New York School of Indies Disproportionately large number if indie directors from NY Graduates from film schools like NYU, Columbia. 1980’s innovative cinema emerged from the East Village NY.

“We all had a similar sensibility, a combination of alienation and humor and a kind of low-key passion.” -----Richard Edson Susan Seidelman and Spike Lee were also part of this world

Jim Jarmusch Stranger than Paradise was not marketed towards a niche like other later indies. Won the 1984 Camera d’ Or in Cannes and later shown at the New York Film Festival Established Jarmusch as one of the most hip indie directors of the 80’s

Financial Success Jarmusch was courted by Hollywood to make teen films “It made me wonder if anyone had even seen Stranger than Paradise” He went on to make Down by Law and then Mystery Train

Disdain for overdramatic style of Hollywood Film “--While watching one is always thinking about actors as actors and not really as characters” Rich black and white and deep tones and deep focus in Down by Law allowed the audience to see the action and reactions of the audience Change from standard reverse angle Hollywood

miscommunication Sealed off from one another Only link through pop culture Living in a world devoid of values, his characters seek the shelter of comfort and familiarity (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins) Despite the difficulties in communication presented in the film a benign, socially conscious poetry makes its way into the film

Stranger than Paradise Single long lasting shots Not much happens in terms of plot Structure in terms of place No structure in terms of character development (though some interactions are charming and unexpected) “It’s funny, You come to something new and everything looks the same.”

Absurdist ending Proves that America is the Land of Opportunity Tradition of storytelling where the universe’s meaninglessness is pointed out through unlikely storytelling (parody, or dismissal of realism) They all end up going in opposite directions-- Alienation (Ironically the character who denied his background ends up back in Hungary)

Hal Hartley Has been compared to Jarmusch, Linklater, and Stillman His influence can be seen in current directors like Wes Anderson, David O’ Russel, Jason Reitman, Jenji Cohan, Sam Mendes, and the late Adrienne Shelley to name a few

Themes and Aesthetic “Hartley’s inquiries into the burdens of desire and duty are as lyrical as they are comic” Journey of odd characters toward a self-awareness and maturity Out of sync characters bounce off one another and the offbeat oppositions produce unexpected results At the end of each film, a new couple emerges rather hesitantly into an unstable relationship He has maintained absolute creative freedom In ten years he made 7 features

Different approach and Aesthetic as Jarmusch and Seidelman “What David Lynch did to the time-worn mythology of of Small-Town America in Blue Velvet, Hartley has done to the supposedly barren, stifling suburbs They have found in them new life and humor

Humor Everything superfluous in the dialogue is edited out Extremely precise (rather than deadpan) “Humor derives from an inability to see the difference between the serious and the funny”

Offscreen Space and Editing Trust, Hal Hartley

Establishing Shots Rarely are there establishing shots or Master shots for scenes that have two characters Unlike many contemporary films, there are not cuts on action or after every significant line of dialogue

Cinematography Many close-ups Shallow depth of field Use of offscreen space Shows distance between characters

Economic reasons? Hartley says that limiting coverage, master shots etc. allow for cheaper and faster productions This created a strong visual style and concept