Found Footage

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Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

I like found footage movies, and I'd like to talk about why. And I don't just mean horror movies (although found footage movies are dominated by them), there are non-horror found footage movies out there that I think are really great.

I think a big component of it comes down to the suspension of disbelief - suspension of disbelief is important for any fiction, it's what lets the audience "buy into" the world presented (be it mundane or fantastical) and engage with the characters and story. It's been a staple of movies for decades, that you, the viewer, are an observer within the movie's world, guided by the director through the use of lighting, editing, etc.

But for me, found footage movies inherently hijack that suspension of disbelief right at the source, through its filmmaking techniques. Even though the rational part of my brain knows it's all fiction, the use of things like seemingly "raw" footage (be it from a handheld camera, security cam, whatever), the apparently unscripted nature of what I'm seeing, the general use of no-name actors, subverts my rational thought and makes me go, "This is actual filmed footage, this really happened". That makes it that much easier to suspend my disbelief when something fantastical happens, and it increases my emotional investment in the same way as watching news footage on CNN, or "raw" video on Liveleak or wherever.
An example of found footage contrasted with conventional filmmaking techniques, the birthday party scene in 'Signs' scared the loving poo poo out of me the first time I saw it. It's fictional footage nested within an already fictional movie, but the way it's presented makes it seem (both to me, and to Joaquin Phoenix) that it's actually taking place.
Similarly, there's a "found footage" segment in 'Hellraiser: Revelations', and while that movie has its share of issues, I found that segment really, really effective. I'd be willing to say that a full-on "found footage" take on old-school horror icons could scare me silly.

The other thing I've noticed but haven't been able to put my finger on why, is the acting in found footage movies often doesn't feel like acting to me. Maybe it's a byproduct of the "raw footage" filming style, but a lot of acting in found footage movies feels like people experiencing things in the real world, and not like actors reading a script. Of course this works better when it actually is actors improvising their dialogue on the fly, like in The Blair Witch Project.

But it isn't just "raw footage" that can sell it for me - Lake Mungo is presented in a quasi-documentary style, with interviews and overall very little "raw footage", but the style and presentation at no point betrays that what you're watching is fake. 'The Bay' also does some similar things, presenting its footage like a documentary.

In the general horror movie thread, someone mentioned the idea of found footage movies being voyeuristic, as if you're watching something forbidden. While I can appreciate that, and while certain movies seem to play that angle up (the first V/H/S movie comes to mind, less so with the sequels), the voyeurism angle isn't the appeal for me, and specially not with "mockumentary" movies. For me the appeal is definitely the illusion of "you're watching something real".

Which leads me to the quickest way to ruin a found footage movie for me, and that's to break the illusion. Merely filming in a hand-held style with poor editing isn't good enough (V/H/S Viral is a bad offender), it's important that the movie present the footage in ways that seem plausible - and this can often restrict the director's filmmaking options in ways conventional filmmaking doesn't. Fixed or motorized security cameras, coming up with plausible reasons for the "cameraman" to actually film what's going on and not just haul rear end and run away (or optionally, having the cameraman drop the camera so it conveniently films something interesting), etc. When I get the sense that the filmmakers have actually put thought into what is being filmed, how it's being filmed, and restricting the movie to the realm of plausibility in terms of where the footage came from, it makes the movie that much more effective for me.
In a sense it isn't that the suspension of disbelief comes from the audience having to accept that people can fly, or that ghosts are real, or whatever, it's that the suspension of disbelief is that the footage is authentic. If the movie can sell that through its filmmaking techniques, the acceptance of everything else becomes automatic.
The cardinal sin is when a found footage movie ditches all pretenses of being found footage and switches to conventional filmmaking techniques simply because they're more convenient, or because found footage wouldn't allow the filmmaker to show what they want to show because it's too restrictive. The Pyramid is a real bad offender in this regard, and it's a shame because when it's playing by "the rules", I was very much onboard with the movie.

A non-horror found footage movie I really enjoyed was Europa Report - the sense of awe when setting foot on Europa is palpable, and it really drew me into the movie in ways that most sci-fi movies can't.

Another space-based found footage movie I liked a lot was Apollo 18, and a huge part of that was the lengths to which they went to make it seem "authentic" - it was all filmed using period-accurate cameras so that the film stock would look appropriate for the time period, and the sets and costumes were built to be period-accurate as well. It goes a huge way towards making it seem like you're legitimately watching archival NASA footage from the 1970s, and it's a really great effect.

I already mentioned Lake Mungo, and I personally find it hard to classify it as strictly a horror movie. Like, yes, it has a lot of spooky moments, but a huge chunk of the movie is dedicated to subverting your expectations of being scared.

There are a bunch of found footage movies I've been meaning to watch and haven't gotten around to yet for one reason or another (The Tunnel, Chronicle, Cloverfield, to name a few), but I'd love to hear recommendations, as well as talk about what makes the genre work (or not work, if you're not a fan of it).

If you're jonesing for some found footage right this second, here's a cool list of stuff available on streaming:

Netflix:
The Taking of Deborah Logan
V/H/S, V/H/S/2, V/H/S: Viral
The Europa Report

Youtube:
The MacPherson Tape and its remake Incident at Lake County
Dawn of the Dead: Special Report
Dawn of the Dead: Lost Tape

Xenomrph fucked around with this message at 09:44 on Oct 1, 2016

# ¿ Sep 30, 2016 05:06

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 07:59

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

Jenny Angel posted:

The MacPherson Tape and The Midnight Swim are the best two I've seen, you ought to get on those

The MacPherson Tape is available on youtube (as is its remake by the same filmmaker), and I agree that they're worth a watch. I'm not familiar with The Midnight Swim, I'll have to look into that one. Thanks!

# ¿ Sep 30, 2016 05:15

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

banned from Starbucks posted:

Have you seen the poughkeepsie tapes? If so what did you think?

I have not, but I've heard of it. As an aside, :siren:

if anyone knows of any found footage/mockumentary movies available on streaming sites, feel free to mention them and I'll compile a list for the OP. :siren:

Off the top of my head, Netflix has The Taking of Deborah Logan, Europa Report, and the 3 V/H/S movies. I'm not aware of any that are on Amazon Prime or Hulu right now but I haven't done a whole lot of digging yet.

weekly font posted:

I'll go to bat for The Taking of Deborah Logan. It's not strictly found footage because there's nothing that suggest it's found but it is all through the camera POV and is extremely loving dope with just the right enough of silliness to maintain the horror element yet introduce something unique to the genre.

Lake Mungo is a standout of the genre but it's more like an Unsolved Mysteries episode that has found footage interspersed throughout.

I think "found footage" is a convenient, if sometimes not 100% accurate, moniker. When people say "found footage", I think most people make the mental connection to mean "filmed in a style that makes it seem like you're watching an unscripted true story, as filmed by amateurs". Or at least, that's how I think of it, haha.

CelticPredator posted:

I'm making a short film about found footage, right now actually. I might post the script in a bit if anyone's interested. I fuckin love Found Footage, but so many films get it wrong. I should watch Midnight Swim. No clue what it's about but that'd be a perfect way to watch.

Go hog wild and post it, I don't think anyone will mind. When you say "about found footage", what do you mean? Also, what do you mean when films "get it wrong"?

Ambitious Spider posted:

Paranormal Activity is an excellent found footage, but I'd avoid the hell out of the sequels. Even the director's follow up Area 51 is terrible.

As Above, So Below is my most recent found footage fave

Oh and thirding that scene in signs.

I've seen Paranormal Activity 1-3, and I felt the sequels were worth it for certain scenes even if the movie on the whole wasn't as good as the first. Paranormal Activity 2 had the bit when all the kitchen equipment comes crashing down, and the third one had the spooky entity under the sheet when the babysitter was sitting at the kitchen table, and the automated camera just panned back and forth. Both of those bits were memorable enough to justify sitting through those movies in my book.

I haven't seen Area 51, but I want to based on the premise alone and I've got low enough standards that I'm willing to give it a shot. I similarly enjoyed The Chernobyl Diaries well enough even though there's way better found footage movies out there. I've always been fascinated with the Chernobyl disaster and the abandonment of Pripyat, so setting a found-footage movie in an already inherently interesting (and creepy) setting like that made me much more lenient of the movie's flaws. Likewise, part of the appeal for me of Grave Encounters 1 and 2 is that they're set in an insane asylum, which is spooky enough for me on its own.

Also nth-ing the love for As Above, So Below, that was a lot better than I expected it to be (and again, was filmed in an inherently fascinating and creepy location). I think the movie deserves huge props for actually filming in the Paris catacombs, not to mention being one a unique horror movie setting that the general public can go and visit if they want. :v:

Choco1980 posted:

Never make the "found" footage's finding feel implausible. If your ending has the final character drop the camera and get eaten in the monster's lair, how the hell are we watching this?? The Last Exorcism blows an otherwise great film by breaking this one.

I'm generally willing to give a pass on this, if the movie is otherwise engaging enough and doesn't disrupt the "real life footage" illusion. I know a lot of people complained about Apollo 18 for similar reasons (if everyone died, who recovered the footage?), but that one actually has an unspoken answer built in because of the subject matter: Apollo mission footage was beamed back to Earth in real-time. I imagine a lot of the movie's audience wasn't alive to watch the Apollo 11 landing on live TV, so they might not realize this. :v:

There are other instances where I stop and question the "source" of the footage I'm seeing in the movie, but I'm generally pretty lenient so long as the filming techniques and style are appropriate. The Bay has police dashcam footage that the "documentary" filmmakers ostensibly wouldn't have had access to if they're making a whistleblower documentary about a massive cover-up, but the dashcam footage is some of the most compelling stuff in the movie so I'm totally willing to give it a pass.

Choco1980 posted:

On the topic of non horror ff, how is End of Watch, the one that's a cop drama? I remember hearing mixed reviews.

Speaking of cop dramas, and straying a bit from strictly movies, The X-Files TV series had the Cops crossover episode X-Cops in season 7, that poo poo was loving great.

Basebf555 posted:

In my opinion, As Above, So Below is the best found footage movie ever made.

The reason that I love movies so much is that they take me places. I'm never going to be a world traveler, and for various reasons I don't really want to be, but I love being able to relax in my own home and be transported somewhere exotic or scary or exciting. Found footage is that idea taken to the extreme, and when it works its a really unique experience that's completely unlike a traditionally shot film.

That's what I think found footage should be used for, and that's why I love As Above, So Below so much. Take me somewhere that would literally be impossible in real life, and put me in the shoes of Indiana Jones. All of my favorite found footage movies do this. Europa Report and Apollo 18 are two good examples of what I'm talking about. I don't want to be in the shoes of someone wandering around in the woods or dealing with a poltergeist in the suburbs, I say use the format to give people more than that.

You might appreciate The Chernobyl Diaries or the Grave Encounters movies in that case, although they're a bit rough around the edges in comparison to others in the genre.

Ruddiger, you made a great effortpost and I think I'm going to respond to it in the morning when I can give it a bit more attention. :cheers:

# ¿ Oct 1, 2016 09:36

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

It's also directed by the guys who did Grave Encounters 1.

# ¿ Oct 1, 2016 22:59

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

Somewhat cross-posting from the "Horror movie challenge" thread. Kicked things off on the 1st with a pair of found footage movies I'd already seen before, The Last Exorcism and Quarantine.

I still like both of them a lot, and I still like Quarantine more than Rec (although I like Rec a lot, too). I really like how effectively both movies start out with "this is all really mundane, nothing could possibly go wrong!" and then they just go totally off the rails. If anything I think their very endings are a little weak, but that's a little bit systemic of "found footage" as a genre, and dates back to 'The Blair Witch Project'. Some found footage movies handle it better than others, though, notably 'As Above, So Below', 'Europa Report', 'Apollo 18', V/H/S 1 and 2, and 'Grave Encounters 2'.

Today I watched Afflicted, which I hadn't seen before, and I also liked that a lot. It's the most convincing and compelling "moral decay of someone turning into a vampire" movie since 'Interview with a Vampire', and it actually had a satisfying ending that made sense.

# ¿ Oct 3, 2016 08:05

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

Spatulater bro! posted:

If you're implying the ending of The Blair Witch Project is weak, I will fight you.

In the sense of it just.... cuts to black. Like, I like the ending to the Blair Witch Project, and it's executed about as well as it could be, but the "cut to black, roll credits" ending in found footage just feels really lazy in just about all other movies. It undermines the ramifications of the movie being allegedly "real" found footage.

# ¿ Oct 3, 2016 17:06

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

Books On Tape posted:

If you haven't seen Troll Hunter, see it now. Great unique concept and great effects.

Gonna go ahead and echo this, Troll Hunter isn't particularly scary but it is really compelling and is totally worth a watch if you're a fan of the genre.

# ¿ Oct 3, 2016 23:19

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

ruddiger posted:

It's a shame the op started the whole thing off with "I like found footage movies, but.." And then goes on to list what sins they make to make them faulty in their eyes (and then only mentions movies only made in the past few years).

Yeah dawg that's not what I said in the OP. I broke down what elements work for me and why, and what elements don't, and why. And the movies I mentioned in the OP span over 15 years.

Thank you for the recommendation on Man Bites Dog and Todd Browning's Freaks - I'd heard of Freaks a while back but somehow forgotten about it before taking the time to watch it, so thanks for reminding me about it.

Books On Tape posted:

Also should recommend Home Movie. It's the movie that really made me glad I don't have kids. That poor cat.

I'm afraid to ask what happens, especially since i have two cats :ohdear:

A movie I feel is worth mentioning even though it's ostensibly not "found footage" is Session 9. I bring it up because while the bulk of the movie is filmed conventionally, there's one scene in particular that is shot in a handheld style using lower-quality cameras than the rest of the movie. When Hank gets chased through the tunnels at night, the bobbing, lower-fidelity camera as the cameraman runs gives it a pseudo-found-footage edge, and really ratchets up the tension.

# ¿ Oct 4, 2016 03:58

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

precision posted:

Not Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon?

Speaking of fake documentaries, The Fourth Kind was quite a bit better than it probably should have been. Especially that one scene. You know the one. poo poo that was creepy.

I was meaning to bring up The Fourth Kind because I had really mixed feelings on it. I felt the reenactments with big-name actors massively undermined the movie, especially when the movie is showing us "real" footage of the crazy poo poo right alongside the reenactments. Like, the "real" footage is inherently creepier, what purpose did the reenactments even serve? Was it a marketing thing, so Milla Jovovich fans would buy tickets sight-unseen? It was such a baffling creative decision.
Even stuff like Unsolved Mysteries or all those "alien abduction" documentaries that were all the rage in the 90s had the forethought to not cast recognizable actors in the reenactments, because even when you're outright told it's a reenactment, it's easier to tell yourself it's real when it's just some no-name schlub you don't recognize.

Books On Tape posted:

The pussycat gets crucified

I, uh, yeah I think I'll skip that one.

# ¿ Oct 4, 2016 16:15

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

Basebf555 posted:

I get what they were going for. The segments with the recognizable actors act as a contrast to the "real" footage, which just makes those parts seem even more realistic and therefore scarier. The movie wants you to feel like the reenactments are very artificial compared to the found footage portion because the whole movie depends on like three or four really intense moments that could easily fall flat if they aren't set up the properly.

Whether or not it works is your opinion of course, I personally think the movie is ok but nothing special.

I guess that reasoning kind of makes sense, but it still really didn't work for me. Every time it cut away from the "real" footage to show me the inferior reenactment, all I felt was frustration. Like if the movie had done a big-effects-budget send-up of the old 90s "abduction" documentaries that used to scare me silly as a kid, I think that could have been really effective. To be honest that's the sort of vibe I was getting from the movie as I watched it, and I was very onboard with that, but showing two versions of the same footage felt weird.

K. Waste posted:

Dark Continent was very good.

I really liked the first Monsters movie, and the trailer for Dark Continent got my attention, but after abysmal reviews started pouring in I opted to steer clear. Maybe I should give it a shot? I mean I really liked Apollo 18, and that's got a sweet 16% on RT or something like that. :suicide:

poo poo, I think Apollo 18 has the distinction of being the lowest-rated movie on RT that I really enjoyed despite the reviews. :v:

# ¿ Oct 5, 2016 05:04

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

Lil Mama Im Sorry posted:

I feel like the Sci-Fi channel had some really dope promos in the late 90s/early 2000s that were done in a FF style. There was one that was like a child's birthday party taking place in a backyard that gets attacked by bees or something. Idk, I might be inadvertently splicing memories together cause I can't find it on YouTube.

Sci-Fi did a promo for 'Pitch Black' prior to the movie's release, with investigators trying to find out what happened to the ship and its passengers (namely, Riddick). It was pretty neat, and has some pretty decent production values for what amounts to a 45 minute ad for a movie that wasn't out yet. It's not strictly found footage, but it adopts some of its conventions from time to time.

# ¿ Oct 5, 2016 06:02

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

weekly font posted:

So, this will probably required a wall of black text, but I'm interested in found footage movies that DON'T end with either A) everyone dead or B) a spooky face leaping at the camera. I have seen Lake Mungo and As Above So Below. I don't know if more exist.

Off the top of my head (aside from those already mentioned)
Europa Report (everyone dies, but it serves a purpose and really isn't horror)
VHS 2
Afflicted (disclaimer: there's a mid-credits jump scare)
Grave Encounters 2
Troll Hunter
The Bay

# ¿ Oct 5, 2016 21:12

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

Lil Mama Im Sorry posted:

A lot of people didn't like it, but I thought Into The Storm was pretty awesome.

Oh poo poo, I totally forgot about that movie. Thanks for the reminder! :cheers:

# ¿ Oct 6, 2016 05:49

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

Lil Mama Im Sorry posted:

this is eerily similar to my life today, meaning right now, with a hurricane approaching

Capitalize on the opportunity and make a found footage movie about it.

# ¿ Oct 6, 2016 23:15

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

Sounds riveting :allears:

It's okay, every found footage movie has the mundane lead in stuff before it all goes totally off the rails.

# ¿ Oct 7, 2016 02:41

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

CelticPredator posted:

Grey's can be super spooky and it's high time people realize this.

Case in point: the alien abduction segment in V/H/S/2 (or The MacPherson Tape/Incident at Lake County, linked in the OP).

Basebf555 posted:

In AASB, I loved how the guy who barely talks and mostly just acts as a cameraman makes it out with the two love birds. That was unexpected.

The Pyramid almost does something similar, the camera operator largely becomes the voice of reason in the movie's last act and come THIS CLOSE to making it out alive.

# ¿ Oct 8, 2016 06:17

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

HP Hovercraft posted:

Does Man Bites Dog count as a found footage film? I guess it's a mockumentary in a way but it's definitely horror and the footage had to be found by someone. Anyways I recommend that one if you haven't seen it.

It was mentioned earlier in the thread, and while I haven't seen it yet, it certainly sounds like it's appropriate for this thread.
I just checked and it looks like Hulu Plus has it in their Criterion library. Especially if it's a horror movie (and since Hulu is losing its Criterion library soon), I'll bump it up to the top of my watchlist.

# ¿ Oct 10, 2016 03:20

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

precision posted:

Man Bites Dog is satire, not horror, but that's nitpicking really.

This question is probably better suited for the general Horror thread, but could it be both? (See also: Shaun of the Dead, Cabin in the Woods, maybe Funny Games)

# ¿ Oct 10, 2016 04:15

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

Basebf555 posted:

Definitely more. I posted about this probably on the first page, but the best found footage uses creative locations. Its so wasted when the whole movie takes place in some house a school or a warehouse or the even woods. If you're putting me in the shoes of the people in the movie than they should go someplace ridiculous that a normal person could never go. Troll Hunter and AASB are prime examples, but Europa Report is another one like that.

Seconding Europa Report, the trailer pitches it like a horror movie but it really isn't. Like yeah some tense stuff happens, but it's no scarier than, say, Apollo 13 (the Tom Hanks movie, not to be confused with Apollo 18, which is a found footage horror movie and I do recommend).
Europa Report really plays up the awe and wonder of space exploration, while still reminding you that space is huge and dangerous and does not give a poo poo if you gently caress up.

ZoeDomingo posted:

I read through this thread really quickly, but I can't remember if anyone mentioned Ghostwatch:

I think you can find it on YouTube or Vimeo, but it may be broken up into different parts. I haven't seen the WNUF Halloween Special, but from the description it sounds like a comedy version of Ghostwatch.

In a similar vein, there's Special Bulletin:

Another one like Special Bulletin is Countdown to Looking Glass:

While not specifically "found" footage, all of these have the same "this is really happening" feel, since they are portrayed as live news broadcasts.

Although Ghostwatch was creepy in a kind of way, I think Special Bulletin and Countdown to Looking Glass are scarier, simply because they could really happen.

edit:

If you like your "found/real footage" with a side of comedy, check out Sex House, an Onion-produced reality show in the vein of Big Brother. Although "dark comedy" may be a better description.

Sex House is loving great (pun intended :v:

), I need to rewatch it.

On the topic of faux news broadcasts, the Dawn of the Dead remake included a faux news broadcast about the zombie outbreak and the collapse of society as an extra feature on the DVD release (but not the bluray). It's also on YouTube.

Xenomrph fucked around with this message at 00:47 on Nov 15, 2016

# ¿ Nov 14, 2016 20:13

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

MisterBibs posted:

Not trying to get you in trouble or anything, you linking this reminds me: is linking to this sort of stuff considered ? I had a moment in PYF recently that would've been a lot easier to explain had I just linked to the episode of the TV show on YouTube, but I was too chickenshit to link it.

I'll edit my post just to be safe. I figured it wouldn't be a huge deal because it's an obscure special feature on the DVD of a 12 year old movie, but better safe than sorry, haha. If you could edit your quote too, that'd be sweet. :cheers:

# ¿ Nov 15, 2016 00:46

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 07:59

Xenomrph: Dec 9, 2005; AvP Nerd/Fanboy/Shill

K. Waste posted:

its "AV Club" aesthetic is spot-on in terms of how the director is characterized.

Maybe it's because I haven't watched The Visit yet, but can you elaborate on what you mean here?

# ¿ Dec 6, 2016 16:30

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