Differences Between Mainstream and Independent Films
Independent and Mainstream films have differences between them.
Independent films will make you think and ask questions. They also aim more for critical success over commercial success (want to make a good film instead of make money). This means that some independent films could potentially have better plots, story lines and character developments than some of the highest grossing films of all time, but because the films rarely make it to multiplex cinemas (such as Odeon and Cineworld), and their marketing campaigns are not as strong, not enough people are made aware of it. Independent films also have very few 'famous' actors in. An example of this is American Honey. With the exception of Shia LaBeouf, every actor (according to imdb.com) was making their film debut in this film.
Independent films can also have unusual subject matters. An example of this is Mascots. You only need to watch the film's trailer to see what I mean when I say "unusual subject matter".
These films can also not have a specific genre. This means you can't put the film into a definitive category, such as an Action, a Comedy or a Thriller. American Honey is another example of this as after watching the trailer, our class struggled to pin a genre on the film. IMDB have classed the film as a Drama, but personally I believe the film can be expanded further than that. These films can also be made on low budgets with low production values. Because of this, they don't use extravagant sound effects and contain very few visual effects (CGI) due to the high costs of doing so. These films also tend to be aimed at niche audiences.
Mainstream films, on the other hand, will have very high production values, many major films can cost in excess of £200,000,000 to create. They also tend to be commercial successes, with high box-office takings. An example of this is Spectre, with it making $880,674,175 worldwide at the box office (full list of Box-Office takings can be found here). Film companies can often have events prior to its release, such as Premieres, in order to build up 'hype' for the film. Mainstream films will often use franchises (a series of films) to aid the success, since a franchise will usually bring a big gross. An example of this would be Bridget Jones' Baby. There hadn't been a Bridget Jones film since 2004 and the new film was a big success. However, this isn't always the case as the reboot of Ghostbusters flopped (it is yet to make a profit). Mainstream films will also use safe genres. This consists of sticking to a genre such as Comedy, Action or Thriller and not straying from that genre. They can also use a lot of CGI and Sound effects. In regards to sound, some of the biggest films can potentially have songs written for the films, such as Suicide Squad (Twenty One Pilots - Heathens), Fast and Furious 7 (Wiz Khalifa - See You Again ft. Charlie Puth) and Spectre (Sam Smith - Writings On The Wall). These songs are often 'played to death' on the radio, which would help publicise the film further (I remember Adele - Skyfall was on every radio station (according to my dad, who was living there at the time, even in Finland)). The majority of Mainstream films can also have simple, predictable single stranded narratives. This is an A to B story line with very little jumping back and forth along a timeline of events. This consists of flashbacks and flash-forwards. These films can also be filmed on many more locations, with expensive sets and props, unlike independent films, which tend to use less locations that are more likely cheaper to film at (e.g. some major cities, such as New York, Washington DC, London and Tokyo can be very expensive to film in).
Independent films will make you think and ask questions. They also aim more for critical success over commercial success (want to make a good film instead of make money). This means that some independent films could potentially have better plots, story lines and character developments than some of the highest grossing films of all time, but because the films rarely make it to multiplex cinemas (such as Odeon and Cineworld), and their marketing campaigns are not as strong, not enough people are made aware of it. Independent films also have very few 'famous' actors in. An example of this is American Honey. With the exception of Shia LaBeouf, every actor (according to imdb.com) was making their film debut in this film.
Mainstream films, on the other hand, will have very high production values, many major films can cost in excess of £200,000,000 to create. They also tend to be commercial successes, with high box-office takings. An example of this is Spectre, with it making $880,674,175 worldwide at the box office (full list of Box-Office takings can be found here). Film companies can often have events prior to its release, such as Premieres, in order to build up 'hype' for the film. Mainstream films will often use franchises (a series of films) to aid the success, since a franchise will usually bring a big gross. An example of this would be Bridget Jones' Baby. There hadn't been a Bridget Jones film since 2004 and the new film was a big success. However, this isn't always the case as the reboot of Ghostbusters flopped (it is yet to make a profit). Mainstream films will also use safe genres. This consists of sticking to a genre such as Comedy, Action or Thriller and not straying from that genre. They can also use a lot of CGI and Sound effects. In regards to sound, some of the biggest films can potentially have songs written for the films, such as Suicide Squad (Twenty One Pilots - Heathens), Fast and Furious 7 (Wiz Khalifa - See You Again ft. Charlie Puth) and Spectre (Sam Smith - Writings On The Wall). These songs are often 'played to death' on the radio, which would help publicise the film further (I remember Adele - Skyfall was on every radio station (according to my dad, who was living there at the time, even in Finland)). The majority of Mainstream films can also have simple, predictable single stranded narratives. This is an A to B story line with very little jumping back and forth along a timeline of events. This consists of flashbacks and flash-forwards. These films can also be filmed on many more locations, with expensive sets and props, unlike independent films, which tend to use less locations that are more likely cheaper to film at (e.g. some major cities, such as New York, Washington DC, London and Tokyo can be very expensive to film in).
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