These indie tropes are now done. Maybe even overdone.
1. THE BAND TOUR DOC
Band from US/UK/Australia goes on tour to Europe/US/Europe&US. Filmmaker tags along. Filmmaker films freeways being driven upon, through front window/side window. Prevalent attention paid to road signs in foreign idioms. Band engages in hijinks such as: drinking all night, driving while groggy, sleeping on floors, partying with people of the opposite sex (never seen one that parties with people of the same sex– that might be interesting!). Band has a couple of totally empty gigs. Band gets exhausted and tempers flare. Band has big falling out, someone quits. Band has one triumphal awesome gig. Band comes back home to their day jobs in menial work. Band vows to carry on despite all odds.
2. THE SOAPBOX DOC
(AKA The advocacy doc)
Earnest in tone and pointing to legitimate problems in the world, the advocacy doc is also usually incredibly yawnsville. It is healthy and dull, like a brussel sprout for your brain. And as with a brussel sprout, it’s hard to get particularly excited about consuming it. Try adding some humor, a story, a damn good editor, and an opposing point of view. And please: No more films about Katrina or global warming, at least for a little while.
3. THE FILM ABOUT MAKING A FILM
(AKA The film about ME!)
Making movies is totally hard. You deserve to be in the spotlight and so does your superhot girlfriend. You are a talented motherfucker and talent like yours must not be contained. You are going to make this movie against all odds. Now please take that 2 hour feature containing those succession of shots of yourself in the mirror earnestly discussing your artistic process, chop it into like 30 shorts, and release it episodically on Youtube. Thank you.
4. THE TV SHOW PILOT ABOUT ANIMALS
A TV exec would probably be very excited about your film, but: You ‘re putting it forth for theatrical screening, and everyone can tell it’s a pilot. Few people will watch a 52 minute nature doc (with heavy voice-over and swelling music) while scarfing popcorn in a theatre. People watch those types of films on Tuesday nights, at 10PM, on their sofas. Send it straight to Animal Planet/ NatGeo (and you’ll probably get paid more, too).
5. THE SUPER-ESOTERIC ART FILM
Much more at home in an art gallery or in your grad school critique, your screeches and public displays of modern dancing feel ridiculous when presented as a narrative film.
6. THE HORROR FILM KNOCK-OFF
I know it’s, like, a cultural meme now, but believe it or not it takes a lot for a zombie movie to be good, not just your drunk frat brothers walking around with mascara and lipstick smooshed on their faces. Same goes for ‘Blair Witch’ knock-offs, ‘Paranormal Activities’ knockoffs, ‘Saw’ knowckoffs and vampire movie knockoffs. And then you submit a making-of as a documentary? See item 3.
7. THE MILQUETOAST FILM ABOUT A KOOKY PERSON
If you must do this, please make it either a. under 10 minutes or b. about something that actually HAPPENS to that kooky person. Ninety minutes of a kooky person just being kooky/crazy/wild/deep is forgettable, immediately being filed in that gray area in your brain reserved for “cool characters that mean nothing to me”. Also, see ‘honorable mention a’.
8. THE TOPIC THAT TRENDY PEOPLE WERE REALLY INTO 8 MONTHS AGO, IS NOW SOMEWHAT TIRED, AND THAT EVERYBODY IS NOW MAKING MOVIES ABOUT
(AKA the film that thinks it’s really cool)
If you are white, urban, and more than 5 of your friends are ironically into the topic that your film is about (eg pirates vs ninjas; unicorns; hipster beards or moustaches), then — I promise you — a lot of other people are making the exact same film, about the exact same subject, and probably with the exact same Animal Collective soundtrack. By the time your film comes out, the topic is going to be played out. Try a different topic, something genuinely, authentically cool not something that Vice tells you is cool in an ironic sort of way.
9. THE INSANELY STYLIZED MOVIE ABOUT EDGY SHIT
Your Guy Ritchie-eque attempts at frenetic styling and your curse-ridden script don’t work when the film is shot on a flip cam. Nor do the final cut filters, the entry-level aftereffects, and anything like solarization or hyper-saturation on your footage.
10. THE SPIRITUAL FILM ABOUT AN ESOTERIC THEORY
An hour and forty-five minutes of a badly shot religious sermon delineating the connection between the Masons, Ranchers in Kentucky and George Bush, complete with 5 minute text cards in Curlz, fluorescent? Someone take away this person’s camcorder and iMovie.
HONORABLE MENTION A: The film that badly needs a finish editor
Two hours that could be condensed into one. One hour that could be condensed into 10 minutes. If the footage doesn’t advance the story, provide relevant context or just look beautiful, cut it.
HONORABLE MENTION B: The film that should be intended for the internet that looks terrible on a big screen
Superawesome when I’m bored at work. Superlame when I’m stuck watching it in a theatre.
HONORABLE MENTION C: The cross country film
- About: biking/ walking/ scootering/ roadtripping
- Across: America/Europe/The Andes
- For: a good cause (usually cancer)/ to meet ‘real’ people/ cause Werner Herzog once said filmmakers should do it
I’ve seen every variation of this – some pretty great (Hunter Weeks’ excellent 10MPH), some mildly entertaining, and upwards of 5 indie docs chronicling a filmmakers’ cross-country walk as inspired by Werner Herzog. Anyways, the topic has officially been amply covered, in all its possible permutations.
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¹ I’ve been programming film festivals and screening films for exhibition or TV since 2003. In these last 7 years, I estimate that I have seen over 4500 independent documentaries & narratives, features and shorts alike.
² A ton of people will probably disagree with this list. Other festival programmers I’ve spoken to, for instance, have disagreed, have expressed dismay at my judgement, and have expressed interest in seeing films like these. Also, bear in mind that this list is written from the POV of festival and/or theatrical programming.
³ Which brings me to my first point of advice to filmmakers trying to get their films seen in a theatre/festival setting: Look at the type of films that your target festival or screening series has programmed over the last few years before submitting yours. If a festival, for instance, has programmed a film about the quirky exploits of a group of cat fanciers within the last 3 years, it stands to reason that they will probably not want to program ANOTHER film about the quirky exploits of cat fanciers. Unless, of course, they happen to be the Cat Fancier Film Festival of Central Metropolis (invented, this does not exist) — in which case you have a very strong chance of being admitted.
In other words: Do your homework, keep you ear to the ground to see what people are making, spend more time on your story development, and for god’s sake watch more independent films – just so you know what’s out there and can then learn from other people’s mistakes. If after all this you find that your idea is not even close to being original, but you feel compelled to make it anyways, then either make it for a specific audience, make it for the internet, or pull all your smartest friends together and make it fucking brilliant, so that your particular film becomes the new standard in the genre that all others are marked against.
Dear Saskia,
You’re a woman after my own heart
Let us also place into the mix of indie feature films gone wrong:
The Cultural Bad Boy Movie: Is your protagonist a loser white guy into petty theft, cheap drugs (meth, glue) who, during a botched convenience story robbery, runs into uptight new-to-America Muslim (South Asian, African, Iragi) guy of same age who teaches him about integrity? Does the white guy fall in love with the Muslim guy’s sister? Do the Muslim parents forbid son from hanging w/ loser white guy but eventually warm up to him after he saves the sister from a racist beating in the neighbourhood?
Big love,
Roberta
Hello, Saskia.
It’s posts like this that stress me out as a filmmaker: I don’t want to contribute to the glut of mediocrity. It reminds me of growing up listening to my older sister and her friends complaining about lame guys. It honestly stifled me with women: I didn’t want to be “that guy!”
I understand your frustration and desire to vent and educate. So, here’s my question: any chance you can post what you do want to see? I realize you indirectly make suggestions; however, some clear thoughts on elements and qualities that make independent films stand out would be very helpful.
Thanks,
Christopher
Hey there Christopher
Yeah I get your point… I didn’t mean to be discouraging, so much as to give a dose of reality as to the types of films that are being overmade in our little world of indie. Put otherwise, I’m not advocating for filmmakers to NOT make these films, just trying to get people to understand that a lot of other people are making them too. If you make them, make them REALLY well, or find another story.
I think we in the indie world need to get over the not-so-new fact that, yes, everyone can do it, and move towards some serious thought about WHAT exactly we are all doing! My not very original insight is simply that filmmakers need to do more research so they can be more story-oriented, more quality-oriented and illuminate new facets of humanity rather than tread along the well-worn paths that we all have seen over and over and over again.
As far as what I do want to see… I don’t have a clear answer, and any answer I give from a story point of view, would no doubt not help since everyone has different tastes. BUT, speaking from a qualitative level, there are a few points to keep an eye out for.
1. Bad sound kills a film, as does bad footage (unless the story is ridiculously compelling)
2. Bad design (if you are not a designer and cannot find one, best to keep titles, lower thirds, interstitals and etc simple as hell)
3. Finish editing: A trusted and empowered third opinion with the capability to make changes can save a film. I see it like this: We all have cars, but that doesn’t mean we are all qualified for the Indy 500. If you cannot find an editor, keep it simple as heck and focus on furthering the story.
4. Story development. Big one.
Also, general advice for people submitting to festivals: As a general rule, narrative films that occupy that weird middle ground between short and feature are harder to program. If you can cut your 45 minute short into 15 minutes, do it. Or, if it’s a story that necessitates that amount of time, find a complementary narrative and fill it out to be at least 75 minutes.
Christopher, I hope that helps. If it makes you feel better, I make terrible short movies on a daily basis.
Thank you for the great reply, Saskia! Much appreciated..
Based on your comments, I feel very affirmed that I’m currently doing the right thing in finding a talented editor for my first feature that I shot in September. Some people think I should edit it, but I believe, as you do, a talented editor will bring freshness, honesty and a more objective approach to the film.
Once again, thank you and I look forward to future posts!
-Christopher
Woo-hoo that’s awesome Christopher! Good luck.
Dear Saskia,
Great post! I would also add that American indie filmmakers should watch more foreign films as way to develop a fresh perspective on narrative storytelling.
Cheers,
Nadine
totally agreed Nadine!
UNICORNS will be a breakout film! Follow our progress at Http://www.unicornsthemovie.com
if Leah Meyerhoff is behind it, I have zero doubt.
ace list. =)
Wow. A thousand thanks to http://www.filmfestivalsecrets.com/ for pointing me to this post. Many of these I have heard before, but always a great reminder. Also thankful for the foreign film reminder in the comments which I have found does help to give new eyes.
Thanks for your list. I am in my third year of programming the Heartland Film Festival and am already seeing a lot of the patterns you mentioned above in our submission process. The one thing I would emphasize is what was said about editing. I see so many films that need a really good edit and then we could seriously consider them. Please spend the time and money on a great editor (look up Chris Witt in LA if you need one). Also, I don’t mind most any of the categories you listed if they have a nice twist in them. For example for the Band Tour Doc: check out D Tour which was about Rogue Wave, but really about the realities of Kidney transplants. For the Soapbox Doc try Bag It! They creatively got their point across without being boring. Anyway…we open our call for entries on March 14 so send me you films…WELL EDITED!
‘bag it’ was awesome. and yes, all of the above work if there’s a story (beyond the obvious) and a sense of humour…
I agree and disagree with the last;
Sure you need to write part of your experiences, write what you know; Just don’t make it pretentious. I feel like the irony is that Hollywood only buys the very same films you are vouching for Independent film makers not to write. The only true advice is to offer a perspective that is seldom voiced.