Mumblecore
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mumblecore is an American independent film movement that arose in the early 2000's.[1][2] It is primarily characterized by ultra-low budget production (often employing digital video cameras), focus on personal relationships between twenty-somethings, improvised scripts, and non-professional actors. Filmmakers in this genre include Andrew Bujalski, Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass, Aaron Katz and Joe Swanberg.[3]
The term "mumblecore" was coined by Eric Masunaga, a sound editor who has worked with Bujalski.[4] It is sometimes written as "mumblecorps," as in press corps. Film journalists have also used the terms "bedhead cinema" and "Slackavettes," a reference to independent film director John Cassavetes.[5][6]
The Independent Film Channel Center in New York City exhibited a ten-film series of mumblecore films in 2007, titled "The New Talkies: Generation D.I.Y."[7]
New York-based Benten Films, a boutique DVD label run by film critics, has championed such mumblecore titles as Swanberg's LOL, and Katz's first two films: Dance Party USA and Quiet City.
[edit] Notable Mumblecore Films
- Funny Ha Ha (2002)
- Mutual Appreciation (2003)
- Kissing on the Mouth (2005)
- The Puffy Chair (2005)
- Dance Party USA (2006)
- LOL (2006)
- Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007)
- Quiet City (2007)
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ http://www.villagevoice.com/film/0734,hoberman,77534,20.html
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/movies/19lim.html?8dpc
- ^ http://www.villagevoice.com/film/0734,hoberman,77534,20.html
- ^ The New York Times (August 19, 2007): "A Generation Finds Its Mumble" by Dennis Lim: "Mumblecore's origin myth locates the watershed at the 2005 South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Tex. ... At a bar one night Mr. Bujalski’s sound mixer, Eric Masunaga, coined the word 'mumblecore'. ... It was Mr. Bujalski who first publicly uttered the term in an interview with Indiewire.com."
- ^ http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/the-hollywood-deal/2008/03/11/mumblecore-still-audible-at-sxsw-festival?addComment=true
- ^ http://free-times.com/index.php?cat=1992912064227409&ShowArticle_ID=11750904083365640
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/movies/19lim.html?8dpc
[edit] References
- Mumblecore: Films By, For, and About Twentysomethings, by J. Hoberman. Village Voice, August 17th, 2007.
- indieWIRE Interview:The Mumblecore Movement? Andrew Bujalski On His "Funny Ha Ha"
- indieWIRE: Mumblecore Movie? Swanberg, Bujalski, Duplass and Others Unveil "Hannah Takes The Stairs"
- Mumblecore Family Tree
- Filmmaker Magazine Article: "What I Meant To Say"
- The Austin Chronicle: Mumblecore And Murder
- Benten Films website

