SNquietFilms like Cloverfield – The found footage technique does not only belong to the horror genre, Cloverfield proves that the action sci-fi genre can also use this technique to its full potential.
Director Matt Reeves and producer J.J. Abrams shows a monster’s rampage in New York City through the camera of a group of friends who were partying when the incident occurred. They also have to survive this situation even though they end up scattered and meeting their respective deaths.
The scene of the Statue of Liberty’s head rolling down the street one of the surprising scenes, because the appearance of the monster itself only seen towards the end of the film when the last camera holder takes a close-up picture of it before military missiles hit the monster and destroy the rest of the city and residents who have not yet seen it. had evacuated.
When it was first screened in the US, many viewers felt dizzy with the fast camera movements. Therfore, afterwards an announcement made that sufferers of epilepsy, migraine and the like were prohibited from watching this film.
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Films like Cloverfield
1. The Blair Witch Project [1999]
You could say, The Blair Witch Project is the main pioneer of found footage films. Even though this is an indie project, its popularity is quite global. Because the story made to seem real and the appearance on camera is truly terrifying, many believe this not a film, but real footage of the adventurers who disappeared in a forest in Maryland in 1994.
It said that the camera and its equipment were discovered a year later by another adventurer and then published in this film. A sequel made, namely Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000), which unfortunately was not successful. Then the world of Blair Witch further developed through several novels, comic books and video games, as well as several merchandise.
2. Paranormal Activity [2007]
After success of The Blair Witch Project, not many found footage films were made. Although there were some that only received negative responses, until the arrival of the film Paranormal Activity which reminded the success of the film The Blair Witch Project.
It started as an indie film which screened at several festivals and then increased in popularity after widely released to produce its own franchise which more successful than The Blair Witch Project. They only used static cameras installed in the corners of the rooms, the appearance of various apparitions and oddities in the house were clearly captured.
Oren Peli as director, then made his name even though until 2015 there was no other film that could repeat the success of Paranormal Activity. The quality decreasing from film to film, sequels continuously produced. Until 2015, 5 sequels had released, Paranormal Activity 2 (2010), Paranormal Activity 3 (2011), Paranormal Activity 4 (2012), a spin-off Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014) and Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015) which was allegedly the last film in this franchise.
3. Films like Cloverfield: Apollo 18 [2011]
What made NASA never again carry out expeditions to the Moon and land astronauts? The audience can get that answer through this film. Of course the answer is only a hoax, but at the end of the film several facts appear that support the hoax.
The reason NASA shows in this film is because there is life on the Moon that could disrupt human survival on Earth. The fact that emerged that of the stones brought from the Moon for research, the majority lost, stolen, or broken by themselves. The film itself shows found footage from an astronaut’s camera which appears on a big screen at NASA headquarters which shows the answer to why the astronauts could not return to Earth.
4. V/H/S [2012]
Even though it is a horror genre, the themes raised in this anthology film are quite diverse. Apart from the appearance of ghosts, there are also those featuring aliens, psychopaths and other strange things. Several directors refined several segments that appeared in this film.
The success of the film V/H/S when it screened at the Sundance Film Festival then gave birth to 2 sequels, namely V/H/S/2 (2013) where one of the segments directed by Gareth Evans and Timo Tjahjanto which featured acting from Indonesian actors such as Fachry Albar, Hannah Al-Rashid and Oka Antara, and V/H/S: Viral (2014).
