The difference between independent films and Hollywood films is essentially the same as the difference between the products created by any big, publicly-traded corporation and any upstart, risk-taking, entrepreneurial small business. A publicly-traded corporation (like the ones Hollywood film studios are all owned by) ultimately exists for one purpose, and that is to maximize profits for shareholders– not only that, but all of the rumor and innuendo that drives stock prices creates incentives for fast profits now. And while generating those fast profits, big corporations are also averse to major risks that will lose their shareholders’ investment (unless of course, you’re JPMorgan Chase & Co., in which case the taxpayer will always bail you out).
If profit’s your primary motive, you’re going to produce a different kind of product than a small upstart business. The small business needs to make a profit as well in order to be viable and sustainable, but the profit is the means, not the end. It’s the means to continue producing that awesome product idea an entrepreneur had. For the small business, it’s about the idea, the product, the new way of thinking. There’s an excitement, a passion, a very real humanness that drives their work. Drink a Coco-Cola today, then tomorrow, drink a Jones Soda. That’s the difference between Hollywood films and indie films...
The Silver Underground.
Wes Messamore,
Editor in Chief, THL
Articles | Author's Page
