Independent And Mainstream Films

Independent And Mainstream Films

In this essay I will be comparing the independent 1994 film 'Clerks' which is directed by Kevin Smith to the mainstream 2012 film 'The Avengers' which is directed by Joss Whedon. Independent films have lower budget costs as they are not backed by major studios, but even though they are low budget they can still be a box office success, just like the film 'Clerks'. The production budget for Clerks was $27,000, but it earned $3,894,240 in the worldwide box office despite never appearing on over 100 screens at one time. To fund the film Clerks, Kevin Smith had to sell most of his valuable comic book collection, he had to take money from his personal college education fund and he maxed out 8 credit cards. This shows how determined he was to make this independent film. 

The mainstream film The Avengers was a success because it was large scale, full of action and superheroes and it has a lot of star quality. The film had a high budget of $220,000,000 and was a box office success because it grossed $1,518,600 worldwide. It had a wider variety of audience compared to Clerks because the certificate is lower being only a 12A whereas Clerks has a certificate of 18. Independent films are mostly aimed at niche audiences. As Clerks is both an independent film and has a certificate of 18; it limits the potential amount of audience.

Clerks is filmed in black and white and is very simple in terms of editing. It is set on a small set (a convenience store where Kevin worked) and not as high-scale as The Avengers which has a variety of different settings and environments. Having only using one location is seen as a positive aspect because independent films focus on the performances and talent of the actors and is seen as being more realistic because independent films focus on the life and thoughts of the characters.

The Avengers has a big-name cast list with movie stars such as Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson starring in the film. By using a variety of movie stars it will appeal and attract to a wider audience because the stars as individuals have fans that will watch every film that they appear in. However, in Clerks it has a smaller and unknown cast that are all friends of Kevin Smith. This will again limit the potential audience and shows just how small the budget for the film was.

The editing between The Avengers and Clerks vary quite a lot. The Avengers is very fast-paced and rapid which is done by using a lot of quick cuts. It is cleverly edited and the film as a whole is immense. Clerks is filmed using just basic equipment. There is few shots used throughout the whole film, and some of the shots last for a couple of minutes. This however, shows the pure talent of the actors because Kevin was only able to film when the convenience store was closed at night, showing that he actually had a limited time to shoot. By using long shots it expresses the actors talents because they take it very seriously and don't make any mistakes.

The film Clerks is a comedy which is presumably one of the main reasons why it was a hit with the audience. Even though it had mediocre editing and was filmed using basic equipment, it still entertains the audience with some amusing and absurd lines and scenes. It tackles social issues and is more realistic compared to mainstream films. The characters in Clerks speak openly about sex and even drugs showing that the script is liberated and not taken too seriously. The Avengers appeals to the audience because it has lots of special effects, it has a big cast, and is visually enjoyable. It is used as a form of escapism from day-to-day life, and it meets the audiences' expectations whereas Clerks is unpredictable and bizarre.