From Script to Screen

From Script to Screen: The differences between a mainstream and independent film during the four stages of industrial process


Production: A mainstream film can use A-list actors because they have a much higher budget than an independent film and therefore can attract bigger stars who demand higher salaries. The Director, Christopher Nolan, had always wanted Leonardo DiCaprio to act in one of his films and had had several meetings with him, but it wasn’t until he was asked to direct ‘Inception’ that DiCaprio finally agreed, due to the fact that he was ‘intrigued by the concept of the dream’. Directors of mainstream films choose famous actors because people will sometimes go to watch the films just because they are starring in them - or they like the type of films they are normally in – so this will help to widen the audience. This contrasts to independent film Directors who don’t have the budget to attract popular actors and therefore usually hire less known actors instead. In fact, in the film ‘This is England’ the lead actor, 11 year old Thomas Turgoose, had never acted before but was spotted on the street by Director/Writer Shane Meadows who asked him to star in the film. Due to the low budget, it was shot in residential areas of Nottingham including St Ann's, Lenton and The Meadows, which were suitable for the film’s plot. The film ‘Inception’ however, uses a lot of exotic locations including Tokyo, England, France and Los Angeles. Nolan first pitched his idea for the film ‘Inception’ to Warner Bros in 2001, but then felt that he needed ‘more experience making large-scale films’ and so embarked on ‘Batman Begins’ and ‘The Dark Knight’. Now as an accomplished Director, he realised he would need a bigger budget to make ‘Inception’ as most of the scenes would be difficult to film, because they were ‘filming literally a dream world where anything was possible’. Despite ‘This is England’ having a fraction of Inception’s budget, lots of people went to see the film and it won a BAFTA and 7 other awards because it reflected the mood of the moment.

In general, the Producer of a mainstream film often takes the idea from a best-selling novel and to keep up the momentum, looks to produce a sequel to obtain bigger profits, such as the Harry Potter movies. The independent film-maker will look at a lesser known novel which perhaps reflects the current social or political climate which will hopefully cover the costs and make some profit. The soundtrack for both types of films can be similar but the special effects are usually much more dramatic and exciting in a mainstream film where higher budgets allow this to happen. Both mainstream and independent films can use any genres to attract their audiences.
Marketing: Mainstream films are marketed in as many ways as possible using all types of media. Given a large budget this includes: TV, Cinema, internet advertising, merchandising and the actors attending several premieres around the world to drum up interest from a large crowd vying to see their favourite stars. If it is a family film, often actors will bring children to the openings to attract a wider audience which in itself becomes a worldwide media show. Whereas at an independent film premiere, actors will attract attention due to the film’s controversial and obscure theme, from a more select audience. Marketing may be limited to a newspaper spread, magazine flyers and posters on billboards which methods are also used by mainstream films. Independent film-makers often use Film Festivals to show their work to other Producers and film enthusiasts to increase their target audience. In the case of ‘Inception’, a viral marketing campaign began Spring 2010, then in June 2010 a manual filled with bizarre images and texts was sent to various Companies and as the month went on, posters, ads, phone applications and strange websites emerged creating a sense of intrigue. Warner Bros spent 100 million dollars marketing the film. This contrasts considerably with ‘This Is England’ where the whole budget for the film was estimated at 1.5 million pounds.


Distribution: For mainstream films the film companies, including Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox and Walt Disney, will set up a vast distribution service, releasing their films in cinemas around the world. These companies have large distribution budgets and are very organised so their audiences are well informed about film showings and timings. In contrast, the distribution of independent films is on a much smaller scale, due to the high costs and may only be shown in a selected number of cinemas in a few countries. Such companies are less known, Avatar Films, Dogwoof (for documentary and social films) and Indie Flix (an on-line independent media site).


Exhibition: Mainstream films are shown at large multi-screen cinema complexes throughout the world such as the Odeon and Vue. They can repeat a film many times each day using more than 1 screen, have spacious auditoriums and can easily cater for a huge turnaround of audiences. Films continue for several weeks in order to maximise profits before the DVD is released. In contrast, independent films are shown at independent cinemas (such as Cinema City in Norwich) in just a few countries. The films are broadcast on one screen, just a few times a day and only last for a short time. For example, the film ‘Oranges and Sunshine’ (2011, directed by Jim Loach), is currently being shown 4 times a day at Cinema City, but will be cut to 3 times a day in 3 days time and then will be reduced again to just twice daily until it finishes 4 days later, just 2 weeks after it was released.


With regard to the mainstream film ‘Inception’ it cost 160 million dollars to make, was released in UK cinemas on 16th July 2010, grossing an estimated 299 million pounds over its 11 week window here, then went to DVD on 3rd December 2010. In contrast ‘This Is England’ cost an estimated 1.5 million pounds to make, was released in UK cinemas on 27th April 2007, grossing an estimated 3.1 million pounds over its 4 week window, then went to DVD on 3rd September 2007.


On researching the cinema listings for Cinema City and Vue, I notice that a number of the mainstream blockbuster films have been introduced to Cinema City’s schedules in order to attract a wider audience. These include ‘Toy Story 3’ and ‘Avatar’. Because Avatar was expected to be a huge financial success, as it was widely acclaimed and took years making it, Cinema City installed the latest 3D projectors so it was shown to its full capacity and to compete with other cinemas.