Perks of Being a Museum Volunteer | Location Scouting + Recce

Having learnt from some of the rookie mistakes we made while doing our AS project, such as initially planning a project that was beyond our resources and feasibility in some ways, Esha and I both knew that we wanted to work within what was readily available to us while working on the music promotion package. This meant that we also wanted to film in a location that would be accessible easily and would enhance the themes we wanted to emphasise in the project.

Keeping this in mind, I suggested a potential location where we could shoot our music video and other promotional material: The Lahore Heritage Club (LHC).

LHC is a small, private museum and community space that I have been a permanent volunteer for since early 2022. In other words, it was the most immaculate location option available to us for several reasons:

The organisation is primarily handled by two sisters, Zarafshaan and Zareen Yazdani. Considering that I have been a part of their team for quite some time now and they trust me and my work ethic greatly, getting permission to shoot at the location would be a piece of cake.
Since LHC houses many artefacts and has an old-timey atmosphere, it would enhance the mood and themes of our concept greatly, e.g. heightening the feeling that the protagonist of the music video is in conflict with old, rigid traditional values that may be the cause of her metaphorical entrapment.
I personally think that our music video’s concept is as much local as it is global—an examination of women’s problems that are relevant in all sorts of diverse cultural contexts. This location, being a microcosm of our local culture and sub-continental heritage, would be the perfect backdrop to attract a local audience in particular and draw attention to how the concept of the video is one many might be able to resonate with.
Having access to the location is synonymous with having access to props we might not be able to find anywhere else, e.g. pianos, antique clocks, a mannequin.
LHC is an amalgamation of various different rooms with distinct purposes. This meant that we would be able to film in multiple rooms that look entirely different from each other, allowing us to capture a range of settings without having to shoot at multiple locations altogether.

As Esha had previously not visited the location and I wanted to make sure she is familiar with it enought to make an informed decision about whether we should film there, I took multiple videos and photos of the place a few weeks in advance and sent them to her on WhatsApp: