The Encyclopedia of American Independent Filmmaking

Independent filmmaking, though often regarded as a relatively contemporary phenomenon, has actually existed as long as movies themselves. In this single-volume reference work, author Vincent LoBrutto covers the subject from the inception of cinema through the 21st century, with alphabetical entries discussing filmmakers, significant films, genres, critical views, industry information, and working methods. Written in an accessible style that includes biographical, critical, factual, and bibliographical information, the encyclopaedia encompasses films and filmmakers operating independently from the studio system in concept, financing, production, and distribution. This broad interpretation separates independent filmmaking from that of commercial Hollywood, a conglomerate that exists to create product rather than to support personal artistic vision. The reader or researcher can use the volume either as an encyclopaedic tool or as a study to be read from the first to the last page.

Author Biography

VINCENT LoBRUTTO is an editing, production design, and cinema studies Instructor for the School of Visual Arts._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.