Friday

Cuddle Up With Indie Movies Online

By Ericka Marsh


Strictly speaking, any American movie not made by one of the major studios can be considered an indie movie. In practical terms, it represents a broader range, and includes virtually any kind of film that doesn't have the budget of a big Hollywood film. These almost never get released onto the big screen, even in the sophisticated LA and NY film markets. Those who want to keep in touch with the scene should find out about finding indie movies online.

If one values quality, one should learn to appreciate it when it appears. The average indie film isn't looking to be just another knockoff of mainstream movies, but looks at approaches and subjects Hollywood generally doesn't yet touch. It can be liberating not needing to make $100 million on the first weekend. It permits the cultivation of a small audience of elite taste and knowledge.

Perhaps the backbone of independent film is the indie filmmaker, often possessing a Master's degree from one of the growing number of film schools. Frequently, these films are also the work of undegreed, guerilla filmmakers. These types blur together almost seamlessly, with the latter group perhaps a bit more likely to emphasize genre like horror.

The nature of entertainment nearly dictates that there are going to be genres that almost never hit the marketplace jackpot. First among these is the documentary. Documentaries are of out-sized importance in the indie film market. They have a rare capacity to shine a spotlight upon issues that are ignored by Hollywood, and which are ignored by the nightly news as well.

The documentary has been forged into a resistance weapon to be wielded by those lacking power. Often these films highlight places being ignored by the larger world, like Rwanda or Indonesia. Within the United States, documentaries have helped give a voice to powerless people living on the margins. One committed documentarian can help even the advantages held by despotic regimes and indifferent international corporations.

Because independent filmmaking is so close to the film school, the websites where bone can find it often are great sources for the various streams from which filmmakers learn their craft. One of these is foreign film, which is well-represented and in as much national diversity as possible. Another of these is silent film, a grand tradition today's impatient public can no longer tolerate.

One of the great capacities of the indie film is to provide genres of film that serve minority communities. They become part of a common lifestyle, nearly an alternate media universe. One community serviced in such a way is the gay and lesbian community, which is hungry for representations of screen romance that do not follow the mainstream, heterosexual model.

Another group is the evangelical community, which effectively includes Mormons. Both groups raise the objection that Hollywood has ignored their socially conservative values, and have begun making their own films. More and more people have come to value independent film, and increasingly, the best place to find them is online.




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