Independent New Smart Creatives and Niche Marketing – Case Studies of Richard Linklater, Spike Jonze, Christopher Nolan and Michel Gondry

Abstract

This overview will examine a number of contemporary independent filmmakers to help tease out some more salient attributes and contrasting styles within the broad rubric of smart cinema. This chapter will attempt to synthesize some of the broad strands of a nascent smart cinema, focusing specifically on readings, including the add-on features of Linklater’s Waking Life, followed by Nolan’s Memento and Inception; Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Be Kind Rewind; alongside Jonze’s Being John Malkovich as a random selective sample.