Small Budget

The new and ecentric horror film paranormal activity has grossed over 100 million dollars in the month of october this year and yet it was considered to be a low budget cinematic endevour. Paranormal activity follows two college students and their beyond normal experiences in their home, convinced she is haunted Katie and boyfriend Micah film the unexplained happenings hoping to prove their not insane or imaging the occurences.

Paranormal activity heavily linked to the Blair Witch Project which became a huge success through the intimidation of fear and the suprising elements of the films rather than the stereotypical ending or plot. A critique of these films may be that their not conventional hollywood movies but they connect with a type of filming which has been surpassed by technology and the ability to want the next blockbuster. Made on a budget of $15,000 Paranormal Activity has minimal special effects as it relies on the convincing acting of those experiencing these fears and thrills. This film was a 97 minute short film shown in 2007 and changed and edited to suit a different audience and ended up being one of the best movies released this year.

As a cinema studies student I recognize that technology has created a new history for films and consumerism of films but it does take away from the plot and concentration that should be placed on the characters. The new Spike Jones film based on the book Where the Wild Things Are displays a film where special effects are not used to create the alternate universe in which Max escapes into and by doing this he adheres to the nature of the book and familarity with a style of film making.