The New York Times - A Rebuilding Phase for Independent Film

What's happening with Indie films? An article that appeared Sunday in the Media & Advertising section of The New York Times paints a picture of an industry that had been flourishing, but after the financial collapse, downsizing of distributors and the end of the DVD boom, is now struggling to come back as a leaner version of itself:

Producers who routinely spent $12 million on a film five years ago are now being advised by Mr. Sloss and others to keep their budgets to a third of that.

“The independent film landscape is so different than it was, this is not the heyday of the ’90s,” said Mr. Rao. His Sri & Company has made a pair of Bollywood-style films, the second of which, “Badmaash Company,” is scheduled for release by Yash Raj Films of India next month. Mr. Rao’s company is lean enough that it has no office at all unless a film is in production.
“It’s an overhead-free world,” he said.

BUSINESS

A Rebuilding Phase for Independent Film

By MICHAEL CIEPLY

Published: April 25, 2010

The indie scene is getting a boost from fleet-footed, penny-pinching guerrilla operations that are trying to resuscitate the business.