EW has an interesting story about the recent troubles in the independent film industry, Is the sky falling on the indie film business?.
The Chicken Little metaphor isn't mine. It comes from veteran independent film exec Mark Gill, who gave this speech citing dire conditions for the art-house movie business: the shuttering of such indie shingles as Picturehouse and Warner Independent; the absorption of New Line and Paramount Vantage by their parent companies; rising production and advertising costs, the drying up of financing from investors outside the industry, a bottleneck in distribution that results in most indie-made films going unseen, and competition for attention with mainstream movies that have 100 times the promotional budget and distribution muscle.
Netflix is cited in the story as one of the potential saviors of the independent film business. Do you watch independent films from Netflix?
Absolutely -- it's one of the reasons I subscribe. As much as I liked attending the indie films when I was at college and there were two decent theaters within walking distance, now my queue is stacked with films that never played at the local multiplexes.
The thing I worry about is whether Netflix will stock them, and how they'll get attention if the market for movie releases collapses.
Posted by: Jakob | June 27, 2008 at 09:58 PM
I think independent films are in trouble because most of them haven't been very good lately. It's not like mass market films, where quality is not very important to a film's success. Independents rely on reviews and word of mouth. I watch a lot of them, mostly through Netflix, and I have seen a lot of stinkers lately. Mostly, they're boring vanity projects. There are exceptions, though.
Posted by: Scribe1964 | June 27, 2008 at 10:52 PM
I watch a bunch of indie documentaries on Netflix, but not so many indie movies. One reason I could never switch to Blockbuster is Netflix's documentary selection - I doubt that anybody can top it.
Posted by: Vince | June 28, 2008 at 03:57 AM
I do seek out indie & foreign films for my viewing pleasure and I have yet to find another service that offers as much content as Netflix (not that I'm looking to go elsewhere.)
Posted by: dave | June 29, 2008 at 01:54 AM
I think independent films are in trouble because most of them haven't been very good lately.
I'm *still* hunting down people who recommended I watch Napoleon Dynamite.
Posted by: Quiet Desperation | June 30, 2008 at 10:37 AM
Pretty much only get indie movies - Netflix is great. UK Tartan Video just shut down over the weekend.
Posted by: jbelkin | July 01, 2008 at 01:59 AM
Absol-f-ing-loutely...indie films are a big reason I remain a Netflix subscriber, even though my turnarounds are quite meager. Even though the local theater ownership group does a pretty good job (even renovating historic theatres so that my community has only one true 'multiplex'), they still are wary about only bringing indie films if they garner mainstream buzz (the aforementioned "Napoleon Dynamite" or "Little Miss Sunshine"), or if they can spin them into their seasonal Cinema Club (art film series). Thusly, Netflix remains a primary source of those films that aren't teenage date fare.
Posted by: | July 01, 2008 at 06:37 AM
While Netflix does a decent job (of course, with the terrible state of mainstream film and mainstream film rental chains it's hard not to), but Greencine used to do an excellent job specializing in independent, foreign, and obscure films. They have, sadly, not been doing very well which is why I dropped them for Netflix.
Posted by: Belgand | July 02, 2008 at 06:30 AM
For another independent film opportunity, check out
http://www.apostleinterview.com
For funding information, browse to:
http://www.indiegogo.com/InterviewswiththeApostles
Posted by: Randy | July 16, 2008 at 11:36 PM
i do not thing it is in trouble. I think it is booming.
apply for seasonal jobs
Posted by: seasonal jobs | March 14, 2009 at 01:55 AM