The movie took 2 years to shoot between 2003 and 2005, with some additional scenes in 2006. It was a movie project that started in 1999, but was never easy to take off the ground, because of the fact that it isn't the standard script or the typical movie. The idea behind it, was to find a way to re-create professional video footage by someone who has no idea of movies, he is just in love with his camera, he shoots anything for anyone just for the fun of it and he doesn't care about the shots that much, because he thinks he is a good editor. Trying to get into that guy's shoes, while trying your best as a film-maker creates a conflict. You try to stay focused and to imitate the common mistakes you see in other's people's videos, which is what you actually avoid as a film-maker.
The second great challenge was the actors. The first attempts were a failure and the lead female part of the reporter was given to two other actresses at first. After a number of screen tests, the first scene was shot with the one actress in full. The video footage still exists. It was clear that something was missing. So, the director went with his next choice and re-shot the full scene. That was it! She was perfect for the role. She understood the concept of being natural and authentic, she tried her best to get rid of any theater knowledge and experience, that always looks fake in movies. She was very involved until the end of the movie and she took important lessons about a different type of acting, very close to method acting, but totally dangerous for others.
The scenes of this movies were well planed, but the whole approach almost produced lethal accidents on set. The first story was smooth and the director took advantage of the fact that those two actors were in their first year of acting school and always over-acted. It was so perfect for a story that had to look fake. The reporter in the story supposedly had the brilliant idea to shoot it like it was happening in real time, she appeared inside the house out of nowhere and interviewed them, while they were still "fighting". The whole concept is actually a spoof of the countless stupid reality shows, where everyone is talking to the camera about emotions and how they have felt at that particular moment. The "murder" went well, and the reporter wanted to make a great exit, as if she had captured a real crime on tape.
The second story was problematic. The actress was great, but nobody knew, she hadn't show how far she could go. The male actor wasn't good at all, so as part of the "fake" style of the story, the shooting was going great. Until the actress had to cry. She stopped speaking to the crew and the other actors, she cried her guts out and couldn't even breathe. She stayed in the role and went to the kitchen, she grabbed a real knife, almost cut herself badly and then she went to the guy's room. The director was shocked and took the risk instead of stopping the shooting. He asked from the actor to turn his back against the camera, so that he wouldn't see her face. The actress didn't act anymore, it was scary. She almost stabbed the guy twice for real and he had no idea what was going on, thinking everything was still OK.
Everything else went fine as planed until the final story. There are three girls inside the room. The one who starts the fight was an actress and was working in the Theater, while the other one had never acted in front of the camera, but was singing on stage from time to time. The shooting stopped after an hour, cause the "singer" lost her mind, she was shaking and was throwing stuff, she even managed to throw a bunch of keys to the refrigerator so hard, that the metal door almost broke in half. Nobody was sure if it was healthy to keep shooting. The word CUT was never heard on set, and that is one thing that cause actors to lose their control, to forget that the camera was there and to become really angry and vicious. So, this is somehow the closest you can get to a real found footage material. The moment in the end almost send everyone to jail, but the actress recovered and didn't press charges, the hit was real and if the brain was shattered she could end up dead.
The second great challenge was the actors. The first attempts were a failure and the lead female part of the reporter was given to two other actresses at first. After a number of screen tests, the first scene was shot with the one actress in full. The video footage still exists. It was clear that something was missing. So, the director went with his next choice and re-shot the full scene. That was it! She was perfect for the role. She understood the concept of being natural and authentic, she tried her best to get rid of any theater knowledge and experience, that always looks fake in movies. She was very involved until the end of the movie and she took important lessons about a different type of acting, very close to method acting, but totally dangerous for others.
The scenes of this movies were well planed, but the whole approach almost produced lethal accidents on set. The first story was smooth and the director took advantage of the fact that those two actors were in their first year of acting school and always over-acted. It was so perfect for a story that had to look fake. The reporter in the story supposedly had the brilliant idea to shoot it like it was happening in real time, she appeared inside the house out of nowhere and interviewed them, while they were still "fighting". The whole concept is actually a spoof of the countless stupid reality shows, where everyone is talking to the camera about emotions and how they have felt at that particular moment. The "murder" went well, and the reporter wanted to make a great exit, as if she had captured a real crime on tape.
The second story was problematic. The actress was great, but nobody knew, she hadn't show how far she could go. The male actor wasn't good at all, so as part of the "fake" style of the story, the shooting was going great. Until the actress had to cry. She stopped speaking to the crew and the other actors, she cried her guts out and couldn't even breathe. She stayed in the role and went to the kitchen, she grabbed a real knife, almost cut herself badly and then she went to the guy's room. The director was shocked and took the risk instead of stopping the shooting. He asked from the actor to turn his back against the camera, so that he wouldn't see her face. The actress didn't act anymore, it was scary. She almost stabbed the guy twice for real and he had no idea what was going on, thinking everything was still OK.
Everything else went fine as planed until the final story. There are three girls inside the room. The one who starts the fight was an actress and was working in the Theater, while the other one had never acted in front of the camera, but was singing on stage from time to time. The shooting stopped after an hour, cause the "singer" lost her mind, she was shaking and was throwing stuff, she even managed to throw a bunch of keys to the refrigerator so hard, that the metal door almost broke in half. Nobody was sure if it was healthy to keep shooting. The word CUT was never heard on set, and that is one thing that cause actors to lose their control, to forget that the camera was there and to become really angry and vicious. So, this is somehow the closest you can get to a real found footage material. The moment in the end almost send everyone to jail, but the actress recovered and didn't press charges, the hit was real and if the brain was shattered she could end up dead.