52The Rise of the Indies in America 1. Defining Indies * “Not produced within the system” (Peter Bogdanovich)--but what is the system? * Low-budget * No “name” stars, and not a star vehicle * Financing by individuals and non-film entities * Distribution and production companies are different * Distribution/exhibition by non-corporate entities (the film is “corrupted” when picked up commercially) * Not produced with commercial success as the goal * Written/directed/produced by the “unenfranchised” * A particular “vision” apparent * Auteur willing to risk it all for film * Groundbreaking; never been done before * Overall: Can there be “levels of indie-ness”? 2. The Death of the Hollywood Studio System * The 1948 Paramount decision (no more vertical integration) * Blacklisting and HUAC * The growing dominance of TV, aided by the growth of suburbia and the failure of last-gasp gimmicks by moviemakers * 1941 Revenue Act--resulted in many artists-as-producers (by 1959, 70% of features were produced by independent companies) 3. The role of supposedly “non-commercial” film festivals in the determination of distribution53 4. Amateurization of media and public acceptance of “low quality” (e.g., YouTube) 5. Multistreaming of Media and the Individuation of Gatekeeping * 500 channels + Internet 6. Regional & Niche filmmaking— * Cleveland Film Society & the Cleveland International Film Festival * Independent Pictures & the Ohio Independent Film Festival * The Greater Cleveland Film Commission * Robert Banks, the starving artist—“X The Baby Cinema,” “Motion Picture Genocide” * Cleveland State University * Films shot in Cleveland include: - American Splendor (2003) - A Christmas Story (1983) - Deer Hunter (1978) - The Fortune Cookie (1966) - Stranger Than Paradise (1984) - Telling Lies in America” (1997) - For more, see Dr. N’s COM 493 2001
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