Mainstream and independent American film
Mainstream films are made or released by big companies (studios) and aim at a very large audience. Typical signs: big budgets, well-known stars, familiar genres, large marketing, and a wide release (thousands of screens on one weekend).
The set mainstream options include Carol (2015, Todd Haynes), La La Land (2016, Damien Chazelle), Joker (2019, Todd Phillips), Little Women (2019, Greta Gerwig) and Nomadland (2020, Chloé Zhao). Some of these were made by smaller makers with studio partners; “mainstream” here means wide reach and industry backing, not only a giant budget.
What makes a film independent?
Independent films are made outside the major studios. They usually have small budgets (often under $10 million), fewer stars, and more freedom to take risks with story, style and subject. They often premiere at festivals (such as Sundance), get a limited release in a few cinemas, and grow through reviews and word of mouth.
The set independent options include Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012, Benh Zeitlin), Captain Fantastic (2016, Matt Ross), Moonlight (2016, Barry Jenkins), Get Out (2017, Jordan Peele) and Promising Young Woman (2020, Emerald Fennell).
The line is blurry: specialist companies such as A24 and Blumhouse make low-budget films that can become big hits, and indie films can win top awards.
Studying film form
Film form means how a film is put together. Study key sequences through:
- Cinematography: shot size, angle, camera movement, colour and lighting.
- Mise-en-scène: everything in the frame: setting, costume, props, actors' positions.
- Editing: how shots are joined, the pace, and how time is handled.
- Sound: dialogue, music, effects and silence; diegetic (inside the story world) or non-diegetic (added for the audience).
- Performance: how actors use voice, face and body.
Always link a technique to its effect and meaning: not just “a close-up”, but “a close-up keeps us in the character's feelings”.
Contexts: when, how and why the film was made
- Production context: who paid, the budget, the studio or company, the technology.
- Social and cultural context: issues of the time, such as debates about race, gender, class and who gets to tell stories on screen (for example the #OscarsSoWhite debate of 2015–16).
- Industry change since 2012: streaming services grew fast, digital cameras became standard, and big franchise films took a larger share of cinema screens, pushing many mid-budget dramas towards indie companies and streamers.
How to write a comparison
- Pick a shared theme (dreams, identity, family, outsiders, the American city).
- Choose one key sequence from each film.
- Compare film form: how does each use camera, colour, music or editing to show the theme?
- Explain differences using context: budget, audience, the company, the time.
- Conclude: what does the pair tell us about American film today?
Example pair: La La Land and Moonlight (both 2016). Both are about who a person becomes. One uses bright colour, song and long flowing takes; the other uses intimate close-ups, rich coloured light on faces and a three-part structure.
Try it: map a trailer
Watch an official trailer of one mainstream and one indie film. Count the cuts in the first 30 seconds of each. Note the music and how often the stars' names appear. Predict which film had the bigger budget, then check. In the 3D, pick each film and compare its side and themes.
Key formulas and definitions
- Mainstream: big studio, big budget, stars, wide release
- Independent: outside major studios, small budget, festivals, limited release
- Film form: cinematography, mise-en-scène, editing, sound, performance
- Diegetic sound: inside the story world; non-diegetic: added for the audience
- Contexts: production, social, cultural, political, institutional
Worked examples
1. Why might a director choose to make a film independently?
More creative control, freedom to tell a risky or personal story, and fewer demands to appeal to everyone. The cost is a smaller budget and smaller release.
2. Name a shared theme you could use for Little Women and Captain Fantastic.
Family: both follow a family of siblings and ask how young people find their own path, one in 19th-century America, one in a modern off-grid family.
3. How could you compare the use of colour in La La Land and Moonlight?
La La Land uses bold primary colours in costume and set to recall classic musicals and show dreams. Moonlight uses saturated blues and pinks in lighting to show mood and memory, staying close to the characters' faces.
4. How does context help explain Get Out?
It was a low-budget horror film made with a specialist genre company. Released in 2017 during wide public debate about race in the USA, it used horror to comment on racism, which helped it reach a huge audience.
Common mistakes
- Just retelling the plot. Analyse how film form creates meaning.
- Saying independent means amateur. Many indie films are highly skilled and win major awards.
- Naming techniques without effect ("there is a close-up"). Always say what it makes us feel or think.
- Comparing the films separately in two halves. Compare them point by point.