http://www.facebook.com/no
The line between what is technically "independent" and mainstream is becoming more and more blurred as time progresses onwards. At its outset, independent art was the art created without the aid of the mainstream funding machine, also known as "the man." But nowadays each major label, each major production studio has their "indie" label, where they can fund artists that either started on the outside and have deservedly worked their way into the public consciousness, or that have the feel or energy of the true independents. Or, perhaps, that the companies feel can sell to the demographic know as "indies."
So labeling things as indie can no longer simply come down to where the support or where the funding comes from. There are still the certain kings of independent art who produce and distribute their own art, such as Aimee Mann, but thanks to revolutionaries like Jack White we have indie in the mainstream. I would agree that indie is, indeed, defined by spirit and feeling now. Technically, Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ is an independent film, seeing as he financed it himself outside the aid of the studios. Would I classify that as an "indie film?" In no way.
The Sundance Film Festival and the Sundance Institute are great examples of the opposite of this spectrum. For all intents and purposes, they still represent the American Independent Film movement and embody the "indie spirit." But does it truly foster independent art? Not really, but it fosters the spirit of it. Most of the films at Sundance, while being non-produced by studios, are not fully "independent." The Sundance Film Festival is no longer the early 1990s behemoth where unknown, unique filmmakers maxed-out three credit cards in order to make a modest film a la Robert Rodriges. These are movies starring Steve Carrell and Courtney Cox-Arquette, with people like Danny Devito throwing cash behind the films. These are professional films by professional filmmakers, but the visions they produce are unique and embody the ideas of independent art.
So by comparing The Passion of the Christ and the Sundance Film Festival what we see are two different examples of the forms in which "indie" exists today. There is art independently produced that is in no way independent, and there is art produced by the mainstream that is truly indie. What we as artists and as supporters of the indie zeitgeist must realize is that the good exists on both sides, as well as the bad. We cannot believe that all that is indie is quality, and that all that is mainstream is pointless shill. There is much indie art that is not worth a single moment of our time, as well as much mainstream art that is beautiful, uplifting and inspiring. Just because a book was on Oprah's book list does not mean it's not worth your time, Jonathan Franzen.
In our time, independent art will be judge far less by how or where it was produced and far more by the tone, spirit and ideals that it produces and upholds.
No comments:
Post a Comment