Location Research

Donaghadee Pier

Donaghadee is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is in the northeast coast of the country and is about 18 miles outside Belfast and about 6 miles outside Bangor. We plan to go to Donaghadee to hire a boat and film the entire project.

The Donaghadee Pier has some history surrounding it too as it is the nearest port to Scotland and in the early times of the port was the landing point in Northern Ireland for travellers from the British mainland. The majority if Ulster-Scots settling in Ireland will have traveled through Donaghadee. At one stage, Donaghadee was the province’s principal port before Belfast became the major city and much of the town’s development resulted from ships and shipping. 

The Donaghadee Pier and the nearby islands are the ideal place to set our film. The open water gives us the perfect opportunity to get some great shots on the boat, of surrounding coastline and of the various nearby caves and animals. The large, deserted islands create the perfect, spooky place to set the main part of our movie. This is where the movie will end, with the protagonists being sacrificed by pagans.

Copeland Islands

The Copeland Islands are a group of three islands in the north Irish Sea, north of Donaghadee, County Down, Northern Ireland consisting of Lighthouse, Mew and Copeland Island. Until the twentieth century, the islands were used by smugglers who brought tobacco and spirits through the islands and into County Down. Over a century ago the Lighthouse Island had a population of about 100, including a school master with 28 pupils but now there are 0 residents.

This is the preferred location for filming our short film. We have got a quote from a Donaghadee boat company for filming, where we will need to spend around £160 in order to hire a boat and visit the island for filming.

Possible Alternatives

West Strand Beach (Portrush)

West Strand Beach, also known as West Bay or Millstrand is a popular resort beach in the heart of this busy seaside resort. West Strand Beach is bounded at its northern end by the busy habour and flanked along its eastern boundary by a well used pedestrian/cycle promenade.

We may use this beach if the boat services in Donaghadee or Bangor are unavailable at a time to suit us and the filming of our project.

Possible Problems to Consider with Location

The weather may not be suitable for filming our movie. If it rains, we cannot go out on the hired boat to Copeland Island. The wind may also be a problem for the audio of our movie. We are using a Rode microphone to record the audio, but the recording can be disrupted by wind. The audio is also going to be recorded through an iPhone 6S's Voice Memos application, and the best audio will be chosen to use for the film.

The boat may also not be available for a day that we need it to be. There are a total of seven actors in our movie and we will need to choose a day that will suit all seven actors, the boat rental company and the weather for filming.