Filmmaking Notes 1, Found Footage

  Film making Notes, Found Footage 

Sorry that the blog has not been updated more often, right now I am in the

middle of writing an ebook and it is taking more time and attention that I first thought.

The book is going to be about making found footage films and to write the book I feel the need to watch a great many of them.

A few words on found footage films. Most of them are really bad. It is a new genre that is not going anywhere, but has been handicapped by what many believe are the rules that have to be followed. Let me say that if you are gonna become a great film maker you are going to have to learn that breaking the rules is part of what you are suppose to do. The found footage rules are basic. Everyone must die and then the footage is found later. Just because this happened in Cannibal Holocaust and The Blair Witch project does not mean that it always must happen that way.

If you are planning on making a found footage movie I am asking you to please watch the movie End of Watch before you finish your script. I believe that how they combine footage taken by the people of screen with footage taken by filmmaker is nearly perfect and after the first ten minutes of the movie you have to think about it to notice that there can be no one there at times in the on screen universe shooting the footage. It is a blueprint for what can be done with found footage.

I would also argue that the rules kill all suspense. After all you not only go into a film knowing everyone is gonna die, but you also see the film maker straining at times to make this happen. Making characters who do things that have the sole purpose of getting them killed.

How about an example of two movies that may have followed the rules, but still managed to be pretty well done.

The first one is a film that I really admire. It is the Frankenstein Theory. This film is very well done and it follows a single rules that I believe that all horror movies must follow. The rule is that the audience will believe any one thing. They will give you a single pass on anything. Do not test their patiences with a second reach. They will believe that Frankenstein is based upon a true story. The fact that the monster is still roming the earth is not a second thing because if you believe the original story the monster was designed to never die. It is a better movie that it has a right to be and I would love to see another found footage film from the makers of it.

The greatest of all modern found footage horror films is the amazing movie

Rec 2.

Last note on this subject could we get some more found footage comedies or thrillers or even straight drama. Turning a camera on a family in crisis would make for a compelling found footage film. Digital filmmaking gives us the chance to experiment. The low cost involves allows for the opportunity to take chances. If you are not willing to break a few rules then why did you become a film maker. Just let Hollywood make all the same cookie cutter movies. They are the best in the world at that.

Next up I would like to show a follow up video. It is the first trailer from the Joker Rising. The footage looks great.

Please take a moment to bookmark this page and to share this post. Thank you for visiting and if you know about a really well done found footage movie please let me know by leaving a comment or by joining me on Google plus.