when the camerawork actually sucks

Found footage movies continue to evolve and adapt with technology. But today, I want to look at how Matt Reeves 2008 creature-feature Cloverfield learnt from decades of run-and-gun filmmaking and perfected the subjective video-camera horror genre on a reasonably low budget.
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ATTRIBUTIONS:
This video contains copyrighted material from the feature films/TV shows listed below. I believe all content used falls under the remits of Fair Use (see below), but if any content owners would like to dispute this I will not hesitate to remove said content. It is not my intent in any way to infringe on their content ownership.
Contact: [e-mail]
Cloverfield (2008) - dir: Matt Reeves.
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) - dir: Dan Trachtenberg.
The Cloverfield Paradox (2018) - dir: Julius Onah.
The Connection (1961) - dir: Shirley Clarke.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) - dir: Matt Reeves.
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) - dir: Matt Reeves.
Let Me In (2010) - dir: Matt Reeves.
The Batman (2022) - dir: Matt Reeves.
Let the Right One In (2008) - dir: Tomas Alfredson.
Godzilla (1954) - dir: Ishirō Honda.
Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla (1974) - dir: Jun Fukuda.
Godzilla Minus One (2023) - dir: Takashi Yamazaki.
Chronicle (2012) - dir: Josh Trank.
The Blair Witch Project (1999) - dir: Eduardo Sánchez, Daniel Myrick.
Paranormal Activity (2007) - dir: Oren Peli.
Project X (2012) - dir: Nima Nourizadeh.
REC (2007) - dir: Paco Plaza, Jaume Balagueró.
The Visit (2015) - dir: M. Night Shyamalan.
Alien (1979) - dir: Ridley Scott.
Cannibal Holocaust (1980) - dir: Ruggero Deodato.
Rope (1948) - dir: Alfred Hitchcock.
Anchorman 2 (2013) - dir: Adam McKay.
American Sniper (2014) - dir: Clint Eastwood.
Gran Torino (2008) - dir: Clint Eastwood.
Troll Hunter (2010) - dir: André Øvredal.
American Beauty (1999) - dir: Sam Mendes.
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) - dir: Halina Reijn.
Missing (2023) - dir: Nicholas D. Johnson, Will Merrick.
Searching (2018) - dir: Aneesh Chaganty.
Unfriended (2014) - dir: Levan Gabriadze.
End of Watch (2012) - dir: David Ayer.
Star Wars (1978) - dir: George Lucas.
Back to the Future (1985) - dir: Robert Zemeckis.
High School Musical (2006) - dir: Kenny Ortega.
Grease (1978) - dir: Randal Kleiser.
OTHER SOURCES USED:
Cloverfield Behind the Scenes (2008) [DVD special features], Paramount Pictures.
Cloverfield Visual Effects Featurette (2008) [DVD special features], Paramount Pictures.
The Blair Witch Project Behind the Scenes (1999) [DVD special features], Summit Entertainment.
---
Cloverfield
Matt Reeves
J.J Abrams
Cloverfield Paradox
Cloverfield Trilogy
10 Cloverfield Lane
Found footage
FAIR USE DISCLAIMER:
As the original material is transformative in nature, uses no more of the original than necessary, and has no negative effect on the market for the original work, the copyright material has been used in accordance with the Fair Use Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act (1976):
Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research.
FAIR DEALING DISCLAIMER:
This video constitutes "Fair Dealing" and does not violate Australian copyright law. As outlined by the Australian Copyright Act of 1968, Division 3 Section 41: "A fair dealing with a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, or with an adaptation of a literary, dramatic or musical work, does not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the work if it is for the purpose of criticism or review, whether of that work or of another work, and a sufficient acknowledgment of the work is made." The video is transformative in nature, uses no more of the original than necessary and has no negative effect on the market for the original work.

[@SceneItReviews]

Soooo....what do you think about the future of found-footage movies?? are "video-camera" movies officially dead, and we're stuck with Desktop Documentaries like Missing/Searching...or will there be a resurgence? Interested to hear what people think.

[@WDSimp]

People take their phones with them and do livestreams on the move nowadays. There are several entire categories over on Twitch that are just that kind of thing - in fact when I popped over there just now, one of the most viewed things on the platform was someone exploring the San Antonio Rodeo. It's not difficult to imagine some films that present themselves as lost livestreams that were recently uncovered in some lost corner of the dark web.

[@GreatGreebo]

The shakey cam thing always makes me motion sick immediately…I can’t even watch your video right now, I’m just listening at this point and writing this comment 🤮 Can’t stand these kind of movies

[@SceneItReviews]

@@GreatGreebo that's fair - they had to put motion sickness warnings in a bunch of cinemas when this came out

[@SNEAKYTV]

working on one at the moment

[@SNEAKYTV]

also - watch the film "Dashcam" as an example of a "live stream" movie

[@K.C-2049]

I wouldn't call the movie iconic but like.... given how easily I recognize Cloverfield from that random ass thumbnail maybe it meant more to me than I thought.

[@shmucksmarles7550]

Bruh, it’s just that Lizzy Caplan is a bhaddie.

[@federicovicente8116]

​@@shmucksmarles7550why you talk like an idiot?

[@seroquelchamber]

the movie is definitely iconic even if it was bad

[@barackobama6105]

@@shmucksmarles7550ong only reason i clicked was cause of her

[@calebisdisposable]

how is it not iconic?

[@hoponpop1261]

Being a lifelong Godzilla fan, my dad pitching Cloverfield as "Like an american Godzilla movie" to me when I was 6 traumatized me big time, but led to it being one of my all time favorite monster movies

[@ELFanatic]

What a way to disappoint a kid, but I love cloverfield so I'm glad it worked out in the end.

[@hoponpop1261]

@@ELFanatic lmao I wouldn't say it dissappinted me, but made me morbidly curious

[@lumieredufilm]

curious to know why it was so traumatizing?

[@amanda1271]

@@lumieredufilm the monster is way scarier than godzilla, especially for a 6 year old probably. I think of godzilla as that campy movie about the big lizard but cloverfield is genuinely fucking terrifying compared to godzilla. still a great movie

[@FUY735]

Seeing Cloverfield in the theaters was one of my favorite movie going experiences of my 53 years.

[@ELFanatic]

Yes, you are right. One of my favorite movie experiences.

[@billmccormick4370]

I would've enjoyed the movie regardless but the marketing campaign made the movie 10x better

[@Kehwanna]

Same. It was fun watching it with surround sound, especially since I had no idea what it was about when I went to watch it.

[@PeachysMom]

The viral marketing leading up to it was so much fun too.

[@cooldrew11]

Both my mother and I got seriously motion sick and had to leave. I really love this movie on a much smaller screen though.

[@PurpleKya]

One of my all time favorite found footage films is Chronicle. It's one of those that I didn't know if even liked the first few times I watched it but I kept coming back to it and all these years later it has stayed with me and become one of my faves.

[@SourceAwareness]

👍🏾👍🏾Definitely! _Chronicle_ is still one of my favorites as well, and I love how it didn't go into detail about the cave, leaving it a mystery.

[@PurpleKya]

@@SourceAwareness oh for sure! Such a cool movie :) I feel like in a world where there are lots of movies that are so similar, it really stands out as something trying to do something different. I'm definitely due for a re-watch

[@thomasjensen5042]

@@SourceAwareness I think keeping the cave a mystery was one of the major factors that led to it being such a good movie. They aren't chosen or anything, they are random kids that ended up becoming gods on accident at a random party, and it really shows the impact that such power has on ordinary kids. Andrew is my favorite character. So much depth

[@ixxirecords26]

Just saw it for the first time, the other day. And maaaaaan what an absolute banger if a movie.

[@karateparty100]

I saw it once, but I feel a similar way about it. The whole time I was watching it, I was thinking "I'm not sure if I like this," and yet I now think about it so often, especially with the way that it depicts how three people can end up on very different paths in life even if they started with the same experience.

[@DanArnets1492]

Then there's [REC], which actually improves on the formula through a double trick · The movie starts as a recording of the then-running "While you sleep", a Spanish TV show about nightlife (odd jobs, normal jobs, weirdos, etc) · Since you have members of the crew from the show, the cameraman and the main character are both decently-versed with covering stuff, they only lose composure when things go really bad, plus they also have a vocational dedication to just keep on reporting [REC], only the first one, is easily the best found footage movie ever. Jaume Balagueró just nailed it end to end.

[@hazonku]

100% agree.

[@BasedBebs]

I watched [REC] and it ruined all horror movies for me because of how grounded and engaging it was. I don't think I'll ever see anything like it again, and that's a damn shame

[@mrheisenberg83]

Never watch the american remake called Quarantine. The lead actress (Jennifer Carpenter) is hot as hell but the movie does everything wrong where the original succeeded. It's like the anti [REC].

[@barisk6855]

And with that ending REC topped not all found footage films but almost all zombie movies too. Creeped me like hell.

[@icdice_VT]

it's super important to see the spanish original, not the american remake which imho didn't hit everything right.

[@FlesHBoX]

Aside from being a great found footage movie (probably the only one I actually like) the audio in Cloverfield is awesome. I suppose it might betray the found footage-ness of the film, since it is so well done, and no handheld camera that some joe shmoe would have had was capable of recording anything like that, but sometimes I will just put on Cloverfield and crank up the surround sound.

[@SceneItReviews]

yeah good point! the sound mixing definitely adds another layer of realism :)

[@denniswijker7162]

Personally I feel Rec. is the absolute top of Found Footage. It has a great plot, great acting, and a very plausible reason for there to BE a camera (up to a point of course). There's brilliant little details, like all the randoms, who are supposed to be just regular people, actually looking at the camera, and into the lens, even when they are not the focus of the shot. Which is a thing people tend to do, but actors have been taught NOT to do. I'm also a big fan of As Above so Below, but that's mostly because the setting is awesome (the Paris catacombs) and it being actually filmed there really helps with the vibe. I haven't seen Cloverfield since I saw it in cinema when it came out, but I should really revisit it!

[@sleepinggorilla]

I really enjoyed The Frankenstein Theory. It had a solid premise, that if The Monster were real it could still be alive in modern times, and might even be Big Foot. It is surprisingly faithful to the book and serves as an effective sequel.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Well i mean it is STILL realistic since basically all Camcorders post 2005/2006 recorded Multichannel Audio in 5.1 with their built in microphones (even most modern new camcorders still do that) Unless you switched the recording settings to a different file format like MP4 (if you intended to use the videos for Web Uploads) then they would only record in stereo. So i always felt the Audio in Cloverfield was pretty realistic , given the fact that the character supposedly recorded it with a little Panasonic AG-HSC1U Camcorder model, which has a 5.1 Surround microphone on top.

[@triciclosonido]

​@@KRAFTWERK2K6 5.1 production sound only works with very steady setups and rarely with dialog present, unless you want voices panning all around the theater which is a big nono. This movie has very traditional sound design, where most of what you hear was added in post production.

[@jeskoumm]

I saw the film and it has a better drunk camera than GTA 4 mod.

[@theseaartbyshagorc]

this film reminds me of district 9 for some reason

[@YodasPapa]

District 9 had a somewhat handheld quality to many of the shots, combined with CGI monster things. It also had a lot of dirtiness to it, as in the world itself was dusty and messy, and that made it look more real imo.

[@joaocosta5193]

tj miller jumpscare

[@SceneItReviews]

hahaha the years have not been kind to his reputation

[@hrothgarnogar]

MAN I love Cloverfield. That was THE MOST intense movie I had ever seen in theaters up to that point.

[@devontespencer5898]

The crazy online marketing for Cloverfield adds SO MUCH to the "realness" of it, The fake websites, fake companies, puzzles and movie clues and clips made the movie so much more enjoyable!

[@ishaan863]

I saw Cloverfield only a few weeks ago, but I have zero hesitation in calling it the peak of found footage film. Masterful execution. Riveting from start to finish. Studios these days think unless the universe is ending the stakes aren't high, but you just need a guy trying to get to a girl he loves, and the stakes couldn't be higher. Beautifully done.

[@ishaan863]

And I'm stunned to see so much green screen on the sets because I could NOT tell from seeing the movie at all! How were 2008 VFX for 25 million better than almost every mainstream Hollywood flick coming out in 2023???

[@dasamont8274]

I often forget about Troll Hunter, like at the time it didn't seem that special, but I guess it was surprisingly good in terms of being a Norwegian film. Like there are other Norwegian films that are better, but they usually suffer from the lack of Norwegian actors, so the verisimilitude suffers because if one has seen a couple Norwegian films, most of the actors are recognizable to the point that you're taken out of it, but the Troll Hunter had mostly unknowns, so one can forget that they're actors, until someone famous shows up in a costume with a recognizable voice to mess it up again.

[@biancamarcal9496]

I vividly remember when cloverfield was going to air for the first time on cable tv, and I prepared myself all day to watch it cause I saw the poster at the movie theatre but I was too young to see it there. As I was able to watch at home, still a kid, I remember turning off the lights and waiting for the movie to start, I was soo excited and loved every bit of it, it was one of the first scarier movies I had ever seen then. What a blast this movie is, an absolute favorite of mine and probably the one that made me such a fan of found footage films.

[@I_am_nobody999]

The bit where that girl died with blood exploding from every orifice was so well done. I felt so bad for her. She was cute and relatable and I felt terrible when she died, it was so sudden.

[@slystone4892]

Cloverfield is a masterpiece I love it wholeheartedly

[@stoatystoat174]

The actress in the thumbnail is Lizzy Caplan

[@exactom6320]

I saw cloverfield in the theater in manhattan. I loved it and still do as I love any good kaiju movie. Definitely my favorite found footage movie ever. The shaky camera and huge screen made my date nauseous though.

[@edwardduarte7393]

I saw a press screening that included the public at the cinerama dome. We had to sit closer than usual. I got nauseous. I couldn't stand the narrator then found out it was TJ Miller. The TRAILER was SICK!!

[@mrheisenberg83]

@@edwardduarte7393 Miller was the camera man.

[@thatssoraving]

This is a great review I didn't know there was an official term for "Meeting a movie on its own terms" I love cloverfield 2008, something that they did really well was the party scene because when the camera cuts the music cuts as well, I hate when found footage movies have music in the background but it doesn't cut when the camera cuts. Great video!

[@olcique]

The guy with the alto sax in the Connection movie is Jackie McLean, one of the greatest jazz musician ever lived. Not an actor and actually a heavy user...

[@CinemaCities1978]

I wish I could upvote this

[@YasmeenCheM]

I remember watching Cloverfield and could not tear my eyes away. I came away with a splitting headache from the frequent camera shake but also a new interest in “found footage” or mockumentaries. I’m always down for iterations of the genre but nothing beats a simple camera setup so far imo.

[@GuineaPigEveryday]

I wouldn't say I like found footage films, or think about them often, yet this film and Chronicle has easily had the most visceral impact on me, as a kid I watched Chronicle and run out bawling with tears, don't know why, never finished the film, and honestly no other films have since ever had that impact. Watching Cloverfield I was very impressed, but I also felt a really lingering sort of dread afterwards that I can't explain, its just damn good at capturing that realism, and that sort of hopeless never-ending stress of being trapped in a city as it collapses. Also the way that Lizzy Caplan's character dies is honestly harrowing, like jesus christ, and I'm glad it kind of obscured the death yet making it feel disgustingly real, I just get a pit in my stomach thinking about it. Also I loved 10 Cloverfield Lane, very different style and approach, but Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Goodman are brilliant actors, and it really nails the concept without showing any of the monsters until the end.

[@CallyWally110]

Jack, another banger. Please keep making these, as a fellow Aussie there are unreal!

[@SceneItReviews]

cheers mate! carn straya

[@joshmartin2744]

As a non-Australian, these are still fantastic.

[@BillyCobbOfficial]

One of my issues with Cloverfield and a lot of other found footage movies is that despite the handheld camera shake they're clearly filmed on multi-thousand dollar cinema cameras. Blair Witch at least got it right by seemingly using an actual camcorder.

[@joshmartin2744]

I can 100% understand your reaction - for example, I hate "gasoline grenades" in movies (that's not what high explosives look like!), but great sound is such a visceral part of watching films that I, personally, can let it slide. I think, most importantly, the reason is that it usually doesn't pull me out of the moment like some other things do.

[@mrheisenberg83]

One of the cameras they used in Blair Witch was an actual 8mm cam.

[@wyredmusic]

“As above so below” had the same effect on me. You know it’s fake but the escalation and anxiety of the characters hooks you

[@thebat7505]

The end shot of cloverfield showing the ufo crashing into the water behind her is genius

[@TheOutsider69]

I understand found footage movies were super played out by the early-mid 2010's but I really wish the genre had kept evolving. I'd like to see a resurgence.

[@RainWelsh]

Same, I love found footage. Cloverfield, Chronicle, and Hell House LLC are my favourites, but the whole genre is just very much my jam, there’s an immediacy and intimacy to it that really gets me. Edit: forgot to mention As Above, So Below, which I also love. Such a great genre

[@pitrephilms5958]

check out Deadstream and Gonjiam Haunted Asylum if you havent

[@averageree]

for fans of the found footage horror genre, my number one recommendation is marble hornets

[@zacharyjohnson929]

The words popping up on rhythm with the punches was pretty awesome

[@naancents9604]

9:05 that scene where she explodes really effed me up the first time.

[@victorusher1557]

Thanks for sharing this. I was probably in the 8th grade when Cloverfield came out & my friend at the time had told me to check out their Myspace page. Became a huge fan of found footage movies after checking out on ones like quarantine, REC, P.A. & even the ones that didn't get a lot of recognition/popularity, but the story and acting was there.

[@edwardduarte7393]

REC is great!

[@TanyaUrrutia]

I actually liked the "Missing" gimmick. That actress really sells it well. So many movies forget we have cell phones and look stuff up on the internet, this was the other coin of that.

[@hottdropp8538]

Really great breakdown. I hope it motivates the next found footage developments in the close, not distant, future.

[@aimeeinkling]

I saw Cloverfield in the theater opening weekend. The place was packed. The whole audience jumped at the jump scares. There were screams and gasps. It was super fun. I don't think I've ever seen an audience that actively engaged in a horror film before or since.

[@mikeyjohnson5888]

The ARG surrounding it was sooooo hype when it was running

[@FredHicks]

I'm so glad I saw Cloverfield in the theater. The found footage style made it intensely immersive, and those "peekaboo" moments with the kaiju landed as legitimately terrifying - not an experience I'd had with any other kaiju movie before or since.

[@anachronisticlaserbeams4820]

My favorite found footage movies are actually Noroi and Lake Mungo, which are both presented as documentaries, and are two of the most deeply chilling films I've ever seen.

[@ajplays-gamesandmusic4568]

I hate it when movies rely to much on POV. Literally induces motion sickness. I got sick in the middle of Cloverfield in the middle of the movie and was miserable throughout the rest of the film... I wasn't scared, I wasn't anxious or panic'd I was just sick from all the POV camera movement. I can't imagine trying to watch Enter the Void on the Big screen... I got woozy just watching it on a 21'' Computer Monitor.

[@joelalonsopr8]

Saw it recently and was amazed how good the movie is! I would add that as someone who works in a VFX studio this movie has one of the most impressive VFX I have ever seen, tracking the image with all that shakiness is completely unreal and a work of art in it’s own right!

[@jas_bataille]

There is this amazing movie Unseen where the plot is that the main character, trying to escape a killer, broke her glasses, so she facetime someone at random and they have to guide her out of a forest. This basically bridges the gap between "desktop horror" and "camcorder" movies, plus the shaky cam footage is halted by regular movie scenes, so the pace is well balanced. It thought it was absolutely brilliant!

[@MartinYankov]

Happy to see REC referenced here. Other favourites of mine are Poughkeepsie Tapes, Taking of Deborah Logan, Savageland...

[@bunkmaster.]

Its so cool that reeves went on to direct the batman

[@danialwilker]

the world needs more found footage musicals

[@DCR_RANG]

Love your vids

[@jmcclain8237]

It's cool to see a director getting better with each film.

[@lilybates.x]

going to go watch it RN

[@DaboooogA]

Great video thanks - I'd recommend Alien Abduction - The McPherson Tape (1998) to fans of found footage horror (otherwise known as The Incident in Lake County).

[@ci7ilian]

babe wake up new scene it video

[@jenl7094]

I stopped this right near the beginning and immediately went and watched Let The Right One In. Wow! Not the topic of this video, but thank you for unwittingly introducing me to one of the best vampire movies I have ever seen. If you’re reading this comment and haven’t seen it, please go watch it now. The cinematography, set design, acting and adapted screenplay all combine to create something eerily tender and still yet haunting and chilling.

[@ctdaniels7049]

Referring to Cloverfield as a franchise feels like an example of "the letter, but not the spirit, of the law". :P

[@2006Whippet]

The thing I most liked about Cloverfield was that your main characters weren't the heroes. They were just your average people going through an event trying to survive.

[@ksen1011]

Cloverfield, REC, and the Visit are some of my fav found footage movies. I vividly remember getting sick the first time I watched Cloverfield since my eyes/brain couldn't process the camerawork back then. This movie literally altered my brain chemistry in a sense 😂

[@skbeaganrules]

I think this movie and The Flower Tapes are masterclasses in found footage camera work.

[@TheMalmut]

Never heard of it, but thanks. I'll look it up. The first found footage movie I ever saw, and probably still my favorite, was Man Bites Dog.

[@i-deni-i5138]

The Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield and Rec are my favourite found footage movies!

[@whoees3953]

Reese still getting work both gives me hope and sadness. I too can fail up, just like him. But I have to suck so bad that everyone pities me.

[@thesean161]

Cloverfield is a special movie for me! The hype marketing and just the way it was filmed. And my boy Jesse having to leave the theater 4 times due to motion sickness.

[@sheikhshit]

The marketing and arg in this movie is insane I fucking love it.

[@justaregulardude895]

I remember reading somewhere that Clint Eastwood does his movies in one take not to capture the most spontaneous or natural reactions (which makes no sense, it’s not improv), but rather because he's an intensely high maintenance person who expects anyone working on an A-list Hollywood movie to get it right the first time (which is highly impractical IMO). Whatever the case, I'm not at all a fan of that creative choice. Yet somehow, it doesn't seem to affect the quality of his work at all. Maybe he just is THAT good at directing.

[@RichardLucas]

When I discovered that 13 Cloverfield Lane was in the same universe, it was very, very satisfying.

[@thatextraguy21]

Project Almanac (2015) gave me so much motion sickness by the 40+ minute mark that I had to walk out. I have never in my life walked out of a movie mid-show nor have I done so since. That was traumatizing.

[@tech8939]

im a simple man, i see cloverfield, i click

[@yanivproselkov1025]

I don't remember the story or characters in the slightest, but I remember how this movie looks and feels like nothing else. For that reason alone, it's good.

[@tipfertool5457]

I remember being excited for this strange movie with the cryptic advertising... then going to the theater and watching... Will Smith in I am Legend. I had to wait another month before that other movie to come out.

[@krolltheknight]

Anybody who likes this type of cinematography and action has to check out Hardcore Henry God damn I love that film A real gem, I never see people talk about that one

[@ubik5453]

All hail Cloverfield!!!!

[@NeonSaber112]

End of Watch is so good

[@JBMetalProductions]

Cloverfield was obviously meant to have realistic human 1st person camerawork... and it did it perfectly.

[@ObeliskDisk]

the "oh my god, oh god" bro the southpark episode was not kidding lol

[@aokaaay]

REC is the best around. It's just marvelous.

[@dad_rising]

When previous video title is not good enough

[@ftlbaby]

I was very impressed by Cloverfield when I saw it in the original theatre release.

[@coalkingryan881]

For anyone interested, Dracula could be considered a really old example of a "found footage" story. I just think it amazing how the idea of making up a fictional recording of events is such a unique, yet timeless genre. It amazes me that humans can come from so many places and times yet still find ways to be so similar.

[@ExtraQuestionableContent]

I think that style is so good because it brings the audience into the work, it allows us to imagine we're a part of it. Instead of just reading a story, we're imagining ourselves uncovering the "lost" pages of an unnamed researcher within a Lovecraft story detailing vague accounts of some unknowable force the brunt of humanity has no clue about or the haunted tapes of a found footage/analog horror series, beckoning us to destroy the tape and turn away. Really gives it all a sort of timeless element despite it usually being very period-based.

[@aldraone-mu5yg]

"Franchise Spawning" I wish.

[@ElGnomistico]

Troll Hunter is so good

[@xJohnnyBloodx]

i liked the blair witch project because they didn't film things too well. you could tell that closer to the end of the film, they were too scared to really care about their project, and was mostly using the camera to see in the dark.

[@Arcsin27]

huge off topic tangent: pointing out that found footage movies/mockumentaries can play with the fact that theres a camera present in universe reminded me of the show castle. there was a single episode filmed like a mockumentary, and i think it really utilized it well. along with the cameras and tapes being important to the episodes mystery and even b plot, it also affected how the episode and characters work! since the characters that were usually meant to be in a real situation were now aware there were cameras, they acted differently! the childish character tried harder to be cool and tried to act as a director since he loves movies, the grumpier and withdrawn character obviously hated the cameras and tried to avoid them or stood around awkwardly, a tough character showed off his skills and constantly bragged to the point of getting into fights with his teammate... i thought it was interesting! i never really thought about how different of a medium it is when the show or movie has the camera physically there for the characters as well!

[@8bitgamer85]

LOST fans thought the creature was the Smoke Monster from this movie was in the theaters in various LOST blogs and LOST bbs discussion forums.

[@Apathesis0]

I found Cloverfield incredibly eye-straining to watch

[@EmoEmu]

Shaky cam is one of those things that directors need to keep under control. A little can add mood, but it quickly turns into garbage.

[@ohtrueyeahnah]

I loved Cloverfield and all the viral marketing when it first came out.

[@hawkbirdtree3660]

A masterclass where a professional camera operator is being asked to pretend to be a beginner. I love it.

[@Sfdjdhrh]

The second one is fantastic. Cloverfield lane. The cast is great.

[@SceneItReviews]

Agree - John Goodman is elite

[@alexdoublell7804]

I'm an ametaur VFX artist and I also love this movie. For me though the one thing that seems like just utter hell would be 3D tracking footage that's as shaky as Cloverfield's

[@JakeBodenhamer]

can't wait for Worldstar: The Movie

[@Nono-hk3is]

I wish they'd make a sequel to Cloverfield

[@manasamafan444]

it was good but i remember feeling nauseous after watching and my head hurt

[@SLAP1FACE]

we dont talk about paradox

[@G59METH]

I love found footage movies, a lot of people straight up hate them and refuse to watch them purely because of the style, no matter how much they think the story is interesting, but I cherish them, it makes me feel like I'm with the characters at the very moment at all times or that I'm reliving something they saw years ago... Cloverfield, Project X, The Visit and many more could be shot normally on a rig, some of the would probably be better if they weren't fount footage (The Chronicle) but it's what makes them stand out compared to similar movies and wouldn't hit as hard as they do because you feel like you're a part of the story, you're the silent observer of everything that's happening, you're basically the main character of the movie because you see everything through your own eyes (camera).

[@KayButtonJay]

I wanna see a found footage movie using Vision Pro, lol

[@rayres1074]

There are many things in Cloverfield which makes it bad, but the dread of an incomprehensible and seemingly undefeatable giant monster is... really unique in the giant monster genre. I feel that idea is an under-explored trope, that is, of regular citizens' experiences amidst the chaos and the fear of the unknown. Almost cosmic horror, to a certain extent.

[@MissingReel732]

Cloverfield literally made me nauseous. I saw it in theaters and I had to get up halfway through and leave because I was getting motion sickness.

[@ElAndoro]

I feel like the music is a bit to loud. Good watch other then that

[@SceneItReviews]

Appreciate the feedback! I had to do the sound mix with laptop speakers, airpods, and noise-cancelling headphones at different times so couldn't get a gauge of when it was too overpowering. Just out of curiosity, how do you watch KZbin videos (i.e. on a laptop, TV, with headphones in??). I might actually do a poll for this, as it severely impacts the sound editing in post, and I want to cater to the majority. Thanks once again :)

[@ElAndoro]

@@SceneItReviews Speakers or headphones, depends

[@joehall9836]

Is that psychicpebbles in the first few seconds there

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

"The Blair Witch Project" is still my absolute favorite among the Found Footage genre because it doesn't share the many bay tropes of the later found footage movies like obvious use of CGI and image stabilization & correction. It is because "The Blair Witch Project" still has the more rough and raw nature and feels a lot less doctored and more organic. You also get a much better feeling for the characters. "Cloverfield", as much as i like it for what it is, sadly shares a lot of flaws that make many post-Blair Witch Found Footage movies feel very cheesy and cliché. Such as the deliberately wrong / bad camera angles, the perfect lighting as well as VERY obvious use of VFX effects and overal postproduction & typical boring Hollywood colortiming. These things always ruin it for me and kill the thrill. HOWEVER "Cloverfield" still had some really really nice moments and i LOVED the Sets and the atmosphere. THAT is what i personally like the most about such movies. Because it really makes the whole thing really feel like a Journey. But..... unlike "The Blair Witch Project", after i watched "Cloverfield", i totally forgot the characters and their names and really could not bond with them at all or at least care enough about them. Maybe this was intended but this is something a lot of productions share that have J.J. Abrahms' Involvement. It was the same for me with "Super 8" too.

[@dog7426]

If I got charged for "killing" my cast and crew, I would feel flattered.

[@belluzinha7004]

Love Cloverfield

[@brycemurrin5130]

Glad that clover field exists because it led to Godzilla 2014

[@walterroux291]

Rec is my found footage film.

[@gringomad]

Okay BUT... are there any found footage movies that aren't garbage? I'll wait.