Cinematic gimmicks
SEARCHING (now at GSC cinemas nationwide) is not the first story to be told entirely on a computer screen, although it is probably among the most successful. Others include horror movies Unfriended (2014) and sequel Unfriended: Dark Web (2018).
Then, there is also the Modern Family television episode, Connection Lost (Season 6, Episode 16).
Besides telling a tale through a computer screen, what other gimmicky strategies have moviemakers employed?
Found footage
Horror movie The Blair Witch Project (1999) made this gimmick famous. The found-footage film technique is exactly what it sounds like – as if the footage shown on screen came from some discovered video recordings.
When the story is presented this way, the footage appears more “real” because it is not perfectly styled the way movies are usually put together.
Horror movies employ this format often. Other well-known, found-footage films include Paranormal Activity (2007), Cloverfield (2008) and District 9 (2009).
Continuous shot
The acclaimed film, Birdman (2014), starring Michael Keaton, appears to be filmed in a single shot, which gave the film a sense of real-time urgency.
Of course, it turns out that the film is not one continuous shot, but only made to look it, with the help of clever film-editing techniques.
Smells
When watching food shows, audiences have always wished they could smell the dishes they see on screen.
Several films in the past have attempted to make the story feel more immersive by emitting smells throughout the screening.
The 1960 film, Scent Of Mystery, was the first to use the Smell-O-Vision system to release odours into the theatre halls as the movie played.
This included the scents of roses and freshly baked bread.
Reportedly, the smells were so faint that audiences ended up having to sniff dramatically to catch them.
In 1981, Polyester employed what is known as the Odorama system, which handed out scratchand-sniff cards to audiences so they could sniff the cards as they watched the film.
Multiple endings
So many movies have terrible endings, so why not just offer multiple conclusions?
The 1985 mystery film, Clue, based on the classic board game of the same name, released three possible endings, with various theatres receiving one of the three versions.
Although the movie bombed at the box office, it has since amassed a cult following.
Confined space
This genre of movies is shot within a small space – it is effective especially for horror films or thrillers as it conveys a sense of claustrophobia.
Examples include Buried (2010), which entirely features Ryan Reynolds inside a shut coffin; Devil (2010), which takes place inside a lift; and Saw (2004), which is shot inside a bathroom. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network