Two of the more interesting and entertaining films I’ve seen this year are What’s Up Lovely directed by Gary King and I am Bluebird directed by Tom Verrette made for $3,000 and $80,000 respectively. These films are part of an emerging indie scene and screened recently in Los Angeles at the Downtown Theater by Cinefist and Film Courage Interactive, two leading supporters of independent cinema. These are great examples of what indie films can be. Both are emotionally engaging and intellectually challenging yet still accessible. They took chances with narrative and style but didn’t go so far as to be considered experimental or alienate the viewer. They were authentic films with a clear signature by the directors. Jim Jarmusch said it best here. To paraphrase he said “authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent.” They certainly didn’t represent South Park’s version of indie films as all being about “gay cowboys eating pudding”. For many reasons these are films that Hollywood studios would not make. There are audiences for these films but with no traditional distribution available and limited marketing money they face a challenge in reaching their audience. With thousands of indie films produced over the past three years getting anyone’s attention for your film is a daunting task. I believe it begins with understanding what need indie film is filling in the marketplace that isn’t being filled by studio films.
For the record I love big Hollywood studio films. The production value, the stars, the whole theatrical experience and sometimes even the stories are good. They rarely challenge me intellectually or impact my view of the world or myself but they usually fulfill my expectation of a nice two-hour excursion from reality. They’re legal, cheaper than drugs and have minimal side effects [sic]. Hollywood makes great large scale entertaining content that can be enjoyed by a mass audience. This should not be underrated, if it were easy everyone would be doing it. One mistake indie filmmakers commit is trying to duplicate that for less money. If you are entering an established market against a successful brand you can’t offer an inferior copy of that product and expect to succeed for long. But if you offer something different and authentic in the same market, an alternative to the established brand, you have a far better chance. Product differentiation is the key.
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