Overview

This undergraduate textbook examines American independent cinema from the very beginnings of US cinema and includes chapters on independence within the studio system, B Films, exploitation cinema and independent cinema in the age of the conglomerates. In the 10 years since the first edition of the book was published, there have been a number of developments within film industry in general, many of which impact upon American independent cinema. Social media, web 2:0, mobile entertainment, digital production and distribution, were all in incipient phase during the mid-2000s but have been moving with giant strides ever since. In the process they have contributed to redefinitions of all media sectors, including the US independent cinema one, which a new chapter within this second edition will tackle. With an updated design, student friendly features such as case studies and filmographies, and an increased extent, this new edition should gain numerous adoptions in the UK and US.

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9781474416849

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Reviews

"This new edition of Yannis Tzioumakis's invaluable introduction to American independent film charts its trajectory into the New Millennium and the realm of Indiewood, specialty films, and digital cinema. There is simply nothing like this book in terms of its scope, its depth, and its nuanced history of independent filmmaking.--Thomas G. Schatz, University of Austin The second edition of American Independent Cinema rocks! Covering influential films, surveying cultural shifts, and charting industrial changes from the mid-1920s and the studio era to today's digital age of media convergence, AIC is an authoritative, readable, and eminently teachable study of what is now a vast and complicated field.--Chris Holmlund, University of Tennessee-Knoxville The very first sentence of this extremely useful volume admits that American independent cinema is ""a notoriously difficult concept to define."" Fortunately, Tzioumakis (film and media industries, Univ. of Liverpool, UK) devotes the next 300 pages to doing just that--defining, charting, and assessing the history of independent films, filmmakers, and production companies in the US. The book's nine chapters proceed chronologically from the studio era (1920s-40s), when eight dominant companies produced three-fourths of all US feature films, to the 2010s, when new digital filmmaking technologies, the pervasiveness of social media, and new forms of media delivery combined to significantly reinvigorate the scene for independent filmmakers and their audiences. This second edition improves on the first (published 2006) by analyzing these latest developments and by adding three new case studies--bringing the total to 15--from Stagecoach (1939) to Tangerine (2015). Throughout, Tzioumakis writes clearly and concisely, with citations to diverse scholarship, news reports, and trade journals. Perfect for those studying the US film industry, this volume should appeal to those interested in film, media studies, and popular culture.'--J. I. Deutsch, George Washington University ""CHOICE"""

Throughout, Tzioumakis writes clearly and concisely, with citations to diverse scholarship, news reports, and trade journals. Perfect for those studying the US film industry, this volume should appeal to those interested in film, media studies, and popular culture.- -J. I. Deutsch, CHOICE

Author Information

Yannis Tzioumakis is Lecturer in Media and Communication Studies at the University of Liverpool. His research specialises in American independent cinema and the business of media entertainment.

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