Mainstream Films versus Independent Films

By Angel Duncil

VS

What are the main institutions used for each of the films? (in terms of production and distribution?)

Boyhood Harry PotterIFC Films – an American

film distribution company based in New York City.Owned by AMC NetworksDistributes independent films and documentaries

Warner Bros. – an American entertainment companyOne of the major film studiosSubsidiary of Time WarnerHeadquarters based in Burbank California

How much money was used to produce each film and how much money was made from each of the films?

Boyhood Harry PotterBudget - $4 million

Box office - $46.4 millionBudget - $250 millionBox office - $934.4 million

How well known are the production companies for both the high-budget and low-budget film? IFC Films is not very well known as it is an independent based film distributor. Whereas Warner Bros. is one of the major film studios today and it produces not only film but they also expertise in the television and music entertainment. It has many subsidiary companies including DC Entertainment. List the differences between the high-budget film and the low-budget film in terms of the institutions. The clear difference between the two institutions is the profit they make from the films they produce. Warner Bros obviously makes more than IFC Films.

Another difference may be IFC Films produce more open minded films and focuses less on entertainment values. Their films intend to challenge, provoke, inform and educate whereas Warner Bros. focus more on entertainment values.

What other films has the production company made? Were these as successful? Why/why not? IFC Films produced ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ which was released in 2002 and this was considerably successful with a box office success of nearly $368 million. This film was the highest film produced by IFC and Boyhood is in second place. This is extremely successful for an low budget film as the budget was only $5 million.

Warner Bros.’ highest grossing film is The Dark Knight with a box office success of $1.005 billion with a high budget of $185 million. Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince is the company’s 12th highest gross filming behind other films from the Harry Potter series, The Matrix and others.

What genre of films does the company usually produce? Is this important when considering who could produce your film? Why? IFC Films’ highest grossing film is a Romantic Comedy but the rest are normally Drama or Documentary. On the other hand, Warner Bros’ top films are normally either Action or Adventure.

This is important when considering who could produce your film because some institutions may normally ‘master’ in a specific area such as special effects. If your film will require lots of special effects/animation then it will obviously be a high budget film thus needing a high-profiting company. Whereas if it just needs actors acting and an ‘everyday’ setting such as Drama then it might not require a high budget.

Warner Bros’ Top Grossing List

IFC Films Top Grossing List

What audiences do each of the institutions aim to appeal to? Is this reflected through their film choice, or does this vary?

As you can see from the previous slides (film lists), most of the Warner Bros.’ top movies have a rating of PG-13 meaning that they are aimed at teenagers and above. This is reflected through their film choice in some ways because Action and Adventure films may normally have some scenes such as violence that may not be suitable for children but are not bad enough to censor from teenagers.

In contrast, many of the top films from IFC Films have an ‘R’ rating meaning that their films are targeted more at adults. Seeing as these films are either Dramas or Documentaries, the plot may require more of an educated audience because it challenges and provokes the audience and these films are normally more open minded. They really make the audience think about things especially important issues in our society today. In addition to this, the movies may have a more realistic ending which may not be suitable for a younger audience as they will usually always prefer happy endings.

Which institution do you feel outperforms the other and could claim to be more successful, considering your research? Explain your reasons. In terms of money, Warner Bros. is obviously more successful as their films earn more and have higher budgets. Warner Bros. is one of the major film studios due to the high quality content they produce. Also, they focus more on entertainment purposes whereas IFC films are more intellectual and require people to think. IFC Films produce independent films therefore their content will most likely always be different from mainstream films.

Most people today will prefer films from companies such as Warner Bros. because they don’t require a lot of thinking and are solely for enjoyment. Though they are very high quality, the narrative in these films are normally not realistic. Alternatively, people who prefer more challenging and hard-hitting films will go to indie/low budget films. These films are more ‘natural’ as the actors are normally not as well known as those in mainstream films and this can also be seen in the lighting, mise en scene, angles used or just the film language used in general.