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linked to the sound and ethic of independent musicians, some of whom were involved with Hartley, like Sonic Youth (whose “Kool Thing” scores the dance scene in Simple Men), Yo La Tengo (who appear in The Book of Life), and David Byrne. Subsequently, corporate Hollywood strengthened its grasp on independent cinema and, although there are still filmmakers making indie-style films within the mainstream (for example, Wes Anderson, Spike Jones, Charlie Kaufman, Sofia Coppola), it still feels like a “lost” era to many. However, the use of digital technologies suggests that independent filmmaking, although it remains on the margins, might be on the rise. Cheaper cameras and computer editing software have made it possible for anyone to make and edit films, and platforms like YouTube and Vimeo make it possible to distribute those films. The question is how the potential young fan can access films like those of Hartley, and how to distinguish an indie film from a viral. With the sad decline of wide access to films outside the mainstream (especially in the United Kingdom, where even satellite television has only Sky’s Indie Movie channel, which would more accurately be called an Indiewood channel). Festivals offer one avenue, although these are not accessible to most.
For Hartley, the Internet has become a key mode of dissemination for his work as he has shifted into self-promotion and distribution. In many ways, this book engages with the growing importance of web-based promotionand distribution for modern independent filmmakers, because funding and opportunities have dried up. As an educator of future filmmakers, I am very conscious that the independent avenue becomes a more and more significant career strategy for budding filmmakers. While the main discourse of the book is a critical analysis of Hartley’s performance text, the issue of changes in the production and distribution of contemporary independent cinema becomes central toward the end of the book, and the final chapter charts the changing terrains, both industrial and technological, that have necessitated and facilitated a change in Hartley’s methods, authorship, and aesthetics. If a filmmaker like Hartley, with a strong critical reputation behind him, is struggling to make