Is This For Real: The Found Footage Movie

This new genre of film was just a novelty at first; one way to tell a story.  But the concept that some film footage that was stored away was eventually found and revealed has grown in recent years. In the beginning it was used to make people think the story was real. Crowds were freaked out.  We’re not sure who was first– it might have been in 1980 with cult horror classic Cannibal Holocaust.  Since then the genre has grown and in just the last couple of years its become incredibly profitable, even being used outside the horror genre.   Here are 7 of the biggest and best uses of the found footage technique.

 

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Originally made for $20,000 dollars, The Blair Witch Project  went on to make $248 million dollars.  It was rumored that the story in the film was real, and a lot of people were fooled.   There were “reports” of people vomiting during screenings, freaking everyone out further.

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Cloverfield (2008)

JJ Abrams used the technique in Cloverfield in 2008. He went in the complete opposite direction of The Blair Witch Project, using a solid budget and a marketing campaign that focused on not showing the film’s monster.

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Paranormal Activity (2009)

Paranormal Activity reinforced the idea that you could make a lot of money on a film that cost nearly nothing.  Made for $25 thousand dollars, the first film in the franchise returned nearly $200 million. It’s recognized as the most profitable film ever made based on return on investment.   The fourth in the series is due out soon.

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Chronicle (2012)

Chronicle goes the science fiction route, following three teenage friend who obtained telekinetic powers from something that crash landed on earth. It’s the first non horror film to made with the found footage concept. It relied more heavily on CGI and effects than many of the previous films. The film made $125 million dollars and a sequel is in the works.
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Project X (2012)

Project X used the technique to film a house party in this teen comedy. Produced by Todd Phillips, it grossed a worldwide total of $100,931,865. Released only a month after Chronicle, Project X showed that directors and producers are now looking for more ways  to incorporate the found footage style into film.
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End of Watch(2012)

End of Watch was originally conceived as a completely found footage film, but ultimately combined the technique with traditional footage.  But the use of the format in a cop/buddy drama, was a first, and showed that found footage could be applied to any genre of film.

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The Bay (2012)

Barry Levinson’s The Bay brings the cinematic technique to the mainstream.  The Oscar winning director makes prominent use of found footage in this film about the dangers of ecological disaster, proving that the technique is no longer exclusively for small filmmakers.