Been a bit quiet on the blogging front and that's because for the last week I've been working on clarifying what my thesis is actually aiming to do. It's taken me eight drafts to get this right. I won't bore you with the details but for anyone who is interested. This is the nuts and bolts of what I've been researching for the last year and a half and what I will be working on for the next three and half years:
Identification, Self-Consciousness and
Proof in the ‘First-Person’ Contemporary Horror Film
My investigation will focus on the use
of the mock-documentary format in contemporary horror cinema, and more
specifically on those films such as The
Blair Witch Project (Myrick and Sanchez, 1999), Paranormal Activity (Peli, 2007) and Cloverfield (Reeves, 2008) that create the impression of a
character within the film being in control of the camera. It is my aim to
analyse the aesthetic, technological and perceptual elements of these films in
order to:
- Ascertain all the key influences on the body of films studied here as concerns production, reception and aesthetics
- Establish who or what the audience is encouraged to identify with when viewing the films and why this identification occurs
- Establish the aesthetic, technological and psychological means by which the audience is primed for the viewing experience of these films
- Ascertain how the level of self-consciousness (e.g. the characters’ awareness that they are being filmed) impacts on the viewing experience and thought processes of the viewer
- Determine how video recording technology is used as a method to gain proof and often fails in the task of collecting evidence of the supernatural by the characters in the film
So that's it bascially. That's what I'm spending five years of my life and a shitload of money on. If anyone does have an interest in seriously academic analysis, I will try and do the occasional update on this but I can completely understand if you think this sounds desperately boring and pretentious. And if so, my humble apologies!Meanwhile in completely unrelated news, have you seen the Skyfall teaser?
What do you reckon, best Bond ever? Well until Nolan grabs the reins (fingers crossed)!
Sounds very interesting. I've always been fascinated by found footage films since first seeing The Blair Witch Project then going back to these those films that influenced such as The McPherson Tapes. Although found footage films often fluctuate in quality I always find something to enjoy in them.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. I do enjoy a lot of them but my God is there also a lot of awful, awful crap to wade through. Still yet to see The McPherson Tapes. Hadn't heard of it but have heard of the bigger budget remake 'Alien Abduction'.
DeleteThis is uncanny, Pete. My next review is in the found-footage genre :)
ReplyDeleteWell you already know I LOVE that Skyfall trailer. Can't wait!
Oooh freaky... I wonder which one? Trollhunter? I'll check it out later!
DeleteSounds cool, but a lot of work matey!! Rather you than I!
ReplyDelete:-)
Yeah lot of work! I hope it somehow becomes useful and gets me where I want to be!
DeleteThesis sounds awesome! It's been an interesting road from Blair Witch to now. It seems like the majority of found footage flicks are just using the gimmick to get some cash, but there are a few exceptions as I'm sure you know. REC and Paranormal Activity being two. Hopefully Oren Peli eventually makes his Area 51 flick.
ReplyDeleteI've heard that the upcoming flick Lovely Molly - from Blair Witch's Eduardo Sanchez - is a great mix of found footage/"traditional" footage.
As far as the Bond trailer goes - can't wait!
Yep it's a good way to make some cash if they get it right! Cheap as you like to film and the potential for ridiculous profits if you market it right and make a half decent movie!
DeleteThanks for mentioning Lovely Molly. Hadn't heard of that. Will definitely go and have research of that!
Echoing Scott's thoughts from above! Sounds like a great subject for your thesis, hope it goes as you planned :)
ReplyDeleteAnd Skyfall? Can't bloody wait.
Thanks Jaina, it is an interesting subject but unfortunately it does involve me watching a lot of really stinkty films!
DeleteWow, that sounds like a really cool Ph.D. program you are in.
ReplyDeleteI've never been much of a fan of horror films or found footage, but I am actually really intrigued by your questions about understanding identification and how the camera works psychologically on the audience and actors. Maybe if I started watching these films with these questions in mind I would enjoy them more.
Good luck with your research and writing!
Well I wouldn't quite go that far. A lot of them have no redeeming features and add absolutely nothing to my argument but yeah maybe there are a few more you might enjoy when thinking about this stuff. I just think they are the films of 'now'. So many of us have grown up on reality TV and with home video cameras that these films are the ultimate in realism. Which is odd seeing as we are made so very aware that what we are watching has been filmed. It's a paradox I'm very interested in.
DeleteSounds like a post-modern thing, like Judith Butler on performativity or something, where what is taken as reality is really constructed, so much so that natural breaks with that medium look fake to us. Kind of like what we think is real is the simulated copy of societally approved reality.
DeleteOk, that made my brain hurt. Hopefully you've got a lot of aspirin to get you through the long dissertation process!
Haha yeah my head hurts just reading that. Sometimes I just want to scream 'PUT IT IN SIMPLE BLOODY ENGLISH!'
DeleteDude, that sounds fascinating! I think it's awesome and not pretentious at all. I'm actually quite jealous of all your education - so this is a thesis to get your PhD? Impressive! I got a B.S. in Humanities because I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life in college. Now I know. One of these days I will have saved enough $ to go to film school.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a fascinating topic, and I'll look forward to your updates, man.
Yep this is eventually going to be 100,000 words and it will get me my PhD if all goes to plan and the powers that be deem me to have made a significant new contribution to film studies!
DeleteThat's so cool, Pete! What kind of job are you hoping to get after you complete your studies?
DeleteWell it's likely I'll just be able to go into university lecturing but really I want to just get in contact with lots of publishers and try to make a living out of writing film related books, both popular and academic!
DeleteAhhh, that's so cool! I could see you definitely enjoying that. If you ever write a book, I will be sure to read it! Best of luck on that. :)
DeleteThanks Kristin, I'll need the luck! It's going to pretty competitive!
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