How Independent Films have Influenced the Art of Filmmaking

 by Amelia Cooper

George Méliès' 'Trip to the Moon', 1902

The stereotypical superiority-complex-laden film school student discussing their underground and indie favourite movies that are ‘too unique for normal people to watch’ is something that, personally, makes me want to throw up. However, what are independent films? And why are so many film lovers arguably obsessed with them? Independent films are defined as ‘a short or feature length film that has been produced without the backing of a major film studio’. So perhaps the appeal lies within the idea that these films can be made by anyone, that the film industry does not necessarily have to be financially exclusive and is potentially accessible by everyone. Although, there is a stigma created by many film lovers surrounding popular, profitable movies, with some arguably pretentious Letterboxd-loving filmophiles thinking that they cannot possibly like something that is well known regardless as to whether there is a logical reason (aka the film being actually good) behind the film's success and, hence, they turn to indie filmmakers.

Although hundreds of our favourite films have been created by some of the biggest production companies in the world, namely: Universal, Disney, Colombia, Paramount, and Warner Bros., you would be surprised as to how many widely renowned films were created by indie filmmakers. For example, box office smash hits such as Good Will Hunting, Slumdog Millionaire, the King's Speech, Pulp Fiction, Blue Velvet and The Terminator were all made using relatively limited budgets and often, previously unknown filmmakers. Quentin Tarantino himself is a perfect example of the earth-shattering success that can come from independent films: his 1992 film Reservoir Dogs made over $2.9 million at the box office, despite being created without the support of a large production company and being Tarantino’s first completed film. However, although there are many dream-like success stories which can come from these independent films, there have been many which have not quite lived up to expectations. independent film studio A24 has created arguably some of the weirdest yet also brilliant films such as Midsommar and Uncut Gems, and some less brilliant ones like 2018’s Slice, but has also received a large amount of backlash from critics after labelling themselves as independent despite spending millions of dollars on the production of multiple movies and having been founded by three film industry veterans who pumped millions into the company itself, hence bringing into question the validity of its status as indie. Contrary to this questionable company, there are still truly independent filmmakers and film studios out there, who create exceptional films which often slip through the cracks and vanish beneath the surface of mainstream movie watchers eyes. So, do keep an eye out for potential hidden gems, and don't judge a film based upon whether it uses the most expensive actors or filming techniques, as buckets of money do not always create a successful film. (*cough cough* Tommy Wiseau’s 2003 flop The Room, which was granted the high honour of being ‘one of the worst films ever made’ by its cult following, despite the fact that it had a budget of $6 million.)

Although the idea of independent filmmakers and production companies is thought by many to be a relatively new concept, it has in fact been around for over 100 years. George Méliès, the renowned French illusionist and filmmaker, created the first arguably indie films. The notorious short films ‘A Trip to The Moon’ and ‘The Impossible Voyage’ of the very early 1900s were filmed by Méliès through his own camera, which he made, were directed by him, and were also funded by him. The fascination with low budget films remained throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, with many different genres adopting the independent, low budget style of making films. The Blair Witch Project, released in 1999, paved the way for a new technique of filming which put the viewer in the hands and eyes of the characters within and remained an extremely cheap way of creating movies that was and still is loved by many. Older movies such as David Lynch’s first work Eraserhead also shows how prominent the freedom that creating movies independently can make. Lynch’s renowned, and arguably a little disturbing, 1977 classic took on such a unique surrealist stance that no well known production company would take it on and it was instead funded by Lynch, his family and his school: the American Film Institute, but still did well in reviews and at the box office. 

Thanks to the revolutionary modern technology which newer filmmakers have access to such as 4K cameras and Dolby sound neatly tucked away inside an iPhone that can fit inside of your pocket, a small budget which would previously have been all but spent on one days film stock is more than enough for small production companies and indie filmmakers to create some arguably masterful works. The freedom that independent film production allows is also unimaginable; unusual topics and filming techniques which have not been used before are typically a terrifying thing for some large production companies (who occasionally like to focus their efforts on the resulting cha-ching sound of dollar bills that ensue after blockbuster movies, rather than the actual art of their films). However, when these filmmakers are not stopped by the restrictions and sole aim of making a film to get paid: it allows them to create some extremely beautiful works. Some particularly masterful films shot on iPhones are Tangerine, which was directed by The Florida Project director Sean Baker exclusively on three iPhone 5s, and Unsane, created by renowned director Steven Soderbergh who stated that ‘this way of filmmaking is the future’. And so, hopefully, we will see a lot more previously unknown talent rise to be more mainstream as a result of the accessibility that independent filmmaking creates in the industry and will be able to witness the influence that these movies will have on the future of the film industry.