Independent movies, film festivals, b-movies, low budget flicks. Most people just go to the theatre to see whatever movie seems the most interesting by it’s two minute trailer and don’t give a second thought to the back story that got the people and the story on the screen in front of them. Since the Florida-based Blair Witch Project, independent film has become a lot more into the mainstream focus. What exactly is an independent film? It’s a film or video that is produced (ie; paid for) by a person or people rather than by a major studio. The major studios have a major advantage, in that they can afford the A-list actors, the props, the directors, and most importantly the advertising needed to get moviegoers to see their films.
Independent film is also seemingly synonymous with “B-Movie,” or “low budget movie.” The B-movie’s roots date back to the days of the drive in, when a short film was shown before the main picture. The B-movie has since died out in its original roots in favor of promotional trailers for upcoming movies.
Low budget movies are exactly as denoted. The people making them have little to spend, and creativity is then applied in heavy doses to try to create something that doesn’t look as though it was a home movie gone wild. In line with the term “low budget,” is the term “micro budget.”
The micro budget movie costs usually only a few hundred to a few thousand dollars to make. Costumes are supplied by the actors, pay to the cast and crew is either $0 or what’s known as “deferred” pay. Deferred pay means that the cast and crew will be paid in the event that a distributor buys the movie when it is completed. Most times, it is another word for $0.
Is there any importance to independent films? Without their own movies, people like Ed Burns (The Brothers McMullen), Jon Favreau (Swingers), Kevin Smith (Clerks), and of course Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting) would be still going to auditions and trying to land their break out roles. Maybe it’s because the people who pick what goes into theaters are so far removed from everyday life that they rely on market research and big name star attachment to sell a movie to an audience. The movies mentioned above are real stories about everyday people, told from the perspectives of everyday people. We can relate to them. They are unique in their commonality.
What does this have to do with Florida? Back to the Blair Witch...The Blair Witch Project is actually in the Guinness World Book of Records for Top Budget to Box Office ratio. The movie cost only $22 000 to make, and returned over $240 million according to the Internet Movie Database. With those numbers, it’s no doubt that from investors to dreamers, people everywhere took a huge and sudden interest in the world of independents.
Digital video also played a big role in the surge of the low budget movies. The most common camera, the Canon XL-1, costs around $3000 brand new, and one hour tapes are $5 apiece. The movies can then be edited on computers using software like Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere. Altogether, a low budget studio runs around $8000. That’s a far cry from film, which costs around $200 for ten minutes of undeveloped film. Film cameras, necessary lighting and editing equipment can easily run into the six figure range.
The fate of the low budget independent is widespread. On the one end is the Blair Witch, a theatrical release and millions of dollars. On the other end is a movie that was not even completed. In between those are movies that are submitted to film festivals, picked up by distributors and subsequently released straight to DVD or video, and movies that serve as nothing more than real life film school for actors and directors alike.
In Florida, independent film is alive and well. There are several festivals held throughout the year which draw moviemakers and general audiences alike. The Florida Film Festival, held at the Enzian Theatre in Winter Park is probably the most well known in the state. Others, such as the Tambay Film Festival, The Fort Lauderdale Film Festival, The Palm Beach International Film Festival and more are growing in popularity and attendance every year.
Another festival is the Independents’ Film Festival out of Tampa. It is run by the Tampa Educational Cable Consortium and is not in a theatre but on television. The broadcast schedule and films included can be found at www.educationchannel.org.
The main goal of the independent moviemaker is to have an audience watch his or her movie. The main goal of a moviegoer is to be entertained. Without the television spots and magazine ads, how is anyone to know where and when the movies are showing, or where they can be purchased on DVD and video?
The purpose of this column will be to showcase Florida’s independent movie industry. Production companies, directors, actors and audiences will hopefully be able to bridge that gap between see and be seen. There is an amazing amount of talent out there just waiting to be appreciated, so let’s get started.
