ABOUT FOUND FOOTAGE.

"FOUND FOOTAGE" is one of the sub-genres for horror. It usually revolves around a a missing tape from a very long time ago. The footage that is found, is usually the last records and evidence of the catastrophic events that had taken place beforehand. The people who had filmed that footage, are usually missing or dead.

Found Footage films have a huge advantage over many other horror films. One of the main reasons is freedom. 

In Found Footage films, you have the ability to control the camera, and can take the audience with you on a mind blowing journey. Films that are not found footage, are limited to where the tripod takes them, and can not move in any desired direction.

CLOVERFIELD.

In "CLOVERFIELD", the first 2 minutes of the opening sequence, the production logo is shown, therefore telling the audience who had produced the film. We are not immediately introduced to the main character, but are looking at the POV of the "could be" main character. His face is not shown, but a part of a narrative is shown. The man may be hiding his identity, in order to reveal it later on in the beginning of the film. The man shows the audience an even further insight to what he can see. We see something very iconic that indicates where he is. The New York skyline is where he is looking at, probably indicating that he wants to do some damage. The lighting is quite dark and the use of the location, sets the scene as we now know where he is. We do not know why, but from the dark lighting and his camera angle, we can infer that his intentions do not look very bright.




PARANORMAL ACTIVITY.

Another example would be 'PARANORMAL ACTIVITY". In this film, the camera is quite shaky and wobbly at the beginning. Despite the fact that it does NOT look professional on screen, it may add to the realism and the feeling of being scared and nervous. I felt that the person holding the camera, needs to learn how to caress and guide the camera, rather than being inconsistent and tired. The beginning of these opening sequence are quite slow paced, as the character may still be getting used to the camera and trying to adjust it as well.

REC.
In the first 2 minutes of "REC", the production company's logo is presented. This appears in a glitchy effect, again, reminding the audience how this has aspects of "FOUND FOOTAGE". The glicth effect has a different meaning. A glitch is mainly viewed as a negative feauture, and is often seen as a distruption, which portrays an image of violence and an unsettling situation in the upcoming scenes of the film. Later on in the opening scene, we are introduced to a female presenter, who is in charge of an eveing show. She is holding a microphone, and is talking in a very professional manner. 

After the setting of the scene, we are introduced to the main character of the film, who will lead the story of the film onwards and guide us through what is going on. The main character was the last person in the 2 minute opening scene, which is an indication to the audience that this character is BIG, and will want us to follow and embark on a journey with that character. There is Juxtaposition between the presenter's jolly attitude, in comparison to the dull and low key lighting. This signifies how expectation versus reality can be seen between 2 aspects in a scene. The low level lighting also connotes how the evening is damaged and broken down. 

In horror films, low level lighting is a must, just to create effect, build up of tension and also to make the audience feel uncomfortable and out oftheir comfort zone.