The differences between a mainstream and independent film

The differences between a mainstream and independent film
By Jake Bromley

Mainstream films are described as films that are widely released in cinemas, examples of this would be Hollywood movies and blockbuster movies. Typical Mainstream movies are released in cinemas for a short period of time and are commercialized to attract customers and are then released for home use and sold in usually popular stores.
Independent films are described as films that a produced outside a major film studio, independent films are usually distinguished both by the style and the artistic way the director chooses to show them. Independent films have a considerably lower budget than Mainstream films. Independent films tend to have a limited release and are heard of by word of mouth usually and reach out to specific audiences.
There are many key differences from a Mainstream film to an Independent film; these differences are easily noticeable when watching the film paying attention to certain aspects of the way in which it was shot. These elements are decided early on in production such as; Actors, most independent films tend to use unknown actors whereas mainstream films often use A-list actors to appeal to an audience. The location, where the film is shot, this is usually a huge indication if the film is independent or mainstream, Independent films due to their budget cannot afford to film in expensive locations but mainstream are known for filming in expensive locations that their audience can recognize, like famous cities. Mainstream films are well known for using extravagant special effects, but Independent films use the least amount if not no special effects at all. These examples show us that the main differences between mainstream and independent is the budget, Mainstream films usually have a high budget allowing them to buy the rights make a film adaption of an already bestselling novel, they can afford to cast A-list actors that are sure to bring in an audience, however Independent films have a lower budget and therefore restrict them on location preventing them from filming in expensive locations and also gives known actors the opportunity to be in a film.
Mainstream films utilize their marketing strategies, they use trailers on television and DVDs, they advertise on the internet, magazines, posters and the radio. Marketing is one of the biggest things to consider when a film is in development, it is a way of communicating with the general public and trying to persuade them to come and see the film and the way mainstream films utilize this is by making sure their film is known by the majority of the public, they do this by buying advertisement slots on television so that when people are watching their favourite television programmes they will then see an advertisement for a film that they are unfamiliar with and in that moment the audience already have an opinion on the trailer and usually wish to learn more so they therefore decide to look up the film. The internet in recent years has been one of the most successful ways for mainstream films to advertise their films, with such easily accessible and popular websites such as: YouTube, which to this day has made a name for itself as being the world’s largest worldwide video sharing community allowing a vast audience of people to view trailers, clips and interviews of films online. Independent films however are marketed a lot differently, a resultant of independent films low budget, they often rely on word of mouth to market their films or alternatively the enter into a film festival in hope to have their work recognized and possibly win an award which can also boost the films popularity and increase the public’s knowledge of the film.
A difference between mainstream and independent is the distribution of the films, mainstream films are usually released internationally in various different cinemas, whereas independent films are sometimes direct to DVD releases, which means that the film is not released in a cinema, that after the film has been made it is put on sale in stores on a DVD, this sometimes means that independent films are not usually well known and are sometimes only discovered on a self in a store.
The exhibition of mainstream and independent differs, mainstream films are released on a wide scale in different cinemas internationally therefore it is very easy to see a mainstream film of your choice in a nearby mainstream cinema, whereas independent do not commonly get shown in mainstream cinemas and therefore are either not shown in cinemas or are shown in local cinemas which offer the viewings of independent films, a prime example of this would be: Cinema city, a cinema dedicated to the showings of independent films but also offer a mainstream film sometimes, this local cinema allows members of the general public a chance to view an independent film, when in other circumstances it would be difficult to view an independent film.