For the greater part of the last two decades, there has been a
significant increase in independent films and the popularity there of.
This is more than likely due to many key factors which will be covered
below.
Increased budgets in independent films: It used to be that indie
flicks were low budget, poorly acted dramas that were produced with bad
sound. Now with young actors and rising stars wanting to participate in
academy award caliber flicks, you are sure to at least find one super
low budget a great one per year.
Well, it's not really increased budget, it's also cheaper and better
technology. Primer, made with 2,000 cameras, street acting, and natural
lighting were able to pull of an incredible film with a great script,
smart shots, and good workers. This is becoming more and more common.
The Blair Witch Project is another example. The technology does not have
to be high definition in order for it to be a good film, nor
successful. If you want to do a space station movie or an action flick,
you may need a budget, but for dramas or earthbound movies, you can
probably get by with just about any equipment lying around. Just make
sure you are dedicated to the project and you could be a winner.
It's cool to be independent: When a lot of people walk through the
movie rental place they look for the familiar "this movie has been
selected for..." or "winner of the..." It ensures that the movie they
are looking at is artsy, and that few people have seen it (or at least
fewer than any major release). It's fun to talk about movies that won an
award at Cannes or Sundance. They make more money coming to DVD than
they ever did in the theater. This actually saves them promotional costs
and allows them to achieve a better profit margin.
The backing of the stars: Robert Redford backs the biggest American
Film Awards Show, Sundance Film Festival. Big movies typically kick off
these specials, most recently "The Assassination of Jesse James by the
Coward Robert Ford." This not only increases awareness for the films,
but it promotes the whole aspect of the award shows and any film
selected gets that icon of being an official selection.
So in pops the final question. Will awards shows and festivals take
over the movie rental business and make many films go straight to video?
Will there become too much hype and press that the independent people
will no longer feel independent of the rest of the crowd? Only time will
give us these answers, but until then check out the major award winners
in each of the major film festivals for a treat that will be unlike any
of the major blockbusters.
