Abstract
This thesis examines the U.S. film industry from a political economic perspective to determine the state of independent film in relation to ownership, financing, and content. Since its conception, the film industry has been controlled by a small number of companies—that is, as an oligopoly. As such, films produced outside the sphere of the majority have been labeled ‘independent.’ However, these ‘independent’ film companies either have been co-opted into the conglomerate system or have adopted their business strategies to remain competitive in the industry. However, what classifies an independent film is subjective. Throughout literary research in this area, three characteristics were considered: financial sources, budget, and content. Therefore, to redefine ‘independent’ film, this thesis used a spectrum (Table 1.1) encompassing each of these elements to analyze and reclassify three Kevin Smith films, Clerks (1994), Dogma (1999), and Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008) into one of five categories: independent, somewhat independent, dependent, minor studio, and major studio. These films were also analyzed in a political economic context examining barriers to entry and effects in content.
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