<P> Pre-production began on October 5, 1997 . In talks with investors, the directors presented an eight - minute documentary along with newspapers and news footage . The documentary was also aired on the defunct television series Split Screen hosted by John Pierson . The script began with a thirty - five page outline, with the dialogue to be improvised . Accordingly, the directors advertised in Backstage magazine for actors with strong improvisational abilities . There was a very informal improvisational audition process to narrow the pool of 2,000 actors . </P> <P> According to Heather Donahue, auditions for the film were held at Musical Theater Works in New York City, and ads were placed in the weekly Backstage for an open audition . The advertisement noted a "completely improvised feature film" shot in a "wooded location". Donahue described the audition as Myrick and Sánchez posing her the question: "You've served seven years of a nine year sentence . Why should we let you out on parole?" to which Donahue was required to improvise a response . Joshua Leonard, also in response to audition calls through Backstage, claimed he was cast in the film due to his knowledge of how to run a camera, as there was not an omniscient camera filming the scenes . </P> <P> Principal photography began on October 23, 1997 . Most of the film was shot in Seneca Creek State Park in Montgomery County, Maryland, although a few scenes were filmed in the real town of Burkittsville . Some of the townspeople interviewed in the film were not actors, and some were planted actors, unknown to the main cast . Donahue had never operated a camera before and spent two days in a "crash course". Donahue said she modeled her character after a director she had once worked with, citing the character's "self - assuredness" when everything went as planned, and confusion during crisis . </P> <P> During filming, the actors were equipped with a CP - 16 and Hi8 video cameras provided by cinematographer Neal Fredericks, and given clues as to their next location through messages hidden inside 35 mm film cans left in milk crates found with Global Positioning Satellite systems . They were given individual instructions that they would use to help improvise the action of the day . Teeth were obtained from a Maryland dentist for use as human remains in the film . Influenced by producer Gregg Hale's memories of his military training, in which "enemy soldiers" would hunt a trainee through wild terrain for three days, the directors moved the characters a long way during the day, harassing them by night and depriving them of food . </P>

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