STACK #147 Jan 2017

HANDHELD HIGHLIGHTS Nordic folklore, a deep space mission, ecological disaster and demonic possession – found footage is a versatile medium.

TROLLHUNTER (2012) Footage shot by a group of student filmmakers exposes the Norwegian government's cover-up of the country's troll problem – and we're not talking about social media pests.

Deodato faced murder charges until he could prove in court that the actors were all alive and well, and it was all done with special effects. While brilliant and groundbreaking filmmaking, only the most adventurous and strong-stomached viewers should check this out. Found footage films do occasionally venture from the horror genre, however. Project X (2012) – involving a house

apartment block in the grip of a rage-virus outbreak. REC is one of the best found footage films, and spawned three sequels. It also features the creepiest use of night vision you'll ever see. Paranormal Activity (2007) uses home security cameras to capture the titular phenomenon plaguing a young couple. It's simple but effective, with lots of static shots setting up ample

EUROPA REPORT (2013) After a mission to search for life on Jupiter's icy moon ends in disaster, footage captured by the spacecraft's cameras and the crew's video diaries reveal what happened. One of the few found footage sci-fi ventures. See also Apollo 18 (2011).

jump-scares. The sequels offer more of the same and suffer from the law of diminishing returns, but they're there if you want more. Special effects in found footage films are generally the rudimentary, in-camera kind but sometimes an entry from major studio will feature some big CGI sequences seamlessly blended into the shakycam chaos. Cloverfield (2008), produced by J.J. Abrams, gives the classic 'monster trashes metropolis' scenario a fresh new look when viewed through the handycam lens of a bunch of New York partygoers caught up in its rampage. Likewise, the effects in teen/superpower flick Chronicle (2012) feel like a natural part of the action rather than a post-production addition. FURTHER VIEWING The internet continues to remind us there are some things you just can't unsee, and the same applies to the grandaddy of found footage films, Cannibal Holocaust (1980). A documentary crew shooting in the Amazon antagonise the natives and are subsequently devoured (in front of their own camera, of course), with their recovered footage forming the second half of the film. This Italian shocker is reprehensible for its graphic violence, but no found footage film to date has achieved its level of realism – indeed, director Ruggero

party worthy of Corey Worthington – proved it was a good match for the teen film (like the aforementioned Chronicle ), as did time travel lark Project Almanac (2015), although its bigger budget and glossy production values diminished the illusion. David Ayer also used cop-cam footage to striking effect in his urban drama End of Watch (2012). Unfriended (2014) represents the next step in the evolution of the found footage format – the whole film plays out as Skype conversation between four friends, who discover a literal ghost in the machine. Watch this on your laptop for maximum impact. Where the found footage genre goes from here is open to conjecture. Many would agree that it has reached saturation

THE BAY (2012) Director Barry Levinson helms this faux documentary that combines newsreels, CCTV, and handheld footage to chronicle the chaos that erupts when a nasty breed of marine parasite infects a seaside town. This one will really get under your skin.

point and is now creatively bereft, but as long as it remains profitable there will still be footage out there somewhere, just waiting to be found.

THE POSSESSION OF MICHAEL KING (2014)

Armed with a video camera, the eponymous dude sets out to prove that the afterlife, the supernatural and demonic possession are all a load of rubbish. Needless to say, he's wrong.

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