Day 2 of Sundance: Dinner talk of pseudo-indies

Sunday, January 20, 2008
Dan Satorius

At dinner I met Robert Hawk, a very good script consultant for independent films. Bob has been coming to Sundance since the early days when the Egyptian was the largest venue (now it is one of the smallest) and everyone who attended the festival went to the same party each night and it wasn't crowded. Lines formed in the lobby of the theaters (now they form in long lines outside -- sometime in heated tents, sometime not). The festival was very laid back in those days. Long-term Sundancers like Bob are nostalgic for the old days.

But, as Bob explains, "Sex, Lies, and Video Tape" (1989 - Steven Soderbergh) arrived followed by "Reservoir Dogs" (1992 - Quentin Tarantino) and things changed and the sleepy Sundance film festival (originally the U.S. Film Festival) began its meteoric rise.

WhenSundance started in 1978 (as the U.S. Film Festival) the independent side ofthe U.S. film industry was dominated by mavericks such as John Cassavetes, Robert Altman, John Sayles, John Waters and by foreign movies. The theatrical venues for these works were art house theaters in the larger cities.

There have been a number of attempts to start a truly indie festival during Sundance in Park City to return to the spirit those early day of Sundance. The only one that has made it is Slamdance. I always spend some time at Slamdance and take in a film or two. There is a great energy of camaraderie and idealism there. Time spent there always rewards the effort.

Over the years Sundance has focused on independent film, documentaries, and short films including animation, world cinema and Native American cinema. Thanks in part to Sundance, present day low budget independent features from "Napoleon Dynamite" (2004 - estimated budget $400,000) to "Juno" (2007 - estimated $2.5 million) have begun to outperform the big budget studio films. Those independent features that formerly would have played the arthouses have invaded the suburban mall multiplexes.

Here is another change over the last 25 years: Independent films have become a more prominent segment of the motion picture industry. Consider the five films nominated for this year's Academy Award for Best Picture: "Babel,""The Departed," "Letters from Iwo Jima,""Little Miss Sunshine," and "The Queen." "Little Miss Sunshine" and "The Queen" were not studio projects.

Many so-called independent films are independent in name only. These pseudo-indies are driven by celebrity actors and robust budgets (by indie standards) and are quickly purchased by the specialty arms or classics divisions of the major distributors. The pseudo-indies are developed and financed outside of the studio system. In their larval stage these films spend just enough time in the indie film world to acquire a hip patina, quickly 'chrysalizing'at Sundance, to emerge into a beautiful butterfly in wide theatrical release. Many genuinely independent films, including those that don't make it into Sundance, are destined for permanent larval stage.

The major distributors have turned the concept of independent film into a marketing tool, thanks in part to the Sundance Film Festival which has proven the viability ofthe market for independent film.

The budgets of the pseudo-indies often exceed $7 million and can be as much as $40 million (granted this is small to moderate by studio standards where average budgets exceed $80 million). Most independent films have budgets of under $3 million - frequently under $500,000.

In recent years the pseudo-indies have increasingly come to dominate the Sundance Film Festival. They are selected to be shown in the largest venues (usually Eccles). Their entourages draw the most attention. Main Street in Park City is lined with cattle gates to cordon off the unwashed and the paparazzi from the celebrities attending the after-parties for the pseudo-indies.

A lot has changed since 1978. Certainly independents occupy more space in the industry now.  And that is a good thing.