The Green Screen is back with another movie review to determine if it can be classified as an eco-friendly film.  Today, we take a closer look at the carbon footprint of producing the film Paranormal Activity.  So, is it an eco-friendly film?  I say definitively yes.

Why?  Well, this horror was filmed with a paltry $15,000 budget. That is unheard of in Hollywood these days.  Lower production costs means reduced waste, less energy consumption and fewer fossil fuels burned to make the movie.  Directed, produced, written and edited by Oren Peli and filmed in his own house in Rancho Penasquitos, San Diego, Paranormal Activity delivers on the scare factor with a simple premise involving a couple and a demonic presence creeping into their bedroom at night.  Peli, an Israeli-born video game designer had no formal training in film.  He shot the $15,000 movie in a week in 2006 with an  unrecognizable cast, a crew of several San Diego friends and a hand-held video camera.  The movie has since made over 100 million dollars at the box office.

Movie sets today generate so much waste in landfills and consume enormous amounts of energy.  This little horror gem had 2 primary actors, a few extras, and one location – the director’s home.  I’d bet there was no Kraft food services catering meals every day.  And the movie delivered, the actor’s made it seem like this was a real couple in a very real and frightening situation.

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