Best Cities For Indie Films?

P

planetchris

Hello All,

I'm very interested in being involved at any level in the Indie film making process (eventually I'd like to make my own films, but I want to start the learning process by working for little or nothing on other people's productions) and I was wondering if any vets would be willing to give opinions as to the most happening Indie scenes around the U.S. I live in Cape Coral, FL and the place is basically a ghost town. I'm sure I could find a few things going on here, and plan to do so, but within the next six months I'd like to relocate to a city that has a thriving Indie film community to immerse myself in, preferrably one that has at least a semi-low cost of living, as say compared to L.A. or NY. Thanks in advance. Looking forward to being part of this community.

Regards,

Chris
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
Welcome!

I haven't done any cost of living research so I'll leave that to
you. "most happening" is difficult to judge. Movies are being made
all over - usually the bigger the city, the more populous the area,
the more likely there is to be more India filmmaking. One way to
research the "most happening" is to look at how many rental houses
are in the city(mandy.com would be a good source for that). A city
that can support several camera and equipment rental is supporting
India filmmaking.

Of course there's Chicago, Austin, L.A. and NY. You'll find a
thriving India community in Orlando, Miami, Boston, Providence,
Seattle, Atlanta, Albuquerque, Stamford, Sedona, Wilmington,
Denver, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Bozeman and Bosie. Seriously,
both Bozeman, MT and Boise, ID ranked in the top 25 cities in the
US to make independent film according to Movie Maker magazine.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Savannah, GA seems to be pretty popular, and I'm not just saying that because I live here. There's been a couple of big films here, and the SCAD student short films I had to review for that were actually filmed in Savannah certainly seemed to make good use of the locale.

There's tons of great cities. It really depends on the backdrop you're after.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
NYC or LA for steady work. Miami if you want to stay in south Florida, but the work won't be steady.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I got the impression Chris isn't looking for steady work
in independent film. I sure hope not - there is no steady
work in indie productions hare in LA. But more interested
in where a lot of indie shows are being made so he can
get some experience.

barn, I never thought of Savannah as being having a
thriving indie community. I've been there, it's a beautiful
city and the outlying areas seem amazing for filmmaking.
Are there camera and grip/electric rental houses? And
converted warehouses for stages and stuff like that? Or
just a lot of indie movies being made?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
directorik said:
Of course there's Chicago, Austin, .........Sedona
Click to expand...

Interesting that you mentioned Sedona, as I started making films there in the 80's. Back then, it was a retirement town of about 10,000 people and there were virtually no filmmakers.

I used to throw dummies off of cliffs and blow stuff up. I made about 17 short films while I was there. Here's me about to explode a bad guy!


seek.jpg


seek4.jpg




Gorgeous scenery and some of the best weather outside the California coast. Two views from my mom's front porch:


OASYSSedona.jpg


OASYSSedona2.jpg




Now, they have the Zaki Gordon Film Institute and the Sedona Film fest, which I recently submitted to. I literally had to move away for something to happen there! :lol:


I agree that most big cities have a happening indie scene. Though the biz is in LA and NY, those places have wary cops looking for permits and don't necessarily differentiate indies from real budget productions. I would think that Austin is very happening. Seattle, too. I've met quite a few filmmakers in Wisconsin and Ohio, as well. Check the Member list and see where the most people are from. I've had decent luck in the Arizona cities and Las Vegas. Red Camera headquarters are supposedly setting up an 80 acre filmmaking facility in Las Vegas:

RED MOVIE COMPOUND
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
barnaclelapse said:
Probably Richmond?
Click to expand...

Correct!

Top 10 Movie Cities 2008

1) Austin, TX

2) Albuquerque, NM

3) Shreveport, LA

4) New York, NY

5) Philadelphia, PA

6) Wilmington, NC

7) Seattle, WA

8) Portland, OR

9) Baltimore, MD

10) Memphis, TN

HONORABLE MENTIONS

*Stamford, CT

*Las Vegas, NV

*Richmond, VA

*Phoenix, AZ

*Chicago, IL

CITIES ON THE RISE

*Kauai, HI

*Bozeman, MT

Source

Apparently no movies being made in LA ;) lol.

Well there was a certain criteria for the list. Just click the source link.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
CDCosta said:
the list isnt indie films i assume
Click to expand...

"So what criteria determined the final rankings? Well, quality and quantity both carried a lot of weight in terms of the local talent pool, production facilities, educational opportunities, networking events, film festivals and other screening venues. Enthusiasm—on the part of the local moviemaking community, film office and cineastes—meant something, too. Keeping in mind that this is a story about independent moviemaking specifically, the importance of a city’s financial incentives also could not be understated. Cities that give indies a bigger bang for their buck by offering a variety of different looks or access to low-cost studio facilities are always great for the indie crowd. Innovation was another factor. At a time when energy prices are at an all-time high, areas that make special considerations for the environment scored some additional points with us, too."

Yes, indie film. Otherwise it would say #1, Hollywood.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
wow, surprised.

Mostly to see NYC further down on the list and no LA.

A great way to find out other then that source, is visting Craigslist or Mandy in that specific city and seeing how many gigs, and how frequently they pop up.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Wow this community is really great! Thanks for all of the replies and advice. I have decided to go to Austin, TX. My immediate goal is to relocate to a city that has a hip artistic scene, specifically in Indie movies, so I can start working for free as a PA and just soak up as much knowledge as possible. I think I will find that in Austin. Thanks again for all of your thoughtful responses. I really appreciate it!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
barnaclelapse said:
Savannah, GA seems to be pretty popular, and I'm not just saying that because I live here. There's been a couple of big films here, and the SCAD student short films I had to review for that were actually filmed in Savannah certainly seemed to make good use of the locale.

There's tons of great cities. It really depends on the backdrop you're after.
Click to expand...

And if you can't fall in love with Savannah there is just no hope for you. A truly beautiful place!

Terry
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I'm sure it has been said already, but here are a few great cities for indie film:

* Toronto
* LA
* NY
* Boston

And a few others that are doing a lot of stuff:

* Providence, RI
* Detroit
* Ontario
* Austin, TX
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top