Filmstudion

Cinema has been shaping our culture for decades. It has given us insight into our futures, and warnings from out past. Without cinema many of our most cherished memories would not exist. What most of us don’t know however, is that many of the best films have been done independently from the large studios. These indie films are probably more responsible for shaping modern cinema than the studio movies.

Indie films have been inspiring directors for many years. George A. Romero’s “Night of the living Dead,” filmed in 1968, has been inspiring directors since it was released. Filmed on a very tight budget, with money coming from several different investors, Romero struggled to create what would be a genre creating movie. His movie has inspired every single zombie movie that has since been produced. On the negative side, Romero taught indie directors a valuable lesson about finances. With so many separate investors, Romero lost the rights to his movie, and did not gain much money off the hit film.

Quentin Tarantino has become a school unto himself when it comes to indie directing. Most of his movies have been massive hits among the indie community. He has inspired every budding director to have no fears when it comes to their artwork. He has created original stories that, while sometimes negatively reviewed by critics, have consistently entertained his fans. If any indie director has learned anything from Tarantino, it is that entertaining movies can still be artful.

Indie directors have certainly shaped cinema for the better. With festivals like Sundance and many other local festivals, directors have been given an outlet for their artistic vision. The biggest improvement indie films have made on cinema is encouraging people to produce their art in their own way. Without studio interference, indie directors can make a vision that is truly all their own.