Overview

This introduction to American Independent Cinema offers both a comprehensive industrial and economic history of the sector from the early twentieth century to the present and a study of key individual films, filmmakers and film companies. Ordered chronologically, beginning with independent filmmaking in the studio era (examining both top-rank and low-end independent film production), moving to the 1950s and 1960s (discussing both the adoption of independent filmmaking as the main method of production as well as exploitation filmmaking) and finishing with contemporary American independent cinema (exploring areas such as the New Hollywood, the rise of mini-major and major independent companies and the institutionalisation of independent cinema in the 1990s), readers will develop an understanding of the complex dynamic relations between independent and mainstream American cinema. Thoroughly updated to include developments from the mid-2000s onwards, this second edition includes new case studies, a new chapter on American Independent Cinema in the Age of Media Convergence, a new prologue and an enhanced epilogue and bibliography. Each chapter includes case studies focusing on specific films or filmmakers, and independent production and distribution companies are discussed throughout the text.

Full Product Details

Author:   Yannis Tzioumakis (Reader, University of Liverpool)
Publisher:   Edinburgh University Press
Imprint:   Edinburgh University Press
Edition:   2nd edition
Weight:   0.631kg
ISBN:  

9781474416849

ISBN 10:   1474416845
Pages:   352
Publication Date:   14 September 2017
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Problems of Definition and the Discourse of American Independent Cinema; Part one: American independent cinema in the studio years (mid-1920s-late 1940s); Chapter One: Independent Filmmaking in the Studio Era: Tendencies within the Studio System; Introduction The First Independents; Independents before the Formation of the Studios; Independents at the Age of Oligopoly; The First Period (mid-/late 1920s- 1939); Economic Constraints; Independent Production vs. Studio-Unit Production; Some Economic Opportunities The Second Period (1940 - 1948); The Industry Wide Shift; The End of the War Boon; Conclusion; Chapter Two: Independent Filmmaking in the Studio Era: The Poverty Row Studios (1930-1950); Introduction; Monogram Pictures; Republic Pictures; Grand National Films; Independent B Films vs. Studio B Films; Producers Releasing Corporation; Upgrading the Product; The Decline of the 8 Film Market; Conclusion; Beyond Poverty Row: Ethnic Films; PART TWO: THE TRANSITIONAL YEARS (late 1940s-late 1960s); Chapter Three: Independence by Force: The Effects of the Paramount Decree on Independent Film Production; Introduction; The Paramount Decree; The Postwar Recession; Identity Crisis; The United Artists' Revival; Independent Production: The United Artists Way; Production; Distribution; The Reasons Behind the Success; The Triumph of A Brand of Independent Production... and of the Majors; Conclusion. Chapter Four: An Audience for the Independents: Exploitation Films for the Nation's Youth; Introduction; The Emergence of the Teenager and the Rise of Youth Audience; From Poverty Row to Exploitation and Showmanship; The Era of the Drive In Theatres; Low-end Independents against Television The Exploitation Teenpic and the Companies Behind It; Sam Katzman; American International Pictures; Embassy Pictures; William Castle Productions; Roger Corman and the Filmgroup; The Majors and the Low-Budget Exploitation; Market; Conclusion; Part three: Contemporary American independent cinema (late 1960s - to date); Chapter Five: The New Hollywood and the Independent Hollywood; Introduction; The New American Cinema; The Influence of John Cassavetes; The New Hollywood; Conclusion; Chapter Six: American Independent Cinema in the Age of the Conglomerates; Introduction; Raising the Stakes; Economic Opportunities in the Low-budget Independent Sector (late 1960s- 1974); The End of Exploitation as We Know It; The Gradual Rise and Rapid Fall of American International Pictures. From the Theatrical to the Video Market A New Hope: The Birth of the New American independent Cinema Conclusion; Chapter Seven: Mini-Majors and Major Independents; Introduction; A Star Is Born; The New Orion Constellation; The Shining Star; The Fading Star; The Last Bonfires; The Fall; Conclusion; Chapter Eight: The Institutionalisation of American Independent Cinema; Introduction; A Business of Co-dependents; Institutional Framework (1) Organisations Dedicated to Supporting Independent Filmmaking, Finance; Opportunities and Independent Distributors; Institutional Framework (2) The Classics Divisions; The Aesthetics Factor Conclusion; Chapter Nine: American Independent Cinema in the Age of Convergence; Introduction; The Success of Indiewood; The Studio Pullout from the Specialty Film Sector and the Demise of Miramax; Regeneration: Digital Film Production, Distribution and Exhibition in the Margins; Independent Film in the Age of Social Media Conclusion: A Converged American Independent Cinema?; New Epilogue: From Independent to Specialty Cinema; BIBLIOGRAPHY; ENDNOTES

Reviews

"This new edition of Yannis Tzioumakis's invaluable introduction to American independent film charts its trajectory into the New Millennium and the realm of Indiewood, specialty films, and digital cinema. There is simply nothing like this book in terms of its scope, its depth, and its nuanced history of independent filmmaking.--Thomas G. Schatz, University of Austin The second edition of American Independent Cinema rocks! Covering influential films, surveying cultural shifts, and charting industrial changes from the mid-1920s and the studio era to today's digital age of media convergence, AIC is an authoritative, readable, and eminently teachable study of what is now a vast and complicated field.--Chris Holmlund, University of Tennessee-Knoxville The very first sentence of this extremely useful volume admits that American independent cinema is ""a notoriously difficult concept to define."" Fortunately, Tzioumakis (film and media industries, Univ. of Liverpool, UK) devotes the next 300 pages to doing just that--defining, charting, and assessing the history of independent films, filmmakers, and production companies in the US. The book's nine chapters proceed chronologically from the studio era (1920s-40s), when eight dominant companies produced three-fourths of all US feature films, to the 2010s, when new digital filmmaking technologies, the pervasiveness of social media, and new forms of media delivery combined to significantly reinvigorate the scene for independent filmmakers and their audiences. This second edition improves on the first (published 2006) by analyzing these latest developments and by adding three new case studies--bringing the total to 15--from Stagecoach (1939) to Tangerine (2015). Throughout, Tzioumakis writes clearly and concisely, with citations to diverse scholarship, news reports, and trade journals. Perfect for those studying the US film industry, this volume should appeal to those interested in film, media studies, and popular culture.'--J. I. Deutsch, George Washington University ""CHOICE"""

This new edition of Yannis Tzioumakis's invaluable introduction to American independent film charts its trajectory into the New Millennium and the realm of Indiewood, specialty films, and digital cinema. There is simply nothing like this book in terms of its scope, its depth, and its nuanced history of independent filmmaking.--Thomas G. Schatz, University of Austin The second edition of American Independent Cinema rocks! Covering influential films, surveying cultural shifts, and charting industrial changes from the mid-1920s and the studio era to today's digital age of media convergence, AIC is an authoritative, readable, and eminently teachable study of what is now a vast and complicated field.--Chris Holmlund, University of Tennessee-Knoxville The very first sentence of this extremely useful volume admits that American independent cinema is ""a notoriously difficult concept to define."" Fortunately, Tzioumakis (film and media industries, Univ. of Liverpool, UK) devotes the next 300 pages to doing just that--defining, charting, and assessing the history of independent films, filmmakers, and production companies in the US. The book's nine chapters proceed chronologically from the studio era (1920s-40s), when eight dominant companies produced three-fourths of all US feature films, to the 2010s, when new digital filmmaking technologies, the pervasiveness of social media, and new forms of media delivery combined to significantly reinvigorate the scene for independent filmmakers and their audiences. This second edition improves on the first (published 2006) by analyzing these latest developments and by adding three new case studies--bringing the total to 15--from Stagecoach (1939) to Tangerine (2015). Throughout, Tzioumakis writes clearly and concisely, with citations to diverse scholarship, news reports, and trade journals. Perfect for those studying the US film industry, this volume should appeal to those interested in film, media studies, and popular culture.'--J. I. Deutsch, George Washington University ""CHOICE""

Throughout, Tzioumakis writes clearly and concisely, with citations to diverse scholarship, news reports, and trade journals. Perfect for those studying the US film industry, this volume should appeal to those interested in film, media studies, and popular culture.- -J. I. Deutsch, CHOICE

Author Information

Yannis Tzioumakis is Reader in Film and Media Industries at the University of Liverpool. His research specialises in American independent cinema and the business of media entertainment. His books include American Independent Cinema: An Introduction (EUP, 2006), The Spanish Prisoner (EUP, 2009), and Greek Cinema: Texts, Histories Identities (Intellect, 2011). He is also the co-editor of ""American Indies"" (EUP), a 6-volume book series that examines key titles from the contemporary US independent film scene.

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