To an Independent Film is a film is which you create yourself free from the opinions of others. In an independent film, you’re the artist and the product that is your creation is yours alone.

Recently I went in to my collection of dvd’s and picked out Do The Right Thing and I have to say of all the films directed by the talented and versatile Spike Lee (a list that includes Malcolm X, He Got Game, and Inside Man among others) this has to be his greatest achievement.

The film’s setup takes place during the hottest day of the summer in a mostly Black and Hispanic neighborhood of the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, a borough of New York City.The main plot of this ensemble piece involves the situation of Mookie, (played by Lee) a young black pizza delivery man for Sal’s famous pizzeria owned and operated by Sal or Salvatore, (convincingly played by Danny Aiello) an Italian American who has owned the place for twenty five years and operates with his sons Pino (John Turturro) and Vito (Richard Edson). The relationship between Mookie and Sal acts as a microcosm for the tenuous or strained race relations between residents of the entire neighborhood that we see as the day wears on and becomes night eventually escalates into acts of violence.

With smart and purposeful direction by Lee, beautifully vivid cinematography , a strong cast filled with a great amount of entertaining and interesting characters, a solid soundtrack led by the group Public Enemy and their song Fight The Power that features prominently throughout the picture, and mesmerizing ending that you won’t expect and leaves the viewer to decide for themselves whether or not violence can be the right thing to do. So if you are not busy and want to see a thought provoking picture that can start a conversation I strongly recommend this one to be it.

Links:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097216/

Harmony Korine was born in Bolinas California to Eve and Sol Korine and was raised in Nashville Tennessee. When Korine turned 18 he went to study literature at NYU, he dropped out after only one semester. During this time in New York he met Larry Clark in a Park who later when on to direct Kids. When Korine wrote the screenplay for Kids he was still a teenager. Korine uses a unique and experimental style to display his feelings in film. Korine expertly streams almost unrelated scenes and images together using unique experimental tools for his films to make them seem more realistic. Some of these tools are blackface, mental disorders, poverty and nonprofessional film. Instead of focusing on plot and character development or relationships, Korine uses raw footage and shocking image to convey a feeling. This feeling is felt differently between every viewer which is a difficult thing to do in a work of art. Korine doesn’t necessarily like to put meanings or messages into his films because he believes that these things belittle the audience. Korine talks about his take his take on film “I’m not really so interested in it working on a purely cerebral level. I’m much more concerned with it on an emotional level and that you leave feeling a certain way.” Korine has also experimented with other forms of art such as short films, photography, literature, and also music. (more…)

A little personal reflection on what independent film means to me. Not being one who likes to be in front of the camera very much, I took some footage of the garland of cranes I folded and recorded audio to run with it.

Here’s a video depicting what independent meant, and now means to me. Enjoy!

When looking for the answers to what independent film is, you look to other people or books. Yet sometimes the answer is right there in front of you.

Hey Everyone!

Here’s a quick movie I made for our “What is independent film to you?” assignment. I hope you enjoy.

This is a short video I made about what independent film is to me and it’s importance. The background music is “Stuck In The Middle With You” by Stealers Wheeler from the Reservoir Dogs soundtrack.  Enjoy!

How many people know what independent film is or what it means to be an indie film? I decided to ask your average mall goers on a fine Sunday afternoon to see what they had to say.

Kimberly Pierce

Kimberly Peirce is a passionate American feature film director. She was born in Pennsylvania is 1967 and since then has been all over the globe. While attending the University of Chicago she traveled to Japan for two years to work as an English teacher and photographer. After college she attended Columbia University as a graduate film student. It was here that she put her name on the map as a promising aspiring director after making a short film that was nominated for the Princess Grace Award by the Columbia Faculty. The film was her thesis project inspired by the life and death of Brandon Teena, a transgender from Nebraska who was raped and murdered. (more…)