STACK January 2017 Issue 147

26 / 68

Shakycam, motion sickness, fake documentaries, paranormal activity and cleverly
disguised special effects – the prolific found footage genre comes with its own set of
rules and clichés, and it's not all about horror movies. Words Scott Hocking
WHAT TO EXPECT
If you watch a lot of horror films, you'll already
be overly familiar with this ubiquitous genre –
and wishing it would go away. But if you've yet
to experience a found footage film, then read on.
The MO of found footage films is to attempt
to convince us that what we're watching is real
– shot by people like us on handheld cameras.
These people are generally never seen or
heard from again, with the surviving footage a
record of their possible fate, hence the format's
popularity with the horror genre. And since we're
meant to be watching an authentic account
of the events that transpired, there's often a
disclaimer at the start regarding the source of
the recovered footage – and no opening credits
or music score.
Although a lot of found footage films are
produced by major and independent studios,
don't expect high production values or A-list
actors – or a script, in the some cases. These
movies are intended to look rough in order to
heighten their verisimilitude, and that means...
shakycam! Yes, the cinematography is all
over the place and highly discombobulating,
but when you're being chased by a monster,
filming an exorcism, or being eaten alive by
cannibals, proper framing and lighting isn't really
a consideration. The common complaint with
found footage movies is that they induce motion
sickness, especially when viewed on a massive
screen, so if you suffer from
this affliction, be warned or
stay away.
Found footage films also
favour a lot of POV shots,
especially if the protagonist
is the one with the camera.
Generally, however, the
faux documentary format
is favoured to allow a more
mixed perspective. In some
cases, you'll find yourself
questioning who is actually
holding the camera, or
where some of the footage
has come from, when none of the participants
were present. That's where news bulletins,
surveillance and security cameras, and CCTV
footage comes in handy to fill in the gaps. Night
vision is also popular and can be incredibly
effective when it's used properly, or reduce
everything to a fuzzy green blob on the screen
when it's not.
Expect to hear lines like, "Are you still
shooting?" and "Turn that camera off!" (cue
black screen), and despite whatever mayhem is
engulfing them, the characters will keep shooting
right up to the very end – especially if it's an
ambitious documentary crew determined to get
the money shots at the cost of their own lives.
Found footage films are cheap to make, and
if filmmakers get it right, the result can be a
box office goldmine. The most famous example,
The Blair Witch Project, was shot for a measly
US$60,000 and went on to gross US$248 million
worldwide. Paranormal Activity was made for
even less ($US11,000), netted a global return
of US$193 million, and spawned a successful
franchise. So it's easy to understand why there
is a multitude of these films, although very few
do that kind of big business.
WHERE TO START
"In October of 1994 three student
filmmakers disappeared in the woods
near Burkittsville, Maryland, while
shooting a documentary... A year later
their footage was found." That footage
became The Blair Witch Project
(1999) – the movie that popularised the
found-footage format, but not the first
film to use it. (That honour goes to the
notorious Cannibal Holocaust (1980),
but more on that later.) Start here, but
bear in mind it's a polarising film – many
have declared it to be a masterpiece
and the scariest film ever made, while the less
impressive have dismissed it as amateur rubbish.
Whatever your opinion, you have to acknowledge
its profound influence on found footage
filmmaking and the horror genre.
Sequel Blair Witch (2016) is a more
professional production but retains the raw,
handheld technique that worked for the original.
Ideally, watch both Blairs back to back.
In Spanish horror film REC (2007) – as in
RECORD – a routine assignment documenting
a night with the Barcelona fire department turns
into a nightmare for a reality show host and her
cameraman, following an emergency call to an
BEGINNER’S
GUIDE
#10 - FOUND FOOTAGE
Popularised by The Blair Witch Project in 1999 and a staple of the
horror genre ever since, the found footage format attempts to convince
us that what we are seeing is real, forsaking technical proficiency for
raw immediacy through handheld camerawork. A cheap, often effective
and sometimes extremely profitable brand of filmmaking, found footage
has run rampant over the last 17 years.
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26 JANUARY 2017
DVD&BD
FEATURE
[Note: Not all titles discussed are available on DVD and Blu-ray. Check the JB website.]