Copyright by Ryan David Briggs 2021 the Thesis Committee for Ryan David Briggs Certifies That This Is the Approved Version of the Following Thesis
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Copyright by Ryan David Briggs 2021 The Thesis Committee for Ryan David Briggs Certifies that this is the approved version of the following Thesis: “A Singular Fusion of Taste and Edge” A24 and the Indie Sector in the 2010s APPROVED BY SUPERVISING COMMITTEE: Thomas Schatz, Supervisor Alisa Perren “A Singular Fusion of Taste and Edge” A24 and the Indie Sector in the 2010s by Ryan David Briggs Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts The University of Texas at Austin May 2021 Acknowledgements This thesis represents my attempts to make sense of the indie sector in the 2010s, a project that sprouted from my love for indie cinema. Movies have been a source of comfort for me in lonely times, a vehicle for connection with new friends and old ones, and, now, an area of study that I will build a career off of. Therefore, my first acknowledgements for this project must be extended to the countless filmmakers who have stimulated my imagination and intellectual curiosity throughout my life. Writing this thesis in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic was no one’s plan. The pandemic made the already lonely writing process into an even more isolating exercise. This finished project was only made possible by the overwhelming and continuous support from family, friends, peers, and mentors. I would first like to thank my mother, father, brother, and grandmother Ruth for supporting the choices I’ve made in my life, even if they didn’t always make sense. I love you all. My Los Angeles-based friends have been a source of constant (productive) distraction for years now. But since moving to Austin, the hours-long phone calls with Jazz, Judge, Gabby, and McKenna have sustained me in ways I can only hope that I have returned. I love you all more than you know, your friendship means the world to me. My closest friends in Austin are also many of my academic peers. Sam and Harrison, you were my first friends in a new city and you have had indelible effects on my graduate school experience. To Paxton, our conversations never fail to nourish my iv intellectual curiosity and I am so happy I get to spend the next phase of my education in the same department as you. You’ve been instrumental in teaching me how fulfilling queer friendship is and, for that, I will always be grateful. To Alex, our discussions of film, media, and A24 specifically have had massive impacts on the way I thought about this project. I can’t wait to continue our friendship and to work together despite the distance. To Sam, meeting you during this writing process and in the midst of the pandemic has enriched this experience in so many ways. Thank you for spending your time and sharing your space with me. And to my Masters cohort, thank you all for going through this process by my side, I feel so lucky to have had such an impressive and nurturing group around me these past two years. To Alisa Perren, thank you for the unparalleled example you have set for me and young scholars everywhere. Your work is a clear inspiration for mine and I can only aspire to the level of hard work, academic rigor, and commitment to mentorship you exhibit every single day. Thank you for every note you’ve given me, they have all made this project and my work better. Finally, to Tom Schatz, my advisor. I entered this field not knowing what it was and you have guided me with your teaching, your work, and your mentorship. To me, it feels destined that my Masters education coincided with your final two years before a well-deserved retirement. You have already had an enormous influence on my life and career with your vocal and constant encouragement. You make me a better writer and scholar. I’m so happy to have had you in my corner through this process. Thank you. v vi Abstract “A Singular Fusion of Taste and Edge” A24 and the Indie Sector in the 2010s Ryan David Briggs, M.A. The University of Texas at Austin, 2021 Supervisor: Thomas Schatz This thesis uses A24, the independent film and television company, as a case study to examine the American indie sector during the 2010s. Employing discursive analysis of trade and popular press outlets, industrial analysis of Conglomerate Hollywood, textual and genre analyses of individual films, and paratextual analysis of marketing and branding strategies, this study reveals continuities and changes in the indie sector during a decade of record global box office grosses and the continued consolidation of the media industries. This thesis lays out the state of the multi-tiered indie sector throughout the decade. This includes the mini-conglomerate Lionsgate, conglomerate-owned specialty divisions like Focus Features, and genuine independents like A24. I also argue that by cultivating a unique brand that catered to young Millennials, Generation Z-ers, and cinephiles, A24 became the leading tastemaker in the indie sector over the course of the 2010s. The company accomplished this by refining a house style that encompassed vii elevated genre films, prestigious realist dramas, and quirky dark comedies. This house style points to notable differences in indie film culture from the Sundance-Miramax era, when leading indie companies kept genre and prestige films under separate divisions. A24 also released a number of coming-of-age films that targeted young audiences. Finally, the company demonstrated a commitment to auteur filmmaking in order to create long lasting relationships with key talent and simultaneously appeal to cinephile audiences and indie film culture. Throughout this study I also track the evolving interdependent relationship between streaming platforms and indie cinema throughout the decade. A24’s production and licensing deals with companies like Amazon and Apple exemplify the ways in which the indie and streaming sectors have become deeply intertwined during the 2010s. The addition of the streaming giants to Conglomerate Hollywood and the indie sector underscores further fundamental changes to indie film culture from previous eras studied by scholars. viii Table of Contents Introduction ..........................................................................................................................1 Independence Before the 2010s ..................................................................................3 Discursive Authorship ................................................................................................5 Studying the Indie Sector in the 2010s .......................................................................9 Chapter Outlines .......................................................................................................14 Chapter 1: A Millennial Independent:A24 Builds a Brand with Spring Breakers ............18 The State of the Indie Sector .....................................................................................20 In Search of Content Up North and Elsewhere .........................................................32 Spring Break Forever ................................................................................................35 Strategic Partnerships ...............................................................................................46 Conclusion ................................................................................................................52 Chapter 2: “The A24 Way of Winning”: The Witch, Moonlight, and Measuring Mid- 2010s Indie Success .....................................................................................................56 The Indie Sector and Conglomerate Hollywood ......................................................58 “A New England Folktale” Opens Nationwide ........................................................62 Moonlight Makes A24 a Micro-Studio .....................................................................73 The Academy Awards in a Changing Global Film Culture ......................................83 Conclusion ................................................................................................................89 Chapter 3: “Their Logo Means Something”: A24's Corporate Authorship .......................92 The Indie Sector, the Streamers, and Corporate Paratexts .....................................100 Critical Reception and Filmmaker Authorship: Lady Bird, Eighth Grade, and The Souvenir .....................................................................................................105 Genre, Intertextuality, and Authorship: Ari Aster’s Hereditary and Midsommar ..114 ix Brand Identity and Corporate Authorship: A24’s Public Access Series ................125 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................133 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................135 References ........................................................................................................................141 x Introduction Serious questions about the fate of the American indie sector swirled at the end of the 2000s. With the 2008 financial crisis drying up funding sources for independent filmmakers and the effective shuttering of a number of key indie distributors like Miramax and New Line Cinema by their conglomerate-owned parents, indie film was in freefall. By the time the dust of the indie shakeout settled in 2012, the indie sector was reemerging, albeit