Independent Film Winter's Bone

According to Geoff King independent cinema is defined by ”the position of individual films, or filmmakers, in terms of (1) their industrial location, (2) the kinds of formal/aesthetic strategies they adopt and (3) their relationship to the broader social, cultural, political or ideological landscape. Strategies vary, at each level. Some films customarily designated as ‘independent’ operate at a distance from the mainstream in all three respects: they are produced in an ultra-low-budget world a million miles from that of the Hollywood blockbuster; they adopt formal strategies that disrupt or abandon the smoothly flowing conventions associated with the mainstream Hollywood style; and they offer challenging perspectives on social issues, a rarity in Hollywood.” I personally agree with this statement, because independent films follow these norms. There is not a lot of money for them and they usually center around an issue that is either too taboo for hollywood, or something that they cannot focus on. Based on this definition the film Winter’s Bone can be defined as an independent film. It is located in a remote place, a different side of poor america, that seldom gets seen. We get to see people struggle, and try to make ends meet, but in a completely different way that had been done previously.The characters are real and gritty, and not exaggerated versions of people, such as the perfect boyfriend, or an extremely loving mom, as we have come to see in many movies. It couldn’t be further away from what Hollywood is, such as the glamour and money, where people's intentions aren’t survival, as in the film, but something entirely superficial. The way in which the film was shot was also like an independent film usually does, showing everything as is, not requiring much other light or extra props.The people also don't look made up, and their clothing seems like something you would wear. As far as budget for a film goes Winter’s Bone had one worth two million, which may seem like a lot, but considering all the extra costs of distributing and such, it is a relatively cheap movie to make. As far as narrative structure goes it is the only place where Winter’s Bone could be seen as a non-independent film. The film centers around Ree’s journey to finding her dad, and trying to keep the house her family lives in. In this way she is a goal-oriented character like the myriad of Hollywood films out there. In the end she achieves her goal and is better off for it. Although she may still be poor and in a generally bad situation she accomplished what she set out to do, unlike in many indie films. Despite this, however, the film had many unpredictable outcomes, and for the most part followed in the indie spirit.