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An independent film, or indie film, is a film that is produced outside of the Hollywood studio system, a series of monopolistic practices by several major American film studios (MGM, Paramount Pictures, RKO, Warner Bros. and Twentieth Century Fox) which controlled the production, distribution, and exhibition of films in the US from the early 1920s through 1950s. The studio system was a means of film production and distribution dominant in Hollywood from the early 1920s through the early 1950s A major film studio is a movie production and distribution company that releases a substantial number of films annually and consistently commands a significant Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Though its monopolistic practices were officially ended by the Paramount Decision in 1948, all five of the Golden Age majors continue to exist as major Hollywood studio entities through 2008. In Economics, a monopoly (from Greek monos, alone or single + polein, to sell exists when a specific individual or enterprise has sufficient United States v Paramount Pictures, Inc, 334 US 131 ( 1948) (also known as the Hollywood Antitrust Case of 1948, the Paramount

Though film production companies in other countries have at times achieved and maintained full integration in a manner similar to Hollywood's Big Five, the Hollywood system and style remain uniquely American in character and origin. Classical Hollywood cinema or the classical Hollywood narrative, are terms used in film history which designates both a visual and sound style for making motion pictures As such, films produced outside of America are generally qualified as foreign rather than independent. World cinema is a term used primarily in English language speaking countries to refer to the Films and film industries of non-English speaking countries

Independent films today are generally defined as American films financed and distributed by sources outside today's Big Six and its subsidiaries. A major film studio is a movie production and distribution company that releases a substantial number of films annually and consistently commands a significant

Contents

History

Resistance to the Edison Trust

Main article: Edison Trust

The roots of independent film can be traced back to filmmakers in the 1900s who resisted the control of a trust called the Motion Picture Patents Company or "Edison Trust. The Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC also known as the Edison Trust) founded in December 1908 was a trust of all the major film companies ( Edison A special trust or business trust is business entity formed with intent to monopolize business to restrain trade, or to fix prices. The Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC also known as the Edison Trust) founded in December 1908 was a trust of all the major film companies ( Edison "

The Motion Picture Patents Company, founded in December 1908, was a trust of all the major film companies (Edison, Biograph, Vitagraph, Essanay, Selig, Lubin, Kalem, American Star, American Pathé), the leading distributor (George Kleine) and the biggest supplier of raw film, Eastman Kodak. Edison Studios was an American Motion picture production company owned by the Edison Company of inventor Thomas Edison. Biograph Studios was a studio facility and film laboratory complex built in 1912 by the Biograph Company, formerly American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, at 807 American Vitagraph was a United States Movie studio, founded by J The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company was a motion picture studio founded on August 10, 1907 in the neighborhood of Uptown Chicago, IL The Selig Polyscope Company was an American Motion picture company founded in 1896 by William Selig in Chicago Illinois. Lubin Studios, formally incorporated as the Lubin Manufacturing Company was an American Motion picture production company formed in 1902 and incorporated The Kalem Company was an American Film studio founded in New York City in 1907 by George Kleine, Samuel Long, and Frank J Georges Méliès ( December 8, 1861 &ndash January 21, 1938) full name Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès, was a French This article deals with the Pathé movie company For their music business see Pathé Records. Eastman Kodak Company ( is an American multinational Public company which produces imaging and photographic materials and equipment

At the time of the formation of the MPPC, Thomas Edison owned most of the major patents relating to motion pictures, including that for raw film. A patent is a set of Exclusive rights granted by a State to an inventor or his assignee for a fixed period of time in exchange for a disclosure of an This focuses on Motion picture film For Still photography film see Photographic film. The MPPC vigorously enforced its patents, constantly bringing suits and receiving injunctions against independent filmmakers. In law a lawsuit is a civil action brought before a Court in which the party commencing the action the Plaintiff, seeks a legal or equitable remedy Because of this, a number of filmmakers responded by building their own cameras and moving their operations to Hollywood, California, whose distance from Edison's home base of New Jersey made it more difficult for the MPPC to enforce its patents. New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. [1]

The Edison Trust was soon ended by two decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States: one in 1912, which canceled the patent on raw film, and a second in 1915, which cancelled all MPPC patents. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. Though these decisions succeeded at legalizing independent film, they would do little to remedy the de facto ban on small productions; the independent filmmakers who had fled to Southern California during the enforcement of the trust had already laid the groundwork for the studio system of classical Hollywood cinema. Southern California, or So Cal, is defined as the southern portion of the U The studio system was a means of film production and distribution dominant in Hollywood from the early 1920s through the early 1950s Classical Hollywood cinema or the classical Hollywood narrative, are terms used in film history which designates both a visual and sound style for making motion pictures

United Artists and the resistance to the studio system

Main article: United Artists

The studio system quickly became so powerful that some filmmakers once again sought independence as a result. This article is about the film studio Previously it was affiliated with a cinema chain bearing its name now owned by Regal Entertainment Group. On February 5, 1919 four of the leading figures in American silent cinema (Mary Pickford, Charles Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith) formed United Artists, the first independent studio in America. Events 1576 - Henry of Navarre converts to Roman Catholicism in order to ensure his right to the throne of France. Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Mary Pickford ( April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979) was an Academy Award -winning Canadian motion picture Douglas Fairbanks ( May 23 1883 – December 12 1939) was an American Actor, Screenwriter, director David Llewelyn Wark "D W" Griffith (January 22 1875 &ndash July 23 1948 was a premier pioneering Academy Award -winning American Film director. Each held a 20% stake, with the remaining 20% held by lawyer William Gibbs McAdoo. William Gibbs McAdoo ( October 31, 1863 &ndash February 1, 1941) was an American Lawyer and political leader who served [2] The idea for the venture originated with Fairbanks, Chaplin, Pickford, and cowboy star William S. Hart a year earlier as they were traveling around the U. William Surrey Hart ( December 6, 1864 &ndash June 23, 1946) was an American Silent film Actor, Screenwriter S. selling Liberty bonds to help the World War I effort. A Liberty Bond was a special type of War bond that was sold in the United States to support the allied cause in World War I. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Already veterans of Hollywood, the four film stars began to talk of forming their own company to better control their own work as well as their futures. They were spurred on by the actions of established Hollywood producers and distributors, who were making moves to tighten their control on stars' salaries and creative control. With the addition of Griffith, planning began, but Hart bowed out before things had formalized. When he heard about their scheme, Richard A. Rowland, head of Metro Pictures, is said to have observed, "The inmates are taking over the asylum. Metro Pictures Corporation was an American Motion picture production company founded in late 1915 by Richard A "

The four partners, with advice from McAdoo (son-in-law and former Treasury Secretary of then-President Woodrow Wilson), formed their distribution company, with Hiram Abrams as its first managing director. The United States Secretary of State (commonly abbreviated as SecState) is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with Foreign affairs Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28 1856—February 3 1924 was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. Hiram Abrams (1878 - 1926 was an early American movie mogul and one of the first presidents of Paramount Pictures and the first managing director of United Artists The original terms called for Pickford, Fairbanks, Griffith and Chaplin to independently produce five pictures each year. But by the time the company got under way in 1920-1921, feature films were becoming more expensive and more polished, and running times had settled at around ninety minutes (or eight reels). In the Film industry, a feature film is a Film made for initial distribution in theaters and being the "main attraction" of the screening It was believed that no one, no matter how popular, could produce and star in five quality feature films a year. By 1924, by which time Griffith had dropped out, the company was facing a crisis: either bring in others to help support a costly distribution system or concede defeat. The veteran producer Joseph Schenck was hired as president. Joseph Michael Schenck ( December 25, 1878 &ndash October 22, 1961) was a pioneer executive who played a key role in the development of Not only had he been producing pictures for a decade, but he brought along commitments for films starring his wife, Norma Talmadge, his sister-in-law, Constance Talmadge, and his brother-in-law, Buster Keaton. Norma Talmadge ( May 26, 1893 &ndash December 24, 1957) was one of the greatest film stars of the silent era Constance Talmadge ( April 19, 1897 - November 23, 1973) was a Silent movie star born in Brooklyn, New York Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton ( October 4 1895 &ndash February 1 1966) was an Academy Award -winning American Contracts were signed with a letter of independent producers, especially Samuel Goldwyn, Alexander Korda and Howard Hughes. Samuel Goldwyn ( ca. July 1879 &ndash 31 January 1974) was an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award -winning producer Sir Alexander Korda (September 16 1893 - January 23 1956 was a Hungarian-born Film director and producer. Howard Robard Hughes Jr (December 24 1905 – April 5 1976 was an American Aviator, Industrialist, Film producer / director, Philanthropist Schenck also formed a separate partnership with Pickford and Chaplin to buy and build theaters under the United Artists name.

Still, even with a broadening of the company, UA struggled. The coming of sound ended the careers of Pickford and Fairbanks. A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image as opposed to a Silent film. Chaplin, rich enough to do what he pleased, worked only occasionally. Schenck resigned in 1933 to organize a new company with Darryl F. Zanuck, Twentieth Century Pictures, which soon provided four pictures a year to UA's schedule. Darryl Francis Zanuck ( September 5, 1902 &ndash December 22, 1979) was an Academy Award -winning producer, Writer He was replaced as president by sales manager Al Lichtman who himself resigned after only a few months. Alexander "Al" Lichtman ( April 9, 1885 - February 20, 1958) was a Businessman working in the Motion picture industry Pickford produced a few films, and at various times Goldwyn, Korda, Walt Disney, Walter Wanger, and David O. Selznick were made "producing partners" (i. Walter Elias Disney (December 5 1901 – December 15 1966 was a multiple Academy Award -winning American Film producer, director, Screenwriter Walter Wanger ( July 11, 1894 – November 18, 1968) was an Academy Award -winning American Film producer David O Selznick, born David Selznick ( May 10, 1902 &ndash June 22, 1965) was one of the iconic Hollywood producers e. , sharing in the profits), but ownership still rested with the founders. As the years passed and the dynamics of the business changed, these "producing partners" drifted away, Goldwyn and Disney to RKO, Wanger to Universal Pictures, Selznick to retirement. Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios) a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is a major Global American By the late 1940s, United Artists had virtually ceased to exist as either a producer or distributor.

The Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers

Main article: Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers

In 1941, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney, Orson Welles, Samuel Goldwyn, David O. This article is about the film studio Previously it was affiliated with a cinema chain bearing its name now owned by Regal Entertainment Group. George Orson Welles (May 6 1915 – October 10 1985 was an Academy Award -winning director, writer actor and producer for film stage radio and television Selznick, Alexander Korda, and Walter Wanger—many of the same people who were members of United Artists—founded the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers. Sir Alexander Korda (September 16 1893 - January 23 1956 was a Hungarian-born Film director and producer. This article is about the film studio Previously it was affiliated with a cinema chain bearing its name now owned by Regal Entertainment Group. Later members included William Cagney, Sol Lesser, and Hal Roach. Sol Lesser (born February 17, 1890 in Spokane Washington – September 19, 1980 in Hollywood California) was an Academy Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr ( January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and The Society aimed to preserve the rights of independent producers in an industry overwhelmingly controlled by the studio system. SIMPP fought to end monopolistic practices by the five major Hollywood studios which controlled the production, distribution, and exhibition of films. In Economics, a monopoly (from Greek monos, alone or single + polein, to sell exists when a specific individual or enterprise has sufficient

In 1942, the SIMPP filed an antitrust suit against Paramount's United Detroit Theatres. The complaint accused Paramount of conspiracy to control first-run and subsequent-run theaters in Detroit. It was the first antitrust suit brought by producers against exhibitors alleging monopoly and restraint of trade.

In 1948, the United States Supreme Court Paramount Decision ordered the Hollywood movie studios to sell their theater chains and to eliminate certain anti-competitive practices. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. United States v Paramount Pictures, Inc, 334 US 131 ( 1948) (also known as the Hollywood Antitrust Case of 1948, the Paramount A movie studio (aka film studio) is in the established sense of the term a company that distributes films. This effectively brought an end to the studio system of Hollywood's Golden Age. Classical Hollywood cinema or the classical Hollywood narrative, are terms used in film history which designates both a visual and sound style for making motion pictures

By 1958, many of the reasons for creating the SIMPP had been corrected and SIMPP closed its offices.

Low-budget films

Main article: Low-budget film

The efforts of the SIMPP and the advent of inexpensive portable cameras during World War II effectively made it possible for any person in America with an interest in making films to write, produce, and direct one without the aide of any major film studio. A low-budget Film is a motion picture shot on limited budget Young or unknown directors often make low-budget films due to a lack of funding from studios who World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including A major film studio is a movie production and distribution company that releases a substantial number of films annually and consistently commands a significant These circumstances soon resulted in a number of critically acclimed and highly influential works, including Maya Deren's Meshes of the Afternoon in 1943, Kenneth Anger's Fireworks in 1947, and Raymond Abrashkin's Little Fugitive in 1953. Maya Deren ( April 29, 1917, Kiev – October 13, 1961, New York City) born Eleanora Derenkowsky, was an Meshes of the Afternoon ( 1943) is a short Experimental film directed by wife and husband team Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid. Fireworks ( 1947) is a homoerotic Experimental film by Kenneth Anger. Raymond Abrashkin ( March 09 1911 - August 25 1960) was an American writer best known for writing co-producing and co-directing the acclaimed Little Fugitive ( 1953) is film written and directed by Raymond Abrashkin (under the pseudonym "Ray Ashley" Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin Little Fugitive became the first independent film to be nominated for Best Picture at the American Academy Awards. The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to artists working "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. It also received Silver Lion at Venice. The Venice Film Festival is the oldest Film festival in the world Both Abrashkin and Anger's films won acclaim overseas from the burgeoning French New Wave, with Fireworks inspiring praise and an invitation to study under him in Europe from Jean Cocteau, and François Truffaut citing Little Fugitive as an essential inspiration to his seminal work, The 400 Blows. "Nouvelle Vague" redirects here For the music group of the same name see Nouvelle Vague (band. Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (5 July 1889 &ndash 11 October 1963 was a French Poet, Novelist, Dramatist, Designer, Boxing François Roland Truffaut ( February 6 1932 – October 21 1984) was one of the founders of the French New Wave in filmmaking The 400 Blows ( Les Quatre Cents Coups) is a 1959 French film directed by François Truffaut.

Unlike the films of the collapsing studio system, these new low-budget films could afford to take risks and explore new artistic territory outside of the classical Hollywood narrative. A low-budget Film is a motion picture shot on limited budget Young or unknown directors often make low-budget films due to a lack of funding from studios who Maya Deren was soon joined in New York by a crowd of like minded avant-garde filmmakers who were interested in creating films as works of art rather than entertainment. This article is on the variety of film For information on the They Might Be Giants song see " Experimental Film (song " An Art film (also called an “art cinema” “art movie” or in the U Based upon a common belief that the "official cinema" was "running out of breath" and had become "morally corrupt, aesthetically obsolete, thematically superficial, [and] temperamentally boring," [3], this new crop of independents formed The Film-Makers' Cooperative, an artist-run, non-profit organization which they would use to distribute their films through a centralized archive. The Film-Makers' Cooperative aka The New American Cinema Group is an artist-run non-profit organization which was founded in 1962 in New York City by Jonas Mekas, Founded in 1962 by Jonas Mekas, Stan Brakhage, Shirley Clarke, Gregory Markopoulos, and others, the Cooperative provided an important outlet for many of cinemas creative luminaries in the 1960s, including Jack Smith and Andy Warhol. Jonas Mekas (jonɐs mækɐs born December 24, 1922 in the village of Semeniškiai, near Biržai) is a Lithuanian Filmmaker, writer Stan Brakhage ( January 14, 1933 – March 9, 2003) was an American non-narrative Filmmaker Shirley Clarke ( 2 October 1919, New York City - 23 September 1997, Boston) was a major American independent filmmaker Gregory Markopoulos ( March 12 1928 - November 12 1992) was an Greek-American Experimental filmmaker Born in Toledo Jack Smith is the name of;In sport Jack Smith (footballer born 1910, of Sheffield United F For the song by David Bowie, see Andy Warhol (song. Andrew Warhola (August 6 1928 &ndash February 22 1987 known as Andy Warhol When he returned to America, Ken Anger would debut many of his most important works there. Mekas and Brakhage would go on to found the Anthology Film Archives in 1970, which would likewise prove essential to the development and preservation of independent films, even to this day. Anthology Film Archives is a cinema and Film archive in the East Village neighborhood of New York City devoted to the preservation and exhibition

The exploitation boom and the MPAA rating system

Main article: B movies (The exploitation boom)

Not all low budget films existed as non-commercial art ventures. The 1960s and 1970s mark the golden age of the independent B movie, made outside of Hollywood's Major film studios As censorship pressures lifted in the early 1960s The success of films like Little Fugitive, which had been made with low (or sometimes non-existent) budgets encouraged a huge boom in popularity for non-studio films. A no budget film is a produced film made with very little or no money Low budget film making promised exponentially greater returns if the film could have a successful run in the theaters. During this time, independent producer/director Roger Corman began a sweeping body of work that would become legendary for its frugality and grueling shooting schedule. Roger William Corman (born April 5 1926) sometimes nicknamed "King of the Bs" for his output of B-movies (though he himself rejects this as inaccurate Until his so-called "retirement" as a director in 1971 (he continued to produce films even after this date) he would produce up to seven movies a year, matching (and exceeding) the five a year schedule that the executives at United Artists had once thought impossible.

Like those of the avante-garde, the films of Roger Corman took advantage of the fact that unlike the studio system, independent films had never been bound by its self-imposed production code. For the television broadcasting term please see Production code number. Corman's example (and that of others like him) would help start a boom in independent B-movies in the 1960s, the principle aim of which was to bring in the youth market which the major studios had lost touch with. The 1960s and 1970s mark the golden age of the independent B movie, made outside of Hollywood's Major film studios As censorship pressures lifted in the early 1960s Youth Marketing is a term used in the Marketing and Advertising industry to describe activities to communicate with young people typically in the age range of 12 By promising sex, wanton violence, drug use, and nudity, these films hoped to draw audiences to independent theaters by offering to show them what the major studios could not. Sex in film refers to the presentation in motion pictures of sex acts including love scenes. Staged fights in Cinema include performances of Classical fencing, Historical fencing, Martial arts, Close combat and Drug films are films that depict drug usage either as a major theme or as a few memorable scenes Nudity in film refers to the presentation in motion pictures of people without clothing whether as full nudity — a view of someone's entire nude body — or more modest Horror and science fiction films experienced a period of tremendous growth during this time. Horror films are Movies that strive to elicit Fear, Horror and terror responses from viewers Science fiction Film is a Film genre that uses speculative, Science -based depictions of imaginary phenomena such as extra-terrestrial

In 1968, a young filmmaker named George Romero shocked audiences with Night of the Living Dead, a new kind of intense and unforgiving independent horror film. George Andrew Romero (born February 4, 1940) is an American director writer editor and actor Night of the Living Dead (1968 directed by George Romero, is an independent Black-and-white Horror film. This film was released just after the abandonment of the production code, but before the adoption of the MPAA rating system. The Motion Picture Association of America's film-rating system is used in the U As such, it was the first and last film of its kind to enjoy a completely unrestricted screening, in which young children were able to witness Romero's new brand of highly realistic gore. This film would help to set the climate of independent horror for decades to come, as films like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in 1974 and Cannibal Holocaust in 1980 continued to push the envelope. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent Cannibal Holocaust ( 1980) is a controversial Exploitation film directed by Ruggero Deodato from a screenplay by Gianfranco Clerici

With the production code abandoned and violent and disturbing films like Romero's gaining popularity, Hollywood opted to placate the uneasy filmgoing public with the MPAA ratings system, which would place restrictions on ticket sales to young people. Unlike the production code, this rating system posed a threat to independent films in that it would affect the number of tickets they could sell and cut into the grindhouse cinema's share of the youth market. A grindhouse is an American term for a theater that mainly showed Exploitation films. This change would further widen the divide between commercial and non-commercial films.

New Hollywood and independent filmmaking

Main article: New Hollywood

Following the advent of television and the Paramount Case, the major studios attempted to lure audiences with spectacle. New Hollywood or post- classical Hollywood, sometimes referred to as the "American New Wave" refers to the brief time between roughly the mid- 1960s ( Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Widescreen processes and technical improvements, such as Cinemascope, stereo sound and others, were invented in order to retain the dwindling audience by giving them a larger-than-life experience. A widescreen image is a film computer or television image with a wider and shorter aspect ratio than the standard Academy frame developed during the Classical CinemaScope was a Widescreen movie format used from 1953 to 1967 Stereophonic sound, commonly called stereo, is the reproduction of Sound, using two or more independent audio channels through a Symmetrical

The 1950s and early 60s saw a Hollywood dominated by musicals, historical epics, and other films that benefited from the larger screens, wider framing and improved sound. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 This proved commercially viable during most of the 1950s. However, by the late Sixties, audience share was dwindling at an alarming rate. Several costly flops, including Cleopatra and Hello, Dolly! put severe strain on the studios. Cleopatra is a 1963 Film directed by Joseph L Mankiewicz. The screenplay was adapted by Sidney Buchman, Ben Hecht, Hello Dolly! is a 1969 American Musical film, based on the Broadway production of the same name. Meanwhile, in 1951, lawyers-turned-producers Arthur Krim and Robert Benjamin had made a deal with the remaining stockholders of United Artists which would allow them to make an attempt to revive the company and, if the attempt was successful, buy it after five years. Arthur B Krim ( April 4, 1910 &ndash September 21, 1994) was an entertainment lawyer the former finance chairman for the United States The attempt was a success, and in 1955 United Artists became the first "studio" without an actual studio. UA leased space at the Pickford/Fairbanks Studio, but did not own a studio lot as such. Because of this, many of their films would be shot on location, a practice that also helped to save money. Primarily acting as bankers, they offered money to independent producers. Thus UA did not have the overhead, the maintenance or the expensive production staff which ran up costs at other studios. UA went public in 1956, and as the other mainstream studios fell into decline, UA prospered, adding relationships with the Mirisch brothers, Billy Wilder, Joseph E. Levine and others. Mirisch is a Surname and may refer to Marvin Mirisch Walter Mirisch Mirisch Company Billy Wilder ( June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian born Jewish - American Journalist Joseph E Levine ( September 9, 1905 – July 31, 1987) was an American Film producer.

By the mid 1960s, the remaining four of big five had recognized that they did not know how to reach the youth audience. Foreign films, especially European and Japanese cinema, were experiencing a major boom in popularity with young people, who were interested in seeing films with non-traditional subjects and narrative structures. The cinema of Europe has compared to the Cinema of the United States, the reputation of being more liberal when it comes to the representation of nudity and sexuality but less The cinema of Japan (日本映画 An added draw for such films was that they, like the American independents, were unencumbered by the production code. In an attempt to capture this audience, the Studios hired a host of young filmmakers (many of whom were mentored by Roger Corman) and allowed them to make their films with relatively little studio control.

In 1967, Warner Bothers offered first-time producer Warren Beatty 40% of the gross on his film Bonnie & Clyde instead of a minimal fee. Warren Beatty (born Henry Warren Beaty; March 30 1937 is an American Academy Award - and Golden Globe -winning Actor, producer Bonnie and Clyde is a American Crime film about Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, the bank robbers who operated in the Central United States The movie proceeded to gross over $70 million world-wide by 1973. This initial successes paved the way for the studio to relinquish almost complete control to the film school generation and began what the media dubbed "New Hollywood. New Hollywood or post- classical Hollywood, sometimes referred to as the "American New Wave" refers to the brief time between roughly the mid- 1960s ( New Hollywood or post- classical Hollywood, sometimes referred to as the "American New Wave" refers to the brief time between roughly the mid- 1960s ( "

On May 16, 1969, Dennis Hopper, a young American filmmaker, wrote, directed, and acted in his first film, Easy Rider. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Dennis Lee Hopper (born May 17, 1936) is an Academy Award -nominated American Actor and Film -maker Easy Rider, a 1969 American Road movie written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Terry Southern. Along with his producer/star/co-writer Peter Fonda, Hopper was responsible for the first completely independent film of New Hollywood. Peter Henry Fonda (born February 23[[ 940]] is an American actor Easy Rider debuted at Cannes and garnered the "First Film Award," ("Prix de la premiere oeuvre") after which it received two Oscar nominations, one for best original screenplay and one for Corman-alum Jack Nicholson's breakthrough performance in the supporting role of George Hanson, an alcoholic lawyer for the ACLU. The Cannes Film Festival (le Festival de Cannes founded in 1946 is one of the world's oldest most influential and prestigious Film festivals alongside Venice, John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson (born April 22 1937) is an American Actor, internationally renowned for his often dark-themed portrayals Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law as an attorney, Counsel or Solicitor; a person The American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU) consists of two separate Non-profit organizations the ACLU Foundation a 501(c(3 organization which focuses

Following on the heels of Easy Rider just over a week later, the revived United Artists' Midnight Cowboy, which, like Easy Rider, took numerous cues from Ken Anger and his influences in the French New Wave, became the first and only X rated film to win the Academy Award for best picture. Midnight Cowboy is a 1969 Drama film based on the 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. Midnight Cowboy also held the distinction of featuring cameo roles by many of the top Warhol superstars, who had already become symbols of the militantly anti-Hollywood climate of NYC's independent film community. For the "brief appearance" see Cameo appearance. For the "chemical emergency software" see Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Ultra Violet by David Shankbonejpg|thumb| Ultra Violet (Isabelle Collin Dufresne]]The Warhol Superstars were a Clique of New York City personalities promoted

Within a month, another young Corman trainee, Francis Ford Coppola, made his debut in Spain at the Donostia-San Sebastian International Film Festival with The Rain People, a film he had founded his own studio, American Zoetrope, to make a reality. Francis Ford "Frank" Coppola (born April 7, 1939) is a five-time Academy Award -winning American Film director, Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The San Sebastián International Film Festival is an annual FIAPF A category Film festival which originated in 1953 and is held in the Spanish city of The Rain People is a 1969 film by Francis Ford Coppola. Among its leading players are James Caan and Robert Duvall, both of whom would American Zoetrope is the name of the studio founded by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, named after a Zoetrope Coppola was given in the late Though The Rain People was largely overlooked by American audiences, Zoetrope would became a powerful force in New Hollywood. Through Zoetrope, Coppola formed a distribution agreement with studio giant, Warner Bros. , which he would exploit to achieve wide releases for his films without making himself subject to the controlling forces of Hollywood.

These three films provided the major Hollywood studios with both an example to follow and a new crop of talent to draw from. In 1971, Zoetrope co-founder George Lucas made his feature film debut with THX 1138, also released by Zoetrope through their deal with Warner Bros. George Walton Lucas Jr (born May 14, 1944) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, producer, Screenwriter THX 1138 is a 1971 Science fiction film directed by George Lucas, from a screenplay by Lucas and Walter Murch. , announcing himself as another major talent of New Hollywood. By the following year, the leaders of the New Hollywood revolution had made enough of a name for themselves that Coppola was able to convince Paramount to fund his multi-generational gangster epic, The Godfather. For other uses see Gangsta. A gangster is a criminal who is or at some point almost invariably becomes a member of a persistent violent The Godfather is a 1972 Crime drama film based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Mario Puzo and directed Meanwhile Lucas had obtained studio funding for American Graffiti from Universal. American Graffiti is a period Coming of age film directed by George Lucas, and written by Lucas Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck In the mid-1970s, the major Hollywood studios continued to tap these new filmmakers for both ideas and personnel, producing idiosyncratic, startling original films such as Paper Moon, Dog Day Afternoon and Taxi Driver, all of which were met with enormous critical and commercial success. Dog Day Afternoon is a 1975 American crime Drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and written by Frank Pierson. Taxi Driver is a film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader. These successes by the members of New Hollywood led each of them in turn to make more and more extravagant demands, both on the studio and eventually on the audience.

It can often seem that all members of the New Hollywood generation of the 1970s were independent filmmakers. Though those mentioned above began with a considerable claim on the title, almost all of the major films commonly associated with the movement were studio projects. The New Hollywood generation soon became firmly entrenched in a revived incarnation of the studio system, which financed the development, production and distribution of their films. Very few of these filmmakers ever independently financed or independently released a film of their own, or ever worked on an independently financed production during the height of the generation's influence. Seemingly independent films such as Taxi Driver, The Last Picture Show and others were studio films: the scripts were based on studio pitches and subsequently paid for by the studios, the production financing was from the studio, and the marketing and distribution of the films were designed and controlled by the studio. The Last Picture Show is a 1971 film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, adapted from a 1966 novel by Larry McMurtry. Though Coppola made considerable efforts to resist the influence of the studios, opting to finance his risky 1979 film Apocalypse Now himself rather than compromise with skeptical studio executives, he, and filmmakers like him, had saved the old studios from financial ruin by providing it with a new formula for success.

Indeed, it was during this period that the very definition of an independent film became blurred. Though Midnight Cowboy was financed by United Artists, the company was certainly a studio. Likewise, Zoetrope was another "independent studio" which worked within the system to make a space for independent directors who needed funding. George Lucas would leave Zoetrope in 1977 to create his own independent studio, Lucasfilm, which would produce the blockbuster Star Wars and Indiana Jones trilogies. Lucasfilm Limited' is an American Film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco California This article refers to the theatrical slang term for other uses see Blockbuster (disambiguation. Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded Dr (also Col Henry Walton Jones Jr, better known as Indiana Jones or Indy after his pet dog is a fictional Adventurer, Soldier A trilogy is a set of three works of art usually Literature, Film, or Video games, that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or three In fact, the only two movies of the movement which can be described as uncompromisingly independent are Easy Rider at the beginning, and Peter Bogdanovich's They All Laughed, at the end. Peter Bogdanovich ( Serbian Cyrillic: Петар Богдановић Latin: Petar Bogdanović (born July 30, 1939, is an American For the 1937 song by George and Ira Gershwin see They All Laughed (song They All Laughed is a 1981 film directed by Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich bought back the rights from the studio to his 1980 film and paid for its distribution out of his own pocket, convinced that the picture was better than what the studio believed — he eventually went bankrupt because of this. Peter Bogdanovich ( Serbian Cyrillic: Петар Богдановић Latin: Petar Bogdanović (born July 30, 1939, is an American

In retrospect, it can be seen that Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975) and George Lucas's Star Wars (1977) marked the beginning of the end for the New Hollywood. Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE (Hon (born December 18 1946 is an American Film director, Screenwriter and producer. Jaws is a 1975 thriller / horror Film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley 's best-selling George Walton Lucas Jr (born May 14, 1944) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, producer, Screenwriter With their unprecedented box-office successes, these movies jump-started Hollywood's blockbuster mentality, giving studios a new paradigm as to how to make money in this changing commercial landscape. The focus on high-concept premises, with greater concentration on tie-in merchandise (such as toys), spin-offs into other media (such as soundtracks), and the use of sequels (which had been made more respectable by Coppola's The Godfather Part II), all showed the studios how to make money in the new environment. High concept, in Film or art in general is a term used to refer to a succinctly stated premise describing the overall idea of production in just a few sentences or less The Godfather Part II is a 1974 Crime drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script co-written with Mario Puzo.

On realizing how much money could potentially be made in films, major corporations started buying up the remaining Hollywood studios, saving them from the oblivion which befell RKO in the 50s. A corporation is a separate legal entity usually used to conduct business The corporate mentality these companies brought to the filmmaking business would slowly squeeze out the more idiosyncratic of these young filmmakers, while ensconcing the more malleable and commercially successful of them. Like the original independents who fled the Edison Trust to form old Hollywood, the young film school graduates who had fled the studios to explore on-location shooting and dynamic, neo-realist styles and structures ended up replacing the tyrants they had sought to dislodge with a more stable and all-pervasive base of power. Italian neorealism is a style of film characterized by stories set amongst the poor and Working class, filmed on location frequently using nonprofessional Actors

Outside of Hollywood

Though many of the thematic changes that would resound through the American cinema of the 1970s would prominently feature heightened depictions of realistic sex and violence, those directors who wished to reach the audience which the old Hollywood once had quickly learned to stylize these actions in a way that made them appealing and attractive, rather than repulsive or obscene. However, at the same time that the maverick film students who would become the American new wave were developing the skills they would use to take over Hollywood, many of their classmates had begun to develop in a different direction. Influenced by foreign "art house" directors, (such as Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini) exploitation shockers (including Joseph P. Ernst Ingmar Bergman ( pronounced) (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007 was a nine-time Academy Award -nominated Swedish film, stage Federico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI ( January 20 1920 &ndash October 31 1993) was an Italian Film Mawra) and those who walked the line between, (Kenneth Anger et al) a number of young film makers began to experiment with transgression not as a box-office draw, but as an artistic act. Kenneth Anger (born February 3, 1927) is an American underground avant-garde film-maker Transgressive art refers to Art forms that aim to transgress i Directors such as John Waters and David Lynch would make a name for themselves by the early 70s for the bizarre and often disturbing imagery which characterized their films. John Samuel Waters Jr (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, Actor, Writer, Celebrity, David Keith Lynch (born January 20 1946 is an American director, Screenwriter, producer, painter, Cartoonist, Composer

When Lynch's first feature film, 1977's Eraserhead, brought Lynch to the attention of producer Mel Brooks, he soon found himself in charge of the $5 million film The Elephant Man for Paramount. Eraserhead is a 1977 Surrealist Horror film written and directed by David Lynch. Mel Brooks (born Melvin Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American director, Writer, Composer, Lyricist The Elephant Man is a 1980 Biopic loosely based on the story of the 19th century British deformed celebrity Joseph Merrick (called John Though Eraserhead was strictly an out-of-pocket, no-budget, independent film, Lynch made the transition with unprecedented grace. The film was a huge commercial success, and earned eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay nods for Lynch. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent Film awards in the United States It also established his place as a commercially viable, if somewhat dark and unconventional, Hollywood director. Seeing Lynch as a fellow studio convert, George Lucas, a fan of Eraserhead and now the darling of the studios, offered Lynch the opportunity to direct his next Star Wars sequel, Return of the Jedi. George Walton Lucas Jr (born May 14, 1944) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, producer, Screenwriter Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded Star Wars Episode VI Return of the Jedi is a 1983 Space opera Film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas However, Lynch had seen what had happened to Lucas and his comrades in arms after their failed attempt to do away with the studio system. He refused the opportunity, stating that he would rather work on his own projects. [1]

Lynch instead chose to direct a big budget adaptation of Frank Herbert's science fiction novel Dune for Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis's De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, on the condition that the company release a second Lynch project, over which the director would have complete creative control. Franklin Patrick Herbert Jr ( October 8 1920 &ndash February 11 1986) was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story Dune is a Science fiction novel written by Frank Herbert and published in 1965. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Agostino De Laurentiis, usually credited as Dino De Laurentiis (born August 8 1919) is an Academy Award -winning Italian De Laurentiis Entertainment Group ( DEG) was a production company/distribution unit founded by producer Dino De Laurentiis. Although De Laurentiis hoped it would be the next Star Wars, Lynch's Dune (1984) was a critical and commercial dud, costing $45 million to make, and grossing a mere $27. Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded This article is about the 1984 film See Frank Herbert's Dune for the 2000 television adaptation 4 million domestically. The producer was furious that he would now be forced to allow Lynch to make any kind of film he wanted. He offered Lynch only $6 million, reasoning that it would be best to let it be a small flop and be rid of the director. However, the film was a resounding success.

Lynch subsequently returned to his independent roots, and did not work with another major studio for over a decade.

John Waters, on the other hand, proved too hot to handle for the major studios. Distributing his films locally though a production company of his own creation known as Dreamland Productions, Waters defied the mainstream completely until the early 80s, when the fledgling New Line Cinema agreed to work with him on Polyester. Dreamlanders refers to the cast and crew of regulars whom John Waters has used in his films New Line Cinema, founded in 1967 is one of the major American Film studios Though it initially began as an independent film studio it became a Polyester is a 1981 John Waters film starring Divine, Tab Hunter, Edith Massey, and Mink Stole. During the 80s, Waters would become a pillar of the New York based independent film movement known as the "Cinema of Transgression," a term coined by Nick Zedd in 1985 to describe a loose-knit group of like-minded New York artists using shock value and humor in their work. The Cinema of Transgression is a term coined by Nick Zedd in 1985 to describe a New York City, United States based Underground film Nick Zedd ( born Jan 25, 1958 or May 8, 1959 in Takoma Park Maryland) is a New York City based filmmaker and author Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Shock value is the potential of an image text or other form of communication to provoke a reaction of Disgust, shock, Anger, Fear, Humour or humor (see spelling differences) is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke Laughter and provide Amusement Other key players in this movement included Kembra Pfahler, Casandra Stark, Beth B, Tommy Turner, Richard Kern and Lydia Lunch. Kembra Pfahler is an American Performance artist and Rock musician best known as the lead singer of the cult Glam - punk band The Casandra Stark Mele is a New York City underground Icon considered one of the "principal players in the Cinema of Transgression " (Sabin 1999 Thomas " Tommy " Turner (born 11 October 1963 in Johnstone, Renfrewshire) is a Scottish former Richard Kern (born 1954 in North Carolina) is a New York underground filmmaker writer and photographer Lydia Lunch (born Lydia Koch on June 2, 1959 in Rochester New York) is an American Singer, Poet, Rallying around such institutions as the Film-Makers' Cooperative and Anthology Film Archives, this new generation of independents devoted themselves to the defiance of the now-establishment New Hollywood, proposing that "all film schools be blown up and all boring films never be made again. "[2]

The Sundance Institute

Main article: Sundance Institute

In 1978, Sterling Van Wagenen and Charles Gary Allison, with Chairperson Robert Redford, (veteran of New Hollywood and star of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) founded the Utah/US Film Festival in an effort to attract more filmmakers to Utah and showcase what the potential of independent film could be. Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization based in Park City, Utah, and founded by actor/director/producer Robert Redford in 1981 Charles Gary Allison (1938 – May 13, 2008) was an American screenwriter and film producer Charles Robert Redford Jr (born August 18 1936) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, Actor, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a American Western film that tells the story of bank robbers Butch Cassidy (played by Paul Newman) and The Sundance Film Festival is a Film festival that takes place annually in the state of Utah, in the United States. At the time, the main focus of the event was to present a series of retrospective films and filmmaker panel discussions; however it also included a small program of new independent films. The jury of the 1978 festival was headed by Gary Allison, and included Verna Fields, Linwood Gale Dunn, Katherine Ross, Charles E. Charles Gary Allison (1938 – May 13, 2008) was an American screenwriter and film producer Verna Fields (née Hellman (21 March 1918 – 30 November 1982 was an American Film editor, film and television Sound editor, educator and entertainment industry Sellier Jr. , Mark Rydell, and Anthea Sylbert. Mark Rydell (born March 23, 1934 in New York City) is an American Actor, Film director and producer.

In 1981, the same year that United Artists, bought out by MGM, ceased to exist as a venue for independent filmmakers, Sterling Van Wagenen left the film festival to help found the Sundance Institute with Robert Redford. Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization based in Park City, Utah, and founded by actor/director/producer Robert Redford in 1981 In 1985, the now well-established Sundance Institute, headed by Sterling Van Wagenen, took over management of the US Film Festival, which was experiencing financial difficulties. Gary Beer and Sterling Van Wagenen spearheaded production of the inaugural Sundance Film Festival which included Program Director Tony Safford and Administrative Director Jenny Walz Selby.

In 1991, the festival was officially renamed the Sundance Film Festival, after Redford's famous role as, The Sundance Kid. Harry Alonzo Longabaugh (1867 - c November 1908? sometimes spelled Longbaugh, born in Mont Clare Pennsylvania, also known as The Sundance Kid, [4]. Through this festival, such notable figures as Kevin Smith, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Steven Soderbergh, James Wan and Jim Jarmusch garnered resounding critical acclaim and unprecedented box office sales. Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2 1970 is an American Screenwriter, Writer, Film director, Actor and Comic book writer Robert Anthony Rodriguez (born June 20 1968 is an American director, writer, producer, Cinematographer, editor and Musician Quentin Jerome Tarantino (born March 27, 1963) is an Academy Award - BAFTA Award - and Palme d'Or -winning Emmy - and Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26 1970 is a five-time Academy Award -nominated American Filmmaker. Steven Andrew Soderbergh (born January 14 1963 is an American Film producer, Screenwriter, Cinematographer, editor, and James Wan (born February 27 1977) is an Australian producer, Screenwriter, and Film director. Jim Jarmusch (born January 22 1953 in Akron Ohio; ˈdʒɑrməʃ is an American independent Film director. In 2005, about 15% of the U.S. domestic box office revenue was from independent studios. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for Admission to a venue [5]

Present day and digital filmmaking

Today, due to the large volume of inexpensive, high end digital film equipment available at the consumer level, independent filmmakers are no longer dependent on major studios to provide them with the tools they need to produce a film. Post production has also been simplified by non-linear editing software available for home computers. "NLE" redirects here For the standardized test see National Latin Examination. A home computer was a class of Personal computer entering the market in 1977 and becoming common during the 1980s While most of the current U. S. film industry is located in Los Angeles, one-third of all independent films in the U. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West S. are still produced in New York City, where the first independent filmmakers began the resistance to the Edison Trust.

Presently, all five of the Golden Age majors continue to exist as major Hollywood studio entities through 2008. Their output is still marked by familiar stories and conservative choices in cast and crew. Companies such as Lucasfilm continue to exist, co-financing their productions and partnering with Big Six studios for distribution. Lucasfilm Limited' is an American Film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco California In fact, co-financing has become a growing trend in modern day Hollywood, with over two-thirds of the films put out by Warner Bros. in 2000 being funded as joint ventures, up from 10% in 1987. [6]

In an effort to cash in on the present day boom in independent film, today's Big Six major studios, have created a number of independent-flavored subsidiaries, designed to develop less commercial, more character driven films which appeal to the growing art house market. These include MGM, UA (under MGM), New Line Cinema, HBO Films, Castle Rock Entertainment, DreamWorks SKG, Sony Pictures Classics, Fox Searchlight, Miramax Films, Warner Independent, Picturehouse, Paramount Classics/Paramount Vantage, Go Fish Pictures (under DreamWorks), Focus Features, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Destination Films, Fox Faith, Fox Atomic, Hollywood Pictures, and Rogue Pictures.

The increasing popularity and feasibility of low-budget films over the last 15 years has led to a vast increase in the number of aspiring filmmakers -- people who have written spec scripts and who hope to find several million dollars to turn that script into an independent film sensation like Reservoir Dogs, Little Miss Sunshine, or Juno. A spec script is a "speculative" Screenplay, one that the Variety Slanguage Dictionary defines as being "shopped or Reservoir Dogs is the 1992 debut Film of director and writer Quentin Tarantino. Little Miss Sunshine is a 2006 American Comedy-drama film and the directorial film debut of the husband-wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Juno is a 2007 American comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody. These aspiring filmmakers often work day-jobs while they pitch their scripts to independent film production companies, talent agents, and wealthy investors. Their dream seems much more attainable than before the independent film revolution because these novice filmmakers no longer need to gain the backing of a major studio and access to perhaps a hundred million dollars to make their film. (See the filmmaking documentary Dreams on Spec)

Independent movie-making has also resulted in the proliferation and repopularization of short films and short film festivals. Dreams on Spec is an American Documentary film that profiles the struggles and triumphs of emerging Hollywood Screenwriters. Short subject is a format description originally coined in the North American Film industry in the early period of cinema. Full-length films are often showcased at film festivals such as the Sundance Film Festival, the Slamdance Film Festival, the South By Southwest film festival, the Raindance Film Festival, ACE Film Festival, or the Cannes Film Festival. A film festival is the presentation or showcasing of Films in one or more Movie theaters or screening venues The Sundance Film Festival is a Film festival that takes place annually in the state of Utah, in the United States. South by Southwest ( SXSW) is a set of interactive, Film, and Music festivals and conferences that take place The Raindance Film Festival is the UK's largest independent Film festival. The ACE Film Festival (American Cinematic Experience Film Festival is a Film festival first held in 2007 in New York City. The Cannes Film Festival (le Festival de Cannes founded in 1946 is one of the world's oldest most influential and prestigious Film festivals alongside Venice, Award winners from these exhibitions are more likely to get picked up for distribution by major film studios.

The following studios are considered to be the most prevalent of the modern independent studios (they are used to produce/release independent films and foreign-language films in America):

Note that many of the above studios are actually subsidiaries of larger studios — for example, Sony Pictures Classics is owned by Sony Pictures and is , and Fox Searchlight belongs to the same company that owns 20th Century Fox. Lionsgate redirects here For other meanings see Lions' Gate (disambiguation‎. IFC Films is an American film distribution company based in New York, owned by Rainbow Media. The Samuel Goldwyn Company was an Independent film company founded by Samuel Goldwyn Jr Warner Independent Pictures was the specialty division of film studio Warner Bros The Weinstein Company is an independent American Film studio founded by Harvey and Bob Weinstein in 2005 after the pair left Dimension Films is a motion picture unit currently a part of The Weinstein Company. Magnolia Pictures is an American Film Distributor, and is a holding of 2929 Entertainment, owned by Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban Palm Pictures is a US based entertainment company owned and run by Chris Blackwell. Tartan Films, established in 1982 was a United Kingdom -based film distributor Newmarket Films is an American Film production and distribution company which is a subsidiary of Newmarket Capital Group. Picturehouse was a specialty film Production company formed in 2005 as a Joint-venture of New Line Cinema and HBO Films, both Fine Line Features was the speciality films division of New Line Cinema. New Line Cinema, founded in 1967 is one of the major American Film studios Though it initially began as an independent film studio it became a THINKFilm is a privately held production and distribution company founded in September 2001 that is now a division of David Bergstein’s Capitol Films. Troma is a Film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974 First Look Studios is an independent American Film studio that specializes in home video releases of films and TV series Image Entertainment Inc. is a leading independent licensee producer and distributor of home entertainment programming in North America with approximately 3000 exclusive DVD Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc ( SPE) is the television and Film production/distribution unit of Japanese Media conglomerate Sony

In addition to these higher profile "independent" studios there are thousands of smaller production companies that produce truly independent films every year. These smaller companies look to regionally release their films theatrically or for additional financing and resources to distribute, advertise and exhibit their project on a national scale. The direct-to-video market is not often noted as artistically fertile ground but among its many entries are ambitious independent films that either failed to achieve theatrical distribution or did not seek it. Moving forward, particularly as theatrical filming goes digital and distribution eventually follows, the line between "film," direct-to-disc productions, and feature-length videos whose main distribution channel is wholly electronic, should continue to blur.

Technology and independent films today

The independent film scene's development in the 1990s and 2000s has been stimulated by a range of factors, including the development of affordable high-definition digital video cameras that can rival 35 mm film quality and easy-to-use computer editing software. High-definition (HD video generally refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition (SD video most commonly at display resolutions of 1280×720 35 mm film is the basic Film gauge most commonly used for both still Photography and Motion pictures, and remains relatively unchanged since its

Until the advent of digital alternatives, the cost of professional film equipment and stock was a major obstacle to independent filmmakers who wanted to make their own films. The cost of 35 mm film is steadily rising: in 2002 alone, film negative costs were up 23%, according to Variety. 35 mm film is the basic Film gauge most commonly used for both still Photography and Motion pictures, and remains relatively unchanged since its In photography a negative may refer to three different things although they are all related Variety is a weekly entertainment trade newspaper founded in New York in 1905 by Sime Silverman [6] Studio-quality filming typically required expensive lighting and post-production facilities. See also Filmmaking Cinematography (from Greek: kinesis κινησις (movement and grapho γραφω (to record is the discipline See also Filmmaking Post-production occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, Videos audio recordings

But the advent of consumer camcorders in 1985, and more importantly, the arrival of high-definition digital video in the early 1990s, have since lowered the technology barrier to movie production considerably. A camcorder is a portable Consumer electronics device for recording Video and audio using a built-in recorder unit Digital video is a type of Video recording system that works by using a Digital rather than an analog video signal Both production and post-production costs have been significantly lowered; today, the hardware and software for post-production can be installed in a commodity-based personal computer. Typical PC hardware A typical Personal computer consists of a case or chassis in a tower shape (desktop and the following parts Motherboard A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated Technologies such as DVD, FireWire connections and professional-level non-linear editing system software make movie-making relatively inexpensive. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is The IEEE 1394 interface is a serial bus Interface standard for high-speed communications and Isochronous real-time data transfer frequently "NLE" redirects here For the standardized test see National Latin Examination.

The first independent film released on HD DVD was One Six Right on November 1, 2006. not insert the publicly disclosed HD DVD key into this article for the time being One Six Right The Romance of Flying is an Independent film about the General aviation industry as seen through a local airport [7][8][9]

Popular software (including commercial, consumer level and open source) includes:

Mac OS X

Windows

Linux

Popular digital camcorders, mostly semi-professional equipment with 3-CCD technology, include:

Most of these camcorders cost between US$2,000–$5,000 in 2003, with costs continuing to decline as features are subtracted, and as models depreciate. Open source is a development methodology which offers practical accessibility to a product's source (goods and knowledge iMovie is a Video editing software application which allows Mac users to edit their own home movies Final Cut Express is a non-linear video editing application created by Apple Inc Final Cut Pro is a professional Non-linear editing software application developed by Apple Inc Avid Xpress Pro was non-linear editing software aimed at professionals in the TV and movie industry Adobe Premiere Pro is a Real-time, timeline based Video editing software application Final Cut Studio is a professional video and audio production suite for Mac OS X from Apple Inc Avid Xpress Pro was non-linear editing software aimed at professionals in the TV and movie industry Sony Vegas is a Non-linear editing system originally published by Sonic Foundry, now owned and run by Sony Creative Software Adobe Premiere Pro is a Real-time, timeline based Video editing software application Edius is a Video editing software package originally developed by Canopus Corporation and now owned and sold by Thomson Grass Valley Cinelerra is a free and Open source software non-linear video editing system For other meanings of kino see Kino. Kino is a Free software, GTK+ -based non-linear digital video editor A charge-coupled device ( CCD) is an analog Shift register, that enables the transportation of analog signals (electric charges through successive stages (capacitors is a Japanese Multinational corporation that specializes in imaging and optical products including Cameras photocopiers and Computer printers The Canon XL H1 is Canon's first HDV Camcorder. It is the successor to the Canon XL-2 which is the successor to the widely used Canon XL-1s The Canon HV20 is an HDV Camcorder designed and manufactured by Canon Inc The Canon XL-2, released in 2004, is Canon 's Prosumer 3CCD Standard definition Camcorder Canon XM2 is a PAL Mini DV Camcorder, the successor to the Canon XM1 Canon GL2 is a NTSC Mini DV Camcorder, the successor to the Canon GL1 ( usually referred to as JVC, is an International consumer and professional electronics Corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded The JVC GY-HD100 is a progressive 3CCD High Definition shoulder mount camera The Panasonic AG-HVX200 is a fixed-lens High-definition video camera released in December 2005 ( NTSC) and April 2006 ( PAL) The Panasonic AG-DVX100 was the first affordable digital Progressive scan Camcorder. The Red Digital Cinema Camera Company manufactures Digital cinematography cameras and accessories for professional and cinematic use The Red Digital Cinema Camera Company manufactures Digital cinematography cameras and accessories for professional and cinematic use is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest Media conglomerates with The Sony VX1000 is a Digital video camera that was produced by Sony Electronics in 1995 being replaced The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been Additionally, open source software holds the potential for increasing high-level editing capabilities being available for also increasingly lower prices, both for free and paid software. Open source is a development methodology which offers practical accessibility to a product's source (goods and knowledge

Further reading

See also

References

  1. ^ "La-La Land: The Origins" Peter Edidin. A low-budget Film is a motion picture shot on limited budget Young or unknown directors often make low-budget films due to a lack of funding from studios who A no budget film is a produced film made with very little or no money This is a list of major Film festivals. Africa List of film festivals in Africa Asia List of film festivals in Asia Europe A film festival is the presentation or showcasing of Films in one or more Movie theaters or screening venues An Art film (also called an “art cinema” “art movie” or in the U Exploitation film is a type of film that eschews the expense of quality productions in favor of making films inexpensively attracting viewers by exciting their more prurient interests A major film studio is a movie production and distribution company that releases a substantial number of films annually and consistently commands a significant This article is on the variety of film For information on the They Might Be Giants song see " Experimental Film (song " The following is a list of Video -related topics Numbers 3D 43 601 169 Video is the technology of electronically capturing, Recording, processing storing transmitting and reconstructing a sequence of Still images Chroma Key is the name under which ex- Dream Theater Keyboardist Kevin Moore records The history of film spans over a hundred years from the latter part of the 19th century to the beginning of the 21st century. This list of years in film indexes the individual year A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image as opposed to a Silent film. Founded in 1984, the Independent Spirit Awards were originally known as the FINDIE Awards ("Friends of Independents" and presented winners with New York Times. New York, N. Y. : Aug 21, 2005. pg. 4. 2. "Los Angeles's distance from New York was also comforting to independent film producers, making it easier for them to avoid being harassed or sued by the Motion Picture Patents Company, a k a the Trust, which Thomas Edison helped create in 1909. "
  2. ^ Siklos, Richard (March 4, 2007). Mission Improbable: Tom Cruise as Mogul. New York Times
  3. ^ History
  4. ^ Lauren David Peden (December 2005). Sundance Subdued. Freedom Orange County Information (coastmagazine. com). Retrieved on 2007-11-11. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare
  5. ^ MPAA data from January to March 2005
  6. ^ a b Sharing Pix is Risky Business variety. com. Retrieved June 23, 2007.
  7. ^ HD DVD Digest: Indie Terwilliger Jumps Into HD DVD with 'Romance of Flying'. October 4, 2006
  8. ^ HighDef Magazine: 34 to 24 on AJA KONA. Page 34, Jan/Feb 2007
  9. ^ One Six Right ..1st indie film on HD-DVD. anybody seen this yet?. AVS. com user forum, March 9, 2007

External links

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