Welcome to Bay Film Studios
Independent feature filmmaking is becoming an increasingly important part of the overall filmed entertainment industry. From micro-budget success stories (such as “Charlotte Sometimes,” which was produced for $40,000 and grossed over $4 million) to independently produced Oscar contenders (such as “Brokeback Mountain”), filmmakers are completing their projects outside the major studios more today than ever before.

This movement is fueled by a variety of important motivations. No trend can be encapsulated simply; however, the following industry changes play a large role in the inertia of this trend.

First, the studio development cycle is well known to be a frustrating experience because the studios demand broad control of the content produced with their funds and distributed through their channels. Filmmakers tend to be visionary by nature, and throughout the community the studio demands create resentment.

Second, digital filmmaking technology has evolved at an unprecedented rate since its acceptance as viable professional media. With its evolution, the cost of film production and editing equipment, as well as the cost of media duplication, has plummeted. This has removed an important barrier from the independent filmmaker, making the industry far more accessible to young writers, producers, and directors, as well as to lower-worth would-be investors.

Third, with the proliferation of independent filmmaking, the distribution channels for these films have expanded dramatically. A growing number of festivals create exposure; digital projection enables independent films theatrical releases without expensive print costs; new cable channels hungry for content make willing and sometimes lucrative markets; and more and more distribution companies focus on independent content to fill their slates.

Fourth, independent films provide actors with the opportunity to challenge themselves and to expand upon the often categorized image that studios tend to endorse. The recognition that has come to leading Hollywood actors such as Tim Robbins, Heath Ledger, Selma Hayak, and Brad Pitt from performing independent film roles has created a very real attitude within the community of known film and television performers; studio films are for money, independent films are for art. Therefore, well known performers will work for dramatically reduced salaries.