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October 18, 2005
Popcorn Economy
This is primarily a bookmarking post to Edward Jay Epstein's Slate article on what he calls the "popcorn economy," in which he explains the role of marketing and publicity in shaping the distinctions between indie and Hollywood.
While I think he overstates the distinction between major indies and Hollywood, specifically when major indies can rely on marketing support unavailable to truly independent filmmakers, the distinctions he makes are valuable. To name just one example, studios are now spending an average of $34 million to promote studio films, often offering "teasers" for their films several months in advance. Not much else to add here, but since I've been thinking about the concept of independent cinema lately, I wanted to have Epstein's article nearby.
Posted by chuck at October 18, 2005 4:27 PM
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Comments
I wonder what might be gained from considering this issue from the perspective of aesthetic-- we know what it means to _sound_ indie in music (or at least I have a decent idea), but what does it mean for a film to _look_ indie? Looking like it was shot on the cheap certainly doesn't seem to fit here, as I've seen many films shot on a shoestring budget that look like they cost ten times more, and I've also seen $80 million dollar films that look like they cost $10.00 (I dare you to watch any Uwe Boll movie). I don't claim to have any answers here, just something else to consider (apologies if this has been dealt with elsewhere).
Posted by: marc at October 18, 2005 5:28 PM
I dismissed indie as aesthetic earlier, but I'm coming around to the idea that maybe it *is* an aesthetic, although that doesn't always entail looking cheap, as you suggest. Your comparison to indie music is interesting because you "know what it sounds like."
I've had a long day, so not sure I can produce anything clearer right now....
Posted by: Chuck at October 18, 2005 10:09 PM