“US Independent Cinema since the 1980s” & "Modern Classicism"

1. Since the 1947 Paramount Decree, the term "independent" in American cinema has come to mean many things.  Directly following the Decree, the term was used to label those films made by major Hollywood players, such as Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, who formed their own production companies and made films with more freedom outside of major studio production companies with the expressed intention of making films for distribution by the major studios.  Films like Salt of the Earth (1953) were made outside of the studio system, but they were still made by Hollywood filmmakers.  The filmmakers simply had to make their films outside of the studio system due to being blacklisted.  Avant garde films became popular among "independent" filmmakers, such as Stan Brakhage, beginning in the 1940s because they did not need to seek out finances in order to make the films, which were rarely feature-length to begin with.  In the 1950s, "independent" filmmakers, such as John Cassavetes, began making films to showcase what was wrong with the Hollywood system.  The 1960s and 1970s saw Hollywood struggling, and even the major studios distributed films that were considered "innovative" in an attempt to make contact with whatever audience still remained.  This allowed for more innovative and cavalier filmmakers to make their way into the American film industry as the control in the industry shifted.  In more modern terms, the "independent" films of the 1980s and 1990s have taken on certain criteria in order to fit into their category: they're usually feature length films of fictional narratives made "outside" of the major Hollywood studios with relatively little star power.  These stories, however, are often about subject matter that is more risque than major Hollywood films, but they are less reliant on special effects or anything flashy that might make for a larger budget.  Instead, the films might focus on a particular camera, editing, or narrative style to make the film stick out, whether it be for a "niche" audience of just for the mainstream Hollywood market that they hope to find distribution within.

2. Cable television and home video rentals allowed for "independent" cinema to find a more economical outlet for distributing its films, as the major studios did not take advantage of the two markets until later.  During this span of time, many distributors and studios, such as Cannon, Vestron, New Line, Goldwyn, and New World, emerged to take advantage of the new markets.  As for the "continuum" that Hillier describes explains a wide range of film types and a differing level of involvement with the major studios.  Some studios, like Castle Rock, are more in-tuned to the major studio system and compete for some of the same market, but other studios, such as Miramax, were at the opposite end of the spectrum with more art house-like films.  Still, other studios dabbled somewhere in between with a wide array of film genres and styles.

3. The two consensus "defining moments" for American independent cinema in the 1980s and 1990s were the "triumph" of Soderbergh's sex, lies and videotape at the Sundance Film Festival in 1989 and its winning of the main prize for best film at the Cannes Film Festival as well as the success of Pulp Fiction in 1994.  The consequences of these films, especially with Pulp Fiction, was the blurring of the lines between mainstream Hollywood films and the independent cinema.  Due to their closeness to the mainstream studio system, these films represented what would become the "hybrid" of major and independent studios and the near dissolution, or a supposed transformation, of true independent studios.  Many of the independents were also taken over by major studios.  Miramax and Castle Rock were two subsidiaries of major studios which were associated with independent film production.

4. The evolution of Miramax helped to blur the lines between "independent" and "studio" productions by acting as a major studio would with the purchasing of "art house" films.  These "art house" films would then be distributed in order to turn a profit which Miramax would share a good portion of.  When Disney purchased Miramax, there was suddenly a major studio backing the independent purchases.  Of course, as often happens with Disney, they put restrictions on what films Miramax could distribute and which ones they could not.  Even though the films being distributed were still "independent" in style and genre, they were being distributed and chosen by a major studio, and therefore, the lines between the "studio" and "indepenent" productions became blurred.

5. In his first evaluation of Gus Van Sant, Hillier described him as a filmmaker who was leaving behind his art house roots to make mainstream films for Hollywood, such as Good Will Hunting.  However, upon looking at Van Sant again, Hillier states that, as a filmmaker, Van Sant has returned to independent filmmaking in some aspects.  Other critics, such as Lalanne, claim that this supposed backtracking to "independent" films is just a part of Van Sant's style as a filmmaker rather than him simply going back to his independent roots.

6. According to Kristen Thompson, post-classical films were structured differently than narratives of the Classical Hollywood style and abandoned the cause/effect pattern that was popularized in the era of the Classical filmmaking.  Instead of developing character and having a strict narrative structure, there was an emphasis on the auteur theory.  Films today, however, stray from this label because they have a narrative structure that can easily be identified.  Jaws uses the cause and effect style of filmmaking that the Classical Hollywood style used.  The action progresses throughout the film because of other actions taking place.  If the shark would not have attacked the small child on the beach, then the hunt for the creature would not have been as large scale as it was, etc.  Characters are developed to the point of knowing Brody fears the water and the background of other characters, as well.  There is a chance to get to know what makes the characters tick, and therefore, the audience learns what characters would and would not do in certain situations in order to understand how the characters are developing, which would probably not happen in a post-classical film which would emphasize a break from the Classical system.

7. Hollywood narratives use many specific techniques to achieve clarity and unity within a film.  As mentioned in the previous answer, there is a cause and effect style within the narrative to make the story easy to follow.  Each action is motivated by a previous event.  Shot-reverse shots and the 180 degree rule helped to maintain a sense of space within a scene and kept the audience members from becoming confused as to where people actually were within a certain space.  While the main character has a want or need that drives the story forward, the story itself is told in a style called continuity editing which allows the story to unfold in a sequence that makes sense within the time and space of the film.  Everything is laid out for the audience to easily understand.

8. The four parts of Thompson's breakdown of Hollywood narratives are: the setup, the complicating action, the development, and the climax.  By stepping away from the typical "three-act structure," Thompson is able to break the film down into more digestible chunks and more action within the narrative.  With this style of narrative breakdown, there is more of an opportunity to discuss other aspects of the films, such as humor, romance, etc., that Fields does not allow for in his more constrained breakdowns of films.  

9. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues:

The Setup: The introduction of Sissy as a child and the reveal of her unusual thumbs that lead to her love of hitchhiking at a young age, which allows for her to meet the Countess. 

The Complicating Action: Sissy arrives at Rubber Rose ranch and finds herself in a loyalty tug of war between the cowgirls, who she begins to associate with, and the Countess, who helped her early on in life.

The Development: Sissy becomes more loyal to the cowgirls who seem to understand her sense of struggle more.  A romance begins with Jellybean that breaks Sissy away from the Countess.

The Climax: When Sissy returns to Rubber Rose after getting surgery on one of her thumbs, there is a war going on between the Countess and the cowgirls.  Jellybean is shot and killed when she tries to talk things out with police who mistake her trying to place her guns down as her about to open fire.

The Epilogue: Sissy goes to visit the Chink.  In the end, she stays a cowgirl, and the ranch is re-named in honor of Jellybean.