Grave Encounters

So, lets cut to the chase--I'm not a big fan of "Grace Encounters". That's not to say that the film is terrible--it's not, in my opinion. If you want a quick, mediocre scare, then this is the film to do it. From a critical standpoint, the film is not good and scores low. However, from a purely scare-fan perspective, the film's alright and the scares are good.

"Grave Encounters"

Tagline: "They were searching for proof... they found it."

Short Bio:
"For their ghost hunting reality show, a production crew locks themselves inside an abandoned mental hospital that's supposedly haunted - and it might prove to be all too true."

Long Bio:
In a mock of Paranormal television shows everywhere, "Grave Encounters focuses on a team of "Paranormal" investigators (who, in actuality, are faking it for the purposes of a television show): Lance Preston (the head, the "Zak Bagans", of the show), Sasha Parker (the "Occult Specialist", the whinny, annoying girl of the show), T.C. Gibson (he DOES NOT die first), Matt White ("Tech Specialist", not much to say except that he was annoying), and Houston Gray (the resident "Psychic", who turns out to just be a shitty actor, much like the actor who plays him). The five-some investigate the infamous "Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital", initially finding nothing and fabricating evidence--until discovering the dark forces that haunt the troubled, rundown hospital. With loads of "special" effects, shaky camera operating, and dramatic acting "Grave Encounters" seems to insure a good scare... Or does it? dun dun DUNNNNN!!!


Quick Stats

Overall Score: 72% (72.1), C-

Camera Work: D-
Acting: F+
Storyline: F+
Scare Factor: C+
Reality Factor: D-
Transitions: B+
Sound: A-
Availability: A
Effectiveness: D-
Workability: F

Camera Work:
          The camera work of "Grave Encounters" is poor at best. The biggest flaw is the fact that each "scare" is set up with the camera--poor camera operation and placement result in the hint of a scare on its way. Every time it seems to get to a point where a scare should be, the camera is framed too perfect--now, yes, that sounds stupid (being framed too "perfectly"), but the draw of the Found Footage genre is the fact that the camera just happens to capturing these events, and they're not set up or planned--"Grave Encounters" shatters this illusion by setting up the shots too perfectly and ultimately gives away good scares. Also the "Archival Footage"... are you fucking kidding me? The footage looks anything but "archival"--it looks like cheap, MODERN camera work, overlaid with a vintage filter. The same can be said for the "Archival Photographs" too. Also, in general the camera work is just poor: early in the film (during the filming for the sixth episode) the camera never seems to achieve a steady movement and is just poorly focused and positioned. The only good thing that can be said about the camera work is the placement of multiple cameras around the hospital (the fact that these cameras run for a very, very long amount of time, however, is a "mystery"--a mystery in bull, but I'll get to that a little later) was a smart move on the Vicious Brother's part--as it allowed for multiple view points and perspectives, without shattering the reality of a Found Footage film. In the category of Camera Work, "Grave Encounters" receives a D- (just barely, I'm being nice).


Acting:
          The acting and actors of "Grave Encounters" is... are... it's BAD. Let's just be honest, it's bad.
It's the horrible mixture between underacting and overacting. It's just not good. The only thing that really saves "Grave Encounters" in the acting department is Lance's scenes at the very end of the film--he's pretty convincing and genuine, and definitely bumps up the score. Basically, that's all I can say about the acting of "Grave Encounters"--it's bad, but only seems to get slightly better at the end. In the category of Acting, "Grave Encounters" receives an F+.

Storyline:
          The storyline of "Grave Encounters" is actually not bad--it's just executed poorly. The story plays on the new fear (due to the overwhelming amount of Paranormal television shows) regarding the new Paranormal television show trend. The idea that you could get trapped while innocently looking into a different world it quite frightening--almost that... Alice in Wonderland with no escape feeling. There are parts of the script that are weak: the continuous references to Paranormal television shows (the "X-Camera", Ghost Adventures, and the use of a dramatic Psychic, Paranormal State), the characters are not at all well written (they lack depth and change), and the obvious question as to how the producer acquired this footage--if the investigators couldn't get out, how did he get in and find their footage? So, there are holes and the story wasn't executed well, but it's a good idea and could have been better. In the category of Storyline, "Grave Encounters" receives an F+.

Scare Factor:
          The scares of "Grave Encounters" are good, however the poor camera operation ruins them at times. Most of the scares are really unexpected, which is great (however, even with the unexpectedness of them, the camera still inhibits the scares from being truly effective). The use of multiple rooms--giving the felling of totally being lost--was a good move and definitely amped up the severity of the scares. The only negative regarding the scares of "Grave Encounters" is the fact that it's not what the scare is it's how it's produced: meaning that what actually scares the investigators (and the audience) is not what's scary, it's that pause, that... moment of air between us and the thing, before the big reveal. After the initial scare, sure the thing's scary and creepy (the wide mouth thing is quite odd and sticks with you for a bit, but it's nothing to write home about. In the category of Scare Factor, "Grave Encounters" receives a C+.

Reality Factor:
          "Grave Encounters" has a fair to poor reality factor. What makes the film realistic is: the use of unknown and non-established actors, the use of an authentic hospital, and props (meaning the bracelets Lance, Sasha, TC, and Matt mysteriously receive). However, what makes the film unrealistic and what shatters the reality of the film is definitely the story line and the acting--the acting just doesn't carry the story well. Furthermore, there are major plot holes that lead to increased question of the reality, for example: how did the producer, seen at the beginning of the film (and not at the end, which may have benefitted the film if he had ended the film as he had introduced the film), get this footage? Sure, the cameras are all over the place, but what about Lance's camera, which was in the bellows of the hospital? Also, I accept that the cameras continued to roll and record, I just can't accept that "ghosts" would also keep the battery going on the cameras too. Lastly, I have to mention the cell phone that Lance shows to the camera--a moment where I had to rewind the film because I couldn't believe that he would actually have such an old model of cellphone--and that was when I was just disgusted with the reality factor of the film. There are just too many instances where the film just makes you go, "Really?". In the category of Reality Factor, "Grave Encounters" receives a D-.  

Transitions:
          The transitions of "Grave Encounters" are actually done pretty well. The entire film is meant to feel like this never ending night, that ceases to end or change, and this is exactly what the film puts across. The use of the ticking timers at the bottom of some of the static cameras is also a nice touch (at first showing the correct amount of hours they have been rolling, then later on in the film showing a running sequence of numbers as the tickers have stopped counting). The film's ambition is to confuse the audience on the date and time, which it effectively does. In the category of Transitions, "Grave Encounters" receives a B+.

Sound:
           "Grave Encounters" definitely uses sound to it's advantage. The hospital has a very nice echo (especially in the tunnels), which gives a creepier feel to the whole film. Furthermore, the sound I refer to as "chaos" benefits the film: it's the sound that plays during any moment of chaos during the film, like when a scare is happening. It works, but that idea of a "chaos" sound is kind of... cheap in my opinion, but it does work for "Grave Encounters". In the category of Sound, "Grave Encounters" receives an A-.

Availability:
          "Grave Encounters" is pretty available. I streamed it from Netflix (as I have an account), but there are PLENTY (seriously, there's a lot) of links online too see it. In the category of Availability, "Grave Encounters" receives an A.

Effectiveness:
          So, how effective is "Grave Encounters" in selling the idea that the entire film is not a work of fiction? Well... Through the use of unknown actors, the film gets good points in favor. However, with the poorly executed scares, the film loses those points. Sure, the "producer" at the beginning of the film definitely adds to the effectiveness, but that leads to the question of how exactly this "producer" got the footage and how would the FCC even pass such a film that actually shows such horrible things? "Grave Encounters" isn't horrible, but it's not great--it just has too many cons to save it. In the category of Effectiveness, "Grave Encounters" receives an D-.

Workability:
          Sadly, "Grave Encounters" does not work. For multiple reasons. There's too many questions, too many "Seriously?"-moments, too many screw ups. Whether it's the writers fault or the Vicious Brothers fault, it doesn't seem to matter that much. The problem lies within the idea of the film: sure, the premise is frightening, but it just wasn't executed well, and how could it? It was just too much to swallow. With that said, in the category of Workability, "Grave Encounters" receives an F.


Final Thoughts
"Grave Encounters" isn't terrible, it's not. It's not great, but it's not terrible. It's a good way to kill a few hours and it's good for a few scares. That's all. I don't hate it, it'll be my go-to film to explain Found Footage Films, but that's all it really has. 

Favorite Scene:
The scene wherein Lance Preston bludgeons a rat to death and then eats it.

Important Links

Official Movie Website: http://www.graveencountersthriller.com/

IMDB Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1703199/

Wikipedia Page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_Encounters

The Blair Witch Project

For my first blog post, I've decided to do a classic Found Footage film: "The Blair Witch Project". Definitely one of my top five Found Footage Films, "The Blair Witch Project" is what comes to mind whenever the words "Found Footage" or "Shaky camera movie" or "Those home movie movies" (a la my mother) are uttered. Though certainly not the first in the Found Footage field, it is a leading title amongst the top contenders.

"The Blair Witch Project"

Tagline: "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."

Short Bio:
"October, 1994, three film students travel to Maryland to make a student film about a local urban legend... The Blair Witch. The three went into the woods on a two day hike to find the Blair Witch, and never came back. One year later, the students film and video was found in the woods. The footage was compiled and made into a movie. The Blair Witch Project." (Written by Kevin Overstreet <GrndZero23@aol.com>)

Long Bio:
Three film students--Heather (the female, the bossy one, the responsible one), Josh (the bearded, long-haired one), and Mike (the one that Heather and Josh pick up before beginning their project)--come together to create a student-film about the Blair Witch of Burkittsville, Maryland. However, upon realizing that they have become lost in the dense woods outside of Burkittsville, the trio begin to experience as well as witness strange phenomenon--such as odd, seemingly voodoo-like, artifacts in the woods and hearing screaming and odd noises at night. The trio soon becomes panicked and pissed off, thus condensing (much to their dismay) the trio down to a duo as Josh mysteriously leaves the group, leaving Heather and Mike to be panicked and pissed off together. The film concludes with the discovery of an abandoned, derelict house where, upon entering, Heather and Mike fall victim to whatever force has been stalking them through the woods.

Quick Stats (a quick glimpse at everything)

Overall Score: 95% (94.5)

Camera Work: A
Acting: A+
Storyline: A-
Scare Factor: A+
Reality Factor: A
Transitions: C-
Sound: A
Availability: A+
Effectiveness: A
Workability: A

Camera Work: 
           The camera work for "The Blair Witch Project" is considerably well done, though there are some flaws. Heather (the main, color camera operator), early on in the film, has a very steady and well defined hand, which really benefits the film. However, her filming as the film progresses becomes sloppier and shakier, which can be attributed to her fear--of course--which, at times, is fine but it crosses the line at times, only serving to hinder the film and story. Also, early on, the black and white filming is done very well however, as the film progresses, the black and white becomes almost bothersome--especially the constant (unneeded) switching between black and white and color while still retaining audio from either of the two thus creating a bit of unnecessary confusion. For example, there is a scene where Heather, Josh, and Mike are crossing a river, and the filming switches from the color camera to the black and white camera, while still holding the color audio. The black and white footage shows Heather crossing the river without her mouth moving, however with the color audio we can hear her speaking. However, despite these few hiccups, the filming is still quite good (especially considering that Heather Donahue had never filmed before, only receiving a two-day crash course). In the category of Camera Work, "The Blair Witch Project" receives an A. 

Acting: 
          The acting in "The Blair Witch Project" is essentially what makes the film work, it's what sells the story of three (idiot) kids who get lost and have no clue what's happening. By getting "nobodies" for the roles, the director successfully pushed the point that this was a "real" film, this added together with their superb acting only served to generate such mystery and question around the film's reality. In the category of Acting, "The Blair Witch Project" receives an A+.
  
Storyline:
          The storyline of "The Blair Witch Project" is exceptionally good. The idea, or the fear, that you could get lost in the woods and something terrible could happen to you is a legitimate fear--and people love to see bad things happen to OTHER people, not themselves, taking in the lessons or thoughts that could have saved those OTHER people and banking them mentally in case it could ever happen to them. Every kid fears of getting lost, getting separated, in a strange place without a clue of how to get out or get home--and "The Blair Witch Project" plays on that fear. The characters are well defined: Heather who is the bossy, self-assured "director", Josh who is the follower who had only hoped to get in and get out, and Mike who is the innocent one that got caught up in this mess who still tries to maintain some semblance of sanity. One flaw that sticks out is the interviews: in the beginning (during the interview process) it is briefly mentioned that a killer of Burkittsville would get two victims, place on in the corner and kill the other one (because he didn't like too feel the eyes of the victims on him)--which is done in the ending of the film--however, that factoid is briefly mentioned that the ending doesn't make sense at all if you didn't happen to remember it, so that important fact could have been highlighted a bit more. Overall, the storyline was well done and well written. In the category of Storyline, "The Blair Witch Project" receives an A-. 

Scare Factor:
          What's scary about "The Blair Witch Project" is that there is "nothing" there--we can't see it and that's the most frightening part of all: what our mind conjures up, with the lack of an image to fill the void. The idea that there is something there, something we cannot see, but that it can hurt us and scare us is much more frightening than actually seeing something frightening (like a monster or murderer). "The Blair Witch Project" capitalizes on this and makes one hell of a scare that stays with you well after the last credit has rolled by. In the category of Scare Factor, "The Blair Witch Project" receives an A+.

Reality Factor:
          "The Blair Witch Project" has an amazing reality factor--with the amazing acting, decent camera work, and good script, the film exudes reality. There's nothing too unbelievable and there's nothing so under-believable, "The Blair Witch Project" finds a good little niche between the two to sit comfortably. The only real flaw in reality for the film are some of the decisions Heather, Josh, and Mike make--for example, instead of just wandering around aimlessly, why didn't they follow the river as it would have eventually lead them to some sort of civilization? Other than a few hiccups, the reality of "The Blair Witch Project" is quite good. In the category of Reality Factor, "The Blair Witch Project" receives an A. 

Transitions:
          The transitions of "The Blair Witch Project" leave something to be desired. I understand they're in the woods, there's really no "proper" way to demonstrate change or time span (aside from the change from day to night), but there are ways and "The Blair Witch Project" just didn't utilize them. Whenever it shifted from day to night, it felt more like, "Oh, we're in the tent again"--rather than feeling like there had actually been some legitimate time pass. In the category of Transitions, "The Blair Witch Project" receives a C-.

Sound:
          The sound of "The Blair Witch Project" is something to be rivaled. At it's best: the enhanced sound of the characters walking through the woods (the crunch of the leaves) and general nature sounds (the wind, for example), coupled with the sound of Heather (generally Heather, though some other characters can be heard) breathing add great amounts of reality and depth to the film. Furthermore, the fact that the "monster" is only at first heard (later seen by left artifacts) adds to the Scare Factor of the film. However, there are moments when the sound of the film is not executed well: moments where the characters aren't quiet enough to allow the audience to hear the outside action, moments when the sound is not captured well (this also relates to poor camera operation), and moments when the outside action (the noises in the woods of the "monster") are not highlighted enough. Despite these minimal errors, the sound of the film is very good and adds much reality to the film. In the category of Sound, "The Blair Witch Project" receives an A. 

Availability:
          "The Blair Witch Project" is available on Crackle.com, streaming instantly and for free on either the internet or on a Roku (or Roku-like device)! Despite the commercials ever so often, it is worth it to see such a classic film. In the category of Availability, "The Blair Witch Project" receives an A+.

Effectiveness:
          Through the use of unknown actors, the Found Footage film style, and internet marketing (the main source of audience members) "The Blair Witch Project" is very effective in pushing the message that it is a film compiled of actual found footage. The only downfall comes from the Storyline as there are several instances where it just doesn't seem believable (why didn't they just follow the river?). Furthermore, the director and producer's urgency and adamancy about this being an authentic film eventually became too much and too unbelievable, leading to the truth (that the film is simply that, a fictional film and nothing more). However, despite this, the film is very... Catching. It sticks with you, like a parasite under the skin, and refuses to leave--tainting every thought with fear, perhaps possessing you to never enter the woods again. In the category of Effectiveness, "The Blair Witch Project" receives an A.

Workability: 
           So, does the film work? YES! "The Blair Witch Project", as a Found Footage film, works. The idea behind it works (kids getting lost, whilst filming a documentary) and the effects help it and make it work. The film plays on the fear of getting lost that everyone has, as well as the fear of the unknown, the unseen. As a whole, the film definitely works. In the category of Workability, "The Blair Witch Project" receives an A.


Final Thoughts
"The Blair Witch Project" is one of my favorite Found Footage films. It's exactly what you would think of when you think of a Found Footage film. The acting is amazing. The scare factor (for me, at least) is insane and it definitely scared the fuck out of me the first time I ever saw it (when I was ten years old).

Favorite Scene: During the interviews, the woman with the Ray Ban-like sunglasses, who is holding her kid. As she's telling the story of the "Witch", the child gets frightened and tries to stop her mother from talking and the mother says, "Oh it's not real!", then she turns to the camera and mouths, "It is!".


Important Links
Official Movie Website: http://www.blairwitch.com/
Wikipedia Article (Definitely worth a read): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blair_Witch_Project
"The Blair Witch Project" can be seen (right now!) here: http://www.crackle.com/c/the-blair-witch-project/the-blair-witch-project/2489061
IMDB Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185937/

Hello!

Hello!

This blog is dedicated to reviewing Found Footage films or, in all honesty, it's a way for me to get out all my pent up energy regarding this genre (I love it!). Occasionally, I'll also review a Mockumentary, but primarily I'll stick to Found Footage films.

So, what is a Found Footage film?

To put it simply: a film where the actors (or the people in the story) are filming the entire movie. There is no camera crew. The camera (or the idea of the camera) is part of the story.

To put it an anal (haha... Yes, I'm a teenage boy at times) and complicated way: a film wherein 85%-90% of the film is shot in the first person perspective--meaning that one of the characters/actors in the film are doing the camera operating, rather than a camera crew or camera operator. The characters and actors are aware of the camera and it's existence in their reality (in the world of the story), using it to "document" their story and reality.

So, how do I measure or rate a Found Footage film?

First, I'll give a unbiased description of the film (most likely courtesy of Wikipedia), then I'll give my biased description of it with my opinions on the film in a brief description. Then, I'll go through my rating categories.

But, wait!! What are these categories you so speak of?!

Well, I'm glad you asked! I have 10 (yes, 10!) categories by which I rate a film. They are:

1) Camera Work - This is pretty self explanatory, but I guess I'll add a little explanation. How well is the camera "worked"? Is it shaky? Is it focused properly (on the action) or does it always seem to be poorly focused (due to a filming error or intentionally)? Rated on an A-F scale.

2) Acting - Again, self explanatory. How is the acting? Bad, good, terrible, great? Rated on an A-F scale.

3) Storyline - Despite the film being a Found Footage film, there still needs to be a good, plausible (or at least passable) story line. Does the story line flow? Are there large gaps? Too much information? Etc. Rated on an A-F scale.

4) Scare Factor - Not all Found Footage films will be in the Horror genre, so sometimes this category may be omitted (this will not affect the overall score of the film), however when the film is in the Horror genre, this category will examine the scares in the film. Are they executed well? Are they "Pop Scares" (example: almost all the scares in the "Grave Encounters" films) or are they subtle scares? Rated on an A-F scale.

5) Reality Factor - Every Found Footage film attempts to make the audience believe in the reality it is portraying, so this category will examine how real the film is, how the contents of the film (storyline, acting, camera work, and sound) shape the film's reality and make the audience really believe it. Rated on an A-F scale.

6) Transitions - Transitions in a Found Footage film are very important as they show the passage of time, however they are also difficult in a Found Footage film--so, this category will serve to examine how well the film deals with transitions, the type of transitions used, and how well the film accounts for the transitions (how well the story progresses against the transitions). Rated on an A-F scale.

7) Sound - In a Found Footage film, sound is difficult, so when it is there (prominently) it needs to add to the film. Sometimes this category may be omitted (this will not affect the overall score of the film). This category will examine the use of background sound (be that music or whatever else) and how well it adds to the film, as well as if it works in the film. Rated on an A-F scale.

8) Availability - This category is simply examining how easy it is to access this film, be it on a streaming site or a movie site (Netflix, for example). I will add the source of where I saw the film whenever possible. Rated on an A-F scale.

9) Effectiveness - How effective is the film in putting across it's theme, message, or idea? Does it really scare you (if it's a Horror film) or does it engage the mind? Rated on an A-F scale.

10) Workability - Somewhat of a summation of all the categories (rated on an A-F scale). Does the film, with all of it's elements and contents, work as a whole?

And those are the categories! (Holy shit, there's a lot).

Reminders when reading this blog:
~ I like to swear, so occasionally, I'll swear in a post. I'll try to keep it to a minimum, but I can't make any promises.
~ I cannot review a movie without spoiling it! So, if you hate spoilers, then click that little left-facing arrow now and get out of here while you still can!
~ I'm wordy, anal (again, haha!), and very descriptive. If you want something quick or you're thinking "Get to the point" right now, this blog is NOT for you.
~ I love to hear from readers, so don't ever hesitate to respond to posts or comment or disagree or anything!
~ I make errors ALL THE TIME! Please don't freak out about it--I'm one person, with no editors or Beta readers (looking, though), so please do kind.

Alright, that's all I have to say! I hope you've stuck around to this point (if you have, you win my eternal love and affection!) and I hope you'll stick around just a bit longer for my first post.

Happy reading and happy watching, darlin's!