EXHIBITION STATEMENT

The goal of this project was to break down popular B-List movies to understand why people watch them, why people make them, and if there is any meaning to be found in them. To accomplish this, the project consisted of researching B-list movies then formulating the findings into an easily digestible video essay.

The project was mostly influenced by the B-Movies researched and studied. The movies that influenced the project the most were Birdemic (Nguyen), Miami Connection (Kim), and The Room (Wiseau). To better analyze the movies, the book “Digital Filmmaking” by Mike Figgis was referenced multiple times. Figgis included many different filmmaking techniques and insights, which were very applicable when analyzing the movies. Finally, numerous scholarly sources were included when answering the main research question of the project. For example “Inside The Room and Beyond” by Rod Stoneman explores why the film was made, and why people enjoy watching it.

              Research for the project began with secondary research. This included researching the movies being studied, including but not limited to, budgets, cast, directors, production process, and context of the movie. Secondary research also included reading both critic and audience reviews to gain a better understanding of movie reception. Finally, secondary research was concluded with researching the films in a scholarly context and reading scholarly papers about the movies. The second stage of research consisted of primary research, by watching all the selected movies, taking notes, and drawing similarities between all of them. Some of the similarities drawn were overall low production quality, poor scripting and acting, and poorly used screen time.

              To present the findings of the research, everything was formulated in a video essay. Software used to produce the video include Adobe Premiere Pro for video editing, Audacity for audio recording and editing, OBS for screen grabbing clips from movies, and Adobe Illustrator to create graphics used in the video. The video was uploaded to YouTube.com for presentation and viewing.

              This project is able to be viewed by anyone. It may interest those who already enjoy watching B-movies and want to know more about them. It may also interest those who do not know anything about B-movies and are looking for an introduction into the genre. Finally, those who dislike B-movies may watch and have their mind changed about them and be able to view B-movies in a different light.

              Regardless of what category of audience, any viewer will be able to watch the video, and gain a new perspective on B-movies, whether it is for the better or the worse. Those who are interested in making their own B-movies may also be encouraged to start after viewing this project.

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References:

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Birdemic: Shock and Terror. Directed by James Nguyen. Severin Films, 2010

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The Room. Directed by Tommy Wiseau. Wiseau-Films, 2003

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Miami Connection. Directed by Woo-Sang Park, Y.K. Kim. P.J.K. Group, 1987.

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Pavlounis, Dimitrios. "Sincerely Celebrating Failure: Tommy Wiseau's The Room and the Search for Sincerity", Spring 2012.

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Stoneman, Rod. "Inside The Room and Beyond", KINEMA, Fall 2011.

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