Paranormal Activity
Paranormal Activity: Analysis and Critique
Rick Mitchell
September 12, 2011
ENG 225: Introduction to Film
Instructor: Alene Morrison
Paranormal Activity was a movie that everyone wanted to see as soon as the previews hit the movie screen. The previews showed the viewer small pieces of the movie so they would be left wondering and want to go see the movie as soon as they could. Paranormal Activity was based on a true story about a young couple dealing with a paranormal entity. The young woman,Katie, was the one being haunted while her boyfriend, Micah, made home videos of all the mysterious things that were happening in the house. The different camera angles, cinematography, editing and the way the story unfolds in front of the audience are the things that make this movie so captive.
Storytelling
A film will have more success if it starts with a good story. (Goodykoontz, 2011) Paranormal Activity is a film that not only starts with a good story but keeps that story going through the entire movie. The story being told in a film is what draws the attention of the audience. It evokes emotion in the audience and makes them care about the story, watching to know how it ends, and it makes them care about the characters. In Paranormal Activity, the audience gets attached to the couple hoping that they rid their lives of this entity and “live happily ever after”. In the end the boyfriend, Micah, dies and the girlfriend vanishes without a trace. It leaves everyone wondering what happened to her and at the same time they are saddened by the death of Micah.
Acting
Paranormal Activity was made to look like nobody was acting, everything is natural. It is home video footage collaborated together into a movie to be viewed by an audience. When the audience is watching the story unfold, they can relate to the fear that the characters are feeling. Every movement, expression and reaction to events is so real that the viewer can’t help to feel the emotions of the
Rick Mitchell
September 12, 2011
ENG 225: Introduction to Film
Instructor: Alene Morrison
Paranormal Activity was a movie that everyone wanted to see as soon as the previews hit the movie screen. The previews showed the viewer small pieces of the movie so they would be left wondering and want to go see the movie as soon as they could. Paranormal Activity was based on a true story about a young couple dealing with a paranormal entity. The young woman,Katie, was the one being haunted while her boyfriend, Micah, made home videos of all the mysterious things that were happening in the house. The different camera angles, cinematography, editing and the way the story unfolds in front of the audience are the things that make this movie so captive.
Storytelling
A film will have more success if it starts with a good story. (Goodykoontz, 2011) Paranormal Activity is a film that not only starts with a good story but keeps that story going through the entire movie. The story being told in a film is what draws the attention of the audience. It evokes emotion in the audience and makes them care about the story, watching to know how it ends, and it makes them care about the characters. In Paranormal Activity, the audience gets attached to the couple hoping that they rid their lives of this entity and “live happily ever after”. In the end the boyfriend, Micah, dies and the girlfriend vanishes without a trace. It leaves everyone wondering what happened to her and at the same time they are saddened by the death of Micah.
Acting
Paranormal Activity was made to look like nobody was acting, everything is natural. It is home video footage collaborated together into a movie to be viewed by an audience. When the audience is watching the story unfold, they can relate to the fear that the characters are feeling. Every movement, expression and reaction to events is so real that the viewer can’t help to feel the emotions of the
References: Goodykoontz, B. (2011). Film: From Watching to Seeing retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/books/