I'm currently reading THE MACHINE, i think that would make an awesome movie

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/55571

You think? All I see now is an endless succession of Avengers type movies with fewer new ideas being developed and certainly more risky ventures being sidelined.

Avengers Assemble is very bad news for cinema.

Thing is though, titles like Avengers allows some of the more risky titles through.
You do the safe picture, then you do the art picture.

It's a bit like cars. For every hand crafted Morgan, there's thousands of Vauxhalls.

Do they do the art pictures though? Most low budget Indie films are produced by Independents surely?

Yes, but a lot of the studios have 'indie' arms that are funded by, but insulated from, their mainstream parents.
Fox Searchlight Pictures, The Weinstein Company - more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_film_studio#The_.22mini-majors.22

If you've somehow made your own independent feature, how are you going to distribute and screen it?

If you're talking about really small, independently self-funded, charged to a dozen credit card type of movies, where are they going to get the distribution and returns from?
And to be frank, a lot of these films aren't going to be very good. Charming, perhaps, but in comparison to the highly polished stuff that is churned out by Hollywood I think the cracks start to show.
Unless, like a time like this where suddenly everybody in the industry is having to readjust their rates, you find yourself in the happy position where technicians and artists are suddenly at a loose end and will take a cheap job just to keep working.

Yeah maybe they do need the big studios for distribution.



I don't agree. I don't think the 'highly polished' movies are good. I prefer the movies with no special effects and a good story line and well rounded characters. That's just my opinion though.

Don't fall in to the trap of thinking highly-polished = special effects.
I reckon a lot of the indie films you are thinking of are highly polished.

Mark

I'm talking about everything from cinematography to performance, direction, make up, sfx, audio. Polish can be applied to every aspect of a production; it's about craftsmanship. Sadly, a lot of that comes with a price tag, so for the small producer praying his crew doesn't walk before he's secured the finance it does tend to mean you'll cut your cloth to suit the budget.
Admittedly, these days it's never been easier to capture and edit superb footage - look at Monsters.
Please don't think I'm down on indie films. I'm really not. I do, however, think it's an economic reality that the big films allow the little ones to get made - from providing training for the crew, to recycling what you can, be that props, costumes or even sets.

I absolutely agree with all you've said, I just resent the loss of good main stream movies, I generally don't want to watch small indie stuff, I just want to watch original mainstream stuff.

Paddington Bear set for big screen makeover

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18024851

LEAVE MY CHILDHOOD ALONE YOU BASTARDS!

+1. PAddington bear for me was mainly the books with a few episodes of a tv show with a stop-animation type thing.

I had a Paddington audio tape which I listened to so many times it became stretched and mangled...

Another movie for them to f*** up. Garfield was rubbish and I caught a bit of Yogi Bear the other day. No thanks.