The New Hollywood and Independent Filmmaking

The Sound of Music (1965)
One of the blockbusters in 1960s

Robert Altman's M*A*S*H (1970)
Counterculture-flavored film

Hollywood was doing well during the 1960s. However, problems soon emerged. Because of expensive studio projects, television networks stopped bidding for films. This was one of the main reasons why Hollywood companies lost over $200 million every year.

One of the strategies producers did was to produce counterculture-flavored films. Their target audience in these films was the youth. However, these kinds of films did not change the condition of the industry. Films intended for broader audiences were the ones which improved the industry’s condition. These films were the films of the movie brats (click to read my blog entry about the movie brats).

Because of these filmmakers’ experience in film schools, their films reflected what they learned including film aesthetics and history. They were all admirers of the classical Hollywood tradition that is why many films in the New Hollywood were based on the old Hollywood. However, there are also directors who admired the European tradition and produced films influenced by European cinema. These are the reasons why many movie brats proved that they were the most successful directors of the era.

Steven Spielberg's successful film
Jurassic Park (1993)

In 1980s, new filmmakers won recognition which created a New New Hollywood. Filmmakers abroad (from Britain, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland) also contributed to the renaissance of Hollywood. Women filmmakers came to the limelight and became successful during this era. Also, minority directors independent film were absorbed by the New New Hollywood.

Because no film movement emerged during the 1970s and 1980s, the directors continued the tradition of classical Hollywood cinema. The editing remained continuous. Spielberg and Lucas were the ones who led the move toward the use of technology in films. It was also the less well-funded Hollywood filmmaking which promoted colorful styles. Different enhancements in conventional genre, narrative, and style were present.

By the end of 1990s, independent film tradition rose. Big-budget independent films expressed an experimental attitude. Filmmakers began to make more bold innovations with narrative form. Until now, directors are having many innovations to classical cinema in their films but still making it accessible to the audience.

Reference: Film Art by David Bordwell and Kristen Thompson