Indie Films
Indie Films
Independent films are produced by a wide range of means and do not specifically refer to a particular style, genre, or quality of movie. The primary thing which defines indie films is the fact that they are produced and distributed outside of the mainstream studios such as Fox, Paramount, MGM, etc. Originally the equipment for making films and distributing them was expensive and needed an established infrastructure to function. This is no longer true since almost anyone can buy a high definition video camera, film something, and upload it to a website. Many people look on the main studios with some disdain because they are seen as suppressing or exploiting the artists at times.
Many “art” films are independent simply because a studio couldn’t justify producing something with such a small audience. The increase in availability and affordability of video editing software, the more powerful computers, and continually improving technology allow for more and more independent films to be made of much higher quality and at lower prices. Since indie films aren’t as restricted as major studios they can display a much wider range of content and styles. Often they can take risks and jumps which a studio would never dream of because of the risk. Because of this a lot of major movies are “assembled” rather than created.
Much innovation and new ideas come from indie films since they are free and have less risk. The Sundance Film festival is the largest independent cinema event in the world. It serves as a showcase for various films, documentaries, and experimental films. Films such as “An Inconvenient Truth” by Al Gore, “American Teen” by Nanette Burstein are examples of documentaries fairly well known. Lions Gate is the most successful independent studio, distributing movies such as “Saw”, “Crank 2”, “Requiem for a Dream”, and many others. Its revenues exceed $900 million dollars a year as of 2009 as opposed to Warner Bros. with $11.7 billion. The contrast is fairly obvious even though the above movies are quite well known and popular.
