Independent Film

Independent filmmakers have been around since the early days of Hollywood. Legendary figures like Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks come to mind. In deed, in order to gain more control over film production and retain more artistic control over their film "vision", many within the film industry have formed their own production companies over the years. During the 1970s, Barbra Streisand, Sidney Portier and Paul Newman formed First Artists and many major stars, directors and producers retain their own production companies today. True, many of these companies are funded by major studios, but there are still many independents who do not rely on major Hollywood studios to fund their production. Robert Redford, founder of the Sundance Institute, describes the classic hallmarks of the independent film, "The usual traits of independent film are that it tends to be lower budget, without stars and it tends to be auteur driven: a lot of writer/directors" (Troy 4). However, today's independents are on the rise because of two main reasons. First, independent films are typically more "artistic" and garner Oscar nominations, a former stronghold of major studio releases. For instance, four of the five films nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences in 1997 were for independently produced films (The English Patient, Fargo, Secrets & Lies and Shine). The fifth film, Jerry McGuire, was produced by Tri-Star, a subsidiar

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e and others have been snapped up by studios eager to add prestige and critical acclaim to their stable of box-office titans, "'There are no independents-they're all part of the studios,' spins one former studio head. �We've bought them all. It's just another way for us to do business. You get less control, but there's also less overhead and less of an investment. Also less hassle. Studio heads are only human. It's hard to focus on a $15 million movie when you're also making Batman" (Svetkey 5). Aside from the fact that there are those who might argue with the statement that studio heads are only human, there are other reasons besides costs and hassles that has studios gobbling up independent film companies at an accelerating pace-ego and prestige. Says David Brown, "It's ego. Or let us use the words corporate pride. They buy these independents for the same reason Mobil does public service. It's jewelry, like having your wife wear a spectacular necklace. They want tickets to the Oscars, too" (Svetkey 5). Of course, there are differences between large budget films and small low-priced ones besides cost. It is easier to return a profit on low-budget films if the movie is actually good. Films like Fargo and Shine

Category: Film - I