Current Forum: Session 12: Independent Films & Overall View	Read 4 times 	
Date: 09-Apr-2001 23:46:24	
Author: SANTORA, GEORGE J. <gjs8362@garnet.acns.fsu.edu>	
Subject: "New way?” What’s all this about a new way? 	
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       Before entering into discussion of whether or not independent film provides an alternative to Classical Hollywood narratives, Bordwell’s outline of what constitutes narrative structure in Hollywood cinema needs to be addressed. Bordwell’s criterion is blatantly similar to Aristotle’s unities outlined in the poetics. These are that a story must have a logical progression from beginning to middle to the end, following the laws of cause and effect. This criterion is not limited to plays or film, but apply to all methods of story telling. If an independent filmmaker were to break from this structure, his film would be incomprehensible. Therefore there cannot be a true break from traditional Hollywood style which has appropriated a system of storytelling that is truly universal and effective. 
       Although an independent film may be bound by the rules of effective storytelling the story itself has potential to deny the function of Hollywood cinema, to challenge the status quo, not reinforce it. While this notion seems plausible, the question of whether or not it would serve any purpose to do this arises. We have outlined how our preconceived notions that have been shaped through our immersion in ideology. When our preconceived notions are not met in a story it is deemed unrealistic etc. According to Althusser, we are bound by ideology, hopelessly immersed in it, if this is so it would be impossible to create a work of art (film) that does not 
incorporate the dominant ideology in its theme and structure because its creators are unaware that they are doing so. Lastly, even when a filmmaker wishes to end his story unhappily, the test audiences demand a happy conclusion, i.e. Pretty Woman and Risky Business. This desire to satisfy audience expectations only serves to remind us that filmmakers are more concerned with 
profit than artistic worth. Here is where the independent filmmaker may have more say and artistic control over his final product, due to the lack of executive red tape and intrusion. 
       Although Pi attempts to be an avant-garde film, with its gritty film and strange camera techniques, coupled with a soundtrack that along with the visuals are designed to create a 
schizophrenic paranoia, it still retains a traditional story line with a natural progression from beginning to middle to end. More insidious in nature than most films that reinforce the status quo, Pi suggests that we all think too much and that happiness can be achieved through acceptance of your place in the universe, not by trying to unravel its secrets. This can be extrapolated to society in general, if we all placidly accept our place in society and not try to discover the meaning of hierarchies such as race class and gender and just live our lives we will all be much happier and in the case a Max in Pi, alive. The films seems to say that we will all discover the meaning of life when we die, so don’t waste your efforts needlessly and loose out on your opportunity to live happily now.
       Therefore, it seems that ideology and its pervasive nature coupled with the desire to make money will only continue to create works of art that reflect and reinforce the status quo. Due to our inability to break free from the ideological constraints that society puts upon us, a truly innovative construction of race class and gender is impossible without the destruction and recreation of society, even then would it turn out differently than it is now.