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Independent Films: Classical v. Radical

Independent Films: Classical v. Radical. SE Powerpoint by Peter Reed Edited by: Dr. Kay Picart. Pi: Faith in Chaos: Darren Aronofsky (1998). Starring: Sean Gullette Mark Margolis Ben Shenkman Pamel Hart. Being John Malkovich: Spike Jonze (1999). Starring: John Cusack Cameron Diaz

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Independent Films: Classical v. Radical

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  1. Independent Films: Classical v. Radical SE Powerpoint by Peter Reed Edited by: Dr. Kay Picart

  2. Pi: Faith in Chaos: Darren Aronofsky (1998) Starring: • Sean Gullette • Mark Margolis • Ben Shenkman • Pamel Hart

  3. Being John Malkovich: Spike Jonze (1999) Starring: • John Cusack • Cameron Diaz • Catherine Keener • Orson Bean • John Malkovich

  4. Class Goals (1) • Introduce Pi and Being John Malkovich (“BJM”) as Independent (“Indie”) films • Examine: • Economics • Social dynamics • Origins (Continued)

  5. Class Goals (2) • Review the recent history of Indie film • Discuss and apply themes to today’s Independents • Youth culture • Civil rights • Political protest • Women’s rights (Continued)

  6. Class Goals (3) • Compare Hollywood and Indie Films • Structure • Film techniques • Genres (Continued)

  7. Pi: ISA’s RSA’s Race Class BJM: Gender roles Sexuality Identity Class Class Goals (4) Describe portrayals of ideology and identity in Pi and BJM

  8. Estimated Time (1) • Working Definition of Independent filmmaking, describe today’s movies • 10 min • Cover Reading 30, talk about themes of 60s and 70s independent filmmaking • 10 min

  9. Estimated Time (2) Cover Reading 29: • Define 4-act structure: 5 min. • Compare conventional techniques to indie style: 20 min. • Narration • Character • Space • Sound

  10. Estimated Time (3) • Explore themes of Pi and BJM: 30 min. • Race • ISA’s, PSA’s • Gender • Sexuality • Class

  11. Estimated Time (4) • Review Reading 22, situate Indie films within genre • 10 min. • Draw some intelligent conclusions about what we are watching, if and how it is radical, and independent • 10 min.

  12. What Makes a Film “Independent,” Anyway? • What kinds of… • Economics, • Social positioning, • Techniques, and • Themes. . . might be found in an independent film?

  13. What Makes a Film “Independent,” Anyway? • How might economics affect the themes of making a film? (Think: who paid for this and what do they want?) • And how can the social affect economics? (Think: funding and being Francis Ford Coppola’s son-in-law. . .)

  14. Being John Malkovich: “Counterculture All-Stars” • Domestic Box Office Gross, 1999: $23 million, not so great. . . • Cost: $13 million, also fairly low overall, but high for independent films • What does Spike Jonze stand for as a “countercultural icon”? (http://www.the-movie-times.com/thrsdir/actors/jmalkovich.html)

  15. Pi: Aronofsky and Crew • Domestic Box Office Gross, 1998: $3.1 million, cost: $60,000 • Neither as Costly or as Popular as BJM • Crew for Pi was a “handful of film students” • Less-publicized debut http://www.the-movie-times.com/thrsdir/98bygrossall.html, www.indiewire.com

  16. Discuss: • What is unusual about these films (Pi and BJM) and their origins? • How are they alike? Different from each other? How do they differ from “mainstream” films? • Do the economic and social conditions matter?

  17. Alternative-Media Promotion • These films are part of a larger network of media and promotionals • Check out the websites: • http://www.beingjohnmalkovich.com • http://www.pithemovie.com

  18. Alternative-Media Promotion: Think about it. . . • What kind of audience do these kinds of promotion cater to? • How do they change the way we consider the film in advance, or when we view it?

  19. Indie Film History: Reading 30 John Belton: “The 1960s: The Counterculture Strikes Back” • Independent filmmaking was part of radical upheaval of the time • Belton lists some (at least four) major themes. . . • Try to find them in the reading

  20. Indie Film History: Questions • Try to think of some older independent films you may have seen. • What was the message? Was it radical? • Did they look different, tell their story in unusual ways?

  21. TheBIGQuestion: Are Independent Films Radical or Classical? (And What Makes Them That Way?)

  22. Classical or Radical?: Reading 29 David C. Simmons: “Is Contemporary American Independent Film Classical or Radical?” • First, we must determine the characteristics of “conventional” film • Then, evaluate Indie films

  23. Classical or Radical?: Conventional Four Act Structure • Find the four-act structure in the reading • ______-___ • _____________ ________ • ____________ • __________ • How does this structure present a story?

  24. Classical or Radical?: Questions • Do all Hollywood films hold to these standards? • What does it mean if they do not? Do they automatically become “Independent”? • What if an “Indie” film has conventional structure???

  25. Four Act Structure in Pi and BJM When you watch or think back on the movies, ask yourself: • Does Pi or BJM use the four-act structure? • What are the plot twists used to: • set it up, • develop it, • complicate it, and • build to a climax? • Are they different from mainstream films?

  26. Conventional Style and Technique: Reading 29 (1) • Classical narration • ________ narration • _______-cutting • Forward-moving storyline • ________ transitions • ______shadowing • ________ development (Continued)

  27. Conventional Style and Technique: Reading 29 (2) • Causality • What techniques help promote causality? • Goal-oriented characters • _______ camera view • Recurrent ________ instead of real development (Continued)

  28. Conventional Style and Technique: Reading 29 (3) • Classical space • Think back to the early lectures on Hollywood film language and its techniques • Conventional: Classical sound • __________ sounds • __________ music

  29. Indie Style and Technique Compared to the previous 3 slides (conventional techniques): • How do Pi and BJM differ? • Narration • Characters • Space, and • Sound • (How) Were these unusual, provocative?

  30. Indie Themes in Pi • Pi and ideology: • Race • ISA’s • RSA’s • Class • What does Pi say about race? Religion? Authority? Money and Power? Drilling into your own head?

  31. Indie Themes in BJM • BJM and identity: • Gender • Sexuality • Identity • Class • What does BJM say about men’s roles? Women’s? Sexual norms? Individual identity? Economic activities?

  32. Indie Films and Genre • Review back to Reading 22: John Belton, “Genre and the Genre System” • How does genre serve the industry? • _______ recognition • Repetition and _______

  33. Indie Films as Genre: Questions • How do films such as BJM and Pi appear to rely on the status of genres to succeed? • Can we put Pi or BJM in a genre? • What about the actors and director of BJM? Pi? • (How) Do such films constitute a genre of their own?

  34. Conclusions • Come to class for the exciting conclusions to all the cans of worms we’ve opened here. To recap: • Where do Indie films come from, mommy? • What techniques do our examples use? • How do they portray categories like race, gender, sexuality, and class? • Stay tuned…

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