The difference between independent and mainstream film openings

 

Independent and Mainstream film openings

Mainstream films are often widely released in cinemas for example mainstream films are often Hollywood films and blockbuster films. Mainstream films are released in cinemas and are advertised to attract customers and are then released for home use (DVD and Blue-ray). Independent films are often produced outside a major film studio, independent films are usually distinguished both by the style and the artistic way the director chooses to show them. Independent films have a considerably lower budget than Mainstream films. Independent films do not often have very much money to advertise the film.

In mainstream films there is often a predictable storyline from the film opening and many ways of showing the genre to the audience through the location and generic conventions being very stereotypical to the genre. The shots are often clear and much of the film is filmed in a studio. There is likely to be to be an establishing shot filmed outside showing the location is in a city or rural area etc. There is unlikely to be any hand held shots in the film opening as it may make the quality of the shot not very good. The editing equipment will be very expensive and therefore the titles in the film opening will be able to be put on the film in clever ways and many different fonts will be available to use in the film.

Quantum of solace  had extreme shots of a rural location (desert)
There are no hand held shots, it is clear the film is an action film and there will be deaths (narrative is very clear that there will be deaths and a women in the film as there are bullets, and women silhouettes)
The titles are through different transitions/ effects



Examples of Mainstream film companies



Lions gate

Walt Disney Pictures

Twentieth Century Fox

Warner Bros. Pictures

Sony Pictures






Many Independent films are filmed in unfamiliar locations and therefore there is not always an exterior extreme shot in the film opening. Technology used is not often of a high budget and therefore the titles in the opening sequence can often be of basic fonts. There may occasionally be handheld shots. Due to many independent films being targeted to a niche audience, the opening may not have extremely stereo typical generic conventions and a narrative that gives away the whole film storyline.

In the fall there is no extreme shot in the opening,
the film titles are in a basic font all the way through
the titles only fade in and out
there a many mid shots
the opening does not straight away tell the viewer the narrative of the whole film away
there is no non diegetic music




Examples of independent production companies

Blum House Production

Film 4

Warp Films