Paranormal Activity

[Kim Welch]

has any one seen this. I read that it is the best thing since Blair Witch. I also read that it was shot with a 10,000 budget. let me know if you see this and if you think it is any good.

Update, November 2026
Paranormal Activity (2007) was famously made for about $15,000 and went on to earn far more worldwide, one of the most profitable films ever made relative to its budget. Its lesson for student filmmakers: a strong concept, a tiny cast and one location can carry a film when the tension is built carefully.

Keep learning with StudentFilmmakers
Sign up free at StudentFilmmakers.com to get invitations to our free live webinars with ASC cinematographers, directors and editors, and watch on-demand master classes anytime at studentfilmmakers.com/courses.

 

[Kim Welch]

Top ten movie

Top ten movie

This movie has landed in the top five movies for the weekend. A 10,000.00 budget movie brings in over 7 million its first weekend! yeah.

 

[grinner]

my wife and I watched it last night.
Horrible. Boring. Bad acting. Uneventful.
If one of my students turned this in as a final video (they are all under the age of 15), I'd give em a C for effort and recomend they cut it in less than half the running time... and that they troll local community theatres for free but more believable actors. The chick hyperventalated for 2 hours. I was begging a monster to eat her throat. The dude said WTF at least 12 times more than a sober guy would have.
This felt like a coupel in LA in a new house with nothing to do but burn some tape. I'm including Out of Africa when I say it's the most boring flick I've almost sat all the way through.

 

[Kim Welch]

Marketing

Marketing

I will watch it soon and let you know if i agree. So, it is the marketing spin that made it so financially successful at the box office?

 

[grinner]

Yes. It was marketed well, I'll give it that. Anything so cheap to make that brings in so much money cannot be denied as a success but not many will be able to call this a good movie.
I love it though. A guy grabs a prosumer camera, shoots at one location with a cast of only 3, edits on Vegas, and rakes in millions.
awesome. If that aint inspiring for us to all start marketing better, man I dunno what is.

 

[Kim Welch]

appeal of making money from low budget movies

appeal of making money from low budget movies

i think part of the marketing spin used was the whole money making thing. after the numbers started to churn up into the millions they used the fact that it was making so much money as an appeal to seei it. "greed" people starting feeling like they have to see a movie that made so much money that cost so little to make!