8/2/2019 blair wtch

1/24

BY : SONIA VERMA

ANKUR ADLAKHA

NISHANT SHEKHAR

RINKY KHANEJA

ATUL KUMAR

RUIKE ATAKA

8/2/2019 blair wtch

2/24

8/2/2019 blair wtch

3/24

INTRODUCTION

Three film students go to Burkittsville, Maryland to make a documentary on the infamous Blair

Witch legend. They go missing, but a year later their footage is found in a bag inexplicably

burried under an abandoned 100-year-old house. The director is Heather Donahue (Heather

Donahue), her main cameraman is Joshua Leonard (Joshua Leonard) and Michael Williams

(Michael C. Williams) is the sound crew.

According to legend the Blair Witch is the ghost of Elly Kedward of the late 1700s. Several

children accuse Kedward of luring them into her home to draw blood from them. Kedward is

found guilty of witchcraft, banished from the village during a particularly harsh winter and

presumed dead. By midwinter all of Kedward's accusers along with half of the town's children

vanish. Fearing a curse, the townspeople flee Blair and vow never to utter Elly Kedward's name

again. In 1825, eleven witnesses testify to seeing a pale woman's hand reach up and pull ten-

year-old Eileen Treacle into Tappy East Creek. Her body is never recovered, and for thirteen

days after the drowning the creek is clogged with oily bundles of sticks. In 1886, eight-year-old

Robin Weaver is reported missing and search parties are dispatched. Although Weaver returns,

one of the search parties does not. Their bodies are found weeks later at Coffin Rock tied

together at the arms and legs and completely disemboweled. In 1941, starting with Emily

Hollands, a total of seven children are abducted from the area surrounding Burkittsville,Maryland. An old hermit named Rustin Parr walks into a local market and tells the people there

that he is "finally finished." After the police hike for four hours to his secluded house in the

woods, they find the bodies of seven missing children in the cellar. Each child has been

ritualistically murdered and disemboweled. Parr admits to everything in detail, telling authorities

that he did it for "an old woman ghost" who occupied the woods near his house. He is quickly

convicted and hanged. The three filmmakers interview the 'country bumpkin' types of

Burkittsville, who seem equally enjoying being on camera and mystified as to why they'd want

to make this film. Heather interviews Mary Brown an old and quite insane woman who has lived

in the area all her life. Mary claims to have seen the Blair Witch one day near Tappy Creek in the

form of a hairy, half-human, half-animal beast. Two fisherman tell Heather that Coffin Rock isless than 20 minutes from town and the three decide to make the woods of the 'Blair Witch' the

centerpiece of the film.

After enjoying a drunken night at their motel, Heather, Josh and Mike park and go into the

woods, with a map of the logging trail. After hiking a few miles into woods that seem far larger

than they thought they were from the outside, they film the creek where the Coffin Rock

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231946/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231946/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0502671/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0931321/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0931321/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0502671/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231946/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0231946/

8/2/2019 blair wtch

4/24

massacre occurred. Satisfied with their footage the three set up their tent when it starts to rain.

They remain in high spirits through the night, despite Mike's flatulence. The next morning

Joshua claims he heard strange noises during the night, one of them he's determined was

cackling.

Consulting their map of the area, the team decide to press on further into the woods in search of

an old graveyard but Josh and Mike are a little concerned about the accuracy of Heather's map

reading having got them a bit lost the day before. They set off, still in high spirits, kidding with

each other and generally enjoying their weekend. Heather remains confident that they are on the

right trail and that they will reach the graveyard in an hour and a half. But it soon becomes clear

that they are in fact lost and tensions begin to mount, both men resenting that Heather continues

to film while they're lost. They press on, braving an arduous river

crossing over a log bridge. They soon come across a clearing where they find strange piles of

rocks neatly stacked on the ground. Heather recalls something that Mary Brown had said about a

pile of rocks in the bible, but can't remember exactly what it is. They find seven piles of stones

all in all.

That night, they build a fire and cook food, some of the tensions having dissipated a little. During

the night, Heather takes them back to the rocks to film more footage and one of them knocks

over the pile of rocks. Later still, the trio hears strange noises from the woods and they set off to

investigate. Something is clearly moving around them, but Mike refuses to leave the tent to help

look for it. Next morning, it's raining harder than ever and the trio discuss the events of the night

before. Josh suggests that the noises were caused by local rednecks and Mike agrees, worrying

that if someone was prepared to come this far out into the woods just to frighten them, they mustbe seriously disturbed.

The group decides to head back for the car, Heather continuing to insist that she knows where

they are going. As the day progresses and they fail to find their way back to the car, tensions

again start to run high and, as the day turns into evening, Heather suggests that they camp for the

night. Mike is starting to get increasingly stressed by their predicament, though Heather

maintains that they aren't far from where they left the car.

That night, they are again disturbed by strange noises around them in the dark. They again go

outside to see what's causing it and hear what seems to be trees being knocked over and otherstrange sounds. Josh suggests that it's probably deer, but Heather isn't so sure, noting that "it's on

all sides of us" and that the sounds are like footsteps.

Next morning, they find three piles of rocks that have mysteriously appeared overnight

surrounding their tent. Heather films the rock piles, to the dismay of Mike and Josh who just

want to get home. But things are about to get worse - the map has disappeared. Heather had it in

8/2/2019 blair wtch

5/24

her trousers the night before, but it's gone now and the two men deny having seen it. They are

now completely lost and have no way of finding their way back to the car. Josh implies that

Heather has deliberately lost or hidden it to keep them all in the woods to complete her movies.

Unwilling to give up, the trio keep on following the creek hoping that it will eventually lead

them somewhere. Josh reasons that someone will start looking for them when they don't return.

They come to a river which again proves difficult to cross and already frayed tempers are

stretched almost to breaking point, with Mike now acting even less rationally than ever. Heather

is angry that the men are laughing at her when her shoes become waterlogged and a near

hysterical Mike admits that he threw the map into the creek because he felt it was useless. Mike

and Josh almost come to blows and Heather screams abuse at him, becoming even more

hysterical than Mike. The relationship between the three is now completely broken down and

they waste time arguing over who is going to hold the compass and apportioning blame.

Eventually, after continuing south for a while, Mike and Josh simply stop and refuse to go any

further. But in a nearby clearing, Mike finds strange stick figures hanging from trees, dozens ofthem, some in the shape strange runic symbols, others clearly meant to represent human forms.

Heather films the totems for a while before Mike, and Josh demands that they leave the area.

Mike screams hysterically for help, reasoning that rednecks have followed them and made the

figures.

That night, they decide not to light a fire and to extinguish all lights in the hope that it won't give

away their position and hence won't attract attention to themselves. But they are again all woken

by strange sounds, including what appears to a baby screaming. As they are listening, something

starts shaking their tent. All three flee into the night, still filming everything as they go and they

spend the rest of the night cowering together in the darkness.

At day beak they return to the tent and Josh finds that all of his belongings have been scattered

around the clearing and is covered with some strange slimy substance. They also find another of

the wooden stick figures fashioned from twigs and vines. Finally sickened by her insistent

filming of everything, Mike attacks Heather and tries to get her precious video camera away

from her.

They again press on and Josh seems to be on the verge of losing it, becoming moody and

depressed, wandering off to sit on his own. Mike and Heather forge an uncomfortable alliance,

trying to hold the group together. Mike argues that whatever is stalking them will return and that

they must keep moving, while Heather maintains that it's simply impossible for someone just to

vanish in America. Later, they come to a river and, panic-stricken, realise that it's the same river

they struggled across the previous day - they've been going round in circles. Mike rushes off

ranting angrily while Heather collapses in tears. They're now desperate and have no idea where

they should go - they've been heading south all day and they've simply ended up where they

8/2/2019 blair wtch

6/24

started from and Heather has no explanation for it. Josh's anger and frustration finally boils over

and, turning the camera on Heather, taunts her about her ambition and obsession that has led to

them being lost, cold and hungry. Mike tries to calm things down but Josh persists and torments

Heather until she again breaks down in tears.

Night falls again and they are forced to sleep in pretty much the same place as they slept the

night before. They're now too tired and emotional to fight any more and as they discuss the food

they miss the most, Heather repairs a hole in Mike's jeans.

Next morning, Heather and Mike wake to find that Josh has vanished. They search the area

around the camp site but there's no sign of him. Mike believes that Josh has simply gone off for

some time alone, but even after they've packed up and broken down the tent, there's no sign of

him. Totally demoralised and clearly very disturbed, Heather and Mike move on, trying to keep

each others spirits up. Night again falls and they again wake to hear strange noises in the woods,

including what seems to be Josh's agonised screams. They stumble around in the dark lookingfor him, but there's no sign of him and it's impossible to tell which direction the screaming is

coming from.

At daybreak, Heather finds a strange bundle of sticks held together with twine sitting on the

ground outside the tent. She nervously picks it up and throws it away. Heather and Mike are now

just too exhausted to move on and they spend the rest of the morning comforting each other.

Later, Heather finds another of the bundles of twigs, this time with something inside - she opens

it and finds a piece of the material from Josh's shirt wrapped around hair, an unidentifiable piece

of viscera, and what appears to be teeth, all bloodied. Heather breaks into hysterics, rushes to the

nearby stream and washes her hands before putting on her pack and joining Mike on anotherfruitless hike through the woods. Their meanderings are becoming ever more random and

directionless as their mental states rapidly collapse. Mike is even driven to eating dry leaves to

help alleviate the hunger.

That night, Heather videotapes a confessional, apologising to her mother and to Mike and Josh's

parents for her naivety accepting full blame for what has happened on the ill-fated expedition.

She realises that her dogmatism and pig-headedness are what has led them to being where they

are. Later in the dead of night, they again Josh's voice, closer this time, pleading for someone to

help him and they abandon the tent to go in search of him.

Following Josh's voice, Heather and Mike find a derelict house in a clearing and goes inside

where they see runic symbols on the wall next to child sized hand prints. Josh's voice seems to be

coming from somewhere inside the house and Mike rushes upstairs in search of Josh. Mike then

realizes that the voice is now in fact coming from the basement and rushes down the steps.

Suddenly, Mike is rendered silent and the camera falls. A hysterical Heather follows and sees

8/2/2019 blair wtch

7/24

Mike in the corner of the room, face against the wall. Suddenly Heather's camera is knocked

down too and she is rendered silent. The film runs for a few seconds and then dies.

"The Blair Witch Project"

and "The Sixth Sense"

Review by Katharine E. Monahan Huntley

The Blair Witch Project, co-writer/director/editors Eduardo Sanchez and Dan Myrick's fauxdocumentary about an urban legend, has created its own mythology. The least of which is itstremendous financial success-a phenomenon sure to be recounted among aspiring filmmakers foryears to come.

As a horror story, the scare factor is not as startling as one might expect. At least not when you

are aware of how the cinema verite' was really produced. Certainly not when you're watching thefilm knowing full well one of its stars is appearing on Letterman that night. In spite of this, itsrealistic intensity and wild popularity indicate there's something about the Blair Witch.

Survival of the fittest is one take on the story-issuing forth a potential Dramaticagrand argument.Student director Heather Donahue is the main character. Capturing the Blair Witch essence on16mm is the objective story goal. Heather's crew, Josh and Mike, represent the obstaclecharacter's (dissenting) point of view once the quest goes awry-which is almost immediately.The conflict and eventual disintegration between Heather and the boys is delineated inthe subjective story. The outcome is a chilling success, however, thejudgmentis not just bad-it ishorrific.

The Blair Witch Project may not be a Dramatica grand argument in the strictest sense.Nonetheless, it is a finely crafted work of filmic fiction and I, for one, am superstitious enough tostay out of the woods and in my hotel suite-room service and a concierge my essential campingnecessities.

The Sixth Senseis another ghost story, but unlike The Blair Witch Project the ghosts are visible(along the lines of Dickens' restless specters) and the Dramaticagrand argument story quitedistinct. Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan performs a neat mind trick upheld by sharpstorytelling that, upon replaying the narrative, answers all pertinent questions.

The opening sequence outlines the impetus for Dr. Malcolm Crowe's (main character) drive. Arenowned child psychologist, hispast(mc concern) is visited upon him with a violentsuddenness (objective story driver-action). A former patient, grown up and still anguished, putshimself out of his misery by shooting Malcolm and then committing suicide. The good doctordid not understand(os story concern) the nature of his demons.

The next fall, the psychologist finds himself diagnosing an acutely sad andsuspicious (obstaclecharacter unique ability) young boy whoseproblems (desire) are uncannily similar-offering

http://www.dramatica.com/story/storyforms/storyforms/sixthsense_storyform.htmlhttp://www.dramatica.com/story/storyforms/storyforms/sixthsense_storyform.htmlhttp://www.dramatica.com/story/storyforms/storyforms/sixthsense_storyform.html

8/2/2019 blair wtch

8/24

Malcolm a chance for redemption (judgment-good). Malcolm and ColeSear conceptualize (subjective story concern) a way (limit-optionlock) to help each other, and inturn help others understand(os goal) the troubled child's gift.

Thefour throughlines are uncommonly well balanced. The main and obstacle characters are fully

developed. Although Malcolm and Cole's interactions in the subjective story are the film's focalpoint, the roles the main and obstacle characters fulfill as objective characters in the overallstory are clearly defined and key to the story's resonance-particularly exemplified by Cole'striumphant acceptance (oc resolve-steadfast) of his abilities (oc solution).

"Out of the depths I cry to you, oh Lord." An otherworldly plea treated with compassion in thisfine Dramatica grand argument story, transforms The Sixth Sense from a "freak" show to one ofbenevolent humanity.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESS OF BLAIR WITCH PROJECT

One of the great strengths and weaknesses of the film is the editing. It is good in that it does

much to heighten the tension, with many key moments lasting just a little too long for comfort.

Each time the characters find something nasty, the viewer is made to want the editor to cut soon

to the next scene, and the fact that he doesn't adds to the sense of being trapped, as the characters

are. The problem with this, though, is that one is left wondering about the motives of the fictional

editor. In truth, of course, the film is edited to create these effects, and to entertain, but the film'srationale is that these are the rushes of a documentary put together posthumously by someone

other than the film's original creator. Why, then, would an editor piecing together such footage,

edit for dramatic effect rather than for clarity? Why would he keep cutting back and forth from

the video footage to the film footage, when neither shows any more information than the other?

The film is stark. After one simple caption at the start, all that follows is the "rushes". I

wonder if the film might not have been improved with an introductory section which

documented how the rushes were found and edited. A program was made for television which

did this. Perhaps a portion of this might have been added to the film, making it more complete

and more believable (and proper feature length)

8/2/2019 blair wtch

9/24

ACTORS

Joshua Leonard - Footage shows this youngman went missing during the fifth night of the hike.A mysterious bundle of sticks, bound in strips of hisplaid shirt, was found outside of the tent the nextmorning. Further inspection revealed a bloody tooth,some herbs and more of his plaid shirt. Still missing

and presumed dead.

Michael Williams - Information gathered fromthe video evidence suggests this man was somehowhypnotized inside a dilapidated old farmhouse in theMaryland forests. Last image of this victim aliveshows him cowering in the basement corner of thefarmhouse. Like his friends, he is still missing andpresumed dead.

Heather Donahue - The film which was found

buried in the woods suggests this woman was thelast to be attacked before the film suddenly ended.Blood-curdling screams from this victim can beheard throughout the last 30 seconds, indicating shewas most likely being attacked. Nobody has beenfound. Presumed to be dead

8/2/2019 blair wtch

10/24

FACTS ABOUT BLAIR WITCH

The three principal actors, Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael C. Williams, shot

nearly all of the completed film.

- The actors were requested to interview the townspeople, who often, unbeknownst to theactors, were planted by the directors. As a result, the expressions on the actors' faces wereunrehearsed.

- The working title was "The Black Hills Project."

- The actors were given no more than a 35-page outline of the mythology behind the plotbefore shooting began. All lines were improvised and nearly all the events in the film wereunknown to the three actors beforehand, and were often on-camera surprises to them all.

- Some theatergoers experienced nausea from the handheld camera movements andactually had to leave to vomit. In some Toronto theatres, ushers asked patrons who where proneto motion sickness to sit in the aisle seat and to try not to "throw up on other people."

- The production company Haxan Films borrowed its named from Benjamin Christensen'switchcraft documentary,Hxan from 1922, a source of inspiration for the film.

- The house that Heather is in during the opening shot is owned by Lonnie Glerum, thefilm's key production assistant. He is also operating the camera during the opening shot.

- When promoting the film, the producers claimed it was real footage. Some people stillbelieve it.

- Before the film was released, the three main actors were listed as "missing, presumeddead" on the IMDb.

- One of the video cameras used by the actors was bought at Circuit City. After filmingwas completed, the producers returned the camera for a refund, making their budget money goeven further.

- When Joshua Leonard and Heather Donahue pick up Michael C. Williams, they were

originally listening to the song "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" by The Animals on the radio.However, Haxan Films couldn't get the rights to keep it in the film.

- In the supermarket scene near the start of the film, you hear in the background, the line"You're Rick Derris?". This is taken from Kevin Smith's 1994 film Clerks.

- Heather Donahue's discovery of Joshua Leonard's (presumed) tongue and teeth wrappedin his handkerchief bears a striking similarity to Washington Irving's story "The Devil and Tom

8/2/2019 blair wtch

11/24

Walker". Tom's wife goes to find the devil in the swamp, and never returns home. When Tomgoes to find her, he discovers her apron with her heart and liver inside.

- The 16-millimeter camera was broken during filming; Joshua Leonard (who had thecamera in his pack) rolled down a hill, causing the lens to pop off the camera.

- This film was in the Guinness Book Of World Records for "Top Budget: Box OfficeRatio" (for a mainstream feature film). The film cost $22,000 to make and made back $240.5million, a ratio of $1 spent for every $10,931 made.

- The sign for Burkitsville at the beginning of the movie has been stolen three times, andwas stolen opening night of the movie.

- The waitress asking about Blair High School is played by Sandra Snchez, the sister ofdirector Eduardo Snchez.

- The three leads believed the Blair Witch was a real legend during filming, though ofcourse they knew the film was going to be fake. Only after the film's release did they discoverthat the entire mythology was made up by the film's creators.

- Held the record for the highest-grossing independent movie of all time until October2002, when it was surpassed byMy Big Fat Greek Wedding.

- This film uses the word "fuck" 133 times.

- The filmmakers placed flyers around Cannes for the film festival that were "Missing"posters, stating that the cast was missing. All the flyers were taken down by the next day. It turns

out that a television executive had been kidnapped just prior, and they were taken down out ofrespect. The executive was since recovered safely.

- It took a mere 8 days to shoot this film.

- Apparently, Heather Donahue brought a knife into the forest while filming was takingplace because she didn't like the idea of sleeping with two guys.

- To promote discord between actors, the directors deliberately gave them less food eachday of shooting.

- In a scene where the main actors are sleeping in a tent at night, the tent suddenly shakesviolently and they all get scared. This was unscripted and the director shook the tent; they werereally scared.

- The first cut of the movie to be screened was 2.5 hours in length.

8/2/2019 blair wtch

12/24

- Other endings shot in post-production that were scrapped included Mike being hanged,another had him bound to the wall with twigs in the manner of a stick figure. Stick figuresthemselves were experimented with as decorations in the final scene.

- Heather had to be directed to open the twig "package" after throwing it aside. The

package contains blood, teeth, and clumps of hair... no tongue.

An analysis of the faux vrit improvised filmmaking process.

Methodology

The Blair Witch Projectwas filmed in real time, even though the filmmakersKnew that only a few moments of footage would be used in the final cut, because theyWanted to maintain the continuity and reality. The actors really took all of the shots thatmake up the movie. The only scene dubbed is one towards the beginning when Heatherand Josh pick up Mike, and there is music playing in the car. For every other scene in themovie, the filmmakers utilized all real sound recorded by the actors, except some addedin

ambiance effects (like wind, crickets, etc.)

During the day one of the filmmakers would shadow the actors. The filmmakerswould then watch each days tapes and make development notes to plan the next day. Forexample, the car filmed driving in front of the characters car when they drive away fromthe cemetery is actually the production car. In their notes, the filmmakers state: To ensure authenticity and realism in The Blair Witch Project, the filmmakers employedseveral techniques. First, the actors improvised their scenes from start to finish whichprovides a raw, emotional texture. As a result the filmmaking experience felt more likesomething akin to boot-camp than a film set. The directors and producers give us anexample in their commentary: Heathers narration at the cemetery was writen by her forher characters film within the film. They give us so much good stuff for this film. Itsunbelievable how many good lines they come up with.

In the commentary, the directors and producers also tell of how, during thefilming of the first scene, before the characters leave the house, the filmmakers weresitting outside the house with binoculars nervous as hell, wondering how things wouldTurn out.During the filming in the town of Burkettsville, the actors were asked to go out

8/2/2019 blair wtch

13/24

And interview the townsfolk about the legend of the Blair Witch. According to theFilmmakers notes included in the DVD, the actors did not know which of the people theyinterviewed were planted actors, and who were true townsfolk. This dynamic wasintended to produce natural reactions from the towns people, while also making sure thatthe planted actors told the lines necessary for the movie to make sense, and for the

audience to understand the legends from which the following events would be based.The filmmakers had the actors pack their own backpacks and truly hike themaround the whole time. Five to eight people were doing all the set up ahead of the actorsin the woods. The filmmakers notes from the special edition DVD add:Although the actors rehearsed the material, situations placed them in unfamiliarterritory. The actors constantly underwent disorientation of time and place. Thefilmmakers managed to achieve and preserve that unnerving reality bymassaging the characters movements; they planted unannounced actors, propsand civilians throughout the production. Easy to employ while the actors were intown, this technique grew more complicated once the narrative entered theMaryland forests. In the woods no communication existed between the

Filmmakers and the actors. To navigate their way through the forest, the actorsHad to rely on GPS. They received notes, gear, and food via baskets marked withDay-Glo orange bicycle flags.Taco was the keyword for getting out of character. For example, one of thenights the crew was running around their tent scaring them for thirty to thirty-fiveMinutes. Afterwards, they waited for them to go back to sleep before setting the rockpiles around their tent. However, the actors kept waking up when the filmmakersApproached. Finally the filmmakers had to yell Taco so the actors would know toignore them, which meant that the next morning the actors had to actually pretend beingSurprised by the rock piles. This shows how the filmmakers werent going for simplyWell acted scenes, but they were meaning to truly scare and surprise the actors to getGenuine reactions on tape, very similar to the production of reality techniques Championed by Jean Roach in films such as Chronicle of a Summer, on the methods ofwhat we have now come to know as Reality T.V.During the fourth night, the characters hear the noise of children around them anda baby screaming. What actually happened is that the filmmakers were actually standingaround with three boom-boxes with recorded sound of children to wake them up. Thecharacters wake up, panic, and run away from the tent. The filmmakers had to plan anescape path the actors could run through without poking an eye out ortripping over andkilling themselves. Instructions to learn the path and practice before hand were in thatdays notes. As they are running away, we can hear Heather yelling What the fuck wasthat? which was her reaction to one of the crew members dressed all in white with whitepantyhose over his head running alongside. That night, which happened to be the coldestnight they had, one of the crew members fell in the creek. The others ended up having totake off different sections of their clothes to give him dry clothes so he wouldnt go intohypothermia walking the mile and a half out of the woods. Once the sun came up theactors return to their camp and find that people messed with their tents, backpacks, andwater.The fifth night Josh disappears. During the following night, the other twocharacters hear him screaming and try to find him. The next morning they find a bundle

8/2/2019 blair wtch

14/24

of branches that was left at the door of their tent. Heather later finds there is a pouch inbetween the branches, filled with human blood, hair, and teeth.The last scene, once Mike and Heather get to the house, is pretty much real time.The editing consisted mainly of just cuts back and forth from film to video (Mikes andHeathers cameras respectively). The audio comes entirely from Mikes camera. When

Mike turned a corner at the basement, the filmmakers nailed him (one caught him andone caught the camera), and then asked him to stand in the corner for Heathers lastscene.Dealing with improvised realityIn his documentary, Cinema Vrit: Defining the Moment, Peter Wintonick likenscinema vrit to a window onto real life and real issues which freed the documentaryfrom conventionally staged shots. The documentary works with a definition of cinemavrit as the opposite of the scripted, the conceived, the planned, the argument-leddocumentary. It was finding bits of life and weaving them together into a coherent whole.Wanting what you got, rather than going out to get what you want.1 This definition mostdefinitely applies to The Blair Witch Projects filmmaking process, including the

1 Kelleher, Ed., Cinema Vrit: Defining the Moment, Film Journal, 7/1/2000http://www.allbusiness.com/services/motion-pictures/4430056-1.htmlfilmmakers attempts to induce certain reactions from the actors, and the improviseddialogue based on a plot-only screenplay.The improvised filming process ofThe Blair Witch Projectinvolved the risks ofmany things going wrong unexpectedly, but it also allowed for the possibility ofserendipitous strikes of good luck. A good example of the latter is the little known factthat the lady with the baby, whom the actors interview in Burkettsville, was not a plantedactor but really a stranger! She claims to have heard the legend of the Blair Witch, andshe is the one to mention a supposed Discovery Channel documentaryand it was totallyad lib! It truly worked out surprisingly well. According to the filmmakers commentary,they knew they wanted to keep that scene from the first time they saw it. They uselesslytried to track her down for weeks with a private detective and everything. They endedup using the video release they had from her. Other interviewed townsfolk include thewaitress at the restaurant and the old man, from whom they were able to obtain signedrelease forms.An example of how little control the filmmakers actually had over the filmingprocess took place as soon as the actors got to the woods. They got out of the car, and puttheir backpacks on. Then, they started walking the wrong way! According to theircommentary, the filmmakers thought they were screwed and they werent going to be able to move the actors around the woods for six days and ever find them again. Luckilythe actors noticed and got back on track. However, the well-justified filmmakersnervousness did not stop after that. In the first scene of the characters crossing the logbridge, the filmmakers where actually hiding high on the other side, watching. If theactors fell into the river, the equipment and film would have really been lost!In many occasions, the filmmakers had to adapt to the circumstances. Forexample, Coffin Rock was originally written to be a bridge. The filmmakers could notfind one in the location, but stumbled upon the rock and rewrote it. They had alsoplanned to take Mike out, but ended up having to take Josh out to get a different dynamicbetween the characters. Plenty of scripted scenes, like one of Josh climbing a tree, did not

8/2/2019 blair wtch

15/24

make it to the final cut, while other improvised scenes did.On their way to the cemetery, the actors indeed got lost and walked an extra mileand half up and down the trail, while the cemetery was their feet to their left. Thefilmmakers had put the rocks up hours before, and the actors arrived much later thanexpected. Luckily, there was still light enough to film the scene then.

Another interesting unexpected occurrence derives from an impromptuconversation about Gilligans island. The actors were joking around when Mike comesup with the Skipper line, which is considered by many the funniest line of the movie.However, to be able to use it, the filmmakers ended up having to pay rights, which turnedit into the most expensive line of the movie, even though it was unplanned.Another unplanned line was that in which Josh says to Heather: I see why youlike this camera so much, its not quite reality. Its a filtered reality. Its like you canpretend its not really happening. It is a superb line regarding separation from reality,psychological escapism as a way to deal with traumatizing events, and even thephilosophical aspects of reality through a camera lens. Additionally, that line brilliantlyexplains to the audience at least one of Heathers potential motivations to continue

filming the whole timea premise upon which the whole film depends. In theircommentary to the DVD, directors and producers confess that it was not a prompted line,and agree that it was a necessary and pivotal line in the film.Most of the time, the filmmakers did not know what the actors were doing andhow they were reacting, and had to adjust on the go. For example, after they placed thebundle of sticks in front of the actors tent, one of the filmmakers happened to staybehind, because he wanted to watch their reaction when they found the teeth. So, he sawHeather throw the bundle away. He called on the radio and said: They are walking awayand they are not looking at the sticks! So the filmmakers had to quickly decide whetherto interfere and tell them to look between the sticks, which they did.The filmmakers had to deal with the unexpected because of their chosenmethodology, sometimes for the good sometimes for the bad, through the whole process.When they were out looking for locations for the film, they just happened to find theabandoned house. They had to remove the graffiti, get nephews and friends children toprint their hands with paint on the wall, reinforce some of the floors, etc.Once they got to the editing room, the filmmakers also found themselvessurprised by many accidentally well composed shots. For example, there is a scene aboutan hour into the movie, in which Mike is talking, sitting at the bottom left corner of theframe, with the woods filling most of the scene, which reflects their isolation exquisitely.Another wonderful example happens during Heathers confessional scene at the end. Itturns out she thought she was framing her whole face. However, the composition withjust her eyes and her nose in the bottom right corner of the frame turned out to be afamous staple of the movie.The documentary on a veritable account hoaxMany aspects ofThe Blair Witch Project give it the appearance of being adocumentary and not a feature film. For example, the fact that it is not produced ordistributed by well known large companies, and the fact that the names of the directorsand producers are not well known either. Right from the beginning the film appears to bea low-key low-budget film, and the title appearing on regular white font on a plain blackbackground at the beginning of the movie (instead of in a fancy animation accompanied

8/2/2019 blair wtch

16/24

by pretentious music) attests to this. The text that appears immediately afterwardsconfirms all of the above: In October of 1994, three student filmmakers disappeared inthe woods near Burkittsville, Maryland, while shooting a documentary. A year later theirfootage was found.This documentary film claims to portray what happened to a group of film

students while making a documentary on the Blair Witch. Therefore, it is supposed to benothing less than a documentary on a documentary. Many details are painstakingly takencare of to make this statement believable.The raw footage lookBecause the film is supposed to have been put together from the found rawfootage shot by the disappeared students, the entire film most appear crude and unedited.Some characteristics of raw footage, which are always edited out of films, but which wecan observe in The Blair Witch Project, include out of focus and shaky scenes. We canalso hear them talking to each other. In fact, one characteristic trait of raw footage whichwe find throughout the movie is the audible voice behind the camera. We can hear theperson behind the camera talking to those in front of the camera. Moreover, we can see

raw footage of them filming and/or holding sound equipment, which would obviouslyhave been taken out of edited footage. We also run into unedited mistakes as they speak.Additionally, the sound is natural, sometimes difficult to understand, and does not at allappear to be edited.A documentary filming endeavorThe filmmakers also had to make sure that the footage supported the claim thatthe students who disappeared where indeed trying to film a documentary on the BlairWitch. In fact, there is a clear distinction between two types of footage from which thefilm is put together. The shots that were apparently meant to be part of the actualdocumentary the students were filming appear in black and white, and were being filmedon a 16 mm camera, with sound being recorded on cassettes through a DAT. On the otherhand, Heather had also brought with her a Hi-8 color video camera, which she used todocument their documenting process.The change in Heathers tone of voice and modulation on the black and white filmfootage is also characteristic of documentary narrations. She over enunciates, speaksslower, in a deeper tone of voice, and with a sort of British accent. Additionally, thepeople they interviewed look like regular people off the street (versus the unusuallyattractive actors in Hollywood movies).The convention of the presenter addressing the audience through the camera lensis also characteristic of documentary films. Furthermore, we can observe them asking fora videotaped informed consent from the fishermen they interview, when Heather says:Can I have your permission to use your videotaped image for the purpose of adocumentary titled The Blair Witch Project? Finally, we can tell that they are notsimply filming their adventure but truly trying to compose a documentary film when theyfilm the rock piles in the cemetery, and later return to film them again at night,presumably to get a darker and scarier image. As Josh puts it: Same thing, but darker.Amateur QualitiesThe filmmakers are not only expecting us to believe that what we are watching istrue footage filmed with the intentions of being a documentary, but that it was filmed bythree film students. This is made obvious, for example, in scenes such as the one in the

8/2/2019 blair wtch

17/24

car, when the characters are driving away from Mary Browns house. They discusstechnical aspects of the filmmaking process and the equipment, such as depth of field.Many of the films characteristics illustrate their inexperience, including theaforementioned shaky camera and out of focus takes. In the directors and producerscommentary to the film, the filmmakers recognize this is a technical flaw for the film,

and state: but it ends up exemplifying the characters inexperience. The roundedcorners of the films frame, also give it a homemade movie quality.Furthermore, throughout the movie we are witnesses to Heathers amateurinterviewing skills. She sometimes puts words on peoples mouths, and often interruptsthe interviewees. One example takes place when one of the men they stop to askquestions to on the towns streets is telling them about Mary Brown. The man is in themiddle of a sentence: Shes old and Heather interrupts: How was she seen by thecommunity? When they are interviewing Mary Brown, she is describing to them whatshe saw in the woods: She had a shawl when Heather interrupts and she scaredyou? A little later, when Mary Brown is talking about the witchs furry body, Heatherinterrupts How about her face?

True LegendWhether or not the audience believes the Blair Witch legend is true and accurate,the filmmakers do want to make sure that the audience believes such a thing as the BlairWitch legend actually exists at all. For that purpose, they construct an incredibly detailedMythology around the legend. They come up with a series of chronological events: aSalem-type witch trial in the last century supposedly documented on a rare book, andMany cases of disappeared children since then, the most recent one involving the murderof seven children. None of the events are true, nor were they ever believed to be true.However, the filmmakers cunningly present them as historical fact. Additionally, theMention of a Discovery Channel Documentary on Ghosts and Legends of MarylandWhich talked about the Blair Witch legend by one of the interviewed townsfolk gives theWhole story credibility.BelievabilityOne of the basic questions regarding the film which would be obviously raised bythe audience involves the fact that the characters had enough battery power in theirequipment to last them though the six days. The filmmakers take care of explaining thisearly on in the film. The characters buy a very large pack of batteries at the store beforeleaving town, while there are buying their food supplies. In the car one of them actuallyexclaims: We have so much battery we could fuel a small country for a month!The filmmakers also make sure that it seems understandable that the charactersget lost in the woods where they are filming. They show that Heather was leading them,but also show she didnt really know where they were going. For example, when they areon their way back to the car, one of the boys says I dont remember this, and Heatherreplies: Well, we have to go a little different to get back because we went there in acurve a little bit. Two more hours max. Even so, for some people it might have beenslightly difficult to believe that the characters could get lost when they actually had amap. However, Mike later takes care of that by tossing it into the river. Something he didwithout being prompted by the filmmakers to do so.The fact that the characters are very human young students constantly arguingwith each other, also adds a layer of believability to the film. Furthermore, the fact that

8/2/2019 blair wtch

18/24

they seem to be just as clueless as the audience regarding what is happening, also makesit easier for us to believe what is being presented on the screen. For example, when theyfirst hear noises at night, the characters actually toy with the possibility that townsfolkhave followed them into the woods to mess with them.One very important detail that makes it possible for the audience to believe that

this is actual footage filmed by the people on the screen and not a fiction film, is notrevealed until the credits at the end of the movie: the actors names and the characters arethe same! This is no trivial detail. If the audience read the actors name at the end of thefilm and realized they were different to the names of the characters, it would have beenimmediately obvious that it was all fiction.Finally, the filmmakers went through the trouble of creating actual fake newsreelsregarding the disappearance of the characters, and of the police search for them. Thisnewsreels are included in the special features section of the DVD and were alsoavailable on the widely marketed internet site for the movie, together with all theinformation regarding the alleged legend of the Blair Witch. In fact, the website includesinterviews with Heathers mother, an image of the missing flyer with the pictures of the

three students, pictures of the cops search, a Channel 6 interview with Joshs father, aninterview with two volunteer firefighters that participated in the search, and much more!In fact, the website contains material enough for a whole other documentary on thealleged incident.RealismThe style of the film is strikingly realistic. One example of that happens on thefourth day. The characters find the trinkets, as Josh calls them, actually strangesymbols made of branches and twine resembling men, hanging from the trees all over anarea of the woods. After that, we can see Josh is about to break down. He walks awaywith a clear expression in his face that shows us he is about to cry. The directors andproducers note in the commentary that in a normal film you would have a big giantscene of Josh breaking down, and in this you only have a two second scene as he walksoff out of the frame.Another very realistic scene that tells the audience that this is no fictional featurefilm, takes places when Heather is inside the tent while she is sawing with a flashlight inher mouth. You can hardly understand what she is saying. An unintelligible dialogue likethat would have no place in a fictional commercial movie.Perhaps the most realistic, and well known, scene of the entire movie is that ofHeather crying with snot dripping down her nose, while she is apologizing in video to herparents and the boys parents for getting them into that situation. It turns out the actresscame up with those lines herself. Furthermore, those were most definitely real tears andreal snot. Its rare to find an actress willing to expose herself like that, remark thedirectors in the DVDs commentary.InconsistenciesPerhaps the first dubious aspect of the film is the fact that there is no mention inthe actual film of how the footage appeared. In the special features, it is mentioned thatanthropology students from another university found the film and cassettes in the house.In fact, that section of the DVD offers very detailed information on how long the footagewas kept by the police before they were released. However, none of that information isavailable in the actual ninety minutes of the film.

8/2/2019 blair wtch

19/24

One other easy to spot inconsistency takes places while the characters are filmingat the Burkettsville cemetery. They talk about tombs of infants who died in the 1940s asevidence of the murder of seven children of the town at that time. However the tomb theyfilm, which indeed reads infant, also reads 1907.The fact that the actors knew they didnt have to pack the tents creates one of the

movies most often pointed out mistakes, in which the boys are often insisting on Heatherto stop filming and go, but they are not putting the tent down because they knew itwould later be put down and left at their next camping ground by the crew!Manipulating reality through editingAs marvelously illustrated by Tim Aschs The Ax Fight, filmmakers have theability to manipulate reality acutely, through editing and cutting footage. That which ispresented to us as reality after editing could actually be quite different, or in factcompletely opposite, to what actually happened in front of the camera. By omittingsections, changing the chronological order, zooming in or cropping, and an infinitenumber of other tools and effects, editing and cutting can transform the event beingfilmed to the point of completely twisting its meaning.

The Blair Witch Projects directors and producers commentary gives theaudience a fascinating glimpse into what actually happened when the movie was beingfilmed, compared to what we see in the edited version. For example, the scene of thecharacters drinking at the hotel is really over 90 minutes an hour and half in which thecharacters get really hammered and argue a lot. However, the filmmakers only show a few shots from the beginning, giving the audience a completely different impression ofthe event.

The actual footage filmed by the actors reflects the fact that Josh was in fact themost antagonistic towards Heather throughout the process of filming the movie. In fact,all three of the characters argue considerably more than we are allowed to see. In editing,the filmmakers kept most of the fighting out, and fished for the friendly scenes in order tomake the audience sympathize with the characters, especially towards the beginning ofthe movie. Then, they used the first real big fight the characters get into, and show it as ifit was the first fight at all. They chose that particular fight because in that occasion Mikewas the most antagonistic. The filmmakers wanted Mike, and not Josh, to be the one toclash with Heather the most. In fact, they cut out a part of the fight in which Josh saidsomething really nasty to Heather. It turns out, in the cut version of the scene Joshcomes off being the peacemaker.

Another example of this takes place during the morning of the third day. It turnsOut Heather really went over the top insulting and bitching at the guys for not comingOut of the tent long enough, or at all, during the night in order to get on film what wasGoing on outside, to the point that she later had to apologize to them. However, theFilmmakers decided to cut that section out of the movie to avoid the audience fromAntagonizing her character too muchOn the night after Josh disappears, the other two actors hear his voice (which isActually him up on a hill with the filmmakers). They look for him for forty-five minutes,Which were then edited down to about two. The filmmakers used the actual soundRecorded from the actors video camera, but picked the best visual scenes and the best

8/2/2019 blair wtch

20/24

Sound moments and put them together in a non-chronological order. Therefore, evenThough both the sound and the images are true to what happened that night, the finalEdited version has been distorted to the point of portraying two minutes which neverActually happenedat least certainly not as they appear on the screen.Similarly, Mikes freak out scene was actually over thirty-five minutes long. The

Filmmakers found it over the top. According to their commentary, it contained some greatMoments, but did not further the plot. It was edited down to just a glimpse of himRocking, and then a shot of Heather putting the camera down and hugging him.Finally, the film as a whole was modified extensively and repeatedly throughEditing and cutting, according to feedback and audience reaction from numerous testShowingsnot an uncommon practice, but certainly not often given that muchImportance or done as many times for feature films.Manipulating reality through the camera lens

In part because of the chosen angles, and the decisions of the actors regardingWhat to film and what not to film, the movie looks like its in the deep woods, when they

Are often near houses. A perfect example of this takes place as the characters first get offthe car. The scene looks like an isolated woods area, while there are actual buildings justaround the cornera fact that would not be known to the audience, was it not revealed inthe DVDs directors and producers commentary.The fine line between reality and fictionBecause of the improvised nature of the film, it is sometimes difficult to separatethe actors from the characters. For example, Josh, the actor, was in fact late in arriving atthe time scheduled to begging filming. Therefore, in the film it is shown how hischaracter arrives late to Heathers house to leave for their filmmaking trip.During the first night one of the characters talks about hearing a cackling. One ofthe guys says: If I would have heard a cackling I would have shit in my pants and onewonders whether thats him or his character talking.In one of the many scenes in which they are arguing about Heathers insistence onfilming everything, Mike straight out asks her why she is doing that. She answers:cause we are making a documentary! To which he replies Not about us getting lost!Were making a documentary about a witch! Which is ironic considering: 1) that, in thefilm, their found footage ends up becoming a documentary about them getting lost,and 2) they are really actors making a fictional film about them getting lost. There isactual irony to Mikes comment in three levels of reality: actuality, the film, and the filmwithin film.The Blair Witch Project constructs an incredibly complex web of layers of truth.The audience can believe or disbelief what is being presented to them at a number ofdifferent levels. Is what is happening to the characters true? Are the characters realpeople (actual students who disappeared) and is this real found footage? If so, did a realsearch for them actually take place as suggested by the provided newsreels and pictures?Even if the story of the disappeared students is not real but made up footage, are thelegends of the Blair Witch and the disappeared children real? Any of them? Are they atleast believed by some people in the area? Or are they made up legends? Is the bookHeather reads out of at Coffin Rock a real book?At the same time the actors in the screen are also dealing with a disturbingly

8/2/2019 blair wtch

21/24

blurry line between reality and fiction. They know, for example, that the book Heatherreads out loud was actually written by the filmmakers, but many of the things that arehappening are indeed very real to them. The actors had packed their own backpacks,which they really had to carry around the whole time, as well as the video and soundequipment (although not the tents). In the scene at the market in which we see the

characters buying supplies, the actors were really buying their food for the trip with anallowance given by the filmmakers. They really had to go to the bathroom in the middleof the woods. In fact that scene of the boys bothering Heather when she is trying to squatout of sight and pee is real! The actors really did get lost several times, and took longerthan expected to make it to the places where they were supposed to be. At night when thefilmmakers scared them and they came out trying to catch on film what was going on, itwas indeed really cold, and they were indeed woken up from their sleep. Therefore, theactors had plenty of reasons for truly not wanting to be out of their tents. In theircommentaries, the directors and produces narrate:You can tell how cold the nights are because Heathers hand is shaking. ()Even with everything that was going on they had to set up that damn tent every

night () Even though they always had enough water, they were actuallyhungry, by the last two days they were only given a power bar and an apple eachday (...) You can tell they are exhausted [from their voices, their facialexpressions, dragging their feet] () You can imagine how easy it is to actfrustrated when you are this miserableEven though it wasnt real, what was happening prompted real reactions from theactors. For example, Heather and Mike truly did not know that Mike had gotten rid of themap. Therefore, their reaction, as filmed, is pure and real. The scene as a whole, in fact,was totally unplanned, since Mike kicked the map into the river unprompted and out ofreal frustration, according to the directors and producers commentary.Another honest and real reaction is that of Mike and Heather upon finding thehouse when they are following Joshs voice. The actors did not know they were going tobe led to a house. Neither did they know what was going to happen inside the house, orwhether they would find Josh. The filmmakers were actually leading them with welltimed boom boxes with the recording of Joshs voice: first from the camp to the house, then up in the attic, and finally down at the basement.The filmmakers carefully manipulated the actors state of mind throughout thefilmmaking process, exploiting the relationship between fear and exhaustion ordesperation. According to the filmmakers notes, producer Gregg Hale used some pastarmy-training techniques he had experienced in order to heighten the actors realistportrayals. Hale adds:Normally, your conscious mind insulates you from extreme fear. But, if wecould wear down the actors mentally and physicallyby the end of the film,when really intense things are happeningtheyd tap into a part of their psychethey normally dont touch. The results show their fear as primal.Definitions of RealityThe Blair Witch Projectwas truly an experimental film in its approach to thefilmmaking process, reviving some of the methodology of cinema vrit, andforeshadowing many of the techniques now common in Reality T.V. The filmmakerscreated a parallel universe for the movie, with its fantasized past and its made up present.

8/2/2019 blair wtch

22/24

They created records to document the mythology behind the movie and the evidencesurrounding the alleged events leading up to the release of the movie. Just asimpressively, they effective manipulated the actors circumstances with a clear goal ofobtaining real reactions and true raw footage for their film. In the process they enrapturedthemselves, the town of Burkketsville, the actors, the movies audience, and the websites

visitors, in a complex and multi-layered web of realities.

Summary:

The premise of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, a new low-budget horror movie, is that threestudent filmmakers enter Maryland's Blair Hills Forest to make a documentary on the legendaryBlair Witch, a seldom seen, ghostly presence with a 200-year history of brutal murder. THEBLAIR WITCH PROJECT has none of the gore, brutality and torture in today's teen horrorflicks, but it contains much foul language and a moderately strong occult worldview where evildemonic forces are victorious.

Review:

Incredible positive word of mouth buzz is launching a $10,000 budget, mainly video capturedhorror movie called THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. The 1968 horror classic, NIGHT OF THELIVING DEAD, is perhaps its only close relative, in that it exhibits a stark, music-less cinemaverite feeling which, to varying degrees, puts the viewer in a you-are-there sense of fright. Withno depicted murder or violence, no sex or nudity, and only a brief image of small bloody bodyparts that look like teeth, the scares in this movie come from an increasingly sense of loss ofcontrol and panic, ultimately resulting in sheer terror.

The premise is this: in 1994, three ambitious student filmmakers enter Maryland's Blair HillsForest to make a documentary on the legendary Blair Witch, a seldom seen, ghostly presence

that has a history of brutal murder. Led by Heather Donahue, they first get reaction fromsurrounding townsfolk on the Blair Witch. Opinions range from denial to firm belief. JoiningHeather is cameraman Joshua Leonard (who carries both video and 16 mm cameras) and soundman Michael Williams. These three enter the woods and come across a large rock in a stream.This large rock is the supposed murder ground of a search party hunting for a missing child in1886, 100 years after the first alleged murders by an accused witch who was banished into thewoods and presumed dead. As the three film students travel deeper into the woods, thethreesome gets lost and lose their map. Irritation arises, then anger, then panic.

8/2/2019 blair wtch

23/24

Though Josh and Mike simply want to find a way to leave and hence survive, Heather, alwaysthe journalist, keeps her video camera rolling even during the biggest arguments. Night afternight, strange noises become louder and more prevalent. In the morning, strange totems,suggesting that they are targets of murder, are left outside their tent. The three come across an

area in the woods with creepy hand-made people made out of natural materials. The story comesto a climax when Josh suddenly disappears and the remaining two can hear him tortured butcannot find him in the black night. Eventually, the two come across "witch central," resulting incertain doom.

Poor lighting and shaky hand-held camera work suggest a true tale, and the acting likewiseseems genuine, unforced and contributing to the realism. However, because this is a movie aboutthe Blair Witch and not about the filmmakers, it is strange to see so much footage of thefilmmakers just walking around through the woods. Do they not care they are burning so muchtape and film? Yet, this point becomes forgivable when the point becomes survival. One canimagine that Heather will tell quite a story with her documentary, even if it isn't the one she

expected. Some people may find the reality of the situation undermined by the documentary filmapproach, however, especially since the student filmmakers seem to have little idea what they'redoing. Midway in the movie, it's unclear why these people don't stop filming their pointless,hysterical arguments and just try to leave the woods as fast as they can.

THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT may not fly with teenagers whose idea of horror is JenniferLove Hewitt running around in a tight T-shirt screaming all the time while a psycho-killer's onthe loose. Those movies try to scare with blood, graphic murder and even torture. Plus, you can'tget away from the noisy heavy metal soundtracks. THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT happily hasnone of these.

It does have, however, a moderately strong occult worldview where evil demonic forces arephysically & mentally stronger than human beings and even God. No one gains any victorywhatsoever against these evil forces. Also, the three "heroes" are hedonistic, pagan characterswith little moral awareness. They turn to lots of cursing and profane speech and hystericalarguing when things don't go their way. Unlike the appealing, sympathetic Jamie Lee Curtischaracter in the original HALLOWEEN, it may be hard for some viewers, if not many, toidentify with the unlikable characters in THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT.

8/2/2019 blair wtch

24/24