The Blair Witch Project was a game changer for the handheld camera school of thought. The immersive experience transformed cinema in a big way. Back in the day, few filmgoers had truly experienced the phenomenon of the handheld camera in action. It’s a jarring experience when done in this way but it’s highly effective nonetheless.
Many of us recollect the shaking camera violently bobbing and weaving as characters chase their tails in a witch’s hideout. The film shattered expectations for the horror genre at the time, and it did so on a paltry budget. Why all but hoopla about the Blair Witch Project? It was a transformative moment in cinema because it effectively introduced a ‘live camera’ scenario to audiences, and they lapped it up in their droves. Truthfully, the producers were tight-lipped about the film and NOBODY knew anything about it…
The live camera concept has been used in horror movies ad nauseam. The advent of social media with live streaming has popularised live cams to the nth degree. We see it repeatedly; not only is it part of our cultural zeitgeist, but it’s also a highly effective communication medium. Not convinced? Check out this list of flicks that have successfully employed the live cam option (these are often called ‘Found Footage’ movies):
- V/H/S
- Host
- Unfriended: Dark Web
- Paranormal Activity
- Troll Hunter
- Untraceable
- Rec
- Unfriended
- The Visit
Sure, many of these films will scare the stripes off a tiger, but ‘Found Footage’ or ‘Live Cam’ action is not all scary. We see live footage in sports matches, live news broadcasts, social media, and live blackjack casino action. It’s the immediacy of the material that resonates with audiences. We want to experience something in real-time, with relevant details passed on to us as it unfolds. The beauty of live-streaming action – whether it’s social media, sports, news, or casino games is its authenticity. We are innately primed to believe what we see in real-time.
The Live Casino Case Study: A Fascinating Insight into Live Streaming
A case study into the casino arena presents incredibly interesting insights. To understand this material, we must step back to the early stages of online casinos. Back in the 1990s, online casino operators were at a crossroads. They lacked the trust needed to engage players to place bets. From a player’s perspective, it was a no-brainer: you simply can’t trust an online casino because it takes your money, knows your bet preferences, and delivers an outcome – in that order. Players lacked trust in the system. They felt some malarkey was occurring behind the scenes, so the system’s integrity was in doubt.
But then Internet connectivity improved. Independent testing agencies like eCOGRA, TST, and other respected authorities began operating with regulators to develop trust and verify frameworks for operators. The advent of live streaming technology was the game changer – much like live cams or found footage at the movies. The difference is that players trust live casino game outcomes much more than they trust RNGs (Random Number Generators). By creating the impression that a player is actually – or rather virtually – sitting at a casino table playing blackjack, roulette, or baccarat, it becomes a trusted and verified experience.
Players know that what they’re seeing is actually taking place. The balls spin around the wheel, the cards are randomly drawn from a shoe, and the numbers are randomly picked from a basket. Seeing is believing for most folks. Fortunately, this paradigm works for the live casino industry. Of course, all similarities between this entertainment industry and the film sector end there. We know that most found footage is fiction, but we lap it up nonetheless because we assume the character’s perspective and experience their tension in near-real time!
