-I- "Blair Witch" article
Nadyne Mielke
'Blair Witch' movie making fans queasy
By Patricia J. Mays, Associated Press
"The Blair Witch Project" may be popular among moviegoers, but it's not
a favorite with theater workers forced to clean up the mess left by
those who get queasy watching the film's often herky-jerky, first-person
perspective.
Scenes throughout the low-budget horror thriller, shot with shaky
hand-held cameras, have caused many viewers to get motion sickness as
the fast panning from close-up ground shots to tree tops becomes too
much.
"The first weekend someone threw up in the women's restroom, the men's
restroom, and the hallway," said Kris Monroe, manager at Lefont Plaza
Theater in Atlanta. "It's not pleasant to clean up.
"One guy -- he was really cool -- he threw up in the restroom and he
just came out and asked us for a mop."
At the Kendall Square Cinema in CAmbridge, Mass., assistant manager
Nancy Campbell said she started making announcements informing
moviegoers to leave the cinema if they feel nauseated. Cinema staffers
were upset about having to clean up the messy seats.
"It's beyond the scope of service we like to provide here," Campbell
said.
The independent film, which has raked in $80 million since its release,
follows three student filmmakers as they venture into the Maryland woods
to track the legendary Blair Witch. The mock documentary features
footage supposedly shot by the students and discovered in the forest a
year after their disappearance.
Although blood and gore are minimal, the cameras are in constant motion
as the characters tramp through the woods.
And throughout the one-hour, 27-minute film, the picture is often grainy
and out-of-focus.
"We've heard different analysis of why it happens," said producer Robin
Cowie. "Some simply may get a little motion sickness, that combined
with the tension and the pace of the film. It's such an intense
rollercoaster ride. The buzz we're hearing is it's sort of a challenge
to see if you can get through it."
Cowie said people had panic attacks during the initial screening and at
the Sundance Film Festival.
If people begin to feel ill, they should close their eyes for a moment
or look away from the screen.
Dr. Helen Cohen of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston explains:
"If you're sitting still, you fool your system into thinking that you're
moving if objects are being moved back and forth in front of you. You
assume that you're moving."
For viewers, especially those up front in the theater, their entire
visual field is filled up by the screen. They have no visual cues to
tell them that they are not moving, she said.
-*- end article -*-
So those of you who said you were queasy after seeing the movie aren't
alone! Just be glad you didn't barf. :)
/nad
karen golightly
>From today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
>
>'Blair Witch' movie making fans queasy
>By Patricia J. Mays, Associated Press
>
>"The Blair Witch Project" may be popular among moviegoers, but it's not
>a favorite with theater workers forced to clean up the mess left by
>those who get queasy watching the film's often herky-jerky, first-person
>perspective.
>"We've heard different analysis of why it happens," said producer Robin
>Cowie. "Some simply may get a little motion sickness, that combined
>with the tension and the pace of the film. It's such an intense
>rollercoaster ride. The buzz we're hearing is it's sort of a challenge
>to see if you can get through it."
i would have liked the film a lot more if i hadn't had
the compulsion to yakk all over the place. i found the
"camera work" to be way too distracting.
[snip]
>If people begin to feel ill, they should close their eyes for a moment
>or look away from the screen.
well, duh. i did that quite frequently.
[snip]
>So those of you who said you were queasy after seeing the movie aren't
>alone! Just be glad you didn't barf. :)
i'm glad. my friend rich told me after the film that
some guy actually hit his head on the wall while
watching bwp, 'cause he was moving with the film.
blegh. i wouldn't see bwp again, even if it was free. i
liked the performances and it was weird and spooky
and all that, but i don't want to pay money to feel that
sick again. ;)
xox.karen
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