Independent and Mainstream Cinema

There are definitely significant differences between Independent and Mainstream movies. In this essay I am going to analyse the differences and use my own detailed case study to back up my ideas. My example of an Independent movie is Kevin Smith's Clerks. The movie was made for $27,000 but has grossed just under £4 million. It features his family, friends and himself as the main characters to help keep proaction costs down. The movie was also mostly filmed in the convenience store in which he worked to also keep costs down. Smith maxed out eight $2000 credit cards and sold his comic book collection to help finance the film. The movie was shot in black and white mainly to keep production costs down but it also gives a stylistic feel to it. Independent cinema is mostly renowned for it's gritty, artistic style which only attracts niche audiences. 

My example of a mainstream movie is The Avengers. The movie uses all the normal codes and conventions you would expect in a mainstream movie. It has well known actors, amazing special effects and a adequate storyline. Mainstream movies are normally renowned for their production value as it is normally in the hundreds of millions. They contain characters that are relatable to all different audience members and they are usually a genre which is popular at the time. In The Avengers case the Superhero genre has been very popular over the last few years and because of that The Avengers was a great success.