Geoff King

FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS

This paper considers Gus Van Sants Gerry (2002) and Elephant (2003) as manifestations of contemporary American independent cinema that, characteristically, balance departures from mainstream/Hollywood convention with the use of frameworks that locate such films as marketable to particular niche audiences. The initial focus is on the use of formal devices, particularly in the very‐long take, that mark these films out as distinct from typical mainstream production. Aspects of international art cinema are drawn upon to situate such films within particular regions of the independent spectrum—the latter being understood here as an example of what Pierre Bourdieu terms a ‘field of cultural production’, in this case one that stretches from the avant‐garde to the margins of Hollywood. Formal analysis is considered in relation to the substantive content of the two films and the specific contexts in which each was produced and distributed, and in relation to the kinds of audiences to which they are likely to be targeted.

Striking a balance between culture and fun: ‘quality’ meets hitman genre in In Bruges

This paper gives an analysis of In Bruges (2008) that situates the film as a hybrid product offering a mixture of signifiers of cinematic ‘quality’ and ‘lower’ genre ingredients. This paper also considers the extent to which In Bruges offers a combination of tonal registers in which irony and detachment, as markers of distinction, are blended with a more mainstream-oriented appeal to emotional engagement on the part of the viewer, and considers how this might be related to the broader social and industrial contexts in which it appeared.

A Companion to American Indie Film

• Takes a comprehensive and fresh new look at the topic of American indie film • Features newly commissioned essays from top film experts and emerging scholars that represent the state-of-the-art reference to the indie film field • Topics covered include: indie film culture; key historical moments and movements in indie film history; relationships between indie film and other indie media; and issues including class, gender, regional identity and stardom in in the indie field • Includes studies of many types of indie films and film genres, along with various filmmakers and performers that have come to define the field