- Horror – The most successful indie genre of all time will have to be horror. To a large extent, these movies depend on an eerie setting and the element of surprise. The script need not be impeccable in this case. Well-made horror indies do not lag far behind professional movies of this genre since the right effect can be achieved even with minimal resources. In fact, some of the scariest movies are indies. Movies like ‘It Follows’, ‘The Blair Witch Project’ and many others have created some profound ripples through the movie industry, making it to the big stage.
- Action – Action movies require a good inciting incident or an initial cause for violence in most cases, such as revenge, murder, a kidnapping, et cetera. The audience is required to side with the ‘heroes’ of the movie and agree with their cause. In many respects, this genre has many set templates that have to be followed. It is a platform on which many stars made their debuts. Even without big names, the presence of a decent plot, burly personalities and good directing often results in gripping feature films.
- Science fiction – There is little difference between the approach to sci-fi films and action/horror. The only issue is that it tends to be rather arduous to come up with a sci-fi plot that requires few expensive effects, costumes, et cetera.
Image credits – Pixabay - Comedy – What is required for any movie of this genre to work out well is primarily a good script and decent production. Since movies of this type are highly based on what is being said and on the portrayal of comical events, a line-up of renowned actors and directors is not a pre-requisite for producing successful comedies. The problem is, however, that humour is not always widely and universally appreciated and is highly relative. It is a genre which is often of the ‘all or nothing’ sort, and movies that are only kind-of or inconsistently funny do not make it far.
- Drama – It is extremely difficult to find a sizable audience for films of this genre without a star-studded cast. Even the well-made ones often tend to struggle and don’t receive adequate recognition, placing drama in the last position.
Most Successful Genres of Indie Films
Image credits – Pixabay
An indie film is one that is created outside the formal film studio-framework and is usually funded by a meagre budget. What this implies is that these films are often experimental and are created with insufficient funds.
