Found footage films are a whole niche that can be spectacular, or severely lacking, but the sci-fi movieChronicleused this stylistic choice to perfection. The attempt to make a movie appear as though it was filmed by the subjects, and that the actual product was simply found and then distributed, is most commonly seen in the horror genre. Here, iconic movies likeThe Blair Witch Project,Paranormal Activity, and many more see a story unfold as the individuals recording start to feel anxious, notice something unusual, or generally feel ill at ease.
While this same style of filming could be used in other genres,horror tends to fit with the found footage style bestas it creates tension, drama, and a more intimate story that focuses on the individuals. But, one of the best found films to come out in the last 20 years was actually a sci-fi superhero movie.Chroniclefollows three young men who stumble upon a mysterious asteroid that crash lands nearby, and imbues them with incredible superpowers such as telekinesis, flight, and enhanced strength and durability. And despite the clear break from more grounded stories, thefound footage style was ideal for this movie.
Chronicle Combines The Characters’ Superpowers With The Camera Recording
The Camera Fit Perfectly Inside The Story Of Chronicle
One of the three boys, Andrew,played by Dane DeHaan, is more socially awkward than the other two, and rather than playing sport or hanging out with friends, he gravitates towards more isolated hobbies. One suchhobby is recording and documenting his life with his video camera. And when Andrew and the others get powers, it’s the perfect time for him to document the whole experience, and record their developments.
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Andrew initially carries the camera everywhere, capturing what he sees and hears, but after practicing with his new powers for a while, he finds that he has the ability to levitate the camera and operate it remotely. In this way, the movie is able to transition to more cinematic and supernatural shots, but it stillmakes sense within the narrative. From this point on, the camera feels like a front row seat to witness the action and heroics of the boys, and watch as they develop and refine their gifts.
Chronicle’s Found Footage Style Is Why The Movie Works On A Low Budget
The Found Footage Style Saved Money, But Didn’t Skimp On Quality
According toBox Office Mojo, the movie was created with an extraordinarily low budget of just $12 million. While this clearly marks the movie’s success at having racked up over $126 million, it is also astonishing considering the fact that this is a superhero movie that was made in 2012. To put that in context,TheAmazing Spider-Manon a budget of $230 million,The Avengersfor $220 million, and Christopher Nolan’s final Batman movie,The Dark Knight Rises,for a whopping $250 million, were all released in 2012. Yes, these are blockbuster titles, but sci-fi stories, and even more so,superhero movies don’t tend to be cheap to make.
But thanks to the found footage style, the movie was able to create something more intimate, and hide certain elements that could have added huge costs behind the slightly less polished filming style. However, it in no way reduces the quality of the final product, and actually contributed to making it feel more intimate and realistic. Thismeans that thefound footage style was actually the perfect choiceto tell this storyand create something that felt epic in scale, despite having a much more restrictive budget.
The Best Found Footage Movies Are The Ones That Make The Camera Into A Character
Found Footage Movies Need To Be Clever In Their Application Of The Style
Not every found footage film is created equally though. Since it’s a style of filming that is incredibly approachable, literally making it possible to record a film on a smart device, with lower quality, fewer performers, and little to no special effects, it can be a popular choice for budding moviemakers. But, to make a found footage film work, itneeds to provide a strong reason for the camera’s presence. And beyond that, the camera should feel like another character.
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Chroniclemanaged to do this by setting up Andrew as a lonely and isolated young man who documented his life with his video recorder. This led him to treat the camera like a friend, and communicate with it. As a result, the audience feels even more drawn into the story, because the camera becomes an anchor and a point of access. And when things develop, and the camera begins to move independent of anyone holding it, it feels even more freeing and exciting. Ultimately, this use of the camera and filming style madeChronicleone of the best found footage moviesto date.
Chronicle
Cast
Chronicle is a superhero film captured in a “found-footage” format similar to films like Cloverfield that follows three high school seniors brought together by a mysterious alien artifact. After stumbling upon a mysterious hole in the middle of the woods, they find a crystal that gives them inexplicable powers that grow as time passes. The movie records the teens practicing their newfound abilities, but when one friend begins to give in to the temptation of power and control, this quickly spirals beyond their control.
