--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think, honestly, that the word 'indie'…" description: "\"I think, honestly, that the word 'indie' is a false gimmick. 'Independent' used to mean a movie that was financed outside corporate Hollywood, but a lo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/joseph-gordon-levitt-1583_corporate_i-think-honestly-that-the-word-indie-is_36283.jpg" --- # I think, honestly, that the word 'indie' is a false… ![“I think, honestly, that the word 'indie' is a false gimmick. 'Independent' used to mean a movie that was financed outside corporate Hollywood, but a lot of what gets called independent these days is totally produced within that system. And there's nothing wrong with that.” quote by Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/joseph-gordon-levitt-1583_corporate_i-think-honestly-that-the-word-indie-is_36283.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/joseph-gordon-levitt-1583_corporate_i-think-honestly-that-the-word-indie-is_36283.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/joseph-gordon-levitt-1583_corporate_i-think-honestly-that-the-word-indie-is_36283.jpg) > “I think, honestly, that the word 'indie' is a false gimmick. 'Independent' used to mean a movie that was financed outside corporate Hollywood, but a lot of what gets called independent these days is totally produced within that system. And there's nothing wrong with that.” [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The term 'indie' has become a marketing label that no longer reflects true financial independence from major studios, though the label itself isn’t inherently negative. **In simple terms:** 'Indie' is now a branding trick, not a guarantee of independence. Key Takeaway Label vs. reality Themes authenticity industry dynamics branding media economics cultural perception Mood critical reflective Type observation commentary When to use this quote - film festival programming - studio marketing pitches - academic media studies - independent filmmaker networking Key Concepts independent filmmaking studio influence semantic shift branding tactics Practical Applications - redefining film categories - educating audiences on production origins Questions to Reflect On - How does labeling affect audience expectations? - What criteria truly define an independent film? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Corporate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporate/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Hollywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollywood/) [Indie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indie/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [System](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/system/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [The word 'indie' is meaningless now. It's so over-used that people think it simply means green hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-word-indie-is-meaningless-now-it-s-so-over-used-that-people-think/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All ideologies end up killing people. If you separate love from nonviolence you turn nonviolence into an ideology, a gimmick. Structures that are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-goss/all-ideologies-end-up-killing-people-if-you-separate-love-from/) Jean Goss > [In terms of getting people to experiment more and take more risk, there are at least three things that immediately come to my mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-kotter/in-terms-of-getting-people-to-experiment-more-and-take-more-risk/) [John P. Kotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-p-kotter/) > [Gimmicks? I don't have one. I'm not good-looking. Not skinny. Not anything. I just like writing songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uncle-kracker/gimmicks-i-don-t-have-one-i-m-not-good-looking-not-skinny-not/) [Uncle Kracker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uncle-kracker/) > [It is fear that makes you believe that you are living and that you will be dead.What we do not want is the fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/u-g-krishnamurti/it-is-fear-that-makes-you-believe-that-you-are-living-and-that-you/) [U.G. Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/u-g-krishnamurti/) > [I just happen to comprehend the low standards of the majority of the music-buying public, and I don’t care how condescending that sounds, it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/i-just-happen-to-comprehend-the-low-standards-of-the-majority-of-the/) [Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/) > [I'm not against screens, or new songs, or innovation. I just don't like the gimmicks. I want to know when worship is over that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/i-m-not-against-screens-or-new-songs-or-innovation-i-just-don-t-like/) [Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/) > [Everybody is designing magic iPhone apps that do things that are really, really beautiful, but a really important thing about magic is that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/everybody-is-designing-magic-iphone-apps-that-do-things-that-are/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [ I think it\[3D\] should be used as a new artistic form, not as a gimmick, not to impress you but the existence of an… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ang-lee/i-think-it-3d-should-be-used-as-a-new-artistic-form-not-as-a-gimmick/) [Ang Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ang-lee/) > [I don't want any gimmicks. The fact that people think that Whack is a gimmick is so crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tierra-whack/i-don-t-want-any-gimmicks-the-fact-that-people-think-that-whack-is-a/) [Tierra Whack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tierra-whack/) > [The new artists with gimmicks have the most problems staying out here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sisqo/the-new-artists-with-gimmicks-have-the-most-problems-staying-out-here/) [Sisqo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sisqo/) > [I am a successful lecturer in physics for popular audiences. The real entertainment gimmick is the excitement, drama and mystery of the subject matter.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/i-am-a-successful-lecturer-in-physics-for-popular-audiences-the-real/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [Why do photographers start giving numbers to their prints? It’s absurd. What do you do when the 20th print has been done? Do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/why-do-photographers-start-giving-numbers-to-their-prints-it-s-absurd/) [Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/) > [I want to show my range before I fall into any typecasting. I've turned down a lot of things trying to wait. But at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-garity/i-want-to-show-my-range-before-i-fall-into-any-typecasting-i-ve/) [Troy Garity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-garity/) > [I'm not much on gimmicks. I never have been because they don't last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-eckstine/i-m-not-much-on-gimmicks-i-never-have-been-because-they-don-t-last/) [Billy Eckstine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-eckstine/) ## More by Joseph Gordon-Levitt > [Let's face it, most pretty girls aren't funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/let-s-face-it-most-pretty-girls-aren-t-funny/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [Most of what Hollywood puts out is crap anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/most-of-what-hollywood-puts-out-is-crap-anyway/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [If you're going to put yourself above everybody else, you might end up alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/if-you-re-going-to-put-yourself-above-everybody-else-you-might-end-up/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [I like making little videos and little records. I've always loved video cameras and four-track cassette recorders, still cameras, anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-like-making-little-videos-and-little-records-i-ve-always-loved/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [You usually get one or the other, you get someone who knows how to tell a story but they don't necessarily know about light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/you-usually-get-one-or-the-other-you-get-someone-who-knows-how-to/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [That is very different from how it used to be in the 20th century. Media was very one way. There's a small little industry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/that-is-very-different-from-how-it-used-to-be-in-the-20th-century/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [I knew that if I wanted to really maintain control, I would have to keep the budget down. And I did. And I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-knew-that-if-i-wanted-to-really-maintain-control-i-would-have-to/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [When I was a teenager I loved acting, but I really just loved it for myself. I didn't like the fact that anyone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/when-i-was-a-teenager-i-loved-acting-but-i-really-just-loved-it-for/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [I don't buy into the glory days thing. I think every time has its great things to it. The '60s were such a glorious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-don-t-buy-into-the-glory-days-thing-i-think-every-time-has-its/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [I didn't really like doing commercials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-didn-t-really-like-doing-commercials/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [I just need some time away to remember why I stay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-just-need-some-time-away-to-remember-why-i-stay/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [I love Kimberly Peirce. Incredibly intense is a good way of describing her. Brutally honest. Really sharp. She's a director for actors. That's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-love-kimberly-peirce-incredibly-intense-is-a-good-way-of-describing/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [I think there is something beautiful in reveling in sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-think-there-is-something-beautiful-in-reveling-in-sadness/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [That's sort of what I wanted to make fun of a little bit with Don Jon. And I think oftentimes, if you're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/that-s-sort-of-what-i-wanted-to-make-fun-of-a-little-bit-with-don-jon/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [It's just a natural part of being a social creature and being a human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/it-s-just-a-natural-part-of-being-a-social-creature-and-being-a-human/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) [Explore all 226 Joseph Gordon-Levitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) ## More Corporate quotes > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [The corporate state is an immensely powerful machine, ordered, legalistic, rational, yet utterly out of human control, wholly and perfectly indifferent to any human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/the-corporate-state-is-an-immensely-powerful-machine-ordered/) [Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/) > [Perhaps the greatest and least visible form of impoverishment caused by the Corporate State is the destruction of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/perhaps-the-greatest-and-least-visible-form-of-impoverishment-caused/) [Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/) > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I think we have to take a look at corporate law. We have to take a look at the incentives that we can perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-think-we-have-to-take-a-look-at-corporate-law-we-have-to-take-a/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I don't think we should reduce the corporate tax rate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zephyr-teachout/i-don-t-think-we-should-reduce-the-corporate-tax-rate/) [Zephyr Teachout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zephyr-teachout/) > [The larger an English industry was, the more likely it was to go bankrupt, because the English were not naturally corporate people; they disliked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-larger-an-english-industry-was-the-more-likely-it-was-to-go/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [I put a lot of emphasis on how to treat people. The reason for this is simple. The real success of our personal lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-ash/i-put-a-lot-of-emphasis-on-how-to-treat-people-the-reason-for-this-is/) [Mary Kay Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-ash/) > [I'm less concerned about whether being a good corporate citizen burnishes a company's reputation. That's just an added benefit. I believe it's a responsibility,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-burns/i-m-less-concerned-about-whether-being-a-good-corporate-citizen/) [Ursula Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-burns/) > [The spinning wheel for us is the foundation for all public corporate life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-spinning-wheel-for-us-is-the-foundation-for-all-public-corporate/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I truly believe that one of the things that has been lacking in America is a spirit of repentance about the injustices of slavery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyelowo/i-truly-believe-that-one-of-the-things-that-has-been-lacking-in/) [David Oyelowo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyelowo/) > [Corporate America is a 20th-century dinosaur, trembling on the edge of extinction, and the only way for you to have a genuinely secure future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/corporate-america-is-a-20th-century-dinosaur-trembling-on-the-edge-of/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [Higher projected corporate and personal income tax receipts and lower public debt charges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-goodale/higher-projected-corporate-and-personal-income-tax-receipts-and-lower/) Ralph Goodale > [For us, my wife and I and all of my partners believe that corporations have to be corporate citizens, and individuals who benefit from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walter/for-us-my-wife-and-i-and-all-of-my-partners-believe-that-corporations/) [Mark Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walter/) > [What we need to recognize, less than 1 percent of the people organized around issues that are already supported by conservatives and liberals, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/what-we-need-to-recognize-less-than-1-percent-of-the-people-organized/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) [Browse all 1,460 Corporate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think, honestly, that the word 'indie' is a false gimmick. 'Independent' used to mean a movie that was financed outside corporate Hollywood, but a lot of what gets called independent these days is totally produced within that system. And there's nothing wrong with that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Gordon-Levitt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-think-honestly-that-the-word-indie-is-a-false-gimmick-independent/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Corporate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-think-honestly-that-the-word-indie-is-a-false-gimmick-independent/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/joseph-gordon-levitt-1583_corporate_i-think-honestly-that-the-word-indie-is_36283.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/joseph-gordon-levitt-1583_corporate_i-think-honestly-that-the-word-indie-is_36283.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/joseph-gordon-levitt-1583_corporate_i-think-honestly-that-the-word-indie-is_36283.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think, honestly, that the word 'indie' is a false gimmick. 'Independent' used to mean a movie that was…” — Joseph Gordon-Levitt", "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": "Joseph Gordon-Levitt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think, honestly, that the word...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-think-honestly-that-the-word-indie-is-a-false-gimmick-independent/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-think-honestly-that-the-word-indie-is-a-false-gimmick-independent/#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 } } ] } ```