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Independent film



Today, due to the large volume of inexpensive, high end digital film equipment available at the consumer level, independent filmmakers are no longer dependent on major studios to provide them with the tools they need to produce a film. Post production has also been simplified by non-linear editing software available for home computers. While most of the current U.S. film industry is located in Los Angeles, one-third of all independent films in the U.S. are still produced in New York City, where the first independent filmmakers began the resistance to the Edison Trust.[citation needed]

Presently, all five of the Golden Age majors continue to exist as major Hollywood studio entities through 2008. Their output is still marked by familiar stories and conservative choices in cast and crew. Companies such as Lucasfilm continue to exist, co-financing their productions and partnering with Big Six studios for distribution. In fact, co-financing has become a growing trend in modern day Hollywood, with over two-thirds of the films put out by Warner Bros. in 2000 being funded as joint ventures, up from 10% in 1987.[6]

In an effort to cash in on the present day boom in independent film, today's Big Six major studios, have created a number of independent-flavored subsidiaries, designed to develop less commercial, more character driven films which appeal to the growing art house market. These include MGM, UA (under MGM), New Line Cinema, HBO Films, Castle Rock Entertainment, DreamWorks SKG, Sony Pictures Classics, Fox Searchlight, Miramax Films, Warner Independent, Picturehouse, Paramount Classics/Paramount Vantage, Go Fish Pictures (under DreamWorks), Focus Features, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Destination Films, Fox Faith, Fox Atomic, Hollywood Pictures, and Rogue Pictures.

The increasing popularity and feasibility of low-budget films over the last 15 years has led to a vast increase in the number of aspiring filmmakers -- people who have written spec scripts and who hope to find several million dollars to turn that script into an independent film sensation like Reservoir Dogs, Little Miss Sunshine, or Juno. These aspiring filmmakers often work day-jobs while they pitch their scripts to independent film production companies, talent agents, and wealthy investors. Their dream seems much more attainable than before the independent film revolution because these novice filmmakers no longer need to gain the backing of a major studio and access to perhaps a hundred million dollars to make their film. (See the filmmaking documentary Dreams on Spec)

Independent movie-making has also resulted in the proliferation and repopularization of short films and short film festivals. Full-length films are often showcased at film festivals such as the Sundance Film Festival, the Slamdance Film Festival, the South By Southwest film festival, the Raindance Film Festival, ACE Film Festival, or the Cannes Film Festival. Award winners from these exhibitions are more likely to get picked up for distribution by major film studios.

The following studios are considered to be the most prevalent of the modern independent studios (they are used to produce/release independent films and foreign-language films in America):

Note that many of the above studios are actually subsidiaries of larger studios — for example, Sony Pictures Classics is owned by Sony Pictures and is , and Fox Searchlight belongs to the same company that owns 20th Century Fox.

In addition to these higher profile "independent" studios there are thousands of smaller production companies that produce truly independent films every year. These smaller companies look to regionally release their films theatrically or for additional financing and resources to distribute, advertise and exhibit their project on a national scale. The direct-to-video market is not often noted as artistically fertile ground but among its many entries are ambitious independent films that either failed to achieve theatrical distribution or did not seek it. Moving forward, particularly as theatrical filming goes digital and distribution eventually follows, the line between "film," direct-to-disc productions, and feature-length videos whose main distribution channel is wholly electronic, should continue to blur.

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Technology and independent films today

The independent film scene's development in the 1990s and 2000s has been stimulated by a range of factors, including the development of affordable high-definition digital video cameras that can rival 35 mm film quality and easy-to-use computer editing software.

Until the advent of digital alternatives, the cost of professional film equipment and stock was a major obstacle to independent filmmakers who wanted to make their own films. The cost of 35 mm film is steadily rising: in 2002 alone, film negative costs were up 23%, according to Variety.[6] Studio-quality filming typically required expensive lighting and post-production facilities.

But the advent of consumer camcorders in 1985, and more importantly, the arrival of high-definition digital video in the early 1990s, have since lowered the technology barrier to movie production considerably. Both production and post-production costs have been significantly lowered; today, the hardware and software for post-production can be installed in a commodity-based personal computer. Technologies such as DVD, FireWire connections and professional-level non-linear editing system software make movie-making relatively inexpensive.

The first independent film released on HD DVD was One Six Right on November 1, 2006.[7][8][9]

Popular software (including commercial, consumer level and open source) includes:

Mac OS X

Windows

Linux

Popular digital camcorders, mostly semi-professional equipment with 3-CCD technology, include:

Most of these camcorders cost between US$2,000–$5,000 in 2003, with costs continuing to decline as features are subtracted, and as models depreciate. Additionally, open source software holds the potential for increasing high-level editing capabilities being available for also increasingly lower prices, both for free and paid software.

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Further reading

  • Lyons, Donald (1994). Independent Visions: A Critical Introduction to Recent Independent American Film. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-38249-8. 
  • Vachon, Christine (1996). A Killer Life: How an Independent Film Producer Survives Deals and Disasters in Hollywood and Beyond. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-5630-1. 
  • Redding, Judith; Brownworth, Victoria (1997). Film Fatales: Independent Women Directors. Seal Press. ISBN 1-878067-97-4. 
  • Levy, Emanuel (1999). Cinema of Outsiders: The Rise of American Independent Film. New York University Press. ISBN 0-8147-5123-7. 
  • Merritt, Greg (2000). Celluloid Mavericks: The History of American Independent Film. Thunder's Mouth Press. ISBN 1-56025-232-4. 
  • Biskind, Peter (2004). Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-86259-X. 
  • Pierson, John (2004). Spike Mike Reloaded. Miramax Books. ISBN 1-4013-5950-7. 
  • Levy, Emanuel (2001). Cinema of Outsiders: The Rise of American Independent Film. NYU Press. ISBN-13 978-0814751244. 

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See also

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References

  1. ^ "La-La Land: The Origins" Peter Edidin. New York Times. New York, N.Y.: Aug 21, 2005. pg. 4.2. "Los Angeles's distance from New York was also comforting to independent film producers, making it easier for them to avoid being harassed or sued by the Motion Picture Patents Company, a k a the Trust, which Thomas Edison helped create in 1909."
  2. ^ Siklos, Richard (March 4, 2007). Mission Improbable: Tom Cruise as Mogul. New York Times
  3. ^ History
  4. ^ Lauren David Peden (December 2005). Sundance Subdued. Freedom Orange County Information (coastmagazine.com). Retrieved on 2007-11-11.
  5. ^ MPAA data from January to March 2005
  6. ^ a b Sharing Pix is Risky Business variety.com. Retrieved June 23, 2007.
  7. ^ HD DVD Digest: Indie Terwilliger Jumps Into HD DVD with 'Romance of Flying'. October 4, 2006
  8. ^ HighDef Magazine: 34 to 24 on AJA KONA. Page 34, Jan/Feb 2007
  9. ^ One Six Right ..1st indie film on HD-DVD. anybody seen this yet?. AVS.com user forum, March 9, 2007

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