Production Glossary
Independent Film
The definition of an independent film has changed a few times through the course of its history. These films are known by many names including indie, low-budget, art film, and B-movie. Generally, an independent film is characterized by its budget, production, and release- all of which are managed “independent” of a major film studio. But, as a examination of its history will show, even the general definition has not held firm through the years of independent film production.The independent film has always required one thing- an escape from the creativity killing clutches of the “powerful” in film. An early example of this is the Edison Trust. This trust, established by a group of American film companies, discouraged self-supported financing in order to control the films that were being made in America. Filmmakers escaped the Trust’s stringent rules and enforcement by fabricating their own film equipment and moving across the country to California.
The next hurdle the independent filmmakers faced were the five largest movie studios and their complex ‘studio system’. Out of these larger companies, a small group of “independent” studios emerged, named “Poverty Row”. However, despite their small size and smaller budgets, these studios tended to operate in the same manner as the larger film companies.
A huge leap for independent films was made in 1919, when United Artists was founded by Charlie Chaplin, D.W. Griffith, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks. The purpose of UA was to produce and distribute films that were not creatively dictated by large studio heads. These same four founders, along with a few more big names like Orson Welles and Walt Disney, formed the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers. This organization sought to protect the rights of independent filmmakers. Up until this point, independent film was defined more by a separation of budgets than a specific style. But, the creation of portable cameras would change that.
The ability to own a camera and shoot their own content enabled the everyday consumer to create and distribute their films. A filmmaker was able to explore new techniques and storytelling devices that were not typically used in big-budget, Hollywood movies. In 1962, this unique group of filmmakers developed the non-profit group, The Film-Makers’ Cooperative, to disperse their movies using a consolidated collection.
It was this era of filmmaking that saw the emergence of the B-movie, the genre of independent film that is most recognizable. Desiring to attract the young adults of the generation, filmmakers began to incorporate nudity, violence, alcohol and drug use, and sex into their film’s narratives. Blood and gore was abundant in the sci-fi and horror films of this time. These exploitation films were the catalyst that brought about the MPAA ratings system, in order to pacify the public concerns about the admittance of underage children into the theaters.
A new type of filmmaker entered Hollywood in the late 1960s, early 70s. It was the independent, do-it-all, the likes of Dennis Hopper. Hopper wrote, acted, and directed the film Easy Rider, America’s first truly independent film. Films like Hopper’s, had the look, feel, and content of a indie film, but were pitched and backed financially by studios.
Indie filmmakers of the current generation find it hard to make a film entirely divided from motion picture studios. And while most big budget studios do not finance “low-budget” films, but they do purchase smaller studios to do just that. Focus Features, Fox Searchlight, Sony Pictures Classics, Warner Independent, and Paramount Classics are all independent studios that seek to produce and distribute films with small budgets, unique scripts, and the ‘indie’ feel.
