How Can Films Be Shot Like This?!
This film review video was also posted on Danmu Network.
Therefore, it's not just people on Danmu Network who can see it.
People on Weibo can also see it.
As a result, in addition to the critic's own fans, many netizens noticed the video through various channels.
The first thing they saw was this 'exaggerated' headline.
Horror movie?
Is it a short film?
Has it revolutionized the industry's filming techniques?
This short sentence immediately made even those who don't play games restless.
ha?
This mere promotional short film is at best a low-budget micro-movie; what makes it so special that it has the ability to revolutionize the film and television industry?
Is there anything special about it?
And it's even terrifying?
Funny!
Everyone knows what horror movies are like; they're essentially tools for capitalists to launder money and deceive people!
Find a few popular celebrities in the entertainment industry and write a cringeworthy, third-rate romance script.
They then lure audiences under the guise of horror films, create movie posters that look genuinely terrifying, and then promote them through various shady media outlets.
They can make a killing with the preview screenings and then make another killing with the theatrical release!
Making a fortune, it couldn't be more comfortable.
So what if there are tons of negative reviews? So what if the reputation collapses?
Anyway, popular celebrities only have a two- or three-year period of popularity. Once that's over, can't we just find the next new popular celebrity?
The fan base also changes very quickly.
How can you not support your idol's movie?
Besides, those who expect horror movies are quite easy to fool.
Although it became more and more difficult each time as the number of attempts increased.
But as long as the promotion is done well, there's no need to worry about a lack of customers.
Even if all else fails, there's always the fans of popular celebrities to back you up!
As a result, after being deceived several times, Chinese people have lost all hope in so-called 'horror movies'.
Horror movies have even become synonymous with bad movies.
When I hear that a horror movie is going to be released, my first reaction is that it's a romance movie or some other type of movie.
In short, it's definitely not scary.
There might be ghosts, but they're really just people in another form.
For screenwriters, the love stories between immortals and mortals, between humans and demons, between rural and urban areas, and between domineering CEOs falling in love with me are all outdated!
Let's try something new! The male and female leads, separated by life and death, still fall in love!
As a result, Chinese people no longer trust horror movies.
I get fed dog food while watching a horror movie, am I just bored?
Even the dead can find partners. What are you trying to say, screenwriter and director?
Therefore, at a time when horror films are in a very low position, we see such an exaggerated title about horror films. Netizens familiar with the sharp-tongued film critic immediately thought he was being sarcastic and joking.
Would someone who criticizes bad movies and praises good ones really rave about 'so-called horror movies'?
That's definitely impossible!
Therefore, even before watching it, netizens already thought it was a terrible movie that would be criticized.
But when they clicked on it, the first three sentences in the video stunned them.
[If someone had told me the day before yesterday that horror movies were on the rise, I would have slapped them across the face. Isn't that just bullying an honest person?]
[But now, if someone came up to me and told me that horror movies are on the rise, I would actually think about it. Because...]
[I truly see hope and the possibility of a horror film resurgence!]
At this moment, a title appeared in the video.
That's something that would leave many people completely confused, but gamers would find incredibly familiar!
[W-FBC-0087 Anomaly - the Staircase, Exploration Experiment Log]
Just as some netizens who hadn't seen the original film were wondering, the film critic spoke up again.
[Initially, when I saw this video on Danmu Network, I was also completely confused by the title.]
[I know about the Staircase, and I can also understand the later experimental records by combining them. The gist is that it's about exploring a certain the Staircase.]
[But I honestly don't understand what the preceding number means. However, the comments and bullet screen mentioned something called 'FBC Federal Bureau of Control '. So after watching the whole short film, I specifically searched for it and found out that it's a secret organization set up by a game company in one of its Horror Games.]
[It wasn't until now that I realized the gaming industry had already been developing horror games, and quite successfully at that! Clearly, this short film carries two important responsibilities.]
[Firstly, it served as a trial run for the horror genre and a foray into the film and television industry. Secondly, it was a plot extension of the game, supplementing and perfecting the game's world-building.]
[But whatever the purpose behind this short film, it doesn't diminish the terrifying plot that sent chills down my spine!]
At this point, the video showed the original footage from the short film.
This allowed viewers to truly see the real nature of this horror film.
[The plot of the short film is neither simple nor complex. It revolves around an organization called the FBC (Federal Bureau of Control) discovering a very strange the Staircase in a school that seems to 'swallow' people.]
[They gave this the Staircase a number: W-FBC-0087. Judging from the comments, that means anomaly number 87. I later learned that the Control Bureau supposedly assigns a name and code to each anomaly. The highest known anomaly is number 825, the Illusion Helmet. But that's in the game, so we won't discuss it further.]
[Then, personnel were sent into the Staircase to investigate, where they encountered a series of chilling and terrifying events.]
[Specifically, there were strange women crying, inexplicable footsteps, an unseen hanging female corpse, red writing visible only in night vision mode, and most obviously, terrifying ghost faces that kept me awake at night—all of which fulfilled my every terrifying fantasy about Pitch Black the Staircase!]
[Now, I'll show you the face from the short film.]
The video suddenly revealed a pale, cold, eyeless face.
The eerie appearance of the creature, lacking a jaw and mouth and completely hidden in darkness, sent chills down the spines of netizens who hadn't seen the original film.
Having never seen a real horror movie before, they had never encountered anything so terrifying that it sent chills down their spines.
So they all pressed the → key on their keyboards to fast forward a few seconds in order to skip ahead.
Film critics seemed to know that the face was too striking, so they didn't keep it and quickly replaced it with another image.
[When I saw this face, I was completely stunned. It was terrifying! Not only was the plot terrifying, but the appearance was terrifying too! This double dose of horror was incredibly impactful for someone who had never seen a horror movie before.]
[But I'm so happy, so excited! Because finally there's a horror film that can actually scare people! Finally, a real horror film! Although it's a short film, not a full-fledged movie, it shows that making a horror movie is truly possible!]
[This 46-minute short film tells the story of three explorations. The first two involve ordinary people, while the third involves a team of six soldiers. I won't spoil the plot twists and creative techniques; you should see it for yourself—it will absolutely leave you speechless.]
[But is that all? While the horror of the plot and the terrifying visuals are stunning, that's only one aspect of the film. What truly amazes me is the unconventional filming technique used—a technique you'd never even imagine in the market!]
At this point, the doctor, who appeared at the beginning of the video, appears on the screen.
He sat in front of the camera, trying to take off his mask, but was stopped.
The image remains frozen in time.
The voices of film critics resounded once again.
[This short film was shot in 2022, but it differs greatly from other films made in 2022. The most obvious difference is the picture quality.]
[Look closely, this image isn't a 16:9 widescreen, but a 4:3 square screen. On a modern widescreen media player, this results in black bars on the sides, making it look like an old-fashioned television. The big, bulky, white televisions we used to have were 4:3 square screens.]
[Next, we'll discuss establishing the style of the short film.]
[The short film is set in the West in 1950. The director likely intentionally used an old videotape style to create an atmosphere of the era, resulting in jagged noise, lines reminiscent of signal failure, distorted and blurred edges on the characters, and motion blur. All of this is incredibly realistic!]
[Because the short film is in the style of a videotape, the colors appear exceptionally dark, which seems completely out of place compared to today's ultra-high-definition Blu-ray visuals, yet it offers a novel experience. Like the Renaissance, it's remarkably unique and nostalgic. It's as if this horror short film was truly shot in the 1950s, incredibly realistic and dated.]
At this moment, viewers watching this scene, just as film critics have said, experienced a sense of novelty.
Because nowadays, whether it's movies or TV series, ultra-high-definition images are emerging one after another, and various special effects are bombarding people in turn, which has long caused visual fatigue.
In this 'advanced' ultra-high-definition era, how can one not be interested in the sudden appearance of such an 'old-fashioned' film that is comparable to standard definition?
In addition, the film is not boring; the plot seems very good and also very scary.
This gives viewers a sense of exploring the past and understanding the era of their parents' generation.
Even in the West.
At this moment, the film critics' voices rang out again.
[Besides the unique old videotape footage, there's another highlight, which is the main reason I decided to make this video! We won't discuss the plot, setting, or horror. Let's see how this short film 'sneaks in' by using a filming technique that the film industry has never thought of before.]
The film transitions quickly, starting with the seated doctor's narration and then switching to another scene.
A first-person live stream perspective!
[The movies and TV series we used to watch were filmed in a way that allowed us, as viewers, to observe the entire film from a third-person perspective, detached from the events unfolding. The advantage of this technique is that it puts the audience in a god-like viewpoint, allowing them to see the stories and performances of everyone in the film or TV series.]
[This is a filming technique that has remained unchanged throughout the development of the film and television industry.]
[But now, I see something different, a new filming technique.]
[It's in the form of a live stream recording!]
Many viewers who hadn't seen the original film were stunned when they saw this part of the video.
Filming movies using live-stream recording?
How should we shoot it?
Can this method be used to make movies? Can it be used to make TV series?
At this point, netizens were completely baffled by the so-called live recording format.
Everyone here has seen live streams to some extent, especially short videos; there are countless and all kinds.
Putting aside those self-indulgent videos with no filming skills, just looking at the live news reports, it's hard to imagine that they could be used to make movies.
And it's terrifying?
At this moment, most netizens who didn't play games curled their lip, feeling somewhat disdainful.
The live recording format is something those who know, understand.
There are tons of these on short video platforms now.
Whether it's cooking, outdoor adventures, or even island survival, everything showcases 'extremely low cost' and 'doing whatever you want'.
You can take pictures of this with just a phone or a camera, so how can you take good pictures of it?
Because short video platforms are easy to shoot and require low-end equipment, they have produced all sorts of shoddy content, polluting the senses of netizens and impacting data analytics.
This so-called live recording method feels unprofessional and full of amateurishness.
Can this even be made into a movie?
Some netizens didn't believe it, but the sharp-tongued film critics have already come forward, so there's no way to deny it now.
It's no wonder they reacted this way; the main reason is that there are simply no movies on the market made using live-stream recordings.
It's perfectly normal not to believe something because it doesn't exist.
However, film critics are unlikely to be so unreliable, so netizens still chose to continue watching.
Then, the film critic's voice rang out as the first-person perspective on the screen shook.
[See that? This is a first-person perspective. At first, when I saw this, I almost turned it off. Because in my opinion, people who shoot short films like this lack professional skills and equipment; they're just self-indulgent people who grab a phone or camera and start messing around.]
[But later, I realized I was wrong. The more I watched, the more horrified I became. Because it was just so incredibly immersive!]
[The first-person perspective, the realistic and unpretentious on-the-spot reactions, the fear and dread in the face of bizarre events, and the unique feeling of being constantly present despite not seeing the main character—all these elements immediately drew me in! It felt like I was experiencing it myself.]
[It abandons the omniscient perspective, deliberately downplays the protagonist, and strengthens the atmosphere and characterization, allowing the audience to directly immerse themselves in the story, creating an incredible feeling of being in the film's world even through the screen.]
[You know what? I felt the same kind of panic I'd get in a haunted house at an amusement park the whole time! It felt so real, like I was actually there! And I was surrounded by fear every single moment!]
[In the past, with movies and TV series, I only felt like I was watching a good or a terrible story. But this short film gave me the feeling of experiencing the story firsthand!]
Viewers watching on screen were all taken aback.
Holy crap!
Yes, there really is!
It's actually possible to shoot a complete film using live streaming recording!
The sense of immersion is so strong that it makes people feel like they are actually there.
Is it true or false?
Holy crap!
Which company filmed this?
Is the Only Game produced by this company?
Producer: Shuo Guang?
Posted by FBC
Is the filming company Magic Shadow Studio?
Director Lin.
Write it down!
That's fucking awesome!
At this moment, the film critic's voice continued to play in the video.
[This filming technique creates a sense of immersion that conventional third-person narration cannot provide! Moreover, this technique shouldn't be too expensive, but it demands a high level of skill from the actors.]
[Because of the limitations of this live-stream recording format, this film couldn't achieve the kind of camera transitions common in conventional films. Therefore, this film uses a first-person, one-shot approach!]
[My God! One continuous shot! And in first person! What does that even mean?! Three explorations, each one a single, continuous shot, with no camera cuts in between! Do you know what that means?]
[This means that even a small mistake means filming has to start all over again! The film flows so smoothly; I can't even imagine how many takes it took to get this final product. Also, the special effects are subtly added, achieving the mystery and ambiguity expected of a horror film!]
Viewers watching on their screens were all taken aback.
If the so-called live-stream recording techniques left them confused, then this one-shot technique was what truly surprised them.
Over 40 minutes, three explorations, all three of which were filmed in one continuous shot?
How long will that take? And how much will it test the actors' skills?
Based on this alone, this short film deserves to be called awesome!
[This is truly amazing! A short video derived from a game, using the currently popular and easily accessible live-streaming recording format, has carved out a completely new filming technique! It's truly a rising star in the industry!]
[And it's a horror movie, the kind that's genuinely scary and leaves a lasting impression!]
[Here, I give the short film Z-FBC-0087, "The Staircase," an 8.5 out of 10! It's not a 9 because, strictly speaking, it's not a film; it doesn't explain the world-building or character backgrounds, nor does it provide an ending, making everything feel abrupt.]
[If rated by film standards, it would clearly fail. So the 8.5 is because it's creative, exciting, and terrifying enough!]
[I'm really looking forward to seeing a real horror movie similar to this one in the future!]