Independent Films:
Classical v. Radical
SE Powerpoint by Peter Reed
Edited by: Dr. Kay Picart
Pi: Faith in Chaos: Darren
Aronofsky (1998)
Starring:
 Sean Gullette
 Mark Margolis
 Ben Shenkman
 Pamel Hart
Being John Malkovich: Spike
Jonze (1999)
Starring:
 John Cusack
 Cameron Diaz
 Catherine Keener
 Orson Bean
 John Malkovich
Class Goals (1)
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Introduce Pi and Being John Malkovich
(“BJM”) as Independent (“Indie”) films
Examine:
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Economics
Social dynamics
Origins
(Continued)
Class Goals (2)

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Review the recent history of Indie film
Discuss and apply themes to today’s
Independents
Youth culture
 Civil rights
 Political protest
 Women’s rights

(Continued)
Class Goals (3)

Compare Hollywood and Indie Films
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Structure
Film techniques
Genres
(Continued)
Class Goals (4)
Describe portrayals of ideology and identity in
Pi and BJM
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Pi:
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ISA’s
RSA’s
Race
Class
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BJM:
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Gender roles
Sexuality
Identity
Class
Estimated Time (1)


Working Definition of Independent
filmmaking, describe today’s movies
 10 min
Cover Reading 30, talk about themes of
60s and 70s independent filmmaking
 10 min
Estimated Time (2)
Cover Reading 29:
 Define 4-act structure: 5 min.
 Compare conventional techniques to indie
style: 20 min.
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Narration
Character
Space
Sound
Estimated Time (3)
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Explore themes of Pi and BJM: 30 min.
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Race
ISA’s, PSA’s
Gender
Sexuality
Class
Estimated Time (4)


Review Reading 22, situate Indie films
within genre
 10 min.
Draw some intelligent conclusions about
what we are watching, if and how it is
radical, and independent
 10 min.
What Makes a Film
“Independent,” Anyway?

What kinds of…
1. Economics,
2. Social positioning,
3. Techniques, and
4. Themes. . .
might be found in an independent film?
What Makes a Film
“Independent,” Anyway?

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How might economics affect the themes
of making a film? (Think: who paid for
this and what do they want?)
And how can the social affect
economics? (Think: funding and being
Francis Ford Coppola’s son-in-law. . .)
Being John Malkovich:
“Counterculture All-Stars”

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Domestic Box Office Gross, 1999: $23
million, not so great. . .
Cost: $13 million, also fairly low overall,
but high for independent films
What does Spike Jonze stand for as a
“countercultural icon”?
(http://www.the-movie-times.com/thrsdir/actors/jmalkovich.html)
Pi: Aronofsky and Crew
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Domestic Box Office Gross, 1998: $3.1
million, cost: $60,000
Neither as Costly or as Popular as BJM

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Crew for Pi was a “handful of film students”
Less-publicized debut
http://www.the-movietimes.com/thrsdir/98bygrossall.html,
www.indiewire.com
Discuss:
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What is unusual about these films (Pi and
BJM) and their origins?
How are they alike? Different from each
other? How do they differ from
“mainstream” films?
Do the economic and social conditions
matter?
Alternative-Media Promotion
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These films are part of a larger network of
media and promotionals
Check out the websites:
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http://www.beingjohnmalkovich.com
http://www.pithemovie.com
Alternative-Media Promotion:
Think about it. . .
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What kind of audience do these kinds of
promotion cater to?
How do they change the way we consider
the film in advance, or when we view it?
Indie Film History: Reading 30
John Belton: “The 1960s: The
Counterculture Strikes Back”

Independent filmmaking was part of
radical upheaval of the time

Belton lists some (at least four) major
themes. . .

Try to find them in the reading
Indie Film History: Questions
Try to think of some older
independent films you may have
seen.
 What was the message? Was it
radical?
 Did they look different, tell their story
in unusual ways?

The
BIG Question:
Are Independent Films
Radical or Classical?
(And What Makes
Them That Way?)
Classical or Radical?: Reading 29
David C. Simmons: “Is Contemporary
American Independent Film Classical or
Radical?”
 First, we must determine the
characteristics of “conventional” film
 Then, evaluate Indie films
Classical or Radical?:
Conventional Four Act Structure

Find the four-act structure in the reading
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______-___
_____________ ________
____________
__________
How does this structure present a story?
Classical or Radical?: Questions

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Do all Hollywood films hold to these
standards?
What does it mean if they do not? Do they
automatically become “Independent”?
What if an “Indie” film has conventional
structure???
Four Act Structure in Pi and BJM
When you watch or think back on the movies, ask
yourself:
 Does Pi or BJM use the four-act structure?
 What are the plot twists used to:
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set it up,
develop it,
complicate it, and
build to a climax?
Are they different from mainstream films?
Conventional Style and
Technique: Reading 29 (1)

Classical narration
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________ narration
_______-cutting
Forward-moving storyline

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________ transitions
______shadowing
________ development
(Continued)
Conventional Style and
Technique: Reading 29 (2)
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Causality
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What techniques help promote causality?
Goal-oriented characters

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_______ camera view
Recurrent ________ instead of real
development
(Continued)
Conventional Style and
Technique: Reading 29 (3)

Classical space

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Think back to the early lectures on Hollywood
film language and its techniques
Conventional: Classical sound

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__________ sounds
__________ music
Indie Style and Technique
Compared to the previous 3 slides
(conventional techniques):
 How do Pi and BJM differ?
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Narration
Characters
Space, and
Sound
(How) Were these unusual, provocative?
Indie Themes in Pi

Pi and ideology:
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Race
ISA’s
RSA’s
Class
What does Pi say about race? Religion?
Authority? Money and Power? Drilling into
your own head?
Indie Themes in BJM
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BJM and identity:
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Gender
Sexuality
Identity
Class
What does BJM say about men’s roles?
Women’s? Sexual norms? Individual
identity? Economic activities?
Indie Films and Genre
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Review back to Reading 22: John Belton,
“Genre and the Genre System”
How does genre serve the industry?

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_______ recognition
Repetition and _______
Indie Films as Genre: Questions

How do films such as BJM and Pi appear
to rely on the status of genres to succeed?
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Can we put Pi or BJM in a genre?
What about the actors and director of BJM?
Pi?
(How) Do such films constitute a genre of
their own?
Conclusions
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Come to class for the exciting conclusions
to all the cans of worms we’ve opened
here. To recap:
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Where do Indie films come from, mommy?
What techniques do our examples use?
How do they portray categories like race,
gender, sexuality, and class?
Stay tuned…