From Script to Screen: the differences between mainstream and independent films.

The elements packaged early in production of mainstream films differ from those of independent films. The job of the producer of a mainstream film is to find well-known actors in order to automatically advertise the film to the fans of the actors, drawing an audience to the film. This is different to the actors of independent film as the producer can’t pay for popular actors. As well as this, the mainstream producers might produce the film that is based on bestselling novels or stories. This way, it is recognised by the public and those who have read the book, creating an audience who would like to watch the film as they enjoyed reading the novel. A producer of an independent film may use a known novel, but not one that is as bestselling as that of a mainstream film. The producer may also hire an award-winning director to direct the film. An audience may be attracted to a favourite director, known for working on other famous films. This differs from the director of a mainstream film; the director may have won awards but it won’t be as famous as the director of a mainstream film. The opportunity to produce a sequel for the film is another attraction for a producer, as this is another attraction for an audience and therefore more profits. This is more often a mainstream element. The special effects of a mainstream film is an element not found in independent film due to costs and budgets; independent films cannot rely on special effects because they can’t afford to use them. It is the same for the location. A well known location may be used for the mainstream films, whereas cheaper locations would be used for an independent film. Both mainstream and independent films may use a popular genre in order to attract a greater audience.

The marketing for mainstream films differ greatly to those of independent films due to the difference in budget. A mainstream film may rely on TV trailers, cinema advertising, merchandising, and internet campaigns. These are high budget ways of advertising the films to reach out to a greater audience. Independent films would rely on word of mouth and free publicity, in order to save money. They may use cinema advertising and internet, but not as much as a mainstream film might use these methods. For both types of film, posters will be used for the marketing campaign of the film. They are cheap and can be presented to audiences almost anywhere, therefore gaining a greater audience. Film festivals are a great way for the producers of independent films to present their work to other producers and film enthusiasts, collecting a quite specific type of audience that are interested in mainly their genre.

The distribution of mainstream films is very great; many mainstream films would be distributed globally, released in cinemas all over the world, particularly in the USA and UK. This is because the distributers of these films are world-wide companies and have huge budgets to spend on distributing. The distributers of these films are companies such as 20th Century Fox, Universal and Walt Disney. The distribution of independent films is very different from this; the film would be released in maybe a few countries as the budget is very small. The distributing companies of these films include Verve Pictures, UK Film Council, and Pathé.

Films shown at mainstream cinemas include “Resident Evil: Afterlife” and “Toy Story 3”, whereas films shows at an independent cinema include “The illusionist” and “Cyrus”. These films are much less well known than the films of the mainstream cinema. The cinematic exhibition of mainstream films is mostly accounted for by big-name cinema companies such as Odeon. They can be released in both 2D and, more frequently, 3D. The films are repeatedly shown at the cinemas several times a day for a long time, thus generating massive takings. The DVD release in relation to the cinema release date is only a short period of time after; a few months between the release of the film and the release of the DVD. The exhibition of independent films is vastly different from that on mainstream films. These films are shown at independent cinemas in a few countries rather than worldwide. They are shown once at these cinemas, and not repeated like a mainstream film would be. Independent films are rarely released in 3D and many independent cinemas don’t have the technology to account for 3D films.
The mainstream film “Avatar” by James Cameron was released on DVD 4 months after its release at the cinemas. The profits made by this film are $2,770,445,498 for the theatrical release, and a further $146,683,188 by the DVD release. This, in comparison to the takings for the independent film “Tell No One” standing at $6,177,192, is huge.