Found footage is more for producers to enjoy than the filmgoer but people still go to them in droves. You just slap some scary music on the trailer and stamp "From the boom operator on Paranormal activity and Insidious" on it and wait for the money to flow.
I just don't get it... I'm going to give my three year old a camera and tell her to go in the forest and have fun then see who will buy it... Of course maybe in three years when I have a three year old these silly movies won't be the trend anymore.
Probably one of the only examples of real found footage is the real audio of Grizzly man being eaten alive, and that's something we'll never have access to. Nor should we.
I agree with the overuse and don't get the draw. POV is limited and suspension of disbelief pushed to the extreme. Hi, I'm running from a witch / monster/ killer but I still choose to use both my hands to operate my camcorder. Yeah right.
I mean, obviously because it is cheaper (right?), but it looks so much cheaper. Why are people watching it and liking it?
Can't say I have, so trying to understand it.
I always thought it was because we're all looking through a lens these days, so it's to distinguish it from the more obviously shot professional film, and the conceit is that it was just shot, and left, buried, or whatever, without editing... but we all know it isn't and so we play along.
Forthcoming: The Annual, "I JUST GOT DUMPED" Valentine's Short Screenplay Writing Competition. Keep an eye on Writing Exercises.
I think as a society there are a lot more cameras around us -- cell phones, security, cctv, etc. They are everywhere, so why not try to use them as a viewpoint to a narrative?
I also think movies like The Blair Witch Project showed how reducing what we see, forces us to use more of our own imagination. This helps bring us into the experience, while enhancing our own feelings of fear, anxiety, etc.
"Write every day. Don't quit. The rest is all bullshit." - Brian Koppelman
I don't think cost is a factor, I think it's to make the movie seem more "real" to the audience. It's kind of like making a film in 3D.
- Bill
Well it seems to be a factor to the producers who recently gave me notes on my horror treatment that maybe it should suddenly be all found footage since it'll be cheaper.
Found footage movies are a guilty pleasure of mine. Not the type of thing I want to write, but I often enjoy their viewing experience.
"Why do people like it?"
For me, and I suspect for others that also enjoy, they provide a unique feeling that other films don't. I understand all the outcry about the flood of crappy ones, but simply put, they're different -- in texture, and in viewing experience provided.
I believe there's plenty of room to play with this genre in fun and interesting ways.
Yes, I can take the time to analyze what the provided "feeling/experience" is, but I'd like to keep it simple for now.
Working on a found footage contained horror script now. It's an interesting challenge, keeping track of where the camera is and what it can see. I think at this point it's just another format, if that makes sense. Sure, maybe it's a gimmick, but I think it works well for some movies. Anyway, it gets them made. That's not a bad thing.
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