--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As the world of independent feature…" description: "\"As the world of independent feature filmmaking became increasingly commercialized by the mid-1990s, there was also a parallel, much more positive devel..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ac/alissa-quart-6857_cinema_as-the-world-of-independent-feature-film_2068426.jpg" --- # As the world of independent feature filmmaking became… ![“As the world of independent feature filmmaking became increasingly commercialized by the mid-1990s, there was also a parallel, much more positive development: a resurgence in documentary filmmaking, thanks in part to the advent of the cheaper, lighter digital format that helped to offset the…” quote by Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ac/alissa-quart-6857_cinema_as-the-world-of-independent-feature-film_2068426.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ac/alissa-quart-6857_cinema_as-the-world-of-independent-feature-film_2068426.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ac/alissa-quart-6857_cinema_as-the-world-of-independent-feature-film_2068426.jpg) > “As the world of independent feature filmmaking became increasingly commercialized by the mid-1990s, there was also a parallel, much more positive development: a resurgence in documentary filmmaking, thanks in part to the advent of the cheaper, lighter digital format that helped to offset the daunting costs of pursuing political aims through film.” [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The cheaper digital format revived documentaries, offering a cost‑effective way to explore political topics as commercial feature films grew profit‑driven. **In simple terms:** Digital tech lowered costs, sparking a documentary resurgence. Key Takeaway Leverage affordable tech to tell impactful stories. Themes documentary technology politics film industry innovation Mood optimistic reflective Type inspirational analytical When to use this quote - independent filmmakers - political activists - educators - nonprofit NGOs Key Concepts digital media production economics creative autonomy Questions to Reflect On - How can emerging creators fund distribution? - What stories benefit most from low‑budget formats? A Different Perspective Budget constraints still limit distribution reach. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Documentary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary/) [Documentary Filmmaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary-filmmaking-1803773/) [Feature Filmmaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feature-filmmaking-1818053/) [Filmmaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filmmaking/) [Filmmaking Increasingly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filmmaking-increasingly-3982370/) [Increasingly Commercialized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/increasingly-commercialized-3982371/) [Positive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I'm a curious guy. I can't turn away from an investigative story, when it comes to the forensic analysis. I've done 33 dives, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cameron/i-m-a-curious-guy-i-can-t-turn-away-from-an-investigative-story-when/) [James Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cameron/) > [Investigative journalism has been relegated to a very, very tiny space in America. We don't really have much investigative journalism left. And the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy-jr/investigative-journalism-has-been-relegated-to-a-very-very-tiny-space/) [Robert F. Kennedy, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy-jr/) > [Celebrate your victories and mark your defeats. Ultimately documentary filmmaking is not a job, it's a calling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-yates/celebrate-your-victories-and-mark-your-defeats-ultimately-documentary/) [Pamela Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-yates/) > [News makes things black and white. Documentary filmmaking should do the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/news-makes-things-black-and-white-documentary-filmmaking-should-do/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [None of our films look alike, we are very dialectical in our approach to each one, and 'Hoop Dreams' was no exception. That's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-quinn/none-of-our-films-look-alike-we-are-very-dialectical-in-our-approach/) [Gordon Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-quinn/) > [I'm very influenced by documentary filmmaking and independent filmmaking, by a lot of noir and films from the '40s. Those are my favorite. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-adlon/i-m-very-influenced-by-documentary-filmmaking-and-independent/) [Pamela Adlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-adlon/) > [With portable cameras and affordable data and non-linear digital editing, I think this is a golden age of documentary filmmaking. These new technologies mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-walker/with-portable-cameras-and-affordable-data-and-non-linear-digital/) [Lucy Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-walker/) > [Most people look at a feature film and say, "It's just a movie." For me there is no border or wall between fiction and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mano-khalil/most-people-look-at-a-feature-film-and-say-it-s-just-a-movie-for-me/) [Mano Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-khalil/) > [The problem with feature filmmaking is that it offers you this mirage of being able to achieve perfection, as the theory of it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-sharma/the-problem-with-feature-filmmaking-is-that-it-offers-you-this-mirage/) [Kapil Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-sharma/) > [I'm doing a lot of research right now on what's happening in Arizona. That's where I'm at with more conventional documentary filmmaking. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lourdes-portillo/i-m-doing-a-lot-of-research-right-now-on-what-s-happening-in-arizona/) [Lourdes Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lourdes-portillo/) > [That's what I love about documentary filmmaking, we never know where the story is going, we don't know what is going to happen next,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-quinn/that-s-what-i-love-about-documentary-filmmaking-we-never-know-where/) [Gordon Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-quinn/) > [Thhe essence of documentary filmmaking is how you manipulate the material to create an emotional impact, as opposed to just delivering information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ray-perez/thhe-essence-of-documentary-filmmaking-is-how-you-manipulate-the/) [Richard Ray Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ray-perez/) > [Especially when you talk about the power of documentary filmmaking, you can't really have a slant; financially, you can't have a slant on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-j-berg/especially-when-you-talk-about-the-power-of-documentary-filmmaking/) [Amy J. Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-j-berg/) > [I think documentary filmmaking is a braver way to make films because it's real, and you're really there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-bell/i-think-documentary-filmmaking-is-a-braver-way-to-make-films-because/) [Jamie Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-bell/) > [Docs are more exhausting because of the physical labor that's required. Feature filmmaking is more exhausting because of politics and the bullshit. You get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/docs-are-more-exhausting-because-of-the-physical-labor-that-s/) [George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/) ## More by Alissa Quart > [In the local state school I attended in England, I saw and heard far more awareness of where a person stood in the social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/in-the-local-state-school-i-attended-in-england-i-saw-and-heard-far/) [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) > [Low-cost gear can make restless people like myself feel marginally happier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/low-cost-gear-can-make-restless-people-like-myself-feel-marginally/) [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) > ['Middle class' used to mean having two children and sending them to high-quality public schools, or even occasionally to private schools. It meant new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/middle-class-used-to-mean-having-two-children-and-sending-them-to/) [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) > [I think our families or parents were trying to do best by us by telling us, 'Do what you love.' On an existential level,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/i-think-our-families-or-parents-were-trying-to-do-best-by-us-by/) [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) > [When I was doing my research for 'Branded,' I'd meet groups of teenagers and preteenagers or tweens, and they would laugh at a magazine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/when-i-was-doing-my-research-for-branded-i-d-meet-groups-of-teenagers/) [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) > [To be 'squeezed' is to be bound by a very American psychological and socio-economic predicament. Being squeezed involves one's finances, one's social status, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/to-be-squeezed-is-to-be-bound-by-a-very-american-psychological-and/) [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) > [Americans overall may live better than medieval aristocrats could dream of, but that means nothing when oligarchs live in the neighborhood next door, flaunting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/americans-overall-may-live-better-than-medieval-aristocrats-could/) [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) > [A lot of the things that bore adults don't bore children, and people forget that. In some ways, boredom is a projection of adults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/a-lot-of-the-things-that-bore-adults-don-t-bore-children-and-people/) [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) > [Part of why daycare is so poorly paid is because the sense that they're prisoners of love, that daycare workers love their work so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/part-of-why-daycare-is-so-poorly-paid-is-because-the-sense-that-they/) [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) > [Sometimes I think that the public's lack of criticism of the rich - and how they seek their pleasure - might derive from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/sometimes-i-think-that-the-public-s-lack-of-criticism-of-the-rich-and/) [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) > [Piercing minds go mute around poetry. It is imagined to be overly technical, like advanced arithmetic; otherworldly, priestess-like; suffocatingly personal; excessively decorative; exhaustingly bourgeois…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/piercing-minds-go-mute-around-poetry-it-is-imagined-to-be-overly/) [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) > [Our social fabric is sundered. GoFundMe and the other crowdfunding sites that have proliferated since 2010 are an example of what has sprung up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/our-social-fabric-is-sundered-gofundme-and-the-other-crowdfunding/) [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) > [Parenting makes us better in so many regards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/parenting-makes-us-better-in-so-many-regards/) [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) > [There are caste systems in American cities: Many are marginalized to the edges of urban centers due to real estate costs; price tags seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/there-are-caste-systems-in-american-cities-many-are-marginalized-to/) [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) > [Uber is hardly the first company to exploit the financial vulnerability of teachers - and the desperation of public schools more broadly - to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/uber-is-hardly-the-first-company-to-exploit-the-financial/) [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) [Explore all 97 Alissa Quart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) ## More Cinema quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [You have to have a great director to make a great movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/you-have-to-have-a-great-director-to-make-a-great-movie/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [There was a time in the 1980s when I worked in 22 films a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/there-was-a-time-in-the-1980s-when-i-worked-in-22-films-a-year/) [Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > ['Rear Window' isn't really a horror film, but it is a psychological drama, which I love. It is very tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/rear-window-isn-t-really-a-horror-film-but-it-is-a-psychological/) [Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) [Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/) > [I am not interested in churning out a certain number of films every year. For me, it's about the quality of work. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepika-padukone/i-am-not-interested-in-churning-out-a-certain-number-of-films-every/) [Deepika Padukone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepika-padukone/) [Browse all 23,940 Cinema quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As the world of independent feature filmmaking became increasingly commercialized by the mid-1990s, there was also a parallel, much more positive development: a resurgence in documentary filmmaking, thanks in part to the advent of the cheaper, lighter digital format that helped to offset the daunting costs of pursuing political aims through film.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alissa Quart" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/as-the-world-of-independent-feature-filmmaking-became-increasingly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cinema" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/as-the-world-of-independent-feature-filmmaking-became-increasingly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ac/alissa-quart-6857_cinema_as-the-world-of-independent-feature-film_2068426.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ac/alissa-quart-6857_cinema_as-the-world-of-independent-feature-film_2068426.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ac/alissa-quart-6857_cinema_as-the-world-of-independent-feature-film_2068426.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As the world of independent feature filmmaking became increasingly commercialized by the mid-1990s, there…” — Alissa Quart", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alissa Quart", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As the world of independent feature...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/as-the-world-of-independent-feature-filmmaking-became-increasingly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/as-the-world-of-independent-feature-filmmaking-became-increasingly/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```