Post by djsacrosanct on Jul 28, 2016 14:26:59 GMT -6
I found out about this book just now, picked it up, & thought I'd share.
978-1906733841
This Book on Amazon
The introduction to the book provides a timely reminder of the impact The Blair Witch Project made when it was released in 1999, after the word of mouth spread following its initial screening at Sundance. With its innovative marketing campaign, the film went on to gross almost USD250m at the box office worldwide, more than films like The Green Mile, The World Is Not Enough, and Wild, Wild West in that year. This was a major success for a low budget independent horror film. Perhaps more significantly than that however is the impact it has had since, spawning a new era of found footage and low budget filmmaking, which is still seen today.
As usual with books in the 'Devil's Advocates series, they provide a compact and quick read (96 pages in this case) and insightful look at Horror classics. This is no different with this book, which looks at the making and history of the Blair Witch, background to the story, possible influences, a fresh look at sub-texts of the film, and its legacy. Rightly, Cannibal Holocaust, the grandfather of found footage, is mentioned a few times as a major influence.
A modern day classic, for the uninitiated, the film charts what happens to three student filmmakers shooting a documentary about the local legend of the Blair Witch, in Burkittsville, Marlyand. The footage they shot, found one year later, shows what happened to them. Peter Turner, the author, is a film and media lecturer at Oxford Brookes University and Wokingham College, and regularly contributes to Media Magazine and Starbust Magazine.
Of special interest in the book is the explanation about how the writers/directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez went about the movie in terms of creating realism with the characters. With the directors avoiding contact with the crew during the shoot, making them camp out every night with less food each day, and the movie essentially shot by the characters themselves, this brings the element of realism to the story ,which at the time asked many to question if it was real. Essentially, as Turner describes, this film is a mockumentary, but with blurs to try to alternate the viewer’s perception as to whether this is fact or fiction.
There is a small element of repetition in the book during the central pages when talking about the importance and impact of the camerawork style associated with the movie, although this is a minor qualm. From explaining it origins, through to its reception, the book concisely articulates the history and legacy of this movie into a neat format, which provides deserved reading for either people who have seen the film before, or will provide some fascinating insights to make Blair Witch virgins want to watch it.
Dino Marabese of frightfest.co.uk
978-1906733841
This Book on Amazon
The introduction to the book provides a timely reminder of the impact The Blair Witch Project made when it was released in 1999, after the word of mouth spread following its initial screening at Sundance. With its innovative marketing campaign, the film went on to gross almost USD250m at the box office worldwide, more than films like The Green Mile, The World Is Not Enough, and Wild, Wild West in that year. This was a major success for a low budget independent horror film. Perhaps more significantly than that however is the impact it has had since, spawning a new era of found footage and low budget filmmaking, which is still seen today.
As usual with books in the 'Devil's Advocates series, they provide a compact and quick read (96 pages in this case) and insightful look at Horror classics. This is no different with this book, which looks at the making and history of the Blair Witch, background to the story, possible influences, a fresh look at sub-texts of the film, and its legacy. Rightly, Cannibal Holocaust, the grandfather of found footage, is mentioned a few times as a major influence.
A modern day classic, for the uninitiated, the film charts what happens to three student filmmakers shooting a documentary about the local legend of the Blair Witch, in Burkittsville, Marlyand. The footage they shot, found one year later, shows what happened to them. Peter Turner, the author, is a film and media lecturer at Oxford Brookes University and Wokingham College, and regularly contributes to Media Magazine and Starbust Magazine.
Of special interest in the book is the explanation about how the writers/directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez went about the movie in terms of creating realism with the characters. With the directors avoiding contact with the crew during the shoot, making them camp out every night with less food each day, and the movie essentially shot by the characters themselves, this brings the element of realism to the story ,which at the time asked many to question if it was real. Essentially, as Turner describes, this film is a mockumentary, but with blurs to try to alternate the viewer’s perception as to whether this is fact or fiction.
There is a small element of repetition in the book during the central pages when talking about the importance and impact of the camerawork style associated with the movie, although this is a minor qualm. From explaining it origins, through to its reception, the book concisely articulates the history and legacy of this movie into a neat format, which provides deserved reading for either people who have seen the film before, or will provide some fascinating insights to make Blair Witch virgins want to watch it.
Dino Marabese of frightfest.co.uk