Encyclopedia of American Independent Filmmaking

Independent filmmaking is often regarded as a relatively recent phenomenon, yet the so-called movement has actually existed as long as movies themselves. In this indispensable single-volume reference work, LoBrutto surveys the subject from cinema's inception through the 21st century.

Written in an accessible style and including biographical, critical, factual, and bibliographical information, this remarkable source encompasses films and filmmakers operating independently from the studio system in concept, financing, production, and distribution. Such a broad interpretation of independent filmmaking separates it from that of commercial Hollywood, a conglomerate existing to create product rather than support personal artistic vision. Many of the entries' subjects have rarely been investigated and studied—yet knowledge of independent filmmaking is vital to any understanding the cinematic medium, making this an essential book for any library's film shelves.

VINCENT LoBRUTTO is an editing, production design, and cinema studies instructor for the School of Visual Arts./e He is the author of Stanley Kubrick: A Biography, as well as Selected Takes: Film Editors on Editing (Praeger, 1991), By Design: Interviews with Film Production Designers (Praeger, 1992), Sound-On-Film: Interviews with Creators of Film Sound (Praeger, 1994), and Principal Photography: Interviews with Feature Film Cinematographers (Praeger, 1999). He is also a contributing author for American Cinematography, Films in Review, and Cinemaeditor, a publication of the American Cinema Editors, of which he is a special member.