Examine two of the films listed in this module.

Examine two of the films listed in this module. One must be a foreign film from the M6 Foreign Films Selections (18 films) and the other an independent film from the M6 New Independent Cinema Selections (20 films). You will find many options if you scroll down each page, or you could select movies that you have cleared with the instructor in advance. Write a short (1000 words) essay focused on the following question: What are the characteristics of independent film with particular regard to performance beyond the basic definition? In other words, how do your films EXPAND the basic definition? The presentation and readings will help you understand the basic definition. You must do more than merely show how each of your movies meet the basic criteria as an independent film. The movies in this section are easily identified as meeting the basic definition, but you need to go further in your analysis for your essay. Please avoid extensively summarizing the plot at the expense of analyzing the actor’s performance. Please remember the peer review policy and wait for your peers to be assigned. You will have the two-day grace period to complete your peer reviews. I’m changing the policy on late peer reviews for this assignment. They will be assigned no later than 9 am after the deadline, then I will run the tool to assign peers randomly during the two-day grace period. Therefore, there will be no peer assignments upon request. There will be no peers assigned within two hours of the expiration of the grace period. You must keep checking if you submit late in order to find your peers. Please place this information in your header:

Name
Word Count
Independent Film Title (date)
International Film Title (date)

Give your essay a title and center it below the header information.

I’ve received several inquiries from students who are having trouble understanding the prompt. The presentation, videos and readings will help greatly, but if you are still wondering what to do, I’ll try to simplify it for you as much as possible here:

You know the basic definition of an independent film from the presentations, readings and videos.
You know that independent and foreign films both fit the basic definition (e.g., budget, produced outside the big studio, cast, story, etc.).
As you know from watching the presentation in this module, when you watch movies today with strong ensemble casts or art films with international actors made independently outside the dominance of the corporate studios, you are witnessing the effect of foreign films on the Hollywood film industry.
Therefore, do not merely describe how your independent and international films meet the basic definition, but focus on how they expand the definition. Find elements in the films that you recognize as being unique and influential. Consider how your films might affect the way big-budget films are made.
Some examples include camera techniques, storyline, personal issues that concern a director, a role that a celebrity might not usually perform.
This assignment is the culmination of the course, pushing you to think for yourself and try to find elements that distinguish your independent and foreign film from the mainstream. You can’t merely say ”budget under $20M” or “premiered at Sundance” and leave it at that.
As an example, the producers of the big-budget ($110+M) big-studio bomb Ghost in the Shell could have learned a lot from the independent film Ex Machina ($16M). A good essay on Ex Machina would focus on the elements in the film that make it important and meaningful other than its budget and foreign origin (UK). I might also bring in examples from the film Her, which has an independent feel to it (what does that mean?), released by a small U.S. studio and had a relatively low budget.
A simple way to look at this assignment is to ask whether your chosen films could teach Hollywood and the money machine of CGI-driven movies. Many students seem to think this assignment is about identifying why their choice is independent when the basic definition is clear in the presentation and readings. This assignment requires higher levels of critical thinking. The best papers are very specific in saying how these films EXPAND the basic definition. What can Hollywood learn from Indies? Why are independent film festivals like Sundance so important? Why do top actors do indies when they can make more money doing television or a CGI feature? What do your selected films have that could enhance major studio film making?

Here are some hints that may help clarify the direction for your independent film essay. The presentation and readings list the basic elements along with other features that characterize independent films.

A basic definition of independent film is:

A film that is produced outside the studio system. This means there are limitations to the budget, funding sources, cast, story and distribution.

That distinction has been rendered moot with the rise of the “independent” labels of the major studios, such as Lionsgate, Castle Rock, The Weinstein Company, Paramount Vantage and Fox Searchlight. You could find many films that move fluidly between “studio” and “indie” when it comes to the production and distribution aspects. Also, consider that George Lucas made the last three Star Wars films independently, yet these are not considered “indie” films. For example, independent films might focus on personal issues that the director thinks are important (e.g., race, gender, relationships, politics, society). It could also mean that it was made with a hand-held camera or without a big corporate studio breathing down the director’s neck. Independent films may also feature relatively unknown actors giving extraordinary performances, or a big-name celebrity actor performing a gritty role that might not be possible in a blockbuster.

We are looking for you to identify characteristics of the performance on film that distinguish it from mainstream blockbuster studio films. For instance, the films that appear at the Sundance Festival feature performances with more emphasis on acting, or more personal approaches by director and cast as compared with larger films with big stars, big budgets and spectacular special effects. A better definition would be that an independent film is one that makes the most of very little to produce a unique, moving film while using unconventional techniques to expose audiences to topics they didn’t realize they cared about such as an issue that the director addresses such as racism,, gender or politics. Describe the elements that you think expand the definition in the independent or foreign films that you choose to analyze.

M6 New Independent Cinema Choices:
This is Spinal Tap (1984)
Waiting for Guffman (1996)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Thirteen (2003)
Eighth Grade (2018)
Trust (1990)
Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me (1992)
Waitress (2007)
Lost in Translation (2003)
Sideways (2004)
Babel (2006)
Birdman (2014)
Boyhood (2014)
Blue Jasmine (2013)
American Hustle (2013)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

M6 International Films Selections:
The King’s Speech (2010)
My Left Foot (1989)
Roma (2018)
Pink (2016)
The Farewell (2019)
Central Station (Central do Brasil) (1998)
City of God (2002)
Wadjda (2012)
The Seven Samurai (1954)
Neerja (2016)
The Lobster (Greece) (2015)
Ex Machina (UK) (2014)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Cinema Paradiso (1988)
Cube (1997)
Das Boot (1981)
Oldboy (2005)
Parasite (2019)
The Forest (2016)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)

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