Paranormal Activity-15 000 to 64 Million

it sure did its job in the creepiness factor and in trying to convince people it was real. that was the scariest part, if you accepted the notion of it being entirely valid. but for some reason i was way more terrified of the fourth kind and the fake footage that put in that film. it really terrified me, that whole unknown vibe.
 
I shoot alot of paranormal content. Some places I vist have paranormal activity and some don't.

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http://grinnerhester.com/disbeliever.html

Like many of us, I'm a total adrenaline junkie and paranormal shoots are a cheap high. Ironicly, this opens me up to many levels of energies... and those do exist (set beliefs aside, this is science)
Sometimes we catch a glimps of these energies. Some can't at all. Never can we summon them though. Hauntings are a man-made invention for profit and/or boredom. Layers of energy though... a whole different thang. Kids and animals are more tuned to see and hearing these grown to become invisible layers because nobody has told them they can't yet... or called them crazy for it. Arguably, we grow more ignortant as we become educated. We at least become blind to some things.
It'd be pretty silly of us to think that this is it... just this life and nothing else. We create things like heaven out of fear of the unknown but I think deep down many of us just go along with that because it's more popular than arguing it. What we all know is we didn't elect to be here and none of us know what is on the other side. This is scary to some... many, actually. Intriguing to a select few.
Those are the ones more likely to see the layers of energy I mentioned above.
 
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.

And that folks is the reason I can count the scary films I've seen on one hand.

But ah, one woman's trash...
 
I simply do not get what all the hype was about for this film. I haven't watched it and refuse to. I want action, acting, actual plot, something.

Us filmmakers trying to produce a decent product and some shmoe with a handycam makes a home video of his bedroom that turns into an over-hyped pile.

Like it or not, that's my opinion.
 
I just saw it...and boy was I impressed. I actually got spooked for a few days...noises in the house...water drips...everything, and that rarely happens.

I thought the actors were great...very natural. If it wasn't for their natural performances, the film wouldn't have worked. Rarely can you find two unexperienced individuals that can act that well--regardless of whether they were fully scripted, half-scripted, or fully improv.

Also, the pacing and tempo of the unfolding story (haunt) was perfectly executed. A real masterful build-up.

I liked both endings...but the first one (that made it to disc) was scarier.

It actually lived up to the hype.
 
I only watched this recently, and I really enjoyed it. Gave me a couple of good, sleep-deprived nights. Mainly because I watched it on the night shift when I was the only one here.:) Though it didn't affect me as badly as The Blair Witch Project. I didn't feel comfortable in basements for months after that.:lol:

I love a good horror movie, but most of what's been put out the last few years have been nothing more than gore-fests. While I don't mind those on occasion, I prefer the "less is more" type horror, which PA definitely falls into.

Now, granted, I'm coming at this as a person who loves to watch movies, in general, as opposed to someone who has been actually making films for a while. Maybe my opinion will change once I've made a few shorts and have learned a thing or two.

On a related side-note, it's really refreshing to see the typically polarized view of this movie, but without the usual "If you liked/hated this, you're an idiot!" comments that you see on most forums.:yes:
 
It was like home movies but with bad acting to me.

Bad acting? I'm not sure what you mean...the acting was almost totally natural...there really *wasn't* any acting, in addition to it being mostly improv.

I'm an actor, and a pretty picky one...and I thought the acting was superb--especially for a couple of non-actors. Most indie films don't come close to the natural believability the two actors in PA had...I'm sorry, but they don't.

I'd love for you to send me an indie clip or short that *you* consider awesome acting. I can then send you a thousand clips of what bad acting *really* is.

:)

I find it so interesting what people consider bad acting.
 
Unbelievable acting is poor acting. Believeable acting is good acting. Kind of simple to me.
The chic just hyperventalted to a point I hoped she'd pass out just so she'd shut up and the dude asked WTF like 12 times after he knew wtf. I pictured the director with two frinds, a case of beer and three doobies all like "hey, man... let's shoot a fake ghost story on the ole camcorder and market it as a movie."
 
Unbelievable acting is poor acting. Believeable acting is good acting. Kind of simple to me.
The chic just hyperventalted to a point I hoped she'd pass out just so she'd shut up and the dude asked WTF like 12 times after he knew wtf. I pictured the director with two frinds, a case of beer and three doobies all like "hey, man... let's shoot a fake ghost story on the ole camcorder and market it as a movie."

This ghost story has made more money than any indie...ever.

Like I was saying, I'm a super picky actor...and I honestly think the acting was almost totally believable...better than 95% of low-budget films out there. That's my opinion.

This couple isn't on the Gary Oldman level...but who the hell is. Post a link to micro-budget films that have believable acting...I'd like to see those.
 
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I don't think mico-budget should be considered when judging actors. The actor is the talent, they don't need a big budget or a fancy camera to act. The acting is good or bad, no disclaimer needed.
 
Bottom line.. viewers can either make it to the end of a flick and enjoy it or they can't.
The bad acting was one of the reasons I couldn't make it through this video.
 
Bottom line.. viewers can either make it to the end of a flick and enjoy it or they can't.
The bad acting was one of the reasons I couldn't make it through this video.

I don't think you appreciate how difficult it is to improv and come across realistic (which I completely think they did for most of the movie). Basically what they are doing is *not* acting...and maybe that is what you don't like about it.

You want to see bad acting? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm2s5mPSp4M

Or this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbjdAZMuEd4

Check out those videos, and tell me these two in PA are bad actors. :)

I've been acting for 15 years, and the couple in PA are incredibly believable considering their experience, and the fact that they are improving most of the dialog.

But I can see we will agree to disagree.
 
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I don't think mico-budget should be considered when judging actors. The actor is the talent, they don't need a big budget or a fancy camera to act. The acting is good or bad, no disclaimer needed.

I totally agree. And I think this is a problem with most indie directors...they think just because they are shooting on a low budget, it's OK to have bad acting (or sub par acting). As you said, it's good or bad, no matter what the budget.
 
I don't think you appreciate how difficult it is to improv and come across realistic
Nobody knows or appriciates that more than I do. All of my original programming is non-scripted. If I'm not believable and relatable, I sell no shows. Period.
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I think that movie could have been ok as is with better actors. For me, they were what killed it.

no pun intended.
 
If I'm not believable and relatable, I sell no shows. Period.

This show not only sold, but it went on to gross tens of millions of dollars. Either you're wrong that a show with non-believable actors won't sell, or you're wrong that the acting in this movie was non-believable.
 
I'm not commenting on the acting (being good or bad) but I don't think that sums it up. It sold on some hype, like Blair Witch. The acting is what you see after you've bought into the hype.
 
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