A Comparison of Independant and Mainstream Films

Comparison of an independent (indie) and mainstream

film

By Michael O'Neill

In the world of film, there are two labels that a film can fall under “independent” (indie) and mainstream. To fully explain the differences between both these film types, I will use the 1994 indie hit “Clerks” and the 2012 blockbuster hit “The Hunger Games”.

The first comparison that sticks out to me would be the main plot of both films, The Hunger Games follows a complex storyline and is based on the best-selling book of the same name. The story follows Katniss Everdeen's life in the dystopian future where the USA has been split into 12 districts and has been renamed “Panem”. Clerks on the other hand follows a much simpler storyline: the film follows the day to day lives of common convenience store workers whose life seems to be over.

The second comparison I will be discussing would be the financial side of both films, The Hunger Games was given a budget of $78,000,000 by Lionsgate, with the money the producers of the film were not only allowed to create a visual masterpiece that was popular amongst fans but also cast an all-star cast (Jennifer Lawrence played the lead role and went on to become an icon for fans). The film went on to earn $691,247,768 and numerous awards (such as best male and female performance at the MTV Movie Awards and several Peoples Choice Awards). Clerks however had a budget that was much less to that of The Hunger Games as its production budget was only $27,000 (most of/if not all of this was self funded by director Kevin Smith) and unlike The Hunger Games, Smith couldn't afford to hire top notch actors to bring his characters/script alive and had to rely on the acting abilities of his friends (Jason Meyes – one of smith's best friends played the role of one of his main characters). Although the film only had a small budget, it received good reception money wise as it received $3,894,240 at the worldwide box office (a $3,867,240 profit)

One major difference between these two films would be the setting/look of each piece, The Hunger Games using stunning special effects and uniquely talented set designers to help bring the book alive. An example would be the scene when Katniss and Peeta are escorted to the capitol (the main city in the book, the capitol is in charge of all aspects of Panem and the set designers of this film made it look rich and majestic yet cleverly modern. This is done to give the audience the full experience and to make them believe that through the power of cinema they have been transported to the marvellous yet twisted land of Panem). Due to its large budget The Hunger Games was able to shoot in several locations, these locations varied from Shelby in North Carolina (the scenes of District 12) to Pisgah National Forest (this played host to the scenes within the arena). Clerks took place solely within a small town convenience store, I believe this is like this to cause the audience to imagine their own scenarios regarding the outside of the store. Clerks is also shot in black and white (this may be considered unusual today for mainstream films but for indie films that isn't the case as most indie films such as Escape from Tomorrow and Computer Chess are filmed in black and white, however for films such as The Hunger Games, colour is a key as most modern directors would argue that the audience aren't getting the full experience if a film lacks colour.)

Indie films are often to created to somehow create a twist on modern life (whilst still referencing/reflecting upon events that are currently occurring) but to fully show the viewing audience that they are “real” their choice of music will often be different to that of a blockbuster film. Indie films will often use current pop/rock songs, Kevin Smith chose to add the song “Got Me Wrong” by band “Alice in Chains”. Music within indie films is often used to generate a realistic response among audiences as they are more likely to hear pop songs on the radio as opposed to newly constructed orchestral pieces. The Hunger Games however uses the complete opposite method, due to the very high budget the production company were able to hire composer James Newton Howard to create an original score for the piece.