Posted at 14:14h
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Film Fundamentals
Low budget indie movies are hot.
That is supposedly the
message from the recent Sundance Festival, where distribution purchase records were being set. Titles were being grabbed at $2.5 million (
Fruitvale), $4 million (both
Austenland and
Don Jon's Addiction), and finally hitting the grand jackpot of $10 million for
The Way, Way Back.
Are they sure this was Sundance? Sounds more like a sweepstake being worked by
Ed McMahon. But hey, it's a great boom for a few indie filmmakers. The question is: Does this help the indie business?
It certainly suggests a resurgence of interest in medium budget movies. Take for example
The Way, Way Back. It's not really low, low budget. It was directed by the two guys who previously scripted
The Descendants, which means that they are not exactly newcomers. (If you count TV, they've been around for a while). It's designed to be a slightly quirky, mildly feel-good, low key crowd pleaser.
In other words, it is the kind of movie that mainstream Hollywood use to make on a more regular basis several decades ago.