One of the major successes of our opening was the use of major landmarks in London for our shooting locations. Both the London Underground and Trafalgar Square, in addition to the other recognisable trademarks of the city such as Double Decker buses, meant audiences would be more likely to have visited such places meaning the film would therefore resonate with them more.
The opening shots of the Tube give the audience an immediate understanding of the film's location, while our utilisation of Trafalgar Square fits alongside major films such as "Skyfall", which featured it in one entire shot, and next year's Tom Cruise sci-fi vehicle "All You Need Is Kill", which notably had the entirety of the Square closed off in November last year to traffic and pedestrians for filming purposes. Unfortunately we did not have this luxury, however we feel that we made good use of the location, and the vast number of unknowingly featured locals and tourists certainly adds to the production value of the piece.
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| A fountain statue, one of the notable features at Trafalgar Square |
We also decided, due to the dates of filming and presence of a great big Christmas tree in the centre of Trafalgar Square, that the opening is set during the Yuletide season. However this is not made especially obvious during the sequence and is therefore rather irrelevant. A notable action film that has also been set during the Christmas period is the classic "Die Hard", which admittedly does a better job at it.
Overall, the use of setting and location is crucial in a film. While small, isolated locations unknown to the audience can be appropriate as well as effective in some genres of film, shooting an film in the vein of the Hollywood action genre can be boosted significantly by a great location, especially one that is internationally recognisable and world renowned. Drawing in a wider audience who are attracted by familiarity which, while not always necessarily a good thing, can be a major selling point in a major blockbuster.