Readings:Salon.com interview with Todd Solondz
Geoff King, "Industry" from American Independent Cinema. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2005. pgs. 11-57.
Questions:
1. In the salon.com interview, Solondz talks about the lack of cinematic representations of adolescence. Do you think that Welcome to the Dollhouse offers the "realistic" representation that Solondz was aiming for? Why or why not?
2. The King reading provides a comprehensive overview of the industry framework within which independent cinema emerged. According to King, in what ways did the major studios' involvement in the sector in the 1990s affect independent film production?
17 comments:
I personally do think that Welcome to the Dollhouse represents a realistic depiction of adolescence. When I was in high school I worked for my local school district and one of the things I had overheard a school board official say was that the goal of middle school is to not so much teach kids anything, but more to simply keep them out of trouble as it is just such an awkward age. Dawn’s character seems to be the worse case scenario but at the same time not an unrealistic one. Flaws and differences were highlighted and ridiculed by everyone it seems in middle school. There is also this desire to rebel and be ashamed of one’s parents. Name calling was also very prominent in middle school and as they talk about in the article, I feel like a lot of people want to believe that those years weren’t as cruel as they were and the film does a good job of reminding people just how cruel they actually were.
The article talks a lot about how independent films were made on sums of money that are still substantial to the everyday person but in the scope of film production were bare bones. Independent films often had to see a limited success before being picked up by a distributor and the cash commitment be fulfilled. The process seemed to be that the studio would start to step in earlier and earlier in the life of a film to provide a cash backing albeit minimal. So the birth of things such as Fox Searchlight and other indie divisions of major studios has allowed an outlet for first time directors and major studios to work harmoniously.
1. Although I think “Welcome to the Dollhouse” goes to the extreme when it comes to adolescent angst and suffering, I feel like Todd Solondz did an excellent job of capturing accurate characters and emotions. In my opinion, I feel like Solondz uses such an outrageous storyline in order to show hard the pre-teen years really are, especially in the minds of the struggling child. Although we as suburban adolescents did not deal with rape or kidnapping on a daily basis, we feel like our problems are just as bad. At this time of transition, completely confused and hormones out of whack, all problems appear to be the most life threatening of situations. Since Solodnz takes out all sentiment and does not want to “sugarcoat” the experience, the film can sometimes be uncomfortable to watch. We, now as adults, are forced back into a world of extreme torture and dire circumstances.
2. Due to the growth of independent film during the 1980s, the major studios took notice to the success in the 1990s. This success for independent cinema was caused by the emergence of home video and the need for the “baby-boomers” to escape the norm and venture out into unconventional art. Since Hollywood had been on the conservative side since the 1970s, independent cinema had the ability to grow, and with that growth came business and industry. Independent production companies and distribution companies were formed in order to manage these films, and new marketing techniques were used. When the major studios saw how profitable these films could be, they either bought out these companies (Ex: Miramax) or created an independent division for the studio where they could out-bid the indie companies for the next big hit. Independent films now had higher budgets, had a “glossy” look, and used more conventional advertisement. Since major studios produced these films, independent cinema also had the chance to win Oscars and other mainstream awards that allowed independent filmmakers and actors to have both fame and future success. Due to all the mainstream success, Hollywood actors also found their way into independent film, attracting even more publicity and demand. Since there is so much influence and competition with the major studios, the lines between Hollywood and independent have completely blurred.
--Anne Snyder
1. Todd Solondz film 'Welcome to the Dollhouse' is a very interesting depiction of the junior high years. When i first watched the images of all the graffiti on lockers and the foul language used by the eleven year olds i thought it was a bit over the top. But then i remember being that age and my group of friends and i were probably alot worse. The film at least for me was so interesting to watch because you can somehow relate to everyone of the characters in shape or another. Every school had one kid that everyone, even the kids who got picked on, picked on. Or the nerdy kid who only worried about college scholar ships, or the mean bully. The film reminds us of how we were and offers a time to reflect and as the article suggests, sometimes we use the rose colored glasses to remember the past but in all reality the past sucked.
2. The King article was very interesting read because it really showed how independent cinema, which started as this avant garde media that was more or less made for the urban and college crowd, and how Hollywood studios turned it into a cash cow by making it more mainstream and look like your typical film. What King suggests is that studios saw how low budget movies were making tons of cash because they cost almost nothing to make and audiences we loving it. Big budget studios wanted to capitalize on this idea and starting producing there own 'independent' themed films. It is so bad know, or at least i think, that these art films that are seen fall into one of three sub genres The explicit violent, oddly funny or period drama. While that might be more intellectual then a romantic comedy or buddy action film, i feel that its just as limiting in subject and content. In other words the art scene has just become another mainstream multiplex with just a different banner.
i think that welcome to the dollhouse is a realistic portayal of certain peoples life. the not so popular kids, or the "nerds" would sometimes get picked on at my school. i also think that name calling was very realistic because that goes on, even today. i also think that the idolization of older people in school is also very accurate, because when i was a freshman in high school i looked up to the seniors, and also thought that they were the collest in school.
what i get from the article is that even though the amount of money independent films are made for may seem like a lot to me, when compared to hollwood films, it is almost nothing.
Solondz mentioned about the lack of cinematic representations of adolescence in many films. I think that “Welcome to the Dollhouse” was a very realistic representation of what real adolescence is like. After I watched this film I was so disturbed. I felt so horrible for Dawn. She was an incredible actress and really played her part very well. Her character showed the extremes of Junior High. I think that we all have gone through some of the situations in this film, but maybe not to this level. And the writing for this film was very clever because of the series/order of events and the way you think as a thirteen year old are very similar. For example Dawn had adult thoughts about love interests but also child like thoughts when it came to her sister and trying to destroy her sisters toys. All of these different things help prove how realistic this film is to suburban adolescence.
In King’s article about the Industry of Independent Cinema it talked about the importance of how these films are made at a very low cost. These films then had to be picked up by different vendors and festivals. But many of them don’t see any profit until much farther down the road. In the 1990’s independent film became much more popular in the US, especially on college campuses. Films like Kevin Smith’s and Tarantino’s were big box office hits after being picked up by big companies like Miramax. I believe that this gave more confidence to directors and writers to go for it. And the major studios wanted change because the public wanted different films. This really encouraged a lot of new and different types of Independent films.
I definitely think that Welcome to the Dollhouse offered a realistic depiction of life at that age, but only to a certain point. At that age there is a lot of alienation going on , to anyone who is different. They are "instant freaks" or "lesbos" as Dawn was called in the film. I think that feeling disconnected from your family and even telling them you hate them is something that most kids that age deal with. I thought that Brandon's character, however, was a little outlandish. Maybe I just never realized those people were around, but I don't think that kids that age do things like that, but I could be wrong. "I'm gonna rape you" really freaked me out and I couldn't believe it as coming out of the mouth of someone so young.
In the 1990s, independent cinema became more and more popular, especially to college student. There was and ever increasing interest for films that went against the norm. With the growth of production and distribution companies like Miramax and United Artists, independent films began receiving substantial funds to create their films. Independent films were then able to obtain a more professional and hip look, rather than having to be made on grainy film with poor sound.
In Welcome to the Dollhouse, Solandz does offer a “realistic” depiction of adolescence. No matter whose eyes we’re looking through, popular or outcasts, Junior High is a stage of awkward transition into teenage years. This is also the time where kids pick up what they hear at school and use it in the household to rebel against their parents. The miscommunication between Dawn and her mother is a great depiction of the angst children goes through in Junior High. Most of the time, parents just don’t see how hard Junior High can be, therefore, their kids don’t really feel the confident to express it to their parents. Solandz mentioned that during casting some parents were opposed to the language and wouldn’t allow their kids to audition. I find this act of surprise from parents unsurprising because some parents forget what Junior High was like.
Independent films have come a long way from making nothing to making as much as a Hollywood film. This success is due to major studios’ investments in independent film and marketing strategies to a wider audience. Needless to say with this collaboration of studio and director, the independent qualities of these films become more appeal. Does it lose its independent control and artist viewpoints, yes, to a degree, because majority of independent films don’t tackle serious issues seriously anymore, but with humor so the vast audience don’t take offense.
1.I do believe that Welcome to the Dollhouse offers the “realistic” representation that Solondz was aiming for. Solondz said that the source of the film was his experiences, observations and memories in accumulation with his friends’ memories – this is the realistic type of representation that Solondz was aiming for. I do not think anything can be more realistic than Solandz and his friends’ actual accounts of adolescence. Although in my experience, there was not as much verbal abuse or physical threats. (The bully’s threat to rape an 11-year-old girl was very disturbing-and a bit of the extreme approach). I do believe it is realistic. In the film Dawn asks her brother if high school is any different. Her brother answers that the only difference is people call you names behind your back instead of calling you names to your face. I think many people can relate to this statement – it is so on par with actual experiences so many have had. This is not some fabricated story about the luxurious life of an adolescent. It shows their hardships and insight into their frame of mind – such as why they are so attitudinal ‘at home’ (perhaps a rough day at school?). No matter at what ‘social rank’ you may be held at in middle school, every person in middle school has something in common: they all dislike their family or have problems with someone at home, a lot of adolescents think ‘someone is always out to get them,’ and as a result most feel the need to rebel. There is nothing more realistic to me than depicting struggles that have been faced for all those who embark on the middle school journey.
2. The major studios’ involvement in the sector in the 1990s affected independent film production. Hollywood has a very conservative state. It became more challenging to accommodate people’s interests that could not be met by Hollywood formula. Distinctive social groups became more of a discriminate audience. They wanted to expand what they had scene hundreds of times before on Hollywood screens-they were getting bored. Luckily for those people, filmmakers have films that cannot be nurtured in the mainstream. Independent filmmakers found their niche through independent film markets and cinema. The beginning of the festival circuit and the Sundance Institute in 1981 increased the festival profile of the independent cinema scene. The festivals got attention from studio and independent distribution sectors. When independent films like "Slingblade" began doing very well in the independent scene and began grossing quite a bit of money, there was also more financing available as the ‘Hollywood Wannabees’ thought they could earn a profit by investing. Also, because of the independent films gaining critical acclaim at the Oscars during the 90s, this attracted higher-level talent to future projects, and Hollywood stars became more comfortable with attaching their name to an Independent film.
Media technology and outlets had an impact in the growth of independent cinema as well. Magazines, in particular Filmmaker, featured Peter Broderick giving a breakdown of budgets and strategies that permitted a production with little cost. This was great coverage and motivation for those ‘hungry’ filmmakers. Lastly, the digital camera and online outlets (such as You tube) really helped expose independent work without requiring the filmmaker to buy or develop 16 mm film.
1. The Fact that Welcome to the Dollhouse is cold and harsh is just the reality of the world at that age. Everyone has experienced or witnessed abuse at that age, people seem to not want to think about it or sugarcoat it, as Solondz says. Adults seem to forget, or turn a blind eye to the fact that their children may be going through that type of situation. Just like the mother, who fails to realize or acknowledge the fact her daughter is being tormented. She probably had a similar experience at that age and is latching on to the daughter who is popular and everyone loves. Because she wants that type of attention. She is unwilling to accept her “loser” daughter for who she is, she sees too much of hear own pain in her. Creating a realistic film allows people to possibly wake up and acknowledge their own children’s alienation note as a weakness but normal.
2. Studios launched the independent scene to the greater public in turn creating a profitable market place for the low budget independent films. As the idea of the indie became more popular more studies where biding for these low budget films. Simple acquisitions that generated potentially large profits. This was a wonderful thing for the independents at first. They where making money off the hard work they put into their films and best of all people where seeing their work. As the 90’s went on the good times of acquisitions slowed down. Studios or their smaller partner programs began to get involved in the production of these films. Studios wanted to make the big buck on every film. The artist director who once had total control was losing it to studios that wanted to make money. These studios forced a certain style upon the creators, the artist attempting to generalize these films to suite a wider audience Ultimately creating another genre that would snuff out the creative power of the truly independent films.
1.) The "realism" of Welcome to the Dollhouse, I believe, lies mostly in the typicality of the starring family. The forgotten middle child plays a starring role in this film. The spoiled youngest child is there as well. It is just such a typical suburban family that you can hardly see past the characters. Sometimes they are so classic that it becomes ludicrous and hilarious. I didn't grow up in Suburbia per se, however I did grow up in a small town of 18 thousand. And I assume it is basically the same kind of thing. I think it was typical of kids to really pick on someone that they actually had a crush on. And I know it was typical of girls in Junior High to try to date high school guys in order to be more popular. Middle school truly is one of the cruelest, most awkward times of anyone's life. And although Solondz goes a little over the top, his characters hardly become unbelievable.
2.) When major studios got into the independent film business, it gave larger financial support to originally minimal budgets in films. Although it is not as easy to get financial backing from, say Fox Searchlight or Paramount Vintage, it still remained a greater possibility that someone is going to see an independent filmmaker's idea. In this way major studios are able to get in on the cut of indie films and their followings while independent directors have more capital to play around with to make their films but still the basic freedom that occurs outside of the studio system.
1. I feel that in many ways Solonds’s representation is realistic, however, I get a sense that it’s a bit exaggerated and satiric in order to add to the style. When the popular musician joins the garage band, it’s almost laughable how the stereotypes of the nerd with no musical talent playing the recorder clashing with the popular school Jock are played out. Scenes like this seem a bit over the top in order to bring the audience into the world of a bleak adolescence that many people forget once they get older.
What’s important, however, is that as Solondz explained, many people try to sugarcoat that period in their life when they look back and say it wasn’t so bad where as Solondz attempted to use his actual memories and give a more accurate portrayal. He didn’t shy away from controversial issues in order to make his film more marketable but rather aimed for a more accurate depiction of kids trying to accept the woes of growing up. Solondz often evokes a disturbing atmosphere as we as an audience watch 12 year old children talking about rape and witness the disturbed minds of kids trying to gain acceptance.
2. King writes that “the success of independent cinema has turned the notion of independence into an exploitable marketing angle, a claim made for many films that have been confected deliberately in an attempt to gain ‘indie’ cachet in the marketplace.” I find this interesting that a word that once signified a low budget now just signifies a way to make a buck. To relate this to the question, during the 80s and the 90s independent films were becoming more widely recognized and as a result larger studios picked up them up, creating separate divisions for ”independent films” or just bought out the companies in order to capitalize on the success. As a result, ”indie” films now had higher budget and looked more “professional” and “Hollywood” in the production quality. While the name independent stuck, it didn’t mean what it used to. The quote mentioned earlier in a way sums up how the way to decipher between a Hollywood and an indie film is much harder than it used to be.
-jacob feiring
Welcome to the Doll House seemed really strange to me. It seemed really farfetched as I watched but the more I think about it and the more closely to real life this movie gets. In high school and junior high people are mean. There are bullies and there are the nerds/kids that got picked on. Those parts of school were hard and cruel if you were on the receiving end of the harassment. I think this film reflects exactly what kids go through. I think parts are exaggerated a little bit but only to get his point across. I think this film is the perfect realistic representation that Solondz was looking for. It tells a great story. Even if you forget about the school part it still tells about how the middle child is left to fend for herself. It happens a lot where parents favor one child over another even if they swear they don’t. Solondz just accentuates these little details to the point where it seems unreal but only to show the viewer what he wants them to see.
The biggest thing I got out of the king reading was the part about the budget. They talked about how even though to the average person, the budget that is used for a indie film is a huge amount of money compared to Hollywood films it is nothing. And that companies that pick up indie films are starting to pick up films earlier to help with budget issues.
1.) I believe that Welcome to the Dollhouse does offer a realistic representation of adolescence to an extent. When Solondz stated that as adults we do tend to sugarcoat and sentimentalize our time in junior high is very true. Just reminiscing on my own past, junior high was a time when I saw the most bulling and hardships, yet usually in life and in film, this is ignored and we just remember and represent stories of the secret clubs we formed and the friendships we made. Also, the way that Solondz represented the siblings’ interactions in Welcome to the Dollhouse to me seem very true. Often in real life our siblings’ are our first competitors and we can see this in many scenes in the film, such as Dawn’s resentment towards her sister Missy for always being the center of attention. However some aspects seemed not as realistic as the rest of the film, those being when Brandon threatens to rape Dawn, and Dawn eventually seemingly giving in, even though if it falls to happen, and the end up having a personal conversation that leads to them forming a bond. Another aspect of the film that seemed unrealistic was Mark and Dawn’s cool composure after they learn of Missy’s kidnapping.
2.) According to the King article, after the huge success of independent film in the 1980’s, major Hollywood studios’ saw this and wanted a cut. This led to major Hollywood studios buying out some of the major independent production and distribution companies such as New Line and Miramax. Once this occurred, your mini-independent companies had really no chance. And by having some of the once major independent companies owned by major Hollywood studios, this allowed for these companies to produce and distribute many more films per year. This led to an overproduction of independent films, which drove up the cost to make independent films. Another way that this affected independent film was that these films that were now being made blurred the lines of mainstream film and independent film. The independent films that are now being made have huge budgets and appeal more to the mainstream audience and have really left the avant garde genre.
1. I feel that Solondz depicts adolescence perfectly in this film, and it is very true that films tend to shy away or sugar coat this time of life. Everyone will remember how different they were in junior high, and it is never an easy time. As Solondz says, "It is a tough world and kids don't quite have the mechanisms in place that adults have for playing this game of survival." Children do not really know what to do or how to react properly to situations, so many people may look back on their adolescence and wonder "what was wrong with me?" Solondz shows the reality of what it is like to be a kid, how the siblings take advantage of each others weaknesses, and he shows how someone in a family can feel less loved than others in the family. The term "teenage angst" came to mind throughout the entire film for me. Dawn was definitely an outsider, and he portrayed that in a beautiful light. It was almost awkward to watch Dawn sometimes, but you still felt bad for her, because everyone could relate to her in some way. Everyone has felt like an outsider at least once in their life.
2. As we discussed earlier in the semester, the Weinstein's are a main factor in the advancement in independent cinema, as well as festivals such as Sundance and Cannes. As the independent world progressed in the 1990s, people became more aware and interested in young independent directors. Therefore, the studios would start putting money into independent films sooner rather than buying the rights after the entire film had been completed. This led to the films being more polished and looking less amateur. Even looking to today, we can see independent films such as Juno and Little Miss Sunshine and compare them to independent films of the 1990s. Many people may have no idea that the films of today are independent. For instance, the quality of the film is better, stars tend to be featured more in these films (Steve Carrell, Greg Kinnear, Michael Cera, etc). The likes of studios creating divisions such as Fox Searchlights and other have turned the independent world into something that can make a great deal of money for a studio, while using first time directors or what have you.
I believe that Welcome To the Dollhouse did not represent an accurate depiction of adolescence. I believe that the film does in the aspect of the kids being mean to each other, but not in the sense of the adults letting it go on. For example, when dawn had all the drawings on her locker, someone would have found out who did it and disciplined them. When Dawn was a victim of cheating the teacher would have gotten the boy in trouble. Throughout the whole film, everyone, including her parents, seem to be against Dawn. Maybe i was raised differently, but someone especially her parents would have made her feel better or helped her.
The article brought out the point that the money it takes to make an inde film is nothing compared to a hollywood film, but is much more than an average person has to use. I think this bumps up inde cinema into a middle between huge hollywood people and normal everyday people.
Welcome to the Doll House seemed to portray real life pretty accurately for some kids of that age I think. Some of the situations that were played out were kind of exaggerated like with the most popular guy joining that bad garage band. In high school and junior high there were and will always be these stereotypes with the nerds, jocks, loners, bullies and whatever else. Those times can be rough and Solondz portrayed it realistically and didn’t tone it down or sugar coat it. I think it showed the realities of kids being picked on and bullied. Also with the middle child being forgotten about basically I would think does happen a lot of the time. With having the oldest being real smart and the youngest being the spoiled princess, it seemed like it was hard for the parents to accept the fact that Dawn wasn’t either one of those ideal people.
It seems as if these independent films are able to get more backing from larger studios now to get more play in their films. While they may get somewhere in the million dollar range if they’re lucky, it’s like pocket change to the big Hollywood films that take hundreds of millions to produce.
I actually thought when reading this interview and seeing this "realistic" claim that I disagreed with it to some extent. True Welcome to the Dollhouse WAS a new look, and even a MORE realistic look, at the difficulties of that age of adolesence, but it was undoubtfully exhaggerated. The relationships and treatment amongst characters were for the most part believeable, but some of the situations were fabricated. Such as the girl setting up her little sister only to her have her coincidentally get kidnapped.
I think that films have been more true to realistic adolesence like the films by Larry Clark. His dialogue is very "everyday" similar to Stranger Than Paradise and he usually uses non actors like what we've seen before.
As for King's article, it seemed to me the major point that was being made was that in the 90's, even though independent film was flourishing, it couldnt really be big or widely seen without studio help. This is how King claims the Hollywood studios still played as a factor in the sector of indie film. A film like El Mariachi or Clerks could be made with a budget of next to nothing, but then wouldnt be able to sell itself. So the big studios come in and buy it up or put forth the money for music/soundtracks, effects, intrnational releasing, distribution, etc etc. In the end, which I find to be very true from what I see, Independent film has become more business oriented with more and more film makers making "indie" films to get money or fame as opposed to seeking an artistic or political vision.
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