The Blair Witch Project
How was it produced?
The film was made by amateur footage that was pieced together. The film was produced by the Haxan Flms production company. Casting for this film was advertised in magazines where they asked for actors that were good at improvisation. The film was not driven by stars and they wanted unknown actors and members of the public to star in their film instead of big famous celebrities. Before filming the actors were starved to add to the realism of the film and to make it as true to life as possible. This meant that the actors really got deeply into character and gave brilliant performances.
How was it distributed?
At first three universities funded the distribution of the film. Then Artisan Entertainment bought the film and distributed it. The Blair witch project was also shown at film festivals to gather interest before being screened worldwide.
How was it marketed?
The film was marketed by releasing media tie-ins such as books and computer games. Also the film was marketed as being a real event. For instance on their official website it talks about the actors and directors of the film as if they were real characters who have gone missing. Also the website is very basic and cheap looking and doesn't state the fact that the plot is made up anywhere on the site. There is also nothing on the site to suggest it is a film such as a release date or name of director and stars. It was also marketed using one of the very first viral marketing campaigns.
How was it exhibited?
After being shown at Sundance film festival there was an internet campaign that suggested that the whole movie was made up of real events. The movie was then received very well by critics and made 248million US dollars worldwide. The film was then released on DVD in December 1999
Paranormal Activity
How was it produced?
The film was produced by Steven Schneider and Jason Blum. It was filmed in the director's (Oren Peli) own house which he re-decorated especially for the film. The film was made using handheld cameras and the actors were not given scripts. They only knew the basic outline of the story.
How was it distributed?
The film was sent to horror film festivals where many people liked it. The film was then tested in cinemas where many people walked out as they found it too scary. Paramount then bought the company who had the distribution rights to the film and sent to out to an even wider market all over the world.
How was it marketed?
After the film was shown at film festivals the public could vote on where it should be shown next. The more votes it got the wider the audience who got to see it.
They used of viral marketing,word-of-mouth etc.. on facebook, twitter
They encouraged the people who have seen it to “Tweet Their Screams" using twitter.
How was it exhibited?
At first the film was shown at film festivals that were aimed at their target audience. For example teenagers. Then the film was shown in a small number of cinemas where their target audience were situated. Next the film was voted into more and more cinemas in particular US states. Then the film was shown all over America in every state. Then finally the film went global and was shown to viewers all over the world.
