When it comes to Hollywood, it’s easy to assume that franchises rule all. More often than not, blockbusters work on budgets ballooning into nine figures when you’re dealing with major studios, which means it isn’t easy for new voices to bring their work to the silver screen.
Nevertheless, it’s still possible for emerging filmmakers to tell a great story at a fraction of the cost. The term “indie” has gotten muddied over the years. Here, we break down the classic definition, the ways the field has evolved over time, and the benefits for actors.
In the golden age of Hollywood, major studios dominated the industry—specifically the “big five”: Warner Bros., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 20th Century Fox, RKO, and Paramount. Classically, any film produced outside that system was deemed independent. Rather than relying on the financial backing of a major company, indie filmmakers raised funds and completed projects largely on their own.
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This means working on a much lower budget, yes; but it also means having the freedom to take risks and tackle controversial themes without fear of alienating larger audiences.
This brand of cinematic risktaking really took hold with the emergence of New Hollywood filmmakers in the 1960s and ’70s. Prominent practitioners include William Friedkin, Martin Scorsese, and Robert Altman. Their work had a major influence on filmmakers like Steven Soderbergh (“Sex, Lies, and Videotape”) and Robert Rodriguez (“El Mariachi”).
However, it became harder to pin down what constituted indie cinema when Hollywood began to evolve past the “major studios or nothing” model.
While they don’t have the same stranglehold on the industry as they once did, major studios like Disney, Paramount, Sony, NBCUniversal and Amazon MGM Studios still dominate the big screen. But they’ve found challengers in streaming services like Netflix and Apple TV+ that, though they don’t fit the traditional studio model, work with budgets in the hundreds of millions.
Then there’s the success of smaller companies like distributor-turned–production company A24, which proved itself a major player when Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once” swept the Oscars in 2023. These types of studios give filmmakers leeway to back projects that, though they feel like indies, receive wide releases and make big waves at the box office.
Additionally, some larger studios have acquired independent production companies, allowing them to expand to smaller-budget films with an artsy sheen. For example, though NBCUniversal might best be known for major franchises like “Jurassic Park,” the company also owns Focus Features, which releases projects like Edward Berger’s “Conclave” and Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain.”
For purists, “true” independent cinema does still exist—and some projects even break through to wider audiences. For example, Curry Barker made found-footage horror film “Milk & Serial,” which was released for free on YouTube, on a budget of just $800. To date, the movie has received more than one million views.
Influential independent films
“The Connection” (1961), dir. Shirley Clarke
Arguably the first found-footage film ever made, this feature debut from avant garde artist Clarke is presented as raw documentary footage collected by fictional director Jim Dunn (William Redfield) and his cameraman, J.J. Burden (Roscoe Lee Browne). Immersing the viewer in the lives of eight heroin-addicted jazz musicians, “The Connection” sparked significant conversation over censorship when New York’s Department of Education voted to block release over its explicit content. Eventually, the New York State Court of Appeals ensured “The Connection” could be screened in the same city it depicted so viscerally.
“Easy Rider” (1969), dir. Dennis Hopper
The defining counterculture movie, “Easy Rider” and its tale of two bikers heading to New Orleans earned $60 million on a miniscule $375,000 budget, as well as two Oscar nominations for its screenplay and Jack Nicholson’s supporting actor performance. The result of all that success was essentially a new age of filmmaking, as studios recognized a hunger for deeper, more controversial topics and turned to New Hollywood filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Friedkin, and Brian De Palma.
“Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song” (1971), dir. Melvin Van Peebles
The launching pad for blaxploitation cinema, “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song” is one of history’s most vivid celebrations of do-it-yourself ethos. Despite a three-picture offer from Columbia Pictures, Van Peebles couldn’t find a home for this story of a man on the run for a murder he didn’t commit. So, he served as star, writer, director, co-producer, and editor himself; the result of the 19-day, $500,000 shoot earned more than $10 million at the box office.
“The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” (1974), dir. Tobe Hooper
Made on a budget of just $140,000 with a cast of unknown actors, “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” built the foundations for the slasher genre. Despite having difficulty finding distribution due to its violent content, the movie was a massive box office success and went on to launch a nine-film franchise.
“Eraserhead” (1977), dir. David Lynch
Before Lynch became the king of surrealist cinema, he was trying to make his first feature, “Eraserhead,” on a shoestring budget. Production on this dreamlike story of a man (Jack Nance) and his deformed baby spanned five years because the team kept running out of money. Though the director received some funding from the American Film Institute—as well as from actor Jack Fisk and his wife, Sissy Spacek—Lynch went as far as delivering newspapers to make extra cash. When it was finally released, “Eraserhead” became a pioneer of the midnight movie genre. The film’s success drew the interest of Mel Brooks, leading him to become an executive producer on Lynch’s big-studio debut, 1980’s “The Elephant Man.”
“Losing Ground” (1982), dir. Kathleen Collins
This film broke ground as one of the first feature-length dramas to be directed by an African American woman—a testament to the opportunities indie cinema offers. Collins shot “Losing Ground,” produced by the now-defunct Milestone Film and Video, on a $125,000 budget. The movie centers on the strained relationship between a New York philosophy professor (Seret Scott) and her painter husband (Bill Gunn) during a summer away from the city.
“She’s Gotta Have It” (1986), dir. Spike Lee
Shot over two weeks on a $175,000 budget, the feature debut of visionary filmmaker Lee follows a Brooklyn-based graphic artist (Tracy Camilla Johns) who is dating three men at once. The black-and-white dramedy launched a legendary career and, as critic D. J. R. Bruckner wrote in the New York Times, “ushered in (along with Jim Jarmusch’s ‘Stranger Than Paradise’) the American independent film movement of the 1980s.”
“Daughters of the Dust” (1991), dir. Julie Dash
The first feature film directed by an African American woman to get a wide release in the United States, Dash’s “Daughters of the Dust” is a gorgeous, nonlinear tone poem. Shot for less than $1 million, the film follows three generations of women hailing from South Carolina’s Gullah community as they contemplate a move North in 1902.
“Reservoir Dogs” (1992), dir. Quentin Tarantino
This now-legendary director originally planned to shoot his feature debut, about a group of criminals whose heist goes horribly wrong, on a $30,000 budget. But when the script landed in the hands of Harvey Keitel, who wanted to help produce the film and later starred in it, that figure bumped up to $1.5 million. The boost also attracted well-known actors like Steve Buscemi and Tim Roth.
“Clerks” (1994), dir. Kevin Smith
This slacker comedy is rightly considered to be one of the most important indie movies ever made. Shot for less than $30,000, it probably wouldn’t have stood a chance in the major studio system. The plot, revolving around a couple of guys who work at a convenience store in New Jersey, is as bare bones as it gets. But the strength of its witty, sardonic dialogue made it a success at the Sundance Film Festival, leading to a surprisingly fruitful box office run. Smith’s feature debut proved that audiences were interested in seeing their actual experiences reflected on film.
Exposure and experience: It’s always better to be working than not. Regardless of budget, performing in an indie film will keep you busy, help you gain experience on set, and get credits to add to your résumé and demo reel—and you’ll need both if you want to land representation.
“The more you are on film sets using your acting skills, the more confident you will feel going into auditions and meetings. Work begets work,” says acting teacher Mae Ross. “Actors who are working—even on smaller-scale projects—tend to feel more confident because they have interesting projects to talk about and more experience to draw from.”
Plus, you truly never know how far an indie movie will go. For example, James Wan’s 2004 horror film “Saw,” which received most of its slim $1 million budget from the then–brand new Twisted Pictures, went on to become a $1 billion franchise that’s spawned 11 films and counting.
Networking opportunities: Making connections in Hollywood is essential to advancing your career in the industry. On an indie production, you’ll not only rub elbows with fellow performers, but also with professionals from all corners of the industry. “You never know who you’ll meet on set,” Ross says. “You may meet a production assistant who later becomes a film director—this happens!—and remembers how fabulously talented and kind you were on set. You may meet an art department set dresser who is also a writer—this happens!—and wants to collaborate with you on a project. You will also make friends—fun, creative friends! Film sets are magnets for interesting and talented people; enjoy the process of building relationships.”
More interesting roles: Without the pressure of trying to reach the widest audience possible, indie projects often give performers the opportunity to expand their range and make bold choices. “There’s usually a lot of space and latitude given to actors and opportunities to go outside the box and have a really raw or unusual performance,” says actor Julianna Robinson (“The Funeral Guest,” “Aaah! Zombies!!”).
Actor Tirosh Schneider (“Re-Entry,” “Couscous, Hand-Rolled, With Olives”) agrees: “I love the collaboration of indie projects, and that most of the cast and crew are there for the love of the craft above all. They are some of the warmest, kindest, most encouraging sets I’ve been on. It always feels like the role becomes 50% what’s on the page and 50% me.”