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.
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] [9]Sledgehammer (1983),[1][2] Video Violence (1987),[1][2][10][8] 555, Woodchipper Massacre (both 1988),[1][2] and The McPherson Tape (1989).[2][11] Filmmaker siblings the Polonia brothers are known for their shot-on-video horror films, such as Splatter Farm (1987) and Feeders (1996).[2][6]
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).[12]
The 1994 documentary film Hoop Dreams[13] was one of the first shot-on-video documentaries to receive a wide theatrical release.[14] 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.[14] An international example is Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier's minimalist film The Idiots (1998; aka Dogme #2).[6]
Main category: Camcorder films |