Found Footage Horror Films

<p>This book adopts a cognitive theoretical framework in order to address the mental processes that are elicited and triggered by found footage horror films. Through analysis of key films, the book explores the effects that the diegetic camera technique used in such films can have on the cognition of viewers. It further examines the way in which mediated realism is constructed in the films in order to attempt to make audiences either (mis)read the footage as non-fiction, or more commonly to imagine that the footage is non-fiction. Films studied include <i>The Blair Witch Project, Rec, Paranormal Activity, Exhibit A, Cloverfield, Man Bites Dog, The Last Horror Movie</i>,<em> </em><em>Noroi: The Curse</em>, <em>Autohead</em> and<i> Zero Day</i></p><p></p><p>This book will be of key interest to Film Studies scholars with research interests in horror and genre studies, cognitive studies of the moving image, and those with interests in narration, realism and mimesis. It is an essential read for students undertaking courses with a focus on film theory, particularly those interested specifically in horror films and cognitive film theory.</p><p></p> <p>TABLE OF CONTENTS</p><p></p><p>List of Figures</p><p></p><p>Acknowledgements</p><p></p><p>Introduction: why found footage horror films matter</p><p>Approaching diegetic camera horror</p><p></p><p>The processing of point of view</p><p></p><p>Developing a cognitive approach to diegetic camera horror</p><p></p><p>Limits of psychoanalytic theories for diegetic camera horror</p><p></p><p>Cognitivism and how we think about the diegetic camera</p><p></p><p>Priming for point of view</p><p></p><p>Engagement and empathy in diegetic camera films</p><p></p><p>Attention and cognitive participation: activating the seeking system</p><p></p><p>Alignment and allegiance with camera operators and charismatic killers</p><p></p><p>Notes</p><p></p><p>Bibliography</p><p></p><p>Filmography</p><p></p><p>1 Genealogy</p><p>Faked representations</p><p></p><p>First-person point of view</p><p></p><p>Real death on screen</p><p></p><p>Developments in technology and the impact on aesthetics: cameras, surveillance, and the dominance of mediated reality</p><p></p><p>The horror genre: history, aesthetics, and technology</p><p><em><p>Mimicked forms: documentary, reality television, and home video</p></em></p><p>Notes</p><p></p><p>Bibliography</p><p></p><p>Filmography</p><p></p><p>2 <b>Narration and the diegetic camera</b></p><p>The diegetic camera and point of view</p><p></p><p>Issues of narration and enunciation</p><p></p><p>Self-consciousness</p><p></p><p>Tone and metatextuality </p><p></p><p>Performance</p><p></p><p>Sound and dialogue</p><p></p><p>Personal imagining</p><p></p><p>Realism</p><p></p><p>Notes</p><p></p><p>Bibliography</p><p></p><p>Filmography</p><p></p><p>3 Priming the spectator and mediated reality</p><p>Defining priming</p><p></p><p>Viewer hypothesising</p><p></p><p>Representing mediated reality with the diegetic camera</p><p></p><p>Stylistic techniques</p><p></p><p>Creating mood and emotion</p><p></p><p>Conclusion</p><p></p><p>Notes</p><p></p><p>Bibliography</p><p></p><p>Filmography</p><p></p><p>4 Camera operator interaction with viewers and profilmic subjects: The case of home movies</p><p>Recognition of camera operators and cinematography as performance</p><p></p><p>Alignment of information accumulation and cognitive and bodily response</p><p></p><p>Interaction with the viewer</p><p></p><p>Interaction between camera operators and profilmic subjects</p><p></p><p>Empathy, affective identification, and allegiance with camera operators</p><p></p><p>Allegiance with camera operators engaging in amoral behaviour</p><p></p><p>Conclusion</p><p></p><p>Notes</p><p></p><p>Bibliography</p><p></p><p>Filmography</p><p></p><p>5 Allegiance with Charismatic Killers: <b><i>Man Bites Dog</i>, <i>The Last Horror Movie </i>and <i>Zero Day</i></b></p><p></p><p>Recognition of killers and amoral fascination</p><p></p><p>How the diegetic camera directs moral evaluations of characters</p><p></p><p>Empathy, the killer’s face, and the close-up</p><p></p><p>Moral Structure: Killers and camera operators</p><p></p><p>Conclusion</p><p></p><p>Notes</p><p></p><p>Bibliography</p><p></p><p>Filmography</p><p></p><p>Conclusion: The future for diegetic cameras</p><p>Re-definitions and classifications</p><p></p><p>Conclusions</p><p></p><p>The importance of priming </p><p></p><p>Self-consciousness and camera operator interaction</p><p></p><p>Allegiance with charismatic killers</p><p></p><p>Further areas of exploration</p><p></p><p>Notes</p><p></p><p>Bibliography</p><p></p>