Shot-on-video film
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A shot-on-video (SOV) film,[1][2] also known as a shot-on-VHS film[3][4] or a camcorder film,[2] is a film shot using camcorders and consumer-grade equipment, as opposed to film stock or high-end digital movie cameras.
Examples
Shot-on-video films emerged in the wake of the release of Sony's professional-grade Betacam and consumer-grade Betamovie camcorders in 1983.[5][6] Many shot-on-video films were low-budget[7] and belong to the horror genre, including Boardinghouse (1982),[8] Sledgehammer (1983),[1][2] Video Violence (1987),[1][2][9][8] 555, Woodchipper Massacre (both 1988),[1][2] and The McPherson Tape (1989).[2][10] Filmmaker siblings the Polonia brothers are known for their shot-on-video horror films, such as Splatter Farm (1987) and Feeders (1996).[2][6]
Theatrically released examples
The scenes in Bill Gunn's 1980 film Personal Problems were shot using a videocassette recorder which was a new technology at the time (as most previous films were shot using film stock).[11]
The 1994 documentary film Hoop Dreams[12] was one of the first shot-on-video documentaries to receive a wide theatrical release.[13] The 1999 film The Blair Witch Project was shot on both 16 mm film and the consumer-grade Hi8 video format, which was transferred to film for its national theatrical release.[13] An international example is Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier's minimalist film The Idiots (1998; aka Dogme #2).[6]
List of other notable shot-on-video films
- The Police Tapes (1977)[14]
- Mr. Mike's Mondo Video (1979)[15]
- Special Bulletin (1983)[16]
- Overdrawn at the Memory Bank (1984)[17]
- Blood Cult (1985)[2][8]
- The Ripper (1985)[18][19]
- Tales from the QuadeaD Zone (1987)[20][1]
- Rob Nilsson's Sundance-winning Heat and Sunlight (1988)[21]
- Things (1989)[22][6]
- Bossy Burger (1991)[23][24]
- The controversial 1992 BBC One TV movie Ghostwatch[10]
- Heidi, Midlife Crisis Trauma Center and Negative Media-Engram Abreaction Zone (1992)[25][26]
- Ozone (1993)[27]
- Conrad Brooks vs. the Werewolf (1994)[1]
- Without Warning (1994)[28]
- Polymorph (1996)[27]
- Bloodletting (1997)[27][29]
- Rollergator (1997)[30]
- Jan-Gel: The Beast from the East (1999)[1]
- August Underground (2001)[10]
- The Columbine-inspired video diary Zero Day (2003)[10]
- Each Time I Kill (2007)[1]
- Harmony Korine's Trash Humpers (2009)[1][6]
See also
- 480i, the video mode used for standard-definition digital video
- Analog horror
- Found footage (film technique)
- Cinéma vérité
- Snuff film
- Mockumentary
- Postmodernist film and television
- Video art
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Ziemba, Joseph A.; Choi, Annie (January 2, 2022). "Bleeding Skull 50: The Best Shot-on-Video Films". Bleeding Skull. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Albright 2012, p. 10.
- ^ Albright 2012, p. 50.
- ^ Piepenburg, Erik; Carlson, Zack (October 26, 2011). "Big Hair and Bad Blood: VHS-Era Horror Obscurities From A to Z". The New York Times. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ^ Albright 2012, pp. 9–10.
- ^ a b c d e The Evolution of Shot-On-Video Movies - MovieWeb
- ^ Bishop, Kyle William (2010). American Zombie Gothic: The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of the Walking Dead in Popular Culture. Contributions to Zombie Studies. McFarland & Company. p. 187. ISBN 978-0-7864-4806-7.
- ^ a b c VIDEO VIOLENCE - 13 Days of Shot on Video! (#13)|Camera Viscera
- ^ Tinnin, Drew (June 2, 2022). "Homemade Horror: 5 Gross Out Shot-On-Video Shockers". Dread Central. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Six Shot-on-VHS Horror Movies to Watch After 'Frogman' - Bloody Disgusting
- ^ Defore, John. "Personal Problems" Film Review".
- ^ Hoop Dreams: The Real Thing|Current|The Criterion Collection
- ^ a b Hurbis-Cherrier, Mick (2007). Voice and Vision: A Creative Approach to Narrative Film and DV Production. Focal Press. p. 352. ISBN 978-0240807737.
- ^ O'Connor, John J. (January 2, 1977). "Documentary on Police Strips Away Any Glamour". The New York Times. p. 73.
- ^ Schreger, Charles (July 21, 1979). "Shelved TV Satire to Get Theater Release". Los Angeles Times. Part II, p. 6.
- ^ Special Bulletin - DVD Talk
- ^ Scott, Jay (August 18, 1983). "PBS, Canadian firm co-produce film". The Globe and Mail. p. 19 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Albright 2012, p. 284.
- ^ Szpunar, John (2013). Xerox Ferox: The Wild World of the Horror Film Fanzine. Headpress. ISBN 978-1909394100.
- ^ Ziemba, Joseph A. (June 1, 2005). "From Betacam to Big Box: Shot-on-Video Trash in the 1980s (Part II)". Bleeding Skull. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ Film|robnilsson
- ^ Turek, Ryan (June 23, 2011). "DVD: "Canuxploitation" Flick Things on the Way". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ Projects 51: Paul McCarthy|MoMA
- ^ Laughing His Way Into Character - Art21
- ^ Paul McCarthy with Dan Cameron - The Brooklyn Rail
- ^ “Paul McCarthy and Mike Kelley: Heidi, Midlife Crisis Trauma Center and Negative Media-Engram Abreaction Zone”|Time Out New York
- ^ a b c Gingold, Michael (December 20, 2018). "Exclusive Comments, Plus Trailer and Posters: SOV Veteran Turns Director with "Her Name Was Christa"". Rue Morgue. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
- ^ Without Warning - Variety
- ^ Bowen, John W. (September–October 2001). "The Three Ms of Serial Murder" (PDF). Rue Morgue. No. 23. p. 44. ISSN 1481-1103.
- ^ RiffTrax: ROLLERGATOR (Preview clip) on official YouTube channel
Bibliography
- Albright, Brian (2012). Regional Horror Films, 1958–1990: A State-by-State Guide with Interviews. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0786472277.
Further reading
- Coleman, Robin R. Means (2022). Horror Noire: A History of Black American Horror from the 1890s to Present (Second ed.). Routledge. p. 226. ISBN 978-0367704407.
- Mogg, Richard (2018). Analog Nightmares: The Shot On Video Horror Films of 1982–1995. RickMoe Publishing. ISBN 978-1999481704.