Paranormal Activity-15 000 to 64 Million

Reg

Reg

What do you guys think about this movie? They made it for around $15 000 and it has made 64 million so far and counting.
 
I think once every 10 to 15 years, the studios release a supposed "indie made with no budget" to taunt the masses of filmmaker wannabees.

First El Mariachi, then Blair Witch... now it's Paranormal Activity.

Yeah, that's right.
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After marketing and advertising, the totals are running around 150K I hear...still a great profit.

So I wonder...how much of this profit are the filmmakers seeing? Are they rich now? Sitting pretty? Or did they sell the film for peanuts before they thought it would be huge?
 
Actually, the movie cost 11K to make and is at 87 million, as of Wednesday's total. Should break 100 million by next week.


directorik said:
How much was spent on prints and advertising?
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Plenty, but I only worry what it costs to complete a movie to the point that it gets a studio's attention, ala Spielberg's boys at Screamfest. As for the 11K budget, the director said that he used a lot of the budget for enhancements to the house! From an Oren Peli interview:

"Shock: The house you shot in was your own. Did that cut production design costs?

Peli: [laughs] No, there was a lot of production design because the year before we shot the film there was no carpet, we didn't have the stairwell. I spent a lot of money just dressing up the house laying in the hardwood floors, painting the house, dressing it with furniture."
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HARDWOOD FLOORS! I'm thinking that the movie actually cost $10. :D


As for what I think. The movie is polarizing audiences. Some think it's crap. Fortunately, I "got it" and was scared out of my wits.

I also wish that this happened every single year, instead of once every ten years. When it happens, you get a lot of people saying, "I can do that." I like seeing the optimisim it creates with indie filmmakers and the resulting earthquake that rumbles through the industry. I hope that Hollywood can never predict what will make money. Otherwise, they won't pay attention to anything outside of the studio circle. This is good for everybody.
 
I hate seeing that. Then every "Joe Blow" with a video camera tries to make a film, most turn out like crap. Then better products get lost in the shuffle because they "fall in with the independent crowd".

Don't get me wrong. I do like seeing a good indie make a truck load of money. Gives me hope. But then there is the flip side...
 
I agree about the glut, but it already started a long time ago. As someone who shot his first two features on film, It took me a while to accept video. Now, I shoot it, but whatever. I do want studio reps at festivals looking for that good stuff, though.

I just got an email where you can sign up to be in the DVD credits. Promotional spam, but what the hell...
 
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The biggest reason I loved this movie is because they didn't try for the cheap pop out scares. The movie wasn't all that scary in fact, besides the very last scene. It was creepy as hell, but not scary. Thats why I liked it. When a movie affects you while you are laying in bed trying to sleep you know the filmmakers did their job.
 
I didn't like it. Too many things wrong with it. Man, they would have ran like hell out of that house after that sh*t happened. The way they kept them in the house was suggesting the idea that the demon follows her, so it's no use. If you're in a room, and some mean ass demon appears, are you going to stay, or run? There was always some weird blood curdling demonistic sh*t going down and then in the next scene it was like it never happened. They calmed down and waited for the next horrific sh*t to go down until someone died. Doesn't work for me.
 
indietalk said:
The way they kept them in the house was suggesting the idea that the demon follows her, so it's no use. If you're in a room, and some mean ass demon appears, are you going to stay, or run? There was always some weird blood curdling demonistic sh*t going down and then in the next scene it was like it never happened.
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The footage was taken over a 3 week period. On most nights, nothing happened. When something did happen, it was usually small (door or sheet moving)l. Seeing that the whole point was Micah trying to get that big money shot of paranormal proof, he had motivation to stay. With Kate, it didn't matter, since it was happening over several years, no matter where. She was getting used to the whispers and usually soft goings on.

It was Micah pissing the demon off that got him his money shot - Kate being pulled out (and eventually him flying). At that time, they decided to leave, but......she got possessed and told him they were staying one more night.

There were definitely some questionable things (like not posting the claw footprints or ouiji board on youtube, straight away!), but it's your own house. How long are you going to stay at a motel? Micah burned the cross, so it wasn't like he was religious and ready to have priests sleep over.


EDIT: My wife just took a night flight to New Hampshire, so I'm in the house with kids asleep. As I posted that, a stack of books fell over in my kids' room. Yikes! :lol:
 
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I got all that but it still didn't work for me. When she was possessed and decided to stay he was like "whatever" and just went to sleep... huh? After a demon dragged her into another room?
 
Hehe. I like #2.
At least people are talking about this movie whether they liked it or not.
 
i wanted to know that was that place really haunted? or its all film?? actually i want to know this because i personally know few people who visit haunted place and make DOCS.so was curious
 
my wife and I watched it last night.
Maaan it was boring. Horrible acting. If it were turned in as a student project I'd recomend it be cut down to half the length and recomend trolling local theatres for free but believable talent. In the whole 2 hours there wasn't a single surprise. I was excited to see it after the hype but disapponted to a point she and I just had to laugh.
If it were turned in as a final I'd give it a C for effort.
 
saw the movie and i was scared not because of the horror element in it but due to the box office report.. How the film can be so successful with out any substantial stuff ? :(
 
I cant see how anyone would mistake it for otherwise. It was a bad student project from what I saw.
I shoot alot of paranormal content. Some places I vist have paranormal activity and some don't. None of the are "haunted". Hauntings are man-made creatins for entertainment purposes.
 
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