Okay, film is my new passion. I want to be a film maker, I have something to say and like punk rock, it's not that hard to put your message out there with todays technology and with little training or "talent" . The digital world has opened the doors for people to put their message out there easily and inexpensively.

Do you think with the advent of the internet, digital technology and how costs are constantly going down that independent film can truly be the next punk rock?

Secondary question, do you watch or even care about independent film?

Thirdly, do you think independent film could or should rival traditional Hollywood?

First of all, welcome back! It's been a long time.

1. This is an interesting analogy.

First of all, let me define "independent films" as those made on very low budgets by people who are more-or-less amateurs. There are a lot of arty films with fairly large budgets and major stars that are called "independent films" just because they are not released through major studios. I assume we're not talking about these.

Independent films of the kind I'm talking about resemble punk rock bands in the fact that they both allow someone with minimal experience and minimal resources to create art. However, the term "punk rock" implies a certain type of music -- generally loud, fast, noisy, and with an attitude. Independent films can have almost any kind of style, from pure surrealism to deliberate imitations of Hollywood genre films. It might be more accurate to compare independent films to "garage bands" of any type.

2. I'm not an expert in new movies (Hollywood or independent) by any means, having been in a movie theater maybe four or five times since 1985. I'm not likely to see any movie that wouldn't be shown on something like Turner Classic Movies. That pretty much leaves out true independent films.

3. Well, not really, with a possible exception I'll note in a minute. In order for something like this to happen, an independent film would have to attract a pretty large audience. As an analogy, consider how punk rock was able to have an influence on "mainstream" pop music because of the success of the Sex Pistols. (Or the way in which "grunge" had an influence because of Nirvana.) I don't see something like this happening with independent films. They show up (if at all) in film festivals attended by real cinema buffs. The average popcorn-munching movie-watcher will continue to see Hollywood blockbusters. (As a matter of fact, I think it's clear that, ever since Jaws, popular movies have been dominated by big-budget spectaculars.)

The one possible exception: the low-budget independent horror movie. Ever since The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and continuing with Halloween and The Blair Witch Project, low-budget scare flicks have usually been the only independent films to win huge success with the mainstream audience, and the only ones to have a major influence on Hollywood.

Welcome back Billie Jean. I hope you're well, and I'm glad you've found an exciting new vocation. (I even envy you a little.)

Do you think with the advent of the internet, digital technology and how costs are constantly going down that independent film can truly be the next punk rock?
I'm with you on this. To me, punk (we never really bothered with the "rock" this side of the pond, and although the USA invented the idea, we Brits made most of the running) is less about a specific music genre and more about the "let's just do it" attitude.

In this regard, the digital revolution is a real filip to truly indie filmmakers.

But, like punk itself, the only way to break out of a niche of fellow musos ("filmos"?) and into mainstream awareness is to sign with a major label.

In film, despite all the hype of the internet allowing people worldwide to see your work, making any kind of living (let alone making it big) in film still relies almost completely on signing a distribution deal with one of the big studios (or tv stations, or both). Otherwise, nobody sees your work except a friends & family, and maybe a few thousand people at a festival somewhere.

And the trouble with dealing with the big distributors is that it's still relatively rare that they will let you do your own thing.

Secondary question, do you watch or even care about independent film?
Yes and no. The film distribution network in the UK (outside London and one or two other cities) is drum-tight - unless it's a big studio distribution job, it just won't get shown here on a screen larger than a TV.

That said, I do know a guy who runs a small film festival here in town. He does try to get some true indie pictures for exhbition, but it's only the second year. (It's coming up pretty soon - I must try and get in touch with him.)

And there's a local arts facility in town that provides facilities to local filmmakers - novices and more experienced people. Most of the novices don't know anyone in the biz, and so a couple of years ago the theatre group I'm in got approached by the organisers - they wanted some actors to be in the films of people who didn't come with their own team. So I've been in some short films, and one or two longer ones. None of which have (to my knowledge) ever been exhibited anywhere. But it was fun all the same.

Thirdly, do you think independent film could or should rival traditional Hollywood?

Should - yes, it would be nice.

Could - no, not until the distribution stranglehold of the majors is broken. I don't think the internet is ever really going to be the right tool to do that, either. It may be able to allow enthusiasts to download a film, and many of them may not have a local film festvial at which they might have seen similar work. But such people are always going to be a minority. The internet will never be the mainstream first-choice distribution method (any more than DVD or its successors will), in my opinion, because it can never really take the place of the communal experience of sitting in a room full of strangers looking up at a big screen.

Do you think with the advent of the internet, digital technology and how costs are constantly going down that independent film can truly be the next punk rock?

Yes. If a sub culture survives, then it can eventually spawn a tradition. Isn't that really how the established studio's all began anyway? Long before Hollywood, films were made by individuals who believed in what they were doing.


Secondary question, do you watch or even care about independent film?

Yes, if I get the chance and if the film appeals to me. I don't watch stuff just because its independent though. As with all art, there has to be a good foundation for the work lest it become uninteresting.

I think there is a problem though in that independent films lack a creible method of reaching out to a paying audience.


Thirdly, do you think independent film could or should rival traditional Hollywood?

Not yet. There is still ample room for both to coexist side by side.