming is 'Where to film?' For this we must undergo the process of location scouting. To make the process easier to understand I shall use Skins, episode 1 'Tony' to help illustrate how this can be done by change the locations to local locations in Salisbury, Wiltshire. I shall be covering exterior locations mainly as various permissions would be required for interior location scouting.
The first location to scout is the street the main character Tony lives on. Now this scene saw Tony getting a cheeky peek in on his neighbour as she changed, naughty, so one thing that had to be considered is a location where the windows look directly into each other. Salisbury being a very different city to Bristol and all options considered Trinity Street was chosen.
The first location to scout is the street the main character Tony lives on. Now this scene saw Tony getting a cheeky peek in on his neighbour as she changed, naughty, so one thing that had to be considered is a location where the windows look directly into each other. Salisbury being a very different city to Bristol and all options considered Trinity Street was chosen.
In addition of neighbours having the chance to peer in on each other the two streets have cars parked along them giving a truly residential feel. Trinity does lack the small gardens with bricked walls but apart from that it is an ideal replica for Salisbury from Bristol.
The second location is the Mosque. Salisbury does have a Mosque but it is located near a busy road so to avoid problems filming with people and traffic I decided a location that could be altered using the appropriate props could be an easier option.
The second location is the Mosque. Salisbury does have a Mosque but it is located near a busy road so to avoid problems filming with people and traffic I decided a location that could be altered using the appropriate props could be an easier option.
This Victorian era building located in the Market Square in Salisbury gives a feel of a building that could be used for religious purposes. It would not be difficult to acquire the appropriate props and to replicate the name plaque to decorate the interior and exterior to function as a Mosque for filming purposes.
The third location was the cafe Tony and Sid were while discussing the plan to help Sid get rid of 'The Big V'. With more restaurants and coffee shops in Salisbury I thought a restaurant that looks like a cafe would work.
The third location was the cafe Tony and Sid were while discussing the plan to help Sid get rid of 'The Big V'. With more restaurants and coffee shops in Salisbury I thought a restaurant that looks like a cafe would work.
Jenny's Restaurant located in the Market Walkway in Salisbury would work as an alternative. It has a cafe look to it and as only the interior of the cafe was used and a name never featured in the episode it would be easy to pull off the illusion of a cafe. The lighting in Jenny' Restaurant is brighter than used in the cafe in Skins so dimmer bulbs could easily be replaced during filming also.
The next location was the illustrious all girls school where Tony auditioned for the choir. Although in the episode it was an all girls school Bishops Grammar all boys school in Salisbury would work nicely. It would be a simple case of using the location and hiring female extra and actresses of the appropriate age to make it look like an all girls school.
The next location was the illustrious all girls school where Tony auditioned for the choir. Although in the episode it was an all girls school Bishops Grammar all boys school in Salisbury would work nicely. It would be a simple case of using the location and hiring female extra and actresses of the appropriate age to make it look like an all girls school.
Bishops Grammar gives the correct look for an elite private school, with the cars gone it gives a perfect exit way for Tony to be seen off by the grumpy deputy head. There are also plenty of places for the girls in uniform to be scattered about.
The next location is the one where we saw Sid greeted by a prostitute and told to wait for the drug dealer to arrive. The location in Bristol used a metal gate in front of the front door of the house, so one would be needed to be fitted for the purposes of filming for a true replication.
The next location is the one where we saw Sid greeted by a prostitute and told to wait for the drug dealer to arrive. The location in Bristol used a metal gate in front of the front door of the house, so one would be needed to be fitted for the purposes of filming for a true replication.
Located in the Friary estate in Salisbury this house has a very similar look. Only missing the large pillars on the porch and the bushes being on the inside of the fence and a couple of extra bushes making it a good candidate. Even the age of the buildings is about the same which helps when replicating locations.
The next location is the college green where we see the gang hanging out during there lunch/free periods. I have two option both used by the students at Wiltshire College Salisbury. The first being a concrete compound on campus, the second being a park located across the road from the college. Both have good and bad points for replicating the scene from Skins.
The next location is the college green where we see the gang hanging out during there lunch/free periods. I have two option both used by the students at Wiltshire College Salisbury. The first being a concrete compound on campus, the second being a park located across the road from the college. Both have good and bad points for replicating the scene from Skins.
The first the concrete compound gives the feeling of being at the college where you are surrounded by tall buildings and can see other students hanging around all over the place. What it lacks is the nature factor Bristol College offers their students. The second location does the exact opposite. It has nothing to make you feel you are at a higher education facility but offers a beautiful scenic view. I think if it was down to me I would choose the college concrete compound. It may lack the nature factor meaning the characters wouldn't be likely to be led down, but they could be gathered around a table or even sitting along the wall instead.
The 'Posh Teen Party' were you had to take your shoes off was the next choice for location. In the house used on Skins they had a large green. While there are houses with large greens none are large spectacular houses like in Skins. So I opted for a large spectacular house with a reasonable green.
The 'Posh Teen Party' were you had to take your shoes off was the next choice for location. In the house used on Skins they had a large green. While there are houses with large greens none are large spectacular houses like in Skins. So I opted for a large spectacular house with a reasonable green.
The house I chose is one of the houses in the Cathedral Close in Salisbury. It has a similar layout to its windows abut lacks in the curved windows and foliage. Foliage can easily be brought in by having some in large pots instead of ones rooted in the ground. By doing this I think this house would work nicely and even thou there is a path I would have the three boys still walk over the grass when they arrive.
The next location is the hospital where they rushed to in a very teen driven dramatic style. Where the hospital at Salisbury is located on the outskirts I would suggest using Salisbury's Walk-in Clinic instead.
The next location is the hospital where they rushed to in a very teen driven dramatic style. Where the hospital at Salisbury is located on the outskirts I would suggest using Salisbury's Walk-in Clinic instead.
It has a drive where they can easily pull up dramatically and it has an area where a couple of ambulances can be parked to make it look more authentic. It would be a much easier option and where it has opening and closing times it would be possible to arrange for filming at 6am before it has opened to avoid inconvenience to patients.
The final scene was the pier where we saw the car dramatically fall in giving for a grande finale to the first episode. This scene would be the hardest to replicate in Salisbury for the simple fact Salisbury is land-locked. But it does have rivers running through it.
The final scene was the pier where we saw the car dramatically fall in giving for a grande finale to the first episode. This scene would be the hardest to replicate in Salisbury for the simple fact Salisbury is land-locked. But it does have rivers running through it.
As you can see there is a small wall around this part of the river and this part was chosen as it was the only part near a road with a wall high enough for a car to get over. Now how I would alter this scene is by having Tony accidentally accelerate while looking around in the car. This way the car could plough through the hedge with then and the car all ending up in river. Sid could also loose his bag of drugs still as the current could be seen making it go down river and away from them all never to be seen again.
As you can see location scouting can alter locations used in a script depending on where you are scouting. These option would all work if Skins was filmed in Salisbury instead of Bristol. Although some aspects would require alterations.
As you can see location scouting can alter locations used in a script depending on where you are scouting. These option would all work if Skins was filmed in Salisbury instead of Bristol. Although some aspects would require alterations.