MovieChat Forums > Heights (2005) Discussion > Sundance used to be for Indies

Sundance used to be for Indies

posted 19 years ago by corinnewaters
8 replies | jump to latest

Not any longer! Sundance is now a Festival for Hollywood insiders who "slum" making a movie outside of the studios.

Witness the cast of Heights. Does anyone really think anyone outside the Hollywood establishment can get such a cast for a small film?

Nothing against Mr. Terrio, the same can be said of most Sundance entries.

There's not even anything wrong about it, just that Sundance keeps pretending to be about independents, when it's really about Hollywood insiders making "small" movies.

[–] smk1966 19 years ago

You are wrong. Many of the films at Sundance this year were made by unknowns with unknown casts and VERY LITTLE money. Films that might NEVER be seen if not for the opportunity of getting into Sundance. "Heights" is not in competition. It's a premiere. This category is always a showcase of independantly produced movies with slightly larger budgets and bigger names. But, like the films in competition, "Heights" was made by a first time director. And in spite of the actors that the project attracted, the budget was very low.

[–] kirschinny 19 years ago

i worked in the production office of this movie for two months. if you think it was made with a fat Hollywood budget, you're absolutely wrong. there was NO HEAT in the production office for God's sake because they couldn't afford it. i delivered things to the director who was sleeping on a friend's couch, and i myself licked stamps to send scripts to actors. that's really how it worked for this movie -- no Hollywood studio set it up at the Beverly Hills Hotel. it is still possible in NY -- maybe not in LA -- to do a small film with known actors who will work for scale. don't be cynical.

[–] thomasfatone 19 years ago

Believe me, this was an independent movie....I was the A.D. and I saw my schedule, crew size and paycheck.....

[–] stenar 19 years ago

Hey, since you were the AD, can you tell me what you guys shot this film on? Digital? Great film, by the way. I just saw it last night at Sundance.

[–] smk1966 19 years ago

35mm

[–] corinnewaters 16 years ago

The fact that they underpaid the crew doesn't make it "independent" when it's made by a bunch of Hollywood insiders.

[–] Mac34de 15 years ago

I want to take this moment to say with the most earnest face I can muster...who cares? This is still an excellent film and Sundance still provides audiences with movies that are above the level of most big budget "blockbusters" with no substance or general point. It's hard to get into the film industry i'm sure and I think that has a lot to do with your opinion of Sundance not being as independant as it used to be. As a simple audience member though, I don't see how it really matters what cast is in the film or how much money is spent on it as long as the content is there, in this case, the content is present and very accounted for.

[–] WarpedRecord 13 years ago

This is about as mainstream an "indie" film as I've ever seen. Really, I don't know what "indie" means anymore. The studio? The cast? The treatment? This feels like a TV soap with stronger performances.