Independent film

 Starter

What do you understand by the term independent film?

A film that is produced by a small production company, it often has a much lower budget but a higher level of creative control. Not controlled by a studio.

Can you name any examples- either films or independent production companies?

Room, Ladybird.

How might the content differ from that of a large conglomerate?

The lower budget, therefore, production values will be less than those of a conglomerate. Additionally, won't have a large sum of money for advertising.

The major Hollywood film studios are often referred to as the Hollywood Big 6. These command a significant market share, and the budgets tend to be much bigger than those of an independent film. The big 6 are:

  • Paramount
  • Warner Brothers
  • 20th century Fox
  • Universal
  • Columbia
  • Walt Disney
Bait- an independent film in August 2019.
Described as a 'no-budget' film (no exact budget has been given), it was directed by Mark Jenkin and initially recorded without sound- the sound was added in post-production. Jenkin also wrote and recorded the score.

BFI- British Film Institution

Bait
average of 3.6 stars on Google reviews, most being 5 stars.
the film won 9 awards.

Joint ventures
Not all films have this luxury, though, so independent companies (i.e. those free from the control of a conglomerate) may undertake a joint venture- when a media company works with another on a project mutually beneficial for both parties.
Get out: an example of a joint venture. It was produced by independent companies, whilst Universal acquired the rights to distribute the film.


Get out (2017) INDEPENDENT FILM
Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams
Production companies: Blumhouse, QC, Monkeypaw
Distributed by Universal
Budget: $4.5 million
Box office: $255.4 million


A first look deal is when the film company gives a production company first pick for the film, they will gain exclusive rights to distribute if they like the film, if they don't like the film only then can the film go to other distribution companies.

Get Out- being a joint venture
Advantages:
Increased awareness due to the partnering company having a larger platform for advertising.
More trusted and therefore higher viewership, the audience is likely to trust a film being distributed by a company with a positive reputation.
Access to more funding for advertising purposes due to a conglomerate helping out.
Funding- an independent company, working with other companies will support and provide funding.
Personnel- a wider variety of people to work with, increased skills.
Ownership- split profits

Disadvantages:
communication between the companies could be bad and therefore result in major issues.
not having merchandise could lead to the audience forgetting about the film, you must diversify the film into merch and other things.
Funds- profit is shared
Personnel- more people have to be paid
Ownership- less credit per company, conflict of authority
Distribution- relying on conglomerate
Marketing- costly, time-consuming. If you don't have a good/known reputation then exposure if limited.

Comments

  1. JCoSS Media Dept27 April 2022 at 06:43

    Good work here! Really nicely and clearly structured.

    In a response below please tell me:
    Why are joint ventures helpful for independent companies?

    Miss C

    ReplyDelete
  2. EdenTivon3and2129 April 2022 at 04:53

    A joint venture can help an independent company to produce a specific media product. This is a mutually beneficial project. For example, the lego movie was a joint venture which ended in a much better overall result.

    ReplyDelete

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