Chapter 0008: Dissolving Friendships

that is the rate of return

This film presents everything on the big screen as computer desktops, where the audience, like everyone in the chat room, gazes at each other through computer cameras while observing the unfolding events. The subtle sense of immersion is even more authentic than that created by portable cameras, and the resulting sense of fear is naturally more impactful

One approach is to create art films and follow the film festival route, but for film companies, the return on investment for art films often takes a longer time; moreover, the company's executives may easily misjudge the abilities of producers and directors, which could lead to increased pressure for the narrative.

Therefore, it is quite challenging for a pseudo-documentary thriller filmed with a portable camera to attract a large audience. After all, the narrative style has become very familiar, making it difficult to break the audience's expectations and provide more. Even if the director's skills are exceptional, if the story lacks a gimmick, it is hard to create something remarkable.

The story of "Unfriend" itself, combined with innovative filming techniques, creates a more captivating spark; the audience can become the silent eighth participant in the private chat room, fully engaged, as if they themselves are the next victim, intensifying the psychological fear.

At first, they all thought it was a hacker's prank or a friend's joke, but they did not expect that among this group of friends in the chat room, a beautiful woman who had once cursed Laura first went on a rampage and then met with an unfortunate accident

Among them, comedy films rely more on the script and actors, with relatively limited representation of producers. If Jixu wants to gain recognition from the Liuguang Film Industry Talent Program, then thriller films are undoubtedly a better choice

Therefore, change is imperative

What Lu Qian is truly considering are the practical challenges of the film project

However, this is not the entire reason, nor is it the primary reason

It shares a similar essence with portable cameras, yet goes a step further, carrying an intimate sense of voyeurism, breathing alongside the characters

The utilization of the entire space of the house, the adjustments for different camera angles, and the control of varying lighting changes—each detail represents a collision between artistic creation and cost management

Narration, chose the latter

Thus, things began to take a strange turn

Both are mockumentaries, but "Unfriend" brings not only a sense of novelty but also a sense of audience participation through the computer camera and desktop, subtly penetrating the viewers' minds and thereby creating a profound sense of fear

Among the various genres of commercial films, the production costs of thriller films and comedy films are relatively the lowest

However, such a filming method places very high demands on the director's creative abilities, while also imposing very strict requirements on cost control

The film "Invisible Visitor" is highly likely to have been blacklisted by Liuguang Film Industry, which means they cannot rely on the scholarship subsidies, nor can they expect Liuguang Film Industry to handle the subsequent distribution and promotion. Therefore, what they need to consider foremost now is not only to shoot a good film but also the film's release and revenue

Generally, there are two routes

What they need right now is precisely this "novelty"

However, in fact, this method of expression is not original; to be precise, it was the 2014 thriller "Unfriended" that was the first to employ it

One year later, a couple is having a video chat online, and they invite a group of friends to join the conversation. However, a mysterious user without a profile picture also joins the chat room. This user cannot be kicked out of their private chat room, and even more frighteningly, the other party is conversing with them under the identity of Laura

Otherwise, if the movie flops, all their funds will be sunk without a trace, what should be done

In 2018, a suspense film titled "Searching" garnered widespread acclaim and achieved impressive box office results despite its modest budget

The concept of "invisible visitors" is not new; the pseudo-documentary filming style of portable cameras has already been exemplified by many predecessors. In both time and space, numerous pioneers have emerged, using similar techniques to tell different stories, frightening countless audiences in theaters, and it has long been familiar to the public

"Unfriend" tells a story like this

The film is entirely shot through a computer webcam, with the entire narrative unfolding on the computer desktop. This means that the audience watches the big screen, which consists entirely of the computer desktop, observing the characters' actions and performances through the computer webcam.

On the way home, reminiscing about the script of "The Invisible Visitor," Lu Qian thought of a very fitting story, and after carefully searching in his mind, he confirmed that this story had not yet appeared in this time and space.

The release of "Unfriend" has pioneered a brand new narrative style of pseudo-documentary by hetushucomcom

However, objectively speaking, the quality of the completion of "Unfriended" is not outstanding, roughly around a score of sixty. Compared to "Searching" and "Unfriended 2", it falls short by a level. The core reason it achieved decent box office results is its innovative narrative style

This script appears to perfectly align with "The Invisible Guest"

One year ago, a high school girl named Laura ended her life, which once caused a sensation, but soon returned to calm.

Cost control is the primary reason; if the original filming framework is maintained, the existing contradictions and conflicts will not disappear out of thin air and will still be topics that Jishu and Lu Qian need to explore in depth

Wait, why choose "Unfriend" instead of "Network Trace"

After the release of "Unfriend," it achieved impressive box office results, and subsequently, a sequel was filmed, which received even better reviews than its predecessor

It is precisely for this reason that Lu Qian believes the script needs to be revised

It is precisely for this reason that Ji Xu had numerous conflicts with the previous director

The difficulty exists, but Lu Qian does not believe it is unattainable

In this regard, the later film "Searching" merely borrowed the filming technique but failed to reach such heights; it was simply a switch in the method of recording through a different lens, clearly falling short.

The primary method is to change the perspective effect conveyed by the entire film through the switching of shots and the use of lighting, breaking the usual criticism of insufficient lighting in pseudo-documentaries that makes it difficult to see, and creating psychological thrills and fears in different ways

Certainly, the conceptualization of this project by the team is by no means a simple copy and paste; they also aspire to break the framework based on the existing type.

Secondly, the stories of "Removing Friends" and "Invisible Visitors" share many similarities, and Lu Qian can complete the adaptation without drastic adjustments. While saving workload is a secondary concern, the primary importance lies in avoiding unnecessary suspicions in the narrative—this is clearly a more reasonable adaptation

One type is a commercially experimental film that can demonstrate cost control capabilities on one hand, while also showcasing a certain level of commercial potential on the other. Even if the box office does not achieve explosive success, film companies are very willing to see such producers emerge and are more generous when it comes to investment.

When choosing the genre for his first feature film, Ji Xu clearly engaged in careful consideration