Making of The Blair Witch Project- From a $35k Budget to $250 Million Box Office Phenomenon

The Making of The Blair Witch Project - behind the scenes of one of the most notorious independent film productions, including the revolutionary filming process and the ingenious marketing campaign.
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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction to The Blair Witch Project
01:31 Crafting the Story of the Blair Witch
03:23 Chapter 1: Innovative Directing
07:20 Chapter 2: Docu-Style Approach
12:25 Chapter 3: Pioneering Marketing
15:10 - Takeaways
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THE MAKING OF THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT
In 1999, the horror genre was once again growing stagnant. Then a small indie film called The Blair Witch Project came to Sundance and caused quite a stir. In this video, we take a look back at the making of The Blair Witch Project - from its unusual filming process to its marketing campaign that had (most) people fooled that it was all real.
HOW THEY SHOT THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT
How The Blair Witch Project was filmed is quite the story. With an initial budget of $35,000, directors Dan Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez took three actors into the woods, gave them cameras, and a rough outline of what was supposed to happen. To capture an authentic “found footage” look and feel, the actors operated the cameras themselves and improvised their dialogue. The filmmakers left notes for the actors to find using GPS, all while they monitored the filming from afar.
There was no locked script, so Myrick and Sánchez would watch dailies and make adjustments for the next day. This would include notes to the actors on their performance and story beats to pursue.
For shooting, there were two cameras utilized - a Hi8 video camcorder and a 16mm film camera. To record sound, they used a DAT recorder, which, like the cameras, was operated by the actors. The result is a truly authentic experience - they could shoot in 360 degrees with not a crew member in sight.
When they entered the editing room, the process was the same as any other documentary. This involved sifting through hours of footage and finding the right pacing, emotional beats, and tension. If the camera was extra shaky in a particular moment, but the performance was great, they’d leave it in.
THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT PUBLICITY STUNT
The Blair Witch Project marketing campaign will go down as one of the best. The basic premise of the campaign was that the film was literally found footage and that the filmmakers had been missing for five years. In other words, it was all real. A website was created for people to learn more about the mystery of the missing filmmakers. And it worked - many people believed this narrative, and it built an immeasurable amount of intrigue for people wanting to see the footage.
Released in the summer, The Blair Witch Project would go on to become the most profitable independent film up to that point. It terrified audiences, became a cultural phenomenon, and kickstarted the found footage trend that continues to this day.
#FilmTheory #VideoEssay #Filmmaking
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♬ SONGS USED:
“Trouble in Woodsboro” - Marco Beltrami
“Bad, Wrong, Wrong, Bad/Used to Be Friends” - Mark Snow
“Suspiria Main Theme” - Goblin
“Urban Legend” - Christopher Young
“I Know What You Did LAst Summer” - John Debny
“Main Titles From The Sixth Sense” - James Newton Howard
“Sleepy Hollow Main Title” - Danny Elfman
“Devil Dog Dangling” - Christopher Young
“One More Look In Your Eye” - Christopher Young
“Bring In The Cube” - John Frizzell
“Cyrus’ Will” - John Frizzell
“The Frighteners” - Danny Elfman
“Surprise” - Don Davis
“Wakey Wakey” - Alejandro Amenábar
“Bonnie” - Graeme Revell
“Flight 180” - Shirley Walker
“Mexican Devil Disaster” - Christopher Young
“The Ring” - Hans Zimmer
“Darkness Falls” - Brian Tyler
“Story of the Town” - John Ottman
“Empty Couch” - James Newton Howard
“Tenebre” - Claudio Simonetti
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Music by Artgrid ► utm.io/umJy
Music by Soundstripe ► bit.ly/2IXwomF
Music by MusicBed ► bit.ly/2Fnz9Zq
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Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction to The Blair Witch Project 01:31 Crafting the Story of the Blair Witch 03:23 Chapter 1: Innovative Directing 07:20 Chapter 2: Docu-Style Approach 12:25 Chapter 3: Pioneering Marketing 15:10 - Takeaways

[@virakchhang]

I worked at a movie theater, and we had SO MANY people throwing up in the theaters because of the shaky footage. I was so happy when it left

[@StudioBinder]

😅 decades later it seems audiences have adapted from overexposure

[@ononearts]

They must have been very “sensitive” viewers indeed. What made me nauseous was the insipid marketing, and the droves of suckers who went to see it. I was dragged along by a former girlfriend, who loved it.

[@HunterHogan]

​@@ononeartsYour girlfriend loved the movie, and you were able to share her experience, but you describe it as being "dragged" to a movie; advertisements made you "nauseous." Who is it that you think is "sensitive" again?

[@norco4life518]

@@StudioBinderthis movie still affects me decades later.. I still stuggle with horror movies from this film

[@viickymickey]

@@ononearts well.. many people have a very big imagination and they can really empathize with the movie they watch, especially a psychological/disturbing one, considering that it was the 90s and the horror industry was a bit different and this was the 'first' movie of this category 🤠 but I must say that your ex-gf had good taste in movies and apparently in men too since she is no longer with you LMFAO

[@solertia33]

Watched this movie in a packed theater in 1999. For the last few minutes, as they ran through the house, no one could move. We were paralyzed. And for the last shot of the guy in the corner, the air was sucked out of the room. The hair stood up on the back of my neck (as it must’ve for everyone else). We were in that basement with Heather. The credits roll with that creepy, muted non-music but we couldn’t get up from our seats. It was a truly unsettling experience and I’ll never forget it.

[@StudioBinder]

Pivotal time in film history!

[@onemorechris]

it’s hard to get across now how real it seemed at the time.

[@katemiller4084]

I remember having to watch this in my media class. I remember my teacher saying it was successful because of the choice to shoot it in a documentary style, which was unique and groundbreaking in regards to the horror genre of movies at the time. It success was mainly helped by having a clever marketing campaign of hyping up that the filmmakers really went missing and all that was found was the footage, which was later edited shown as a movie. It really enticed the audience to come and see it, to see if it real or fictional, but some of the audience still actually though it was real and the disappearances really happened. Bit like war of the worlds of its time. It probably helped inspire paranormal activity, which was also successful upon its release.

[@StudioBinder]

Yeah you could say this film was the predecessor of Paranormal Activity

[@Collect2Disconnect]

The first couple paranormal activities scared the ish out of me as a kid

[@plkrtn]

Chronicle, Cloverfield, Paranormal Activity, Unfriended, V/H/S all benefitted from Blair Witch mainstreaming found footage. It wasn't the first (Man Bites Dog, The Last Broadcast) but it was the one that hit the zeitgeist.

[@camcappe353]

It was succesful because they sucessfuly lied and got to believe it was real. It was just a cheap shot at being famous and rich by some dorks.

[@bloodsweatandhammers]

Lightning in a bottle moment. No film will shake up the movie industry like this for a long time.

[@StudioBinder]

Would be interesting to see a film pull off something like this in the current age

[@onemorechris]

the marketing of this film worked so so well. it’s something that could only have been pulled off in that brief moment in time. before that not enough people were using the internet and only a few years later, social media appeared. you couldn’t do marketing like this now. very clever indeed. great film

[@StudioBinder]

Perfectly capitalized on the times

[@MijoShrek]

It was 1999 and their marketing campaign was actually genius in its simplicity. First movie hype train to go "viral" in the wide world web era of the internet, chat rooms. Leaked footage. They passed out limited vhs tapes they gave out at comic book movie conventions. All this leading up to sold out shows. For a shooting budget for something like $35,000. Grossed over hundred millions.

[@StudioBinder]

Fantastic planning 💯

[@macuys]

My experience with this film is epic. Imagine getting a hold of this unmarked vhs tape and was told it was found in the studio (movie studio) and should take a look at it. Played the tape which straight out looked like a home video which matched the empty labels on it. So frightened of the contents I returned it immediately after viewing. Clincher is this was possibly 3 to 6 months before it went on theaters. It must have been a screener version but at the time I was convinced it was a home video since it has no opening or ending credits. I thought I just watched a snuff video. The hint should have been the source who was working at a film studio at the time but the content was so convincing it never crossed my mind to be fiction. I only discovered that it was a feature film when it was being shown in the theaters months after. Too bad the audience by then already knew it was fiction before they even seen it. Truly ingenious project that deserved all the success.

[@StudioBinder]

Dang that actually is a scary experience

[@silversxm2609]

The recent videos have been really helpful for me since I'm more into the screnwriting and directing. Kudos, the best film related channel on KZbin.

[@StudioBinder]

Cheers!

[@dirtybird311]

I watched the documentary before I had a chance to see the movie. So when I saw the movie a little bit later, it scared the fool out of me. They did an excellent job across the board.

[@StudioBinder]

That's how you sell a movie!

[@lumiiineon]

I like the suspria 1977 music at the start. It really fits the theme of the video

[@StudioBinder]

You have good taste :)

[@UberBman]

The marketing leading up to the film’s release was what really helped it land. Especially the documentary about the town and the local legend along with the coyness to whether it was real or not added to the buzz at the time.

[@StudioBinder]

Brilliant marketing!

[@cree8vision]

It's really interesting visiting this movie again. What a phenomenon it was.

[@StudioBinder]

👍

[@_JVNG_]

I always wonder if I took this channel for granted.. the depth of videos and presentation are always top notch. You have helped me very much to improve my skills and knowledge. I owe you. I know it's very difficult to give a video this depth every week, but you never missed. Your efforts are very much appreciated. Thank you for providing the knowledge that too for free. Please keep making good videos like these. Also subtitles and references helps a lot. Kudos to the team! Thanks for everything and sorry for missing anything! I apologize for any grammatical mistakes, because English isn't my first language.

[@StudioBinder]

Glad they've been helpful!

[@_JVNG_]

@@StudioBinder Yeah, they always do! Thanks..

[@brandonscullion]

I was 12 years old when BWP came out... the website was the absolute scariest thing I had seen up until that point. The marketing for Blair Witch Project was insane.

[@StudioBinder]

Every aspect of the making of the film was innovative!

[@onemorechris]

the website may have been the first one i ever saw. it made the film seem even more legitimate, and scarier

[@electrojones]

This was so fresh at the time that I don't think its impact can ever be topped or equaled.

[@StudioBinder]

Would be amazing to see the kind of film that pulls it off today!

[@madhusudankhandare6302]

Documentary style film analysis......thank you so much

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@LemonExtras]

OUTSTANDING video !! Thank yoi

[@StudioBinder]

Cheers!

[@anbuarasu8044]

I was terrified after i watched it. I couldn't sleep bcoz of the way it was shot and edited. Really one of the best horror movies in the entire world...

[@StudioBinder]

The horror genre changed forever!

[@rayancedrichaddad1197]

The Blair Witch Project (1999) is one of the Best Film of All time. Made with a Low budget, It's one the Best Example to inspire filmmaking. A very important process to make Good Movies with Passion and Creativity. Thousand Thanks StudioBinder for this Inspiring video.

[@StudioBinder]

Inspiring for all indie filmmakers!

[@kelseyraehartzellXO]

Absolutely brilliant.

[@Hitchfred_Alcock]

I had the opportunity to work with Eduardo Sanchez on FBI:International back in February this year. When we had some time between shooting I talked to him about this film and he gave me some momery talk about making this movie. It was a nice experience. Cool dude. Thanks Studiobinder for the video. Love it as always ♥

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@Sl20]

Very inspirational project!!!!love it !!!!🔴🫢🤫

[@StudioBinder]

Cheers!

[@plkrtn]

Nearly 25 years later, It's wonderful that the Blair Witch Project is still recognised for how utterly groundbreaking it was as a cultural phenomenon, a viral marketing pioneer and taking "found footage" films into the mainstream. Is it a masterpiece? No. But it certainly was a revolutionary work. 1999 was an incredible year for film.

[@Mortasa]

Great video! I wonder what other movies pioneered popular directing styles other than the Blair Witch Project

[@TheHENpp]

Alfred Hitchcock's Rope would be an example of popularizing the "continuous shot" approach to filmmaking.

[@StudioBinder]

There are some gems out there! We'll cover them ;)

[@Mortasa]

@@StudioBinderthank you 🫡

[@gretaenglish3519]

I remember seeing the casting notice in Backstage and thinking, do I really want to submit for this? I honestly can't remember if I did or not, but the whole Blair Witch experience of publicity was groundbreaking.

[@StudioBinder]

A special moment in time

[@mallikjan2180]

Quality content ❤❤

[@StudioBinder]

Glad you liked it!

[@joaquinhernandez6940]

Another amazing video, StudioBinder. Happy Halloween 🎃 🤪 😜 ♥️ 👻 👽 😱 to everybody

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@bollywoodfightactionreacti9189]

Superb video ❤

[@StudioBinder]

Cheers!

[@donvampa730]

Waiting for a Wong Kar-Wai related video, Favorite Director!!

[@mbgrafix]

I went to school with, and was in the same grade as the executive producer of the film, *Kevin Foxe* _...beginning with grammar school all the way to graduating high school._

[@StudioBinder]

Cool!

[@TheSAINTWARRIOR]

First of all, excellent video Studiobinder, as always. 👍👍 I personally believe that The Blair Witch Project is the king of Flukes... More of a marketing phenomenon than a real film. Proof of that is the 2 filmmakers who made it, Sanchez & Myrick, were never able able to reconfirm themselves as top-level directors and bombed every movie they made afterwards.

[@kingbutler_1647]

I would love to see a video of the Directing Styles of Baz Luhrmann

[@KevinLosani]

This film really captures the zeitgeist of its time. Everything had to click, from ideation, to innovative execution to genius marketing, for it to be the massive success it was.

[@marijo1951]

I managed to see The Blair Witch Project without seeing any advance publicity, possibly easier here (UK) than in the States. I went out without a coat on a hot day that turned out rainy, so popped into the nearest cinema to keep dry. I was even more scared than the time I watched Marathon Man alone in a large empty house, again without knowing what to expect. I remember my first impressions were that the students were rather unlikeable as they seemed patronising and dismissive of the local people, so I didn't mind them being scared a little bit. However gradually I was hoping more and more that they would get out safely. The bit that moved me most was when Heather kept repeating "It's not the same bridge, it's not the same bridge..." only to have to admit that it actually was the same bridge. That seemed the moment when despair really set in.

[@StudioBinder]

💀

[@MrMisuma]

One of my alltime favorite movies. I saw it in a small theater in a small town and the movie freaked me out. I had to take the train home at night and just standing on the train station waiting made me feel very errie.

[@StudioBinder]

haha I can imagine

[@markcall1982]

I remember when this first came out. I had just started college and it was the talk in the classrooms. it was thought of as found footage and not college students making a movie. or it was thought of at the time. its cool to remember the first film of its kind.

[@madhusudankhandare6302]

Thanks

[@StudioBinder]

Enjoy!

[@johnburn872]

This is my favorite scary movie cause of all the reasons in this video. I remember going in America online and seeing a digital newspaper article of the missing filmmakers, it was all real to me, that movie is an iconic movie watching experience for me.

[@krishnansrinivasan830]

Awesome :)

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@benpayne677]

I saw this at a very small Theatre in Mystic Connecticut. It was the last show for the evening. When I went to my car the parking lot was empty and it was a very dark night.

[@brandonscullion]

Without Heather Donahue, THERE IS NO BLAIR WITCH PROJECT!

[@StudioBinder]

The actors all played a much more integral role than normal on a film

[@jasminyagmur4485]

Can you make a video on directing style of Wong Kar-wai?

[@StudioBinder]

we might!

[@user-ts6wc6fn7m]

I hope it either gets a sequel or a remake it was so good

[@cinephile_shorts]

please make a video on rajkumar hirani he is great directer and his editing skill are amazing his movies will make you happy and cry at same time his 6th movie is coming on 22 dec 2023 he is best directer of indian cinema

[@madhusudankhandare6302]

Good question...bro

[@cartoon_tv24x7]

yes we want

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@Speculaas]

Wild how the most influential horror movies were crafted by directors 'slightly' torturing their actors (Looking at you, Kubrick).

[@StudioBinder]

😅

[@didyeah13]

I was still living in France when it got out, and with the limited loca knowledge I could get, all I had was the additional content on the DVD, and when searching online there was not a 100% agreement that it was indeed all fake. Never Have we experienced such a mind set again since!

[@StudioBinder]

Brilliant marketing

[@grothezk]

Man I would love to get my hands on the original script just to see what premises were given. Or was the script structured like a documentary?

[@354Entertainment]

This movie is soo great and unremakeable!

[@StudioBinder]

First time experience at that time was special

[@Jeremy252]

I still feel like if you genuinely can't understand why The Blair Witch Project is scary, you're really just telling people you don't have much of an imagination.

[@StudioBinder]

I think people are looking at it in hindsight, after seeing decades worth of similar films

[@fdyjt]

This is a movie i would want to see in the cinema again

[@Khotamar]

Can you make "How They Shot It" Missing (2023) or other films are in screen life format?

[@StudioBinder]

we might!

[@shafhussain929]

A masterpiece

[@StudioBinder]

👍🔥

[@norco4life518]

This movie came as I came of age for horror movies.. I’ve watched the previous horrors (The Exorcist, Friday the 13th series, Nightmare on Elmstreet, Halloween etc, Psycho, etc)… this movie at the time I seen it was like nothing I’ve ever seen.. I’ve NEVER been as scared as I was during this film when it hit theatres… I still remember many people questioning if this was real or not, which added to the horror of it.. it gave it life, and along with that, the marketing making it seem like these things were happening and caught on tape, made it feel like an actual film that was showing what happened to these people… after this film, horror films never felt the same. It was revolutionary in terms of horror films… they way the characters made you feel like you have been there, as a part of the experience, I don’t think I’ve experienced anything like it.. Now adays, many horror movies take this “found footage” approach, but for me, none will ever compare to how this felt as the OG that reached the mass audiences that “The Blair Witch Project“ has reached

[@puppiepoppy]

Please bring back the Sir Attenborough VO dude!

[@dylanfox8597]

Where is the behind the scenes footage from?

[@StudioBinder]

Featurettes, DVD releases, public interviews, etc

[@andreabruson5558]

This is the only horror movie ever that really scared me! I remember watching it in a theater full of people, on a Sunday afternoon, in my 21 years old and it scared me to death! It isn't probably a masterpiece but it's the most effective horror movie ever made, in my opinion.

[@Dirkfensty]

Script is more important than how much something is made for

[@StudioBinder]

True, the content of the script is a huge factor as to how much money needs to be spent

[@TheSAINTWARRIOR]

No, it isn't. Because if you don't have the resources to give that script justice, even the greatest script on earth won't save you when you're in production. This movie is an exception, not the rule... It's a lottery ticket... A one on a hundred-thousand. Did the 2 filmmakers know what they were doing??... I don't think so, since they basically have failed every other attempt they've made at filmmaking.

[@Dirkfensty]

@@TheSAINTWARRIOR if you can’t make a movie with zero budget you will never be able to with 100 mill Tarantino, Nolan, Villeneuve

[@TheSAINTWARRIOR]

@@Dirkfensty Those are 2 exceptions and (for the record) their budget wasn't so small... Every movie is different. Situations can't be compared. The story should be your only dictator in making the film. The budget should always be shaped around the story you're writing, and not the other way around. You do that at your start, you're finished!

[@Dirkfensty]

@@TheSAINTWARRIOR absolutely everything is all based on story and directing style. Good luck out there I hope you make beautiful art 💜 glad for the convo

[@katedhotman9282]

I was 14 when it came out and thought it was a documentary. I threw up I was so scared. Really traumatised me at the time.

[@StudioBinder]

💀

[@whatsinname5683]

One of a kind horror movie Groundbreaking in each and every terms

[@StudioBinder]

And a great inspiration for indie filmmaking

[@whatsinname5683]

@@StudioBinder yes without a doubt

[@lancevillanueva4191]

When the movies so scary you had to search it's behind the scenes to make sure it's not real 😭🙏

[@reptongeek]

I have to ask, the actors shot the movie, they used no lights so what did the DP actually do?

[@StudioBinder]

Decide on the camera haha

[@JM-zd5cu]

Dan and Ed had a crew of like 5 people work on this. I know most of them very well. I bet they'd talk about this if you asked.

[@StudioBinder]

Great to hear!

[@ronnier798]

My Blair Witch Project was Paranormal Activity. 😂

[@bb-gc2tx]

i auditioned for this obviously i didnt get the part it was cool experience auditioned for about half an hour the directors were very nice guys

[@nictheartist]

The Blair Witch was very much responsible for the endless shaky cam films that followed.

[@StudioBinder]

Yup

[@NicoleSeelig]

In my opinion, possibly the worst era for cinematography. Making something look cheap is not exactly an amazing achievement. And the endless shaky cam, even when there isn't much going on, can get rather tiresome. This is my personal opinion, others clearly loved the Blair Witch. I found it rather underwhelming, maybe because it's was hyped do much at the time. I much preferred Rodriguez's El Mariachi, because it ended up looking a little more expensive than it actually was, and the plot was fun. He also made an effort with the camera work.

[@batmansworshipper8522]

Doesn't Paul Gregory voice your videos any more? :(

[@StudioBinder]

He still does

[@gabrielesimone1372]

I didnt really like the movie when I saw it, but what they did was really impressive

[@StudioBinder]

An impressive feat for sure

[@shadowless5743]

I am terrified when people don't label their personal food too.

[@StudioBinder]

😂 dark times

[@Ajaydamn3412]

Make a video on rgv style of film making

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@zam6877]

The important thing to take away here is: Is fight thr urge towards perfection It's need suck a little, in an organic way That will the "found film" feel...yet, you have to know some people will roll their eyes 🙄

[@StudioBinder]

Just do it!

[@Schmidtelpunkt]

It reminds me of the Dogma movement: The constraints required some originality to be overcome, playing into the immediacy of the material. But as such bold experiments are - once they were done, it felt boring to do it again and again, making clear why movies found their shape and all which was left away by those methods had its reason. They injected some new ideas into the film making DNA, but these days I tend to avoid movies using the "found footage" gimmick. And an uncontrollably shaky camera is about as interesting as a strobe effect: it is cheap and just highlights a lack of visual ideas. 28 Weeks Later was entirely ruined by having the cameraman appear like he had Parkinsons, to the degree that production value got hidden by that idiotic choice - and the camera wasn't even part of the scene. So not every trick working well once should be repeated.

[@hackiest]

This movie is a reminder that the internet was once cool

[@StudioBinder]

haha the formative years

[@marcomacias3960]

would you called Cannibal Holocausts a found footage film? some of the scenes look like a generic film scene: the viewing room scene for example. while others look like what Blair Witch is, a generic found footage film. also the former is not the first found footage film: The Connection is.

[@Speculaas]

I wish guerilla marketing like Blair Witch (and the Dark Knight) was more frequent. I've become blind to TV spots and generic poster art. I want to see more crazy stuff like this man. I want Jigsaw playing a live game at the London Eye. I want the seven dwarfs sing ARG clues in metro stations. I want John Wick to like I don't know FIGHT A BEAR? I WANT BATMAN TO FIGHT JOKER GOONS IN A FOOTBALL STADIUM. NAPOLEON'S ARMY CHARGE EGYPT WITH QR CODES ON THE FLAGS. FURIOSA DRIVE AROUND SYDNEY IN A BURNING OILTRUCK. *SUPERMAN BLOW UP THE GODDAMN SUN.* that sorta thing. I like Guerilla marketing.

[@StudioBinder]

😳 you're all in haha

[@naverich4603]

I personally hate the movie, ngl...but I really admire the creativity and ingenuity that went into filming and marketing this movie. They really did a great job.

[@darkhierophant4914]

A mistake for the film was in the motel scene. The footage was supposed to bein 1991, but they were drinking from Killian's Red with the newer label that only was used in a year or two from 1991. I knew this as I watched it in the theater. The movie was promoted as real footage. Several people left the theater crying during the view. Whether that was thaeterics, I don't know. It was a fun experience, nonetheless.

[@johnburn872]

Man the 90s was peak fucking cinema

[@Psyclonus7]

According to the directors, they returned the main camera that they used to Circuit City and got their money back (30 day guarantee)

[@StudioBinder]

haha

[@jmez927]

Never seen this movie. Never will.

[@henrywilliams6209]

I might be wrong but I thought the first round footage films was a Asian torture film call Guinea pig.

[@cringehorse]

7:24

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for watching!

[@asapfilms2519]

Feelings are much important than technology.

[@asapfilms2519]

Documentary about paranormal were much more scary than the horror films of the 90s.

[@asapfilms2519]

Blending of facts and fiction. The film had to look completely real.

[@asapfilms2519]

Therefore the director had to use a style of directing not seen earlier in Hollywood.

[@asapfilms2519]

Improvised feature film. Is creative freedom. The importance of authenticity and improvisation.

[@asapfilms2519]

Blair Witch was shot like a vlog using camcorders.

[@vibesmom]

So I had heard about the documentary from a friend, and totally believed the movie was real. I went to the movie and I was so annoyed the whole time that they would ever put this footage out. I laugh out loud at myself now.

[@StudioBinder]

marketing did its job haha

[@vibesmom]

@@StudioBinder you got that right lol.

[@paulb808]

where are the actors now?

[@StudioBinder]

still missing

[@paulb808]

@@StudioBinder well played StudioBinder

[@lanowyn]

With a camera I presume

[@StudioBinder]

Two even

[@arsh0603]

This was great movie, even one of X files episodes were inpired by this movie.

[@StudioBinder]

It inspired a whole generation of horror films

[@alfonta]

best horror movie ever , i thought is real for 12 years

[@StudioBinder]

It did its job!

[@azv343]

16mm

[@StudioBinder]

👍

[@GalZiv]

they were geniuses - o bad Edwardo did not get in all the way to Hollywood. I other features are great.

[@SoVidushi]

fun unrelated fact: the actress heather donahue went on to have her own marijuana farm.

[@StudioBinder]

Good to hear she's doing well haha

[@wasimshaikh6335]

Please bring back the original voice over artist

[@StudioBinder]

He's still working with us!

[@marcdraco2189]

I'm most puzzled as to how it cost $35k!

[@StudioBinder]

We break down how they spent it in the video!

[@marcdraco2189]

​@@StudioBinder I'll put it on again, but I'm struggling to see where the $35K went, sure that's peanuts to a studio, the average exec loses that running from the door to his car in the rain (all 30 feet of it). But I thought it was dumb as rocks at the time, and I still think that now, but it's the marketing that drove it to the heights that it reached because (speaking as a non-American) everyone here thought it was anything from stupid to a bad joke played on the audience. Which it was of course, because by that time, they'd had their money. I recall the (supposedly real) IR films from inside the theatres with teenagers jumping and throwing popcorn everywhere and just chuckling at how pathetic this generation is. I can only assume that was part of the marketing genius too. Can you imagine what these kids would have made of classics like John Carpenter's "The Thing" which was made all the better by Rob Botin (who was barely out of diapers at the time) and had a considerable input into more than "just" the creature design. They'd be carrying them out in stretchers. Or if not that, Cronenberg's Videodrome, perhaps the ONLY film that ever knocked me until I was well clear of the theatre - and I was raised on a diet of bloodthirsty pics, including Cannibal Holocaust. I looked at making an improv movie a couple of years back until one of the actors convinced me to write a spec script which turned out a lot better than any of us had expected but I'm not even going to try to flog it to the Hollywood mill because even if it got a green light, I'll be pushing up daisies before it hits the screens.

[@camcappe353]

The success of this movie was based on deceit. We were tricked and I felt like a fool when reading that it was a fake story so I have no respect for the directors or anything relating to this movie as it is your typical abuse of advertising space where anyone can say anything and get away with it.

[@asapfilms2519]

Frugal marketing

[@asapfilms2519]

Activate the imagination of the audience.

[@HCBCHEMISTRY]

I remember the movie in the 90s. It fucking sucks. But I see why it was new at the Time.

[@StudioBinder]

Yeah the style has been overdone since, that's why it was so influential!

[@cartoon_tv24x7]

please make a direction style video on rajkumar hirani

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@cartoon_tv24x7]

make a video on rajkumar hirani

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@future_tv24]

make a video on indian directer rajkumar hirani

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@future_tv24]

we want a video on rajkumar hirani

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for the suggestion!