alternative filmsMainstream films can best be defined as commercial films that are made by major entertainment studios or companies that are owned by international media conglomerates. Because of better financing, these films can afford more expensive actors, wide releases, and are sold at popular retail stores. This has become known as the studio system. Films made by major studios or companies that are not owned by a media conglomerate but are distributed by a company owned by a media conglomerate (see Lucasfilm) are also considered to be mainstream and are often referred to as mainstream independent films. Companies that are completely independent, such as Lionsgate, also produce mainstream films, from a cultural standpoint, but independent of the studio system. The alternative to mainstream films are sub genre films that appeal to a certain audience, such as African American films. Low budget films, art films, and experimental films are often the starting point for entertainers who wish to enter into the mainstream circuit or a sub genre circuit. Mainstream films are targeted for all cultures and audiences, with the dominating culture and audience being the primary marketing focus, while sub genre films are marketed towards only one specific culture and audience. Mainstream films often recruit talent from all film genres and backgrounds. Alternative media are media (newspapers, radio, television, magazines, movies, Internet, etc.) which provide alternative information to the mainstream media in a given context, whether the mainstream media are commercial, publicly supported, or government-owned. Alternative media differ from mainstream media along one or more of the following dimensions: their content, aesthetic, modes of production, modes of distribution, and audience relations. Alternative media often aim to challenge existing powers, to represent marginalized groups, and to foster horizontal linkages among communities of interest. Proponents of alternative media argue that the mainstream media are biased in the selection and framing of news and information. While sources of alternative media can also be biased (sometimes proudly so), proponents claim that the bias is significantly different than that of the mainstream media because they have a different set of values, objectives, and frameworks. Hence these media provide an "alternative" viewpoint, different information and interpretations of the world that cannot be found in the mainstream. As such, advocacy journalism tends to be a component of many alternative outlets. Because the term "alternative" has connotations of self-marginalization, some media outlets now prefer the term "independent" over "alternative". Several different categories of media may fall under the heading of alternative media. These include, but are not limited to, radical and... In this report I am going to comprehensively compare mainstream and independent cinema. I have chosen two films to look at. My mainstream film isCowboys vs Aliens directed by Jon Favreau the film is a sci-fi, action thriller set in the Wild West. My independent film is Another Earth which was this year’s Sundance winner, directed and written by Mike Cahill. Another Earth is a sci-fi drama about a duplicate world which appears in our solar system. The story follows a young student and an accomplished musician who meet after a tragic accident. Production Contexts
In this section I will be looking at how each film was made and in what way this influenced the making of the film. One of the most prominent contrasts between the two selected films is the environment. Cowboys vs Aliens is set in Arizona in 1873 which meant that the locations had to replicate the Old West. The locations used were Abiquiu and Sante Fe, both in New Mexico, and Radsburg, California. This in comparison to Another Earth which has a single location, that of the Director’s home town of New Haven, Connecticut, even using his mother’s house as a prime location throughout the film. This is obviously due to the differences in budget. While Cowboys vs Aliens had an estimated budget of $163,000,000, Another Earth had a much smaller budget of around $200,000. Another Earth co- writer, Brit Marling, plays Rhoda Williams within the film. You could argue this was yet again due to the budget, however, I disagree. In my opinion it’s because the film is possibly a form of self-expression and creativity. The fact that the film is in the writer’s home town and the protagonist is played by his fellow writer means it is portrayed as something quite personal. The fact that she is playing a main role as well as working with the director on the screenplay produces a progressive goal where everyone works together. It is arguably the case that in independent films there is synergy between the crew, actors and writers all striving for a common goal. In comparison, mainstream films such as Cowboys vs Aliens, may not have the common connection that most independent films have, although the crew, actors and writers will be wanting the film to succeed, they all may have their separate goals. For example, an actor in a mainstream film may just want to have his name out there and use the film as a platform for himself rather than portraying a message with the director. Cowboys vs Alien uses Daniel Craig and Harrison ford as the two main characters throughout the film. Two huge Hollywood names renowned for starring as the action heroes in many blockbuster movies making it comfortable for an audience to watch as they already know what their previous characters are capable of. It may also be the case that what attracted the two starring actors to the film was only its storyline and the opportunity for them to show off their acting skills. They would not necessarily be interested in who would be distributing either the film or in any philosophical or political message that the director or producer wished to get across to the audience. They may not even be too concerned if the film is a box office smash or a complete flop. Mainstream cinema will arguably always struggle to have the creative freedom that independent cinema has. The director of Cowboys vs Aliens could not experiment with his shots, angles or the edit as he has to loosely follow the narrative of the original book the film is based on. The demographic also has to be taken into consideration the audience member of Cowboys vs aliens is very different to the audience member of Another Earth. Mike Cahill used minimalistic special effects and depended on long asymmetrical shots and experimental camera angles creating mise en scène with his shots which were able to drive the narrative with the cinematography. However, Cowboys vs Aliens used straight camera cuts and stuck to continuity the audience would feel uncomfortable with if the film turned artsy and became experimental. Instead Cowboys vs Aliens relied on the CGI effects to wow the audience having a large budget allowed the film to be packed full of special effects and animations. When looked at, these two films show the differences between Hollywood and independently funded films. Another Earth is portraying tragedy and drama while sending a philosophical message saying, “Could we even recognize ourselves, and if we did, would we know ourselves?” The film is a deep, moving piece of art that won Sundance’s film festival 2011. Director Mike Cahill explains in his interview that he did not intend to give people what they wanted, that the joy of this film is you came out with something profound and beautiful. On the other hand, Cowboys vs Aliens was a fast paced action movie created for the purpose of selling and entertaining a mass audience. However, in my opinion, the film lacked depth and emotion – it felt more like a good concept rather than a good film. Based loosely on an original graphic novel, the film was limited by narrative, and due to wanting to hit a broad audience and wanting to make a large profit, there was no room for expressive creativity. Relationship Between The Producer And The Audience
While creating any film, it is important to understand your demographic. However, there is a major difference when it comes to independent and mainstream cinema. As mentioned, the director of Another Earth set out with a certain ideal and vision. The film was created as a personal piece rather than being aimed at a particular category, while Cowboys vs Aliens was created to be a blockbuster smash, there to generate money rather than reward culture. Both films are advertised in different ways. Cowboys vs Aliens was advertised on bus stops, bill boards and had plenty of exposure on TV showing theatrical trailers, as well as posters and internet pop ups and general spam broadcasting to a vast audience. This got high publicity, however it also was now open to critique and was given many bad reviews by the critics. On the other hand, Another Earth remained only within the domain of those admirers of independent film, and in that particular area of the film industry was a huge success. That is to say that there was no big budget advertising to a wider demographic. The publicity for the film was limited to one theatrical trailer. The Relationship Between Audiences And Films
Another Earth to me was a massive concept with a tiny narrative. The film was an elite, alternative styled sci-fi. The film had an active spectatorship forcing the audience to wonder “what if I was in the same situation?, “Could I turn back time and make things better?” The film primarily deals with Rhoda’s feeling of guilt, and we see her go from a young adult with a brilliant future ahead of her to then be in a menial job, living a reclusive life within her family. This adds an almost religious aspect to the film, that of the guilty sinner repenting through the wearing of sack-cloth and ashes. Another Earth does not lend itself to oppositional reading as the plot is not good versus evil, it’s more about Rhoda’s personal journey to absolve herself of the guilt of having killed John Burrough’s family in a car accident. It is very hard to give an accurate reading of this film as there is no real enemy or unforeseen evil. The obvious preferred reading would be there is another earth and that Rhoda is the one who is to go there and with that solve her problems. However the twist in this film is that she sends John on the off chance that his family will be waiting for him. It is up to the individual to decide whether this was the right choice. The oppositional reading could be that there is no sympathy for Rhoda and the audience are looking to John for some retribution for the fact that he lost his family to a careless moment of inattention of Rhoda’s part. They identify with his feelings of anger and feel that Rhoda’s attempt to ingratiate herself by cleaning his house is an unnecessary intrusion on his private grief, adding insult to injury. The negotiated reading is possibly that Rhoda’s story is split between Earth 1 and Earth 2. In the film Rhoda is portrayed with two separate lives from where the film picks up after she comes out prison. She is determined to correct her wrongs but, at the same time, is in conflict with the outside world and is split into two personalities – one the sweet anonymous cleaner who is intrigued by the talented musician, the other a sheltered, damaged girl holding a dark secret which becomes a heavier burden each day.
Cowboys vs Aliens in comparison is passive spectatorship. The film has no intended message and sole purpose is entertainment. The film really only has a preferred reading as the aliens are a nameless, mindless evil that threatens everyone and everything You only see shadows and the blurred shapes of the aliens throughout the movie. An audience would unlikely give an oppositional reading as they do not have enough information to empathise with the aliens. For example, if the narrative added a sympathetic side to the alien’s cause, an audience may have been able to argue a case for the alien’s attack on earth. The film is in the title. The story follows a posse as they take on an impossible enemy. This arguably is due to the film being based on a graphic novel. Within a comic book, our protagonist is normally a superhero and there is a distinctive villain. This means there is no possibility of an audience siding with our hero’s nemesis. There are different audiences for different movies. Some people go to see a film purely because it has been advertised as a blockbuster. They would consider an art-house movie as being pretentious and high-brow. If it hasn’t got guns, explosions and a plethora of CGI affects then it is boring. They base their judgement of the film purely on the trailers and publicity that the film generates and ignore any comments on the quality of the movie by the film critics. At the other end of the spectrum, you have the audiences that are only attracted to art-house and independent films purely because they feel they are better than mainstream films. They see themselves as part of an exclusive group of film buffs who can appreciate the “message” that the director is making. This could be regardless of the fact that the film itself may indeed be pretentious and boring. My opinion will always be biased towards independent films. However, this does not mean that I consider all mainstream films are bad. Darren Aronofsky has directed many respected mainstream films that have won many awards. His filmography includes Black Swan, Fountain and Requiem for a Dream which was nominated for an Oscar. I can appreciate both Hollywood and independent film makers, but my personal preference is a film which is given depth through all aspects of the film making process whether it is acting, cinematography or the message behind the film.
Alternative: films and videos that provide an alternative to commercial media or to conventional topics and forms, dealing with subjects, points-of-view and formal elements not found in the mainstream. Some makers object to this term as it implies that the work exists only in relation to mainstream media, rather than as a unique art form of its own.