Luckily for you, this won't happen too often.

This week, we'll be talking about a subject near and dear to my heart.  Independent film.  With the Maryland Film Festival this weekend, it just seemed like the right thing to do.  Wilford Brimley would be proud.  But what does this term mean, that we overhear referenced, so very occasionally, at the local coffee shop?  Perhaps it refers to whatever's playing at Sundance, or that weird black and white film about an immigrant's struggle in some foreign land we managed to stomach for 15 minutes while flipping past IFC, just before the Seinfeld reruns started on TBS.  Or is it really some 19-year-old kid's term for the 3-minute clip of their friends skateboarding they just posted on YouTube?

In a strange way, it is all of the above.

But honestly, at this point, "independent film" is simply an umbrella term used to describe any film not mass-produced by the Hollywood movie machine and whittled down to the least common denominator for public consumption.  Note I said "mass-produced", since many of the independent films, particularly the ones with the big stars slumming for art, are actually produced by the major studios... or some lower-budget affiliate, rather.  But I sense this is getting confusing.  Let me try and break things down into several categories.

• Independent Film - With the I and F capitalized, the genre takes on the appearance of the small, artsy (read: sans explosions) film with known Hollywood actors and "only" a few million dollar budget.  They are usually produced by an affiliate of the main studio (Fox Searchlight) and have the look and feel of professionally produced film.  These often find there way to Cannes, and the better received instances (Sideways) will experience a run at the bigger theatres, often accompanied by a legitimate PR push.  This is hardly what I would call "representative" of the genre.
• independent film - No capitals here.  This somewhat truer interpretation of the word "independent" is generally still backed by the studio, but to a much lesser extent.  You probably won't recognize the actors, unless they're working for free, and the production value will be a little less polished.  However, the studio is on board for a reason, and some exceptional voices can be discovered here... even if they never make a mainstream appearance.  These can usually be found at the Charles and Landmark Theatres, for those with an eye for it.  And they make up a strong percentage of what you'll find at the film festivals... just like the one this weekend here in Baltimore.
• Studio-Free - These are more numerous, but much harder to find.  In case you didn't know it, there is an army of true independents out there with no budgets (maybe several grand gathered here and there from friends, family and the occasional wealthy benefactor) and just enough equipment to be dangerous.  And yet, these may be the hardest-working of the bunch.  Often holding down other jobs to support their habit, the studio-free filmmakers must bust their asses to stand out and be noticed... just to squeeze their way into the local film festival, hoping that the rep from Sony Pictures coming to see the latest Gus Van Sant flick will happen to spend 90 minutes in the theatre where their film is playing to pass the time.  A few of these (Clerks, Blair Witch Project, Sex, Lies and Videotape) sail high enough to get picked up by a studio and released to the general public, but the best these can usually hope for is to open someone's eyes to the talent therein and give them a chance at the next category up.
  Strangely enough, this is exactly where I fit in. 
• YouTube Nation - This is the frightening demon-child of free online video and cheap hand-held camcorders (including the ubiquitous cell-phone camera).  Although there is something beautiful and liberating about the thought as well.  Once people graduate from filming their best lip-sync performances and Jackass imitations, this can be a great window into the filmmaking world.  I imagine many future directors will be tracing their roots back to this venue, whether they will admit it or not...

So there you have it... my little introduction to the world of independent film.  So feel free to take this knowledge out to the world and use it wisely.  Or just swing by the Maryland Film Festival this weekend and check out on of the many interesting films in this year's lineup... including one by a high school classmate of mine, the hilariously bizarre comedy-thriller "Baghead", released by Sony Pictures Classics.  I'll be at the Charles Theatre this Friday at 10pm for that screening, I promise you!  If I see you there, feel free to buy me a beer after the show...

And if you're the least bit interested, feel free to check out the website of another local indie filmmaking team, Pasquinade Films, which features yours truly and a crack team of humorous individuals just trying to make their way in the Wild West world of studio-free movies. (Come on... if I can't use this forum for a little self-promotion, what good am I?) So check us out and share the love...

Don't be scared.

Warmly,
Mark Burlet
Drunken Intellectual