Modern American Independent Cinema FIS 497 002 Instructor

Modern American Independent Cinema FIS 497. 002 Instructor: Rob Goald

Definitions ‘Independent adj 1. Free from influence or control of others 2. not dependent on anything else for function or validity 3. not relying on the support, esp. financial support, of others. ‘Cinema n 1. A place designed for showing films. 2. the cinema the art or business of making films. Collins new English Dictionary

Definitions/2 Independent film is a term that contemporary cinephiles may associate with the relatively recent phenomena of Sundance & Sundance Miramax, but the Miramax concept has existed since the dawn of cinema.

A Brief History of American Independent Cinema

1910 -1954: the beginnings At one extreme was United Artists formed in Artists 1919 as an independent by Fairbanks, Chaplin, Pickford and Griffith. At the other extreme was Oscar Micheaux(1884 Micheaux 1951) who made and distributed his own films. Micheaux was the D. W. Griffith of race cinema. Micheaux Also its Edward D. Wood, Jr.

Early Independents Brothers Roy and Walt Disney ran a little Disney animation studio in the back of a real estate office in Hollywood in the 1920 s. David O. Selznick (Gone with the Wind, 1939) Selznick and Samuel Goldwyn (The Best Years of Our Lives, 1946) thrived as independent producers.

Poverty Row Studios In 1935, Republic Pictures was formed as a Pictures merger of several “Poverty Row” Studios. “Poverty Row”: low budget, B grade genre pics made by indies at Sunset and Gower in L. A. called “Gower Gulch”. Monogram Pictures (1931 -1953)made Westerns, Pictures action- adventure and Jackie Chan pics. Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) under Leon Fromkess backed pics in the 1940 s by Edgar G. Ulmer known as the Mayor of Poverty Row. Director/writer Samuel Fuller left Warners to direct for Lippert Productions and hit it big with Steel Helmet, (1951 ) Helmet, (

The 1950 s and 1960 s: Do It Yourself Little Fugitive (1953)becomes a hallmark of the NYFugitive based school of indie and an archive of 1950 s Brooklyn. The film is a key link between Italian neo-realism and The French New Wave. Village Voice film critic, Jonas Mekas called the film the start of The New American Film Movement On the Bowery(1956): Bowery(1956 Lionel Rogosin’s film was loosely structured around a new arrival to Manhattan who loses his suitcase and bearings. Real improvs from tramps and drug addicts of the Bowery employs documentary techniques and inspired Cassavetes.

John Cassavetes: Indie Godfather There’s an old line about Andy Warhol’s The Velvet Underground John Cassavetes(1929 -89)similarly had a Cassavetes(1929 -89 disproportionate influence on indie filmmaking compared to his commercial success. His oeuvre is the foundation stone of the First Wave of American independent filmmaking and the ultimate declaration of independence. “Patron Saint of independent filmmaking” ……… Manohla Dargis of NY Times

Oeuvre of John Cassavetes *Shadows(1959): a family portrait and an *Shadows(1959): interracial love story. Faces(1968): hit a groove with explosive, Faces(1968): action driven portraits of personal and domestic crisis. A Woman Under the Influence(1974): 2 Influence(1974 nd mortgaging his house, the portrait of a loving but disturbed wife and mother went on to earn $16 million and Oscar nominations for actress Rowlands and Cassavetes himself.

Shadows(1959) 81 minutes, B&W Cassavetes’ directorial debut revolves around an interracial romance between Lelia (Lelia Goldoni), a light-skinned black woman living in NYC with her two brothers, and Tony (Anthony Ray), a white man. Shot in and around Times Square and evolved from Cassavetes’ acting workshops. The raw spontaneity and emotional volatility The dialogue: erratic rhythms of real speech.

Shadows(1959)/2 Shot on location with a cast and crew made up primarily of amateurs. Film broke every rule of how a film should be made Cassavetes raised the $40, 000 budget himself Appeared on a radio show( “Jean Shepard’s Night People”) and urged listeners to send $2 for an “advance ticket”. $2, 500 raised in a week according to Ray Carney. To shot quickly Cassavetes flooded the set with light and fitted performers with battery powered mikes. Guerilla production techniques made possible by more portable camera equipment. He lacked permits to shoot in NYC and small crews had to stay one step ahead of the NYPD He gave inspiration to a new generation of filmmakers that you could make a movie on your own The film is a visionary work that is widely considered the forerunner of the independent film movement.

American International Pictures(AIP) Founded by a lawyer, Samuel Z. Arkoff and a Arkoff sales manager, James H. Nicholson in Nicholson 1956. Dedicated to releasing independently produced, low-budget films packaged as double features and attracting the teenage demographic(18 -24 yrs. ) Films aimed at the 19 yr old male!

The ARKOFF Formula Action (exciting, entertaining drama) Revolution (novel or controversial themes and ideas) Killing (a modicum of violence) Oratory (notable dialogue and speeches) Fantasy (acted-out fantasies common to the audience) Fornication (sex appeal, for young adults) Acronym=A-R-K-0 -F-F

Roger Corman: “King of the Bs” Bs Pumped out scares and titillation at record speeds for drive-in specialists AIP. Genres: Sci-Fi Schlock and soapy youth gone wild dramas. “Little Shop of Horrors”(1960)shot in two days and Horrors”( featured a young Jack Nicholson Corman is probably best known for his filmings of various Edgar Allen Poe stories. In 1970, Corman founded New World Pictures which Pictures became a small independently owned production/distribution studio. Roger Corman School of Film includes James Cameron, Joe Dante, Martin Scorsese, Francis Coppola etc.

Herschell Gordon Lewis: “Godfather of Gore” Known for grisly drive-in shockers such as: 1. Blood Feast(1963) Feast(1963 2. Two Thousand Maniacs(1964) Maniacs(1964

Independent Directors of New American Cinema 1. 2. 3. 4. George A. Romero’s: Night of the Living Dead(1968): stunned audiences with visceral Dead(1968): horrors Russ Meyer: Known as the “Soft Porn King”: Faster, Pussycat! Kill! (1965) Kill! Andy Warhol: Lonesome Cowboys(1967) Cowboys(1967 Paul Morrissey: Flesh (1968)

Independent Documentarists 1. 2. 3. 4. D. A. Pennebaker: Don’t Look Back(1967) Frederick Wiseman: Titicut Follies(1967) The Maysles Brothers: Salesman(1967) Barbara Kopple: Harlan County, USA (1976)

The Late 60 s and Early 1970 s: New Hollywood

The 1970 s: New Hollywood Young directors were recruited to infuse new blood into the ageing studio system. Leftist director/cameraman Haskell Wexler shot Medium Cool(1969) for Paramount using footage of police brutality at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. Director Robert Altman’s Mash(1970) was Mash(1970 released by Fox.

First Wave of The Modern Indie film came into cultural and economic prominence with the release of Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda’s biker odyssey Easy Rider(1969). Produced by Bert (“The Monkees”) Schneider for BBS (“ Schneider Productions. Distributed by COLUMBIA PICTURES. Story was a road trip about two hippies riding across the USA with a stash of “coke” concealed in their gas tanks. Fonda had appeared in Wild Angels(1966 d. Corman) Angels(1966 and edited by Monte Hellman. Hopper, while granted creative autonomy, still depended on a company with a Hollywood connection (BBS) funding the 340 k pic (estimated)

Easy Rider(1969) Traded studio shooting and rigid scripting for real locations, improvised dialogue, episodic narrative. As theorist Bela Balazs explains: “The camera carries my eye into the picture itself. I look at things from within the space of the film…. . My consciousness is identified with the characters of the film and I look at the world from their POV”.

BBS Productions Bert Schneider’s company became a key player in the NEW HOLLYWOOD producing: 1. Bob Rafelson’s: Five Easy Pieces(1970) Pieces(1970 2. Bob Rafelson’s: King of Marvin Garden’s(1972) Garden’s 3. Jack Nicholson’s: Drive He Said(1972) 4. Peter Bogdanovich’s: The Last Picture Show(1971) 5. Peter Davis’ doc. : Hearts and Minds(1974)

Universal’s Youth Unit 1. 2. 3. Set up in 1969, following the success of Easy Rider(1969) produced: Rider(1969 Dennis Hopper’s: The Last Movie(1971) Movie(1971 Peter Fonda’s: The Hired Hand(1971) Hand(1971 Monte Hellman’s: Two Lane Blacktop(1971)

Francis Ford Coppola met Corman at UCLA film school and got the chance to direct a murder mystery called Dementia 13(1963) 13(1963 Coppola formed American Zoetrope in 1969 Zoetrope and put up 20 k of his own money to fund his breakthrough film, Rain People(1969) People(1969 He then went on to make The Godfather films and The Conversation(1974) for films Conversation(1974) Paramount during the reign of Robert Evans

Martin Scorsese Another Corman apprentice, won entry into the DGA via AIP funded Boxcar Bertha(1972), but was reamed by Cassavetes Bertha(1972 {“you just spent a year of your life making a piece of shit”} who he had worked for as a sound editor on Minnie & & Moskowitz(1971)from Universal’s Youth Moskowitz(1971) Division. Scorsese proceeded to make Mean Streets(1973)his breakthrough film. Streets(1973

Cassavetes With Up & Coming Steven Spielberg worked as a PA on Cassavete’s Faces(1968) Another of the 1970 s “Movie Brat” generation was Brian De. Palma who blew up the Indie De. Palma Godfather at the end of The Fury(1978) Brian De. Palma made 3 movies in the late 60’s and early 70 s with $ from friends and family: (1)Greetings(1968) (2)The Wedding Party(1969) (3) Hi, Mom(1970). He discovered De. Niro!

Brian De Palma Foremost an Alfred Hitchcock acolyte, his boldly Hitchcock derivative breakthrough film: Sisters(1973) had a score from Bernard Herrmann. Phantom of the Paradise(1974)produced by Paradise(1974 Edward R Pressman.

Edward R. Pressman Producer extraordinaire. Discovered director/writer/ producer Terrence Malick and funded his breakthrough movie Malick Badlands(1973) Produced many mainstream films, but is known for supporting Indies such as: (1)Charles Burnett’s To Sleep with Anger(1990) Anger(1990 (2)Abel Ferrara’s Bad Lieutenant (1992) (1992 (3)James Toback’s Fingers (1978)starred Mean (1978 Streets’ lead Harvey Keitel.

Bob Shaye & Ben Barenholtz ran the Elgin Theater in the Chelsea district of Manhattan Shaye, bought for 10 k John Water’s Pink Flamingos(1972) for NEW LINE PICTURES (founded in 1968) and it 1968) became the first “Midnight Movie” sensation at the Elgin. Sympathy for the Devil & Reefer Madness Barenholtz started LIBRA FILMS and Barenholtz released two landmark indies: 1. David Lynch’s Eraserhead(1977) and Eraserhead(1977) 2. John Sayles’ Secaucus 7(1979) 7(1979

Overlooked Masterpieces of the ’ 70 s Cinephiles regard the 1970 s with awe and reverence preceding the blockbuster age, however, a few masterpieces have not received their due including: 1. Robert Kramer’s Ice(1969) 2. John Avildsen’s Joe(1970)- Sarandon 3. John Berry’s Claudine(1974)-blacklisted Claudine(1974 director’s return with Diahann Carroll

Beyond Blaxploitation: The LA School Melvin Van Pebbles’ Sweetback’s Baadassss Song (1971) kicked started a string of (1971 Blaxploitation movies including: Gordon Parks’ Shaft(1971) & Superfly( Superfly 1972) 1972 UCLA’S young black filmmakers made the honest look at African American culture stand up to the test of heartfelt, serious filmmaking: 1. Charles Burnett: Killer of Sheep(1977) Sheep(1977 2. Julie Dash, Daughters of the Dust (1991) 3. Billy Woodberry, Bless Their Little Hearts(1984) Hearts(1984 4. Haile Gerima, Bush Mamma (1979)

A Decade Under the Influence Produced and Directed by Richard La. Gravanese and Ted Demme

Plot Summary/1 Decade Film A compendium of interviews and excerpts from the films of the late sixties and early 70 s that were a counter movement to the big Studio Films of the late sixties. Directed by Ted Demme, it is obviously a labor of love of the films of the period, but it gives short shrift to the masterpieces of the times. Many of the filmmakers of this period were influenced by Truffaut, Antonioni, Fellini, Bergman, and of course John Cassavetes. Unfortunately the documentary logging in at 138 minutes is too short! The film is rich with interviews and opinions of filmmakers. Some of the people interviewed are: Martin Scorsese, Francis Coppola, Robert Altman, Peter Bogdonovich, Ellen Burstyn, and Roger Corman, Bruce Dern, Sydney Pollack, Dennis Hopper, and Jon Voight.

Plot Summary/2 Decade Bruce Dern has a moment of truth when he says that he and Jack Nicholson may not have been as good looking as the other stars that came before them but they were "interesting". This summarizes the other areas of this period of filmmaking in American history. The filmmakers were dealing with a lack of funding from the Studios because they were expressing unconventional attitudes about politics, sex, drugs, gender and race issues, and Americas involvement in overseas conflicts like the Vietnam War. An interview with Francis Coppola is enlightening with his saying that he got the chance to make The Conversation because the producers knew he had been trained by Roger Corman to make a movie with nothing so they bankrolled his film.

Plot Summary/3 Decade Another interview is with Jon Voight who was directed by Hal Ashby in Coming Home a clear anti-war film about a crippled soldier immersing himself back into society after his facing battle. Voight talks about how his working methods helped him achieve an emotional telling point when Ashby said that they were doing a rehearsal take and it ended up being the take used in the film- it was better because it was so unrehearsed and not drained of its freshness by being over-rehearsed. There also many fine excerpts from Al Pacino's break-through film The Panic in Needle Park, and interviews from Dennis Hopper on the making of Easy Rider, and interviews from Sydney Pollack about making films. The documentary is a jumping off point for any film lover who wants to see examples of what the new voices in film were like in the Seventies. Many of the Sundance Folks, where this film made a big splash, are unaware of just how much the Independent Film Maker today owes to the films of John Cassavetes, Milos Foreman, William Friedkin, and Roger Corman.

The American New Wave

1984: The Second Wave John Sayles, David Lynch, Jim Jarmusch, Spike Lee, and the Coen Bros. all examples Bros. of directors of The Second Wave aka The American New Wave (as opposed to The French New Wave) Stranger Than Paradise(1984): Jarmusch’s not much- doing film, but a milestone in the developing indie scene, cost only $110, 000 and cheapest film to win Camera d’Or at Cannes. -Distributed by Island-Alive.

Selected Oeuvre of Jarmusch Down by Law(1986)107 min, b/w This is his true breakthrough film, a comic road movie about 3 Louisiana jailbirds which was a key moment in the new American Wave/Cinema. “It’s a sad and beautiful world”– Benigni Mystery Train (1989)a meditation on storytelling which featured Japanese Elvis fans and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins

Selected Oeuvre of Jarmusch Night on Earth(1991)oddball taxi rides in L. A. , NYC, Paris, Rome Helsinki Dead Man (1995) Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) Coffee and Cigarettes(2003) Broken Flowers(2005)

As Jarmusch Puts It: “In a film when someone takes a taxi, you see them get in, then there’s a cut, then you see them get out. So in a way the content of this film is made up of things that would usually be taken out. It’s similar to what I like about Stranger than Paradise or Down by Law, Law the moments between what we think of as significant. ”

Jarmusch on Independent Film “Independent films are completely controlled by the film-makers artistically, and commercial films are to some degree controlled by financial investment. That’s the difference. And it’s not about quality because there are great films that are commercially orientated-Blade Runner, The Terminator, Lawrence of Arabia-and there a lot of bad independent films”.

Jarmusch on Independent Film “We are outlaws, because we don’t do it for a studio, we’re not there to make your product for you, we’re there to make films for our soul. If people find them we’re happy. But if they don’t that’s not our problem. We’re not salesmen. ”

Different Than Hollywood Style Narrative obliqueness is part of a broader aesthetic of the minimalist and deadpan that became the Jarmusch trademark. Influenced by various works of international art cinema. What a mainstream feature would show with flourish is often left implicit or at a degree of remove. e. g. Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer(1986) Killer(1986

Second Wave Philosophy Second Wave found directors carving out their Wave own niche within a limited market from which they could build proper careers. Earning critical acclaim but not actively pursuing financial reward, thereby ensuring their ‘independent status’ as their films did not challenge their studio rivals

More Second Wave Stuff Emergence of home video as a competitor of theaters meant there was a greater need for product. Indies helped swell the coffers of video retailers with new product beyond the ‘B- movies’ and allowed indies to be seen in smaller cities that lacked art-house cinemas.

John Sayles (1950 -) Sayles Known for conscience raising cinema (e. g. Return of the Secaucus 7, 1979) 7 Matewan(1987) Lone Star(1996) $32, 000/year for 5 years started 1983 from Mac. Arthur Foundation Fellowship. Liberal humanist filmmaking with shaggy ensemble narrative that doubles as an oral history of a community. Started as a screenwriter for Corman-wrote Piranha(1978) and even wrote Jurassic Park IV. e Showed a penchant for stories of the estranged. Lianna(1983) stale marriage solved by lesbianism

Sundance Rising The U. S. Film Festival, later to take the name of Festival, Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute formed in 1978. Miramax Films formed in 1979 by Bob abd Films Harvey Weinstein. Independent Feature Project (IFP) formed also IFP in 1979 by producer Sandra Schulberg to aid, develop and promote indie film talent.

Independent Feature Project (IFP) IFP's role in independent film. After debuting with a program in the 1979 New York Film Festival, the nonprofit IFP has evolved into the nation's oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers, and also the premier advocate for them. Since its start, IFP has supported the production of 7, 000 films and provided resources to more than 20, 000 filmmakers' voices that otherwise might not have been heard. IFP believes that independent films broaden the palette of cinema, seeding the global culture with new ideas, kindling awareness, and fostering activism. .

Independent Film Project Currently, IFP represents a network of 10, 000 filmmakers in New York City and around the world. Through its workshops, seminars, conferences, mentorships, and Filmmaker magazine, IFP schools its members in the art, technology, and business of independent filmmaking (there are special programs to promote racial, ethnic, religious, ideological, gender, and sexual diversity). IFP builds audiences by hosting screenings, often in collaboration with other cultural institutions-and also bestows the Gotham Awards™, the first honors of the film awards season. When all is said and done, IFP fosters the development of 350 feature and documentary films each year

IFP West Similar to its counterparts in New York and other cities, IFP/West provides support, information and resources to indie filmmakers. Workshops and panel discusssions such as the "Producer Series, " "An Evening With. . . " and "Independent Focus" draw a wealth of talent eager to share tips. The group maintains a list of member scripts (Script Project), key contacts (Skills Bank) and a library. Other benefits include screenings, access to an afffordable health plan and discounts on everything from lab work to legal services.

Independent Spirit Awards The IFP/West's annual Independent Spirit Awards rewards "visionary filmmaking" and is held just before the Oscar ceremony in March. The Swatch Someone to Watch Award, doled out at the same time, is worth $20, 000 and goes toward a young talent's future endeavors

Amerindie & La Nouvelle Vague New Wave directors fancied themselves as auteurs. Films of this movement have a common look: hurried, full of motion and authentic. As with the Italians, films were shot on location and quickly but unlike Neo-realism, editing jumps around and is very kinetic/jerky.

Good Business on a Small Scale As the ’ 70 s waned, a domino row of blazing young talent crashed and burned with overbudget, underwhelming flops. Michael (“Deerhunter”) Cimino flopped biggest Deerhunter with Heaven’s Gate, 1981 bankrupting UA. Gate, 1981 New Hollywood was drowning in megalomania and cocaine

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls How The Sex, Love & Rock n’ Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003) D. Kenneth Bowser

Plot Summary/1 Biskind Film Peter Biskind's Easy Riders/Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood was one of the most entertaining movie Hollywood books to come along in years. First published in 1998, it offered a mostly insightful overview of those tumultuous years in the film biz, roughly between 1966 and 1981, when desperate studio heads gave unprecedented freedom to a new generation of filmmakers: Coppola, Scorsese, Spielberg, Bogdanovich, Altman, Milius, Ashby, Lucas, Friedkin

Plot Summary/2 Biskind Film Biskind rightly recognized the degree in which the personal and professional lives of these budding directors and their actor friends and associates intersected. Instead of a book of film theory or one dominated by behind-the-scenes histories, he zeroed in on this weird scenario, exploring how studios entrusted millions of dollars to unproven, unstable, and in some cases completely out-of-control talent. He documented how, for a brief dozen years, they were able to make a series of incredibly daring, watershed films, and how drugs and alcohol contributed to the decline of what might have been a new Golden Age of American cinema

The Edge of Hollywood 1979 -1989

SUNDANCE INSTITUTE Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford as a non- profit to develop and promote the work of “artists of independent vision”. Best known for sponsoring the U. S. Film Festival since 1985(renamed Sundance Film Festival in Festival 1991) Although highly competitive, Redford says the Institute provides hope for artists.

The Laboratories at The Sundance Institute 1. Screenwriter Labs 2. Directors Labs 3. Native American and Indigenous Labs 4. Composers Labs 5. Producers Summit Artists work under the close watch of seasoned film veterans

The IFP Independent Filmmaker Labs Maintaining a much lower profile than Sundance, Sundance The IFP accepts submissions for two labs: 1) The Documentary Lab 2) The Narrative Lab. IFP'S 2010 INDEPENDENT FILMMAKER LABS OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS Documentary Lab – April 12– 16, 2010; Application deadline FEBRUARY 12 Narrative Lab – June 7– 11, 2010; Application deadline MARCH 26

The IFP Independent Filmmaker Labs IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs is the only program in the U. S. supporting first- time feature directors at the crucial rough cut/post production stage. The Labs play a pivotal role in helping emerging filmmakers to realize the full potential of their stories – and their careers. Through five days of workshops, mentorship, networking opportunities and creative guidance on their project, Lab filmmakers are able to gain editorial feedback, assess strategic partnerships & marketing opportunities, and evaluate their options for maximizing the reach of their film via festivals, traditional theatrical roll-outs or through innovative, DIY distribution methods. Drawing from a national candidate pool, 20 projects (10 documentaries and 10 narratives) are selected for this year-long Lab fellowship which, includes the five-day Lab in New York City, one-on-one mentorship with industry innovators and icons, and during IFP’s Independent Film Week in September - pre-scheduled meetings with potential buyers, sales agents and festival programmers and inclusion in a Lab “Sneak Preview” Showcase presentation. Criteria, additional information, and online applications available at http: //Labs. ifp. org

Writing Assignment #2 Using the “Inside Sundance Institute Magazine” I’ve provided you write 600 words that summarize a history of the Sundance Film Festival and discuss any two of the five Sundance Institute Labs. Do you think you will ever take a project to the Sundance Institute or IFP for assistance? Optional: describe the project. Due March 1 st.

NYU Film School Alumni Joel Coen, Susan Seidelman, Spike Lee and Jim Jarmusch ---NYU Film School Alumni who made their mark in the indie world. Seidelman’s Smithereens(1982) was made for $100 k and went to Cannes. Spike Lee, who counted Scorsese as an instructor at NYU, broke out with She’s Gotta Have It(1986)

Producers’ Representative John Pierson “Spike, Mike, Slackers and Dykes” helped push the “I Can Do That Films” of: 1. Spike Lee She’s Gotta Have It(1986) It(1986 2. Michael Moore Roger & Me(1989) 3. Richard Linklater Slacker (1991) 4. Rose Troche Go Fish(1994) 5. Kevin Smith Clerks(1994

Indie Directors of the’ 80 s Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead(1981) Wayne Wang’s Chan is Missing(1982) Lizzie Borden’s Born in Flames(1983) Joel Coen’s Blood Simple(1984) Joel Coen’s Jonathan Demme’s Stop Making Sense(1984) Ross Mc. Elwee’s Sherman’s March(1986) Errol Morris’The Thin Blue Line(1988) Errol

Jeff Lipsky & Bingham Ray Lipsky as an employee of Samuel Goldwyn got distribution for Stranger than Paradise(1983) to Paradise(1983) the tune of $2. 5 million. He started out working on Cassavetes’ Woman Under the Influence(1974). Influence(1974 Later founded the late, great October Films with Bingham Ray.

Cinecom Formed in 1982 and went on to produce: 1. Stop Making Sense(1984). Sense(1984 2. The Brother From Another Planet(1984)which Planet(1984 grossed $3. 7 million on a $400 k production cost.

The Brother From Another Planet(1984) d. John Sayles Planet In this endearing comedy, actor Joe Morton plays a mute alien whose spaceship lands just off hospitable Harlem. A slave from outer space escapes to earth. Except for his three-toed feet, he looks like an ordinary young black man. He crash-lands on Ellis Island, appropriately enough, and ends up in Harlem. There he makes friends with the owner and the regulars of a bar. Because he can fix any machine (by simply touching it), he's able to make money. He's mute, which proves more of an advantage than a disadvantage. And he can heal himself and others with nothing but his hands. His real troubles begin when two extraterrestrial bounty hunters attempt to recapture him and bring him back to where he came from. Written by: J. Spurlin

Cinecom They also distributed some significant British indie imports in 1986 including the highly acclaimed and original: 1. Sid & Nancy, d. Alex Cox. Nancy, 2. My Beautiful Laundrette, d. S. Frears 3. Mona Lisa, d Neil Jordan Lisa 4. Room with a View d. Merchant Ivory an art-house blockbuster =$23 million

The 1980 s: Studio Wasteland Creative control in Hollywood was wrested from the auteurs and was back in studio hands. Mainstream films in the’ 80 s hit a nadir with many action schlock sequels. Indie films were given a nice opening! Miramax founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein becomes the 800 lb gorilla!

Miramax (founded 1979) Like Cinecom, picked up UK indies and scored a hit with Cinecom The Secret Policeman’s Other Ball (1982). Other imports: 1. Cinema Paradisio (1988) 2. My Left Foot(1989) 3. The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (1989) Also domestically: 1. Working Girls (1986) 2. The Thin Blue Line(1988) Line(1988

Miramax & 1989 Miramax released two auspicious American feature debuts: 1. The Unbelievable Truth(1989) Hal Hartley’s Truth(1989 wonderful film sank w/o a trace 2. Sex, Lies & Videotape(1989) Steven Videotape(1989 Soderbergh’s film became a cultural milestone!

The 1990 s: 1990 s The Amerindie Explosion

1989: The Third Wave Sex, Lies & Videotape (1989) is the film that Videotape changed the way that Hollywood perceived independent cinema in the early 1990 s. It was a semi-autobiographical film that asked questions about the nature of human relationships without offering answers. It won at the U. S. Film Festival and The Palme d’Or at Cannes

1989: A Watershed Yr. for Indies Artists of independent vision went on to commercial as well as critical success. Besides Soderbergh we saw the rise of: 1. Gus Van Sant (Drugstore Cowboy) Cowboy 2. Spike Lee (Do The Right Thing) Thing 3. Michael Moore (Roger & Me) Me

Money $ Changes Everything Into the early 1990 s, a formidable array of film talent came to the fore including: 1. Richard Linklater: (Slacker, 1991) Slacker, 2. Greg Araki: (The Living End, 1992) End 3. Carl Franklin: (One False Move, 1992) Move 4. Todd Haynes: (Poison, 1991) Poison 5. Allison Anders: (Gas, Food, Lodging, 1992) 6. Quentin Tarantino: Reservoir Dogs, 1992)

Gus Van Sant(1952 -) Sant(1952 Drugstore Cowboy's exploration of the lives of those living on society's outer fringes, as well as its Portland setting, were mirrored in Van Sant's next effort, the similarly acclaimed My Own Private Idaho (1991). Only with the success of Cowboy was Van Cowboy Sant now given license to make Idaho (a project he had originally pitched but was knocked back several times as the script was deemed 'too risky' by studios).

My Own Private Idaho(1991) Idaho(1991 Now New Line Cinema had given Van Sant the green light, he was on a mission to get the Idaho script to his first choices for his two young leads. After months of struggle with agents and managers over the content of the script, Van Sant finally secured River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves in the roles of Mike Waters and Scott Favor. Centering around the dealings of two male hustlers (played by Phoenix and Reeves), the film was a compelling examination of unrequited love, alienation, and the concept of family (a concept Van Sant repeatedly explores in his films). .

My Own Private Idaho (1991)/2 The film won him an Independent Spirit Award for his screenplay (he had won the same award for his Drugstore Cowboy screenplay) Film uses film time in a manner similar to Cassavetes letting scenes play long. The film also gained River Phoenix best actor honors at the Venice Film Festival Keanu Reeves gained critical respect

New Queer Cinema In 1991 &1992, Sundance launched several superb Sundance gay themed films. Critic B. Ruby Rich’s Village Voice article, announced the short-lived movement’s signature film, Gregg Araki’s The Living End(1992) a nihilisitic End(1992 gay road movie. Jennie Livingston’s Paris is Burning(1990) Burning(1990 Tom Kalin’s Swoon(1992) Leopold & Loeb Swoon Alex Sichel’s All Over Me

The Living End(1992) End(1992 Billed as "An Irresponsible Movie by Gregg Araki, " this was maybe the first U. S. narrative feature that responded to the AIDS crisis with ACT UP-style radical rage rather than lamentation or case-pleading. It’s also (still) intensely sexy, funny, and romantic. Having just discovered he’s HIV-positive, L. A. alternative-weekly film critic and Smiths fan Jon (Craig Gilmore) goes into a depressive tailspin. He’s jerked out of that insular funk by an abrupt path-crossing with hunky, impulsive, borderline-psycho drifter Luke (Mike Dytri)—whose initial appearance in a Jesus & Mary Chain T-shirt signals their musical/temperamental differences.

The Living End(1992) End(1992 When pistol-wielding Luke’s tendency to magnetize trouble—particularly homophobic jerks he must then erase from the Earth’s slate—risks police manhunt, he persuades Jon to scram with him in a fatalistic Bonnie & Clyde road trip. En route, they encounter characters ranging from performance-art star Johanna Went and Warhol Factory/B-movie icon Mary Woronov (as a murderous lesbian couple) to late Frameline/SF LGBT Film Fest director Mark Finch as a sympathetic doctor.

The Living End(1992) While still demonstrably a low-budget (at about $20, 000 total) product of its era, and to an extent (as Araki admits) an L. A. art-scene time capsule, the movie remains visually, sonically and emotionally dynamic. . Among Araki’s revelations are that film’s working title was Fuck the World—and that a conceptual inspiration was the Cary Grant-Katharine Hepburn screwball classic Bringing Up Baby.

More on New Queer Gay themed films had come out of the experimental films of Andy Warhol, Jack Smith and the features of German director Fassbinder and Derek Jarmen’s work, particularly Edward II(1991) II(1991 Poison(1991) was an allegorical response to the Poison(1991 AIDs crisis. Go Fish (1994) featured lesbians (1994

New Queer Producers Christine Vachon’s Killer Films was a driving force in disobedient and thought provoking films. James Schamus & Vachon worked on Swoon(1992), Poison(1991) and Dottie Gets Spanked (1993)

Good Machine(1990) Machine(1990 James Schamus teamed with Ted Hope to form Good Machine in 1990. Schamus currently on the film faculty at Columbia U. also is the head of Focus Features and has produced many of Ang Lee’s films including the enormously successful gay oriented The Wedding Banquet(1993)

October Films Acquired The Living End(1992) and distributed it. End(1992 Lipsky and Ray also distributed the buzz worthy: 1. The War Room(1993) d. Pennebaker & Hegedus Room(1993 2. The Last Seduction(1994) d. John Dahl Seduction(1994 3. The Addiction (1995) d. Abel Ferrara

Public Funding in Early 1990 s NEA, PBS, and its offshoot American Playhouse PBS and NYSCA helped fund: 1. Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It (1986) (1986 2. Todd Hayne’s The Karen Carpenter Story(1987) 3. Ross Mc. Elwee’s Sherman’s March(1986) 4. Gregory Nava’s El Norte(1983) and films by Julie Dash, Hal Hartley, Tom Kalin and Errol Morris

Public Funding of New Queer Cinema Todd Haynes’ Poison(1991) and Marlon Riggs’ Poison(1991 Tongues Untied (1990) stirred up the right wing and pushed the first George Bush to cripple NEA funding by slashing its budget for indies by $9 M in 1994. By 1996, all of the money for filmmakers was gone. American Playhouse shuttered its doors in ‘ 95 when a deal with Sam Goldwyn “went south”.

Friends, Family & Credit Cards Financial support for indies in the early ‘ 90 s was mostly from friends and maxed out plastic as was the case with: 1. Robert Rodriguez’s El Mariachi(1992) Mariachi(1992 2. Eric Schaeffer’s My Life’s in Turnaround(1993) 3. Kevin Smith’s Clerks(1994) Clerks(1994 The art component was gone and the indie film was a “calling card” for a Hollywood gig. The term “dependie” began its tenure.

The 20 Something Gangster Film Boyz N’Hood Menace II Society My New Gun Laws of Gravity Reservoir Dogs Rather than trying to be the next Cassavetes the industry has become a farm team for Hollywood In 1993, Disney bought Miramax and founded a $7 million gangster pic that changed the paradigm. Miramax forms Dimension Films headed up by Bob Weinstein and released Scream(1996)d. Craven, Scream Scary Movie and Spy Kids-all cash generators Movie

The Third Wave: Modern Indie Pulp Fiction (1994)created the ‘independent Fiction blockbuster’, an oxymoron of sorts, but now a cultural and economic possibility providing that the ‘vision’ of the flashy filmmaker (Quentin Tarantino), the economics of the studio (Miramax)and the demands of the audience were Miramax) in alignment. The triumph of Pulp Fiction ensured that all major studios would either acquire or establish a specialty film unit to make award caliber movies on a tight budget.

Studios Form Specialty Film Divisions At the midpoint of the 1990 s , Miramax and New Line were considered part of a quintet of “minimajors”(Kevin Smith called them the “five families” in reference to The Godfather: Sony Pictures Classics: Hartley’s Amateur, Zwigoff’s Crumb Samuel Goldwyn: Burnett’s Sleep with Anger, Troche’s Go Fish October Films: Nunez’s Ruby in Paradise, Dahl’s The Last Seduction

Indiewood 20 th Century Fox set up Fox Searchlight in 1994. Time Warner acquired Turner Broadcasting and Fine Line in 1996. October + Gramercy=USA Films which by 2002 = Focus Features of NBC Universal Paramount formed Paramount Classics in 1998. Time Warner formed Warner Independent Pictures in 2004

Independent Film Channel Launched in’ 94 as the first TV network devoted to all things “indie”. In’ 97 they started a production wing and funded Kimberly Peirce’s Boys Don’t Cry(1999) and Cry(1999 films by Linklater, Soderbergh and Almereyda

Lions Gate Sprung from the Canadian Company Cinepix, the distributor of mid ‘ 90 s indies from Hal Hartley, James Mangold et. al. Distributed Kirby Dick’s Life and Times of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist(1997). Distributed 1998 Oscar winners Gods and Distributed 1998 Oscar winners Monsters and Affliction. Company distributed Dogma(1999) when Kevin Smith’s film was deemed too controversial for Disney owned Miramax.

Artisan Distributed Pi (1998) a jittery B&W thriller from Darren Aronofsky, but the film that put them on the map was Blair Witch Project(1999) a cheap and terrifyingly efficient horror movie was partially shot DV and was in the Midnight Madness at Sundance. They also picked up Chuck & Buck(2000)at Sundance the following year.

Blair Witch(1999) & Paranormal Activity(2009) Activity(2009 Blair Witch Project(1999)is in the horror genre but Project(1999 shot as a mockumentary. Cost to make $35, 000, grossed $140 million. Ditto Paranormal Activity(2009)which cost under 15 k Activity(2009 but grossed $108 million “Blair just happened to be the best low- budget idea we had at the time. It used all the weaknesses of independent film-used them in its favor-like shaky camera work, no lighting, noname talent” …………co-director Eduardo Sanchez,

The New Millennium Digital Streams

Introduction As the century flipped, digital video(DV)had arrived, inspiring scores of optimistic think pieces about the democratization of filmmaking. Also “Death of Film” and intense discissions of the “fantasy-veil look” of cinema. look Which eventually progressed at the end of the decade to 3 -D and “the lucid dream”of James dream Cameron’s Avatar(2009) or Tim Burton’s Alice Avatar(2009 in Wonderland(2010)in the new decade. Wonderland(2010

Newmarket When they couldn’t find a distributor for Christopher Nolan’s Memento(2000) they went ahead and distributed it themselves. Mounted a superb campaign with Bob Berney Distributed, what would become a cult classic, Donnie Darko(2001)from director Richard Kelly And, Mel Gibson’s self-financed The Passion of the Christ(2004) which became the most financially successful indie of all time!

The quiet man: Bob Berney Behind a spectacular array of Amerindie films from the ‘ 90 s to the 2000 s. Started out as an arthouse programmer and theater owner in Texas. His career breakthrough happened when he was chosen to head marketing and distribution for Todd Solondz’s Happiness(1998) The year after Memento, IFC started a theatrical Memento division and lured Berney away to distribute the smash indie: My Big Fat Greek Wedding(2002) Wedding(2002 Then back to Newmarket for the indie blockbuster Passion of the Christ(2004)

More Bob Berney Monster(2003)the serial killer melodrama that Monster(2003 won Charlize. Theron an Oscar and a Golden Globe. The Woodsman(2004): a story of a convicted Woodsman(2004 pedophile starring Kevin Bacon Went on to head Picturehouse(replaced Fine Line in 2005) which Time- Warner shut down in 2009.

Harmony Korine(1973 -) The enfant terrible of indie film, screenwriter of Larry Clark’s Kids(1995)made Julien Donkey. Kids(1995 Boy(1999) according to the spartan dictates of the Dogme ‘ 95 Collective. This influential group of Danish filmmakers composed a manifesto-cum instruction manual known as the “Vows of Chastity” The cheap-and-dirty doctrines of dogme cohered with millennial Amerindie trends.

Dogme’ 95 Films of the New Wave find analogues in more modern films. More realistic acting and directing styles are best seen in the Dogme 95 movement of Lars Von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg

Dogme 95’s “Vow of Chastity” Chastity 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. All shooting must be done on location instead of a studio No sound dubbing permitted (even music). No camera tricks are allowed. No “superficial action” like explosions and murder is permitted. The film must take place in the location where it is shot.

Steven Soderbergh on Dogme Full Frontal (2002)adhered to Dogme rules and (2002 members of his cast were responsible for their own wardrobe and styling, had no drivers, trailers of craft services. Improvisation was encouraged

In. Dig. It (1999 -2007) (1999 -2007 Gary Winick, got the idea for In. Dig. Ent from the Dogma 95 movement and started the company with John Schloss as a way for indie filmmakers to finance small, cheap projects. Many of the movies produced by In. Dig. Ent aren't too appealing to the eye, but a few of them were great showcases for actors, such as Aaron Stanford, who broke out by appearing in Winick's Tadpole(2002), and Patricia Clarkson, who Tadpole(2002 received an Oscar nod for Pieces of April(2003) April(2003

In. Dig. It(1999 -2007) But while the company started off well, gaining notice for decent pics like Tadpole, Pieces of April, Personal Velocity: Three Portraits and Richard Linklater's Tape, it eventually fell to nearobscurity with forgettable titles such as Kill the Poor, Puccini for Beginners and Steve Buscemi's Lonesome Jim.

The Whole Truth: Indie DV Docs 1. In 2004, Cannes’s top prize went to Michael 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 Spellbound(2002) d. Jeffrey Blitz Capturing the Friedman’s(2003)d. A. Jarecki Friedman’s(2003)d Fog of War(2003)d. Errol Morris War(2003 Super Size Me(2004)d. Morgan Spurlock Me(2004)d Why We Fight(2005) d. Eugene Jarecki Fight(2005 Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price(2005)d. Price(2005 Robert Greenwald

What Are We Talking About Anyway?

Executive Producer: John Schloss, Cinetic “I define independent film as a product of a singular vision. I’m in the financing business, and financing can come from a million different places. To define it by financing is completely irrelevant, especially as financing evolves. To me, independent films are not the product of a committee but the product of a person…. we’re talking about auteurism; otherwise it’s a slippery slope. ”

From IFC Website “Independent films stand the test of time. They are not reliant on the latest fad, trend or special effect. Instead they are provocative, challenging and enlightening---representing a POV, the personal vision of the filmmaker. This vision remains valid, the stories remain relevant, and the emotional connection is still as real years later as it was the day it was released. ”

Co-President of Sony Pictures Classics: Tom Bernard “The ‘independent’ should be taken out of ‘independent cinema’; commerce and capitalism have pretty much taken over”.

Director Jim Jarmusch “I’m so sick of that word. I reach for my revolver when I hear the word ‘quirky’ or ‘edgy’. Those words are now becoming labels that are slapped on products to sell them. Anyone who makes a film they want to make, and it is not defined by marketing analysis or a commercial enterprise, is independent”.

Introduction: How Independent? The course is organized around three main points three of orientation: The position of individual films, or filmmakers, in terms of: (1)their industrial location. industrial (2)the kinds of aesthetic strategies they adopt. strategies (3)their relationship to the broader social, cultural, political or ideological landscape.

The Industrial Realm Defined It is the single, defining characteristic. “An independent film is “any motion picture financed and produced completely autonomous of all studios, regardless of size”. Greg Merritt, Celluloid Mavericks: A History of American Independent Film, c. 2000

Independence Today Indies today are mirror images of the audience it caters to, a crowd that is seeking novelty and quality. The audience for indies today is not necessarily seeking to revaluate its socio-political values. Modern Indies are an alternative version of mainstream Hollywood.

Popular Perceptions Indie films are made by individuals, not committees. Cinema made for audiences that appreciates and absorbs rather than consumes and forgets. American Independent Films encompass everything from horror pics (Blair Witch) to Witch socially conscious dramas (Dead Man Walking) to avant garde exercises in formal Walking experimentation along the lines of Gummo or Gummo The Living End

More Perceptions Economically, indie is a term that encapsulates a variety of films, directors, themes, genres. Culturally, the term is vague, as the indie sector has produced titles such as The Usual Suspects, My Big Fat Greek Wedding or Wedding In The Bedroomfilms that fit the Hollywood production mould.

Hollywood Production Mould Classic narrative structure “Star” casting High production values. e. g. My Big Fat Greek Wedding was escapist Wedding and offers the aesthetic sensibility of a television sit-com whereas Gummo was made with non-pro actors and does not fit into a genre and has rudimentary production values. 1. 2. 3.

Subordinate to The Giants The film industry is an oligopoly controlled by oligopoly giant corporations such as Time- Warner, Fox, Paramount, Sony and Universal. All of these ‘giants’ invest in cinematic product to maximize profit from vertically related markets.

Advertising “Advertising expenditure has always played an important role in the oligopolistic control of markets. It stimulates demand maintains market shares…it further serves to defend the market against new entrants by raising the price of entry. ” N Garnham Capitalism and Communication, Sage Press, London, 1990, p 201

Value to Society While indies rarely threaten the economic prominence of their studio counterparts, they are more valued by the critical establishment as they address serious issues and themes, making them more intellectually prominent examples of America’s cinematic output.

Supply and Demand For a period in the mid-1980 s, the home entertainment boom (VCRs) provided filmmakers with financing & distribution. 1987: first year VCR rentals exceeded theatrical box-office. The home video mkt. & cable created a need for product, so indie companies such as New Line, Island, Cannon, New World, Orion and Vestron funded $3 to $5 million dollar films. (vs. $15 -$50 million at the Studios) Studios recognized these films were courting an audience they had forgotten about.

Differences Between Indie & Corporate Product Indie films are from self-originated material films Concept- driven studio filmmakers start with filmmakers an idea, pitch it, and then develop screenplay. Casting (packaging) and marketing packaging strategies earlier than indie films *Crucial difference is that indie projects develop much quicker because they are not working with high maintenance talent

More Differences There are occasions when stars reduce their fees to work on indies, but often producers hire the most suitable actor available Low budgets cause filmmakers to think on their feet intuitively Films are finished in coordination with festival deadlines American indies are well received in Europe Indie films discover young talent and take a chance on young writer-directors with vision

Why Indies? Indies are a cinematic movement against the corporate grain. With low production budgets and inexpensive marketing costs, indie films are a means of discovering the shifts in popular sentiment that will shape the direction of modern film. Young directors, working in their 20 s and 30 s, are perceived to be more aligned with their generational sensibilities than older directors.

The Top Ten Indie Films 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. A Woman Under The Influence (1974) Mean Streets (1973) Pulp Fiction (1994) Safe (1995) Do The Right Thing (1989) The Thin Blue Line (1988) Eraserhead (1977) Before Sunrise(1995) Bad Lieutenant (1992) Sex, Lies, and Videotape(1989) Jessica Winter , The Rough Guide To American Independent Film, c. 2006 p 32

Top Grossing Indies of The Naughty Aughties(2000 -2010) 1. The Passion of the Christ, 2004 (Newmarket) $370, 274, 604 2. My Big Fat Greek Wedding, 2003 (IFC Films) $241, 438, 208 3. Juno, 2007 (Fox Searchlight) $143, 395, 265 4. Slumdog Millionaire, 2008 (Fox Searchlight) $141, 319, 928 5. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2000 (Sony Pictures Classics) $128, 078, 872 6. Traffic, 2000 (USA) $124, 115, 725 7. Fahrenheit 9/11, 2004 (Lionsgate) $119, 194, 771 8. Paranormal Activity, 2009 (Paramount) $107, 753, 000 9. Brokeback Mountain, 2005 (Focus Features) $83, 043, 761 10. March of the Penguins, 2005 (Warner Independent) $77, 437, 223 11. Coraline, 2009 (Focus Features) $75, 286, 229 12. Sideways, 2004 (Fox Searchlight) $71, 503, 593 13. Burn After Reading, 2008 (Focus Features) $60, 355, 347 14. Little Miss Sunshine, 2006 (Fox Searchlight) $59, 891, 098 15. Hero, 2004 (Miramax) $53, 710, 019 16. Atonement, 2007 (Focus Features) $50, 927, 067 17. 28 Days Later, 2003 (Fox Searchlight) $45, 064, 915 18. Lost In Translation, 2003 (Focus Features) $44, 585, 453 19. Napoleon Dynamite, 2004 (Fox Searchlight) $44, 540, 956 20. Precious: Based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire, 2009 (Lionsgate) $42, 004, 270

First Short Paper (400 -500 Words) Prepare a report on the state of The American Independent film scene circa 2009. Put your report together using the 2009 articles I’ve provided you from(1) Ted Hope, (2)Thomas Ethan Harris (in the Filmmakers Alliance Magazine, Spring 2009) (3)Sharon Magazine Swart (4)Manohla Dargis You may add more sources but the four above are required. Simple footnotes to your sources and Works Cited Page at the end. Due 2/1/10

Short Paper: Extremes in Indie Films Q: Discuss why some indie filmmakers have embraced controversial topics and taboos as the focus of their work? Be sure to identify the filmmakers, the taboos and the films that pushed the boundaries of film art. Why was Ken Park(2002) considered unreleaseable in the USA? Discuss the taboos in the film and how they were presented by screenwriter Korine and directors Clark and Lachman. 400 -500 words Due 19 th of April

FOUR TRENDS

Introduction: Four Trends o The diversity of independent work makes it hard to categorize, but 4 main trends can be identified from the 1980 s through the 2000’s: 1. The Arty Indies. {most avant-garde} 2. Off-Hollywood Indies. 3. Retro-Hollywood Indies. {most traditional} 4. DIY(do-it-yourself)Indies.

1. The Arty Indies The success of “Stranger Than Paradise”(1984)recalled the European art Paradise”( cinema of the 1960 s and 1970 s. Jarmusch’s portrayal of cool bohemians recalled Beat cinema of the 1950 s. The success of Stranger launched an indie trend Stranger towards artifice and stylization. Hal Hartley brought a philosophical and literary bent in tales of Long Island anomie in Trust(1991) and Simple Men(1992)

1. The Arty Indies(continued) Arty indies are often episodic in structure opposed to Hollywood’s tightly plotted 3 Act structure. Arty indies explore fractured storytelling as in the daisy chain monologues of Richard Linklater’s “Slacker”(1991). Todd Haynes’s first feature Poison(1991)presents 3 distinct AIDS related Poison stories in a different cinematic style. Arty Indies have a European art-cinema sensibility.

1. The Arty Indies(continued) Arty indies to use Jarmusch’s term were “hand- made”. Arty indies showed that offbeat films made on a minuscule budget could play theaters. Haynes offered the tinted melodrama pastiche Far From Heaven(2002)and “I’m Not There”( There 2007) a multi-leveled collage of Bob Dylan’s career. Gus Van Sant’s Gerry(2002)tailors his approach Gerry(2002) to small budgets with a minimalist art film

1. The Arty Indies(continued) Larry Clark turned to cinema from still photography after seeing the work of Van Sant. His first film made from a script by Harmony Korine called “Kids”(1995)was an arty indie and “Kids controversial as it focused on amoral, promiscuous, drug addled, confused teenagers who came of age in the early 1990 s. Harmony Korine’s Julien Donkey-Boy(1999)was Donkey-Boy(1999 an experimental arty indie shot on dozens of consumer grade digital cameras and followed the Dogme 95’s Vow of Chastity.

1. The Arty Indies(continued David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers(1988) and Crash(1996) push the taboo envelope as they Crash(1996 take the horror genre and mix it up with S&M sex. Larry Clark & Ed Lachman seek reality in their portrait of the sex lives of teens in Ken Park(2002) and make a film that is beyond the art -house circuit. John Waters, Baltimore’s “Pope of Trash” made an arty indie that was campy and outrageous with Pink Flamingoes(1972)featuring cannibalism, incest and even a transvestite ingesting fresh dog shit.

1. The Arty Indies(continued) 1. The Arty Indies(continued New York theater sensation, John Cameron Mitchell turned his Obie- award winning Off. Broadway musical about an east German transgendered rock musician, chasing after an exlover who plagiarized her songs, into a Sundance Award Winning film called Hedwig and the Angry Inch(2001). Mitchell’s follow-up to Hedwig is a New York relationships comedy, Shortbus(2006), in the vein of Cassavetes and early Woody Allen but with a gay, ambisexual thrust that incorporates explicit sex in a naturalistic way.

Shortbus(2006) Shortbus is a weekly art/sex salon in a Shortbus warehouse under the Brooklyn Bridge (named after the short school bus for the ‘gifted and challenged’ kids)hosted by a brothel madame, where the film’s characters convene and solve their problems. According to Mitchell, the film attempts to "employ sex in new cinematic ways", and it includes a variety of explicit scenes of sexuality. The film was distributed by Think. Film

2. Off -Hollywood Indies Some indie films were less avant-garde and used recognizable genres and sometimes featured stars. What pushed them off-Hollywood were their low budgets, risky subjects or storytelling strategies. The careers of Woody Allen and the late Robert Altman exemplify this trend. Started as highly praised studio filmmakers they were forced to work as independents in the 1980 s and 1990 s. A key example of the off-Hollywood trend is David Lynch’s Blue Velvet(1986) but his later films like Mulholland Drive(2001) were Arty Indie. Drive(2001

2. Off -Hollywood Indies Steven Soderbergh skewed genre conventions with sex, lies & videotape(1989). Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction(1994)was the milestone off-Hollywood movie for the 1990 s. His vulgar caper film was a stew of old genresgangster film, prizefight film, outlaw movie. He wrote scenes of arch wit and visceral violence. Gus Van Sant mixed seedy realism and noir stylization in Drugstore Cowboy(1989) and My Own Private Idaho(1991)a gay grunge movie based on Shakespeare

2. Off -Hollywood Indies Joel and Ethan Coen offered hyperbolic versions of film noir with Blood Simple(1984)Their oeuvre Simple(1984 pushed many genres to the brink of absurdity. Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It(1986)resembles It(1986 a classic romantic comedy as three men pursue a self reliant woman. The twist is that all the men are black and the woman makes no secret of her black sexual appetite. A touch of Godard as well. John Sayles whose low key scrutiny of politics infused Return of the Secaucus Seven(1980) or Matewan(1987)

2. Off -Hollywood Indies Off-Hollywood filmmakers designed their fare for overlooked audiences. On the whole the Majors ignored minorities. Gay and lesbian films of the 1980 s and 90 s often adapted comedy and melodrama genres to alternative lifestyles. 1. Parting Glances(1986) 2. Longtime Companion(1990) 3. Go Fish(1994) Fish(1994

2. Off -Hollywood Indies African American, Asian American and Hispanic directors eventually cultivated by studios started as independents. Reginald Hudlin moved from House Party(1990) to Boomerang(1992) Wayne Wang went from microbudgeted Chan Is Missing(1982) to The Joy Luck Club(1993).

2. Off -Hollywood Indies Throughout the 1990 s and 2000 s, off-Hollywood filmmakers earned critical acclaim. Billie Bob Thrornton’s Sling Blade (Miramax, 1998) won praise. (Miramax, 1998 Darren Aronofsky’s hectic Pi(1998) proved a Pi(1998 prelude to the drug trip of Requiem for a Dream(2000) Todd Solondz’s Happiness(1998)was a cross Happiness(1998 section of middle class misery from phone sex to pedophilia.

2. Off -Hollywood Indies Multimedia artist Miranda July’s first feature Me and You and Everyone We Know(2004) also looked a t middle class misery with humor. Christopher Nolan’s “puzzle film” Memento(2000) uses a novel storytelling tactic by presenting the plot in reverse order with the last scene first. You might think this “arty” but the film is a complex riff on tradition. The reverse order obeys Hollywood three act structure and familiar storytelling conventions.

2. Off -Hollywood Indies Arguably the most gifted Off-Hollywood indie to debut in the 1990 s was Paul Thomas Andersen. A Sundance Institute grant allowed him to transform his short into his first feature, Hard Eight(1997). New Line funded Boogie Nights(1997) and his Nights(1997 films such as Magnolia(1999) established him as an actor’s director. Punch Drunk Love(2002)was clearly a different Love(2002) film for Adam Sandler fans There Will Be Blood(2007) was brilliant study of Blood(2007 the oil industry of the 1900 s, Daniel Day Lewis

2. Off -Hollywood Indies The independent companies marketed their films through a new auteurism. “I’m in the business of selling directors” stated one indie producer The aspirations of the 1970 s auteurs had been taken up by the Off-Hollywood independents. Yet, by the mid-2000 s, with the creation of the Majors’ niche divisions, many of those independents found themselves “dependents”, boutique Hollywood brands that diversfied the studios’ access to audiences.

2. Off-Hollywood Indies But, as the recession hit in early 2008, the Majors got lean and mean eliminating many boutique labels: 1) New Line{Time Warner} 2) Picturehouse {Time Warner} 3) Warner Independent Pictures{Time Warner} 4) Paramount Vantage{Viacom} 5) Miramax(scaled back){Disney} As of 2010, Fox Searchlight and Sony Pictures Classics, Universal’s Focus Features remained.

2. Off-Hollywood Indies The tumult continued in the indie world in 2009 as the sector highlighted some new survivors. Leading the pack at $455 million was Summit {Twilight(2008), New Moon(2009)Hurt Locker(2009)} Bob Berney/Bill Pohlad bounced back with his newbie called Apparition (Boondock Saints II, 2009) Weinstein Company had Inglourious Basterds Liberty Media’s Overture Films hit paydirt with The Visitor(2008), ”Men Who Stare at Goats(2009), Law Abiding Citizen(2009) Citizen(2009

2. Off-Hollywood Indies There about a dozen U. S. distributors outside of the 6 Major Studios and the mini- majors(Lionsgate-Precious(2009) to cross into Precious(2009 the double digit millions Small indie distributors such as Magnolia and IFC Films released films across platforms. Their ability to cherry-pick titles on the festival circuit and push them through VOD models made for good business.

3. Retro-Hollywood Independents Modern Hollywood narrowed its genre base. Studios focused on SFX extravaganzas, action pictures, star-driven melodramas and romances, and gross-out comedies. This allowed Indies to exploit many traditional genres that Modern Hollywood ignored. e. g. Low Budget Horror trend: Low Budget Horror 1. The Evil Dead(1983) 2. Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream(1996) Scream(1996 3. I Know What You Did Last Summer(1997) Summer(1997

3. Retro-Hollywood Independents Indie neo-noir could be edgier than studio fare: 1. John Dahl’s Red Rock West(1993) West(1993 2. John Dahl’s The Last Seduction(1994) Seduction(1994 3. Bryan Singer’s The Usual Suspects(1996) Suspects(1996 4. Wachowski Bros. lesbian heist Bound(1996)

3. Retro-Hollywood Independents There also remained the intimate, unpretentious 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. dramas with smooth storytelling: Victor Nunez’s Ruby in Paradise(1993) Victor Nunez’s Ulee’s Gold(1997) Kimberly Pierce’s Boys Don’t Cry(1999) Kenneth Lonergan’s You Can Count on Me(2000) David Gordon Green’s George Washington(2000) James Mangold’s Heavy(1995) James Mangold’s Girl Interrupted(1999)

3. Retro-Hollywood Independents 8. Todd Field’s In the Bedroom(2001) 9. Ryan Fleck’s Half Nelson(2005) Nelson(2005 10. Courtney Hunt’s Frozen River(2008)two single River(2008) mothers struggle to make things work for their children in barren and desolate terrain. “This film put my heart in a vise and squeezed it”……. . Quentin Tarantino, Chair of Jury. Sundance 2008 Winner of the Grand Jury Prize in 2008 at Sundance.

3. Retro-Hollywood Independents After the 1960 s crisis, Hollywood had abandoned most historical drama and literary adaptationsthose prestige pictures like Lawrence of Arabia(1962) and Whose Afraid of Virginia Wolf? (1966) which made profits and awards. As Majors moved away from middle- budget projects, there opened a market for independents.

3. Retro-Hollywood Independents Director James Ivory and his producer Ismail Merchant were making small urbane films since the 1960 s-the new indie market opened up for the production of prestigious adaptations of novels: 1. The Bostonians(1984) 2. Howard’s End(1992) 3. The Remains of the Day(1993) Independents pursued this path more aggressively after Miramax won the Oscar for Best Picture with Anthony Minghella’s English Patient(1996) Patient(1996

3. Retro-Hollywood Independents Several modestly budgeted Indies were based on theatrical works by David Mamet, Sam Shepard and other contemporary playwrights. 1. Glengarry Glen Ross(1992) 2. American Buffalo(1996)-actors such as Dustin Buffalo(1996)Hoffman and Alec Baldwin took pay cuts. If the Majors fed off the Indies, independent companies benefitted from niches left vacant by the rush to mega- pictures.

4. DIY Indies The selling points of a DIY pic are its unprofessional look and its lack of budget. At a time when the studios were starting to notice the independent wing of the industry, two films were committed to grit and grunge: 1. Robert Rodriguez’s gunfest, El Mariachi(1993) 2. Kevin Smith’s slacker-life comedy Clerks(1994) Neither film was experimental as an Arty Indie, nor as plush as a retro-Hollywood exercise. Both drew on classic genres but their cheap look put them outside of off-Hollywood tradition.

4. DIY Indies/The Blair Witch(‘ 99) DIY films are the cinematic equivalent of garage band MP 3’s A minor twist on the teen horror genre, The Blair Witch Project(1999) pretended to be an unfinished student film and was brilliantly marketed on the Internet. “You watch Stranger{Than Paradise}you think I could really make a movie”…. Kevin Smith

4. DIY Indies In response to the mainstreaming of indies, a new do-it-yourself filmmaking emerged in the new century. 1. Tarnation(2003)director Jonathan Caouette Tarnation(2003 compiled Super- 8 and VHS home movies to create a portrait of his unhappy family life. It won a prize at Cannes and distribution. 2. Primer(2004)nerdy, time-travel story made for Primer(2004) 7 k won at Sundance and got distribution. 3. Old Joy(2006) Director Kelley Reichardt-two friends reunite and discover they’

4. DIY Indies/Mumblecore A broader manifesto, named by a sound recordist, was another DIY aesthetic called Mumblecore. Also jokingly. Slackovettes or Mumblecore. Slackovettes Baghead Cinema. In various cities, young filmmakers were converging on a similar approach. Centering on college-educated twentysometings trying to sort out their lives, their films consisted of long, often fumbling conversations about love, sex, work and everyday incidents. Most of these films were shot on mini-DV.

4. DIY Indies/Mumblecore Though scripted Mumblecore films counted on Mumblecore actors to improvise. Like Neorealism of the 1940 s and the New Neorealism New American Cinema of the 1950 s, the low-tech aesthetic of Mumblecore tried to appear more faithful to reality than studio gloss. Some critics saw Mumblecore as sustaining the tradition of John Cassavetes and returning to the roots of American independent cinema.

4. DIY Indies/Mumblecore “The films feel more like dialogues between filmmakers and their audience and less like calling cards to the studios”…. Scott Macauley studios” The Mumblecore group, had largely been Mumblecore ignored by Sundance. Because virtually no distributors would touch their films, they pioneered direct Internet marketing. They created websites and posted video blogs, podcasts, trailers and promos on You Tube

4. DIY Indies/Mumblecore Some Mumblecore features sold thousands of Mumblecore copies on DVD. On the demand curve for movies, Hollywood was going for the peak while Mumblecore was going Mumblecore for the long tail. This included the niches created by Web 2. 0 for self -published books and indie bands. Jay and Mark Duplass’s Baghead(2008), a Mumblecore take on teen slasher films, premiered Mumblecor at Sundance and was distributed by Sony Pictures Classics (SPC)

Last Words As long as there’s been a Hollywood, there has been an Off-Hollywood, outsiders and mavericks who show their movies any which way they can, at film societies, art houses and ethnic theaters. There was always overlap between these worlds, but it wasn’t until the 1990 s and the ascendancy of Miramax Films that the two became so interdependent as to be at times, near indistinguishable. History was on Miramax’s side: In the 1980 s, while Hollywood was bringing on blockbusters things changed.

Last Words The sleepy independent film world was jolted awake by Jim Jarmusch’s downtown cool, Spike Lee’s urban style and the provocations of other DIY free-thinkers offering something new, different, electric. They were punks with cameras and they shook the dust off a moribund scene and paid homage to John Cassavetes, the patron saint of independent cinema.