Indie Films Continued. John Waters, Polyester

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1 Indie Films Continued John Waters, Polyester

2 What Indie Films Aren t Not Avant Garde Experimental Underground With few exceptions they are not edgy and don t present any formal experimentation or or serious challenges to dominant culture

3 What Indie Films Are A Type of Film Marketed to the Public as Such: Alternative, Different, Thoughtful, etc. Made for less than most Hollywood Films (but not always) At best visionary,personal, and specialized.

4 5 Codes to Deconstruct Indies Cultural Artistic Cinematic (Inter-textual) Either they are similar to other films or they aren t Narrative (The manner in which stories are told or they type of stories that are told.)

5 Umberto Eco Works are not created by their authors, but by other works. They speak to each other independent of the authors intention. Films create a text Communicate Ideology

6 Criteria for Levy s selection of indies According to Historical Eras Filmmakers with durability and track records Acclaimed by Critics for Artistic Merits Curatorial Decisions not based on statistics

7 Quentin Tarantino One of the Most Widely Known Reservoir Dogs 1992 Sundance Hot Ticket Born Entertainer Clever Script Scorsese Inspired Harvey Keitel (1.5 mil)

8 Successful? No Awards at Sundance, but most talked about Mirimax Released it, Played for a few weeks, disappointing box office returns Too Violent Tarantino received 8 million for 1994 Pulp Fiction which won Palm d Or at Cannes

Forces Behind Indie Cinema The Need for Self Expression Hollywood s move away from serious, mid range films mega blockbusters increased the need for other types of films success of Bonnie and Clyde,

9 Forces Behind Indie Cinema The Need for Self Expression Hollywood s move away from serious, mid range films mega blockbusters increased the need for other types of films success of Bonnie and Clyde, 1967 and Easy Rider, 1969 brought about movie makers of the 70 s like: Scorsese, Altman, Allen, Coppola Increased financing opportunities Blood Simple, Coen Brothers, 750,000 production made 5 million

10 Greater demand for visual media (home video) 1987 Video sales outnumbered box office sales (1, 040, 000 to 1, 030, 000) Increased overall interest in films Supportive audiences (Boomers) Decline of Foreign Language Films

11 OUTSIDERS Ethnic Minorities Gays and Lesbians Women (not in terms of populace) Anyone who doesn t belong in the mainstream

12 Movement Shared Creative Process Unity of Spirit or Vision with its own structure, values, and goals Rebellion against restrictions and rigidity of mainstream cinema

13 Hollywood Conventions Dictate Concept Forms and Materials Regulate Relations between Filmmakers and Audience producing predictable emotional effects.

14 Artistic Innovation Existing Conventions Violated Plays against audiences expectations Most American Filmmakers go out of their way to fulfill those expectations Revolutionary Innovations Disrupt routine patterns and involve deliberate changes in film language

15 Polyester John Waters 1981 A satire of suburban life including alcoholism, the religious right, adultery, foot fetishism, abortion, divorce Divine, Wife in drag Featured Scratch and Sniff Cards that went along with the film

16 John Waters Born in Baltimore, MD 1946 Baltimore, Maryland, the son of John Samuel Waters, a manufacturer of fireprotection equipment Since then, his films have become less controversial and more mainstream, although works such as Hairspray, Cry-Baby and Serial Mom still retain his trademark inventiveness He is currently a professor of Cinema and Subcultural Studies at the European Graduate School.[4]

17 Women s Pictures Polyester was meant as a send-up of women s pictures, an exploitative genre of film that was popular from the 1950s-60s and typically featured bored, unfulfilled, or otherwise troubled women, usually middle-aged suburban housewives, finding release or escape through the arrival of a handsome man. Douglas Sirk (April 26, 1900 January 14, 1987) was a film director best known for his work in Hollywood melodramas in the 1950s. Left Germany in 1937 because of his political leanings and Jewish wife. On arrival in the United States, he soon changed his Germanic name. By 1942 he was in Hollywood, directing the stridently anti-nazi Hitler's Madman.

18 Sirk Sirk's melodramas of the 1950s were generally very poorly received by reviewers. His films were considered unimportant (because they revolve around female and domestic issues), banal (because of their focus on larger-than-life feelings) and unrealistic (because of their conspicuous style). This dismissal of Sirk's films changed drastically in the 1970s when his work was reexamined by British and French critics. From around 1970 there was a considerable interest among academic film scholars for Sirk's work - especially his American melodramas. Often centering on the formerly criticized style, his films were now seen as masterpieces of irony

19 Odorama Smells, especially Francine's particularly keen sense of smell, play an important role in the film Special cards with spots, numbered 1 through 10, were distributed to audience members before the show

20 Midnight Movie The term midnight movie is rooted in the practice that emerged in the 1950s of local television stations around the United States airing low-budget genre films as late-night programming, often with a host delivering ironic asides As a cinematic phenomenon, the midnight screening of offbeat movies began in the early 1970s in a few urban centers, particularly New York City, eventually spreading across the country The screening of non-mainstream pictures at midnight was aimed at building a cult film audience, encouraging repeat viewing and social interaction in what was originally a countercultural setting The national success of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the changing economics of the film exhibition industry altered the nature of the midnight movie phenomenon; as its association with broader trends of cultural and political opposition dwindled in the 1980 Pink Flamingos is a 1972 comedy film directed by John Waters. When the film was initially released in 1972, it caused a huge degree of controversy and thus, it has became one of the most notorious cult films ever made The success of the midnight movie is analogous to Independent Film

of "Edna Turnblad" in the 1988 comedy film Hairspray.

21 Divine October 19, 1945 March 7, 1988) was an actor and singer, best known for his drag persona, Divine, especially in the role of "Edna Turnblad" in the 1988 comedy film Hairspray. John Waters was a childhood friend who lived six houses down the street.

Introduction to ComS 142

Introduction to ComS 142 Mise-en-scene The elements of filmmaking that are akin to staging a play settings subjects being filmed composition arrangement of settings, lighting, and subjects Designer, Production