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!