Monday, June 8, 2015

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.

Documentary films have become a weapon of resistance for the powerless living in untended corners of the world, places like Indonesia and Rwanda. At home, they have been a tool for giving attention to impoverished or otherwise marginalized groups of people. The camera counterbalances the advantage in resources possessed by multinational corporations and oppressive regimes.

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.

Minority communities have a special relationship with independent films. These movies help form an alternative media reality to go with their distinct lifestyle. Perhaps first among these people are gays and lesbians, a community with a standing need to see representations of romance that do not reduce to the standard, heterosexual story of a boy and a girl.

Another community is made up of evangelical Christians and other traditionalist groups, including a new wave of Mormon filmmakers. These groups often feel that the values of mainstream, Hollywood media fare too rarely reflects their values, and are building their own media environment one movie at a time. The reasons to invest a little time, and possibly just a little money, finding independent films on the internet grow each year.




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