At a time when independent artists in the music industry have more power and control over their careers than ever before, "What is INDIE?" tries to determine just what it really means to be 'indie'. The film features interviews with indie music experts including Derek Sivers (Founder of CD Baby), Panos Panay (Founder of Sonicbids) and Suzanne Glass (Founder of Indie-Music.com), as well as with 20 artists including Ember Swift and Paul Cargnello.
In defining what it means to be ’indie’, as well as looking at the changing landscape in the music industry, the film ends up being a rallying cry for indie artists, and has been hailed as ‘inspiring’ and ‘empowering’ by artists worldwide. Directed by Dave Cool and self-financed through his record label Stand Alone Records, the documentary was filmed primarily in his home town of Montreal, with additional filming in New York City, Boston and Toronto. ********************************************* A True Indie Success Story: Without any prior background in film (except for watching Super-Size Me "way too many times") and funded entirely with his own credit cards, Montreal director Dave Cool has taken the film from a small do-it-yourself project and turned it into an indie success story in its own right that continues to turn heads in the music and film industries, even catching the attention of CNN.com and Newsweek Magazine, and is now in the National Film Board of Canada's official catalogue. Awards & Nominations: - Best Feature Length Video (Just Plain Folks Music Awards- Nominated) - Best Song Used in Film/TV: Gina Kaz "We Can Take Care of Each" and Andrea Revel "Citysong" (Independent Music Awards- Nominated) - Top Indie Release of 2006 (Indie-Music.com) To see the official trailer for the film, visit the Trailer page. To read what people are saying about the film, visit the Reviews page. For a chance to win a FREE DVD of the film, just sign up to the mailing list: Sign Up |
|
 .jpg) Dave Cool- Director Musician, producer, label owner, filmmaker? Not exactly how Dave Cool thought things would play out in his life (and yes, that’s his real name!). After a serious ear condition cut his music career short, he turned his attention to running his own record label, Stand Alone Records, which actually encourages artists not to sign record deals. While running the label, he participated in many panel discussions at industry conferences, always promoting independence in music. Along the way, when someone looked at his business card and saw "indie artists" written on it, they innocently asked what being 'indie' meant. He realized that he couldn’t give a straightforward answer to this seemingly simple question, and this lead to the making of "What is INDIE?". Without any background in film, but a desire to document what being an 'indie' artist meant, Dave Cool embarked on an 18-month journey where he traveled over 2400 miles and interviewed dozens of artists and industry experts, all to answer that one question: What is INDIE?  Ian "Steady-Hands" Graham- Cameraman Nicknamed "Steady-Hands" because he almost never uses a tripod when filming (and you'd never know it), some say Ian was born with a camera in his hands, although others who knew him better say that his mother just gave him one at some point when he was young, but regardless, "Steady-Hands" has always loved filming. Starting out with skateboard videos and comedy skits with his friends, Ian has turned his passion into a full-time career as a freelance cameraman and video editor. Besides filming "What is INDIE?", Ian's work includes "making-of" features for the music videos of local Montreal bands The Frenetics, Grimskunk and Les Marmottes Aplaties and he is currently working on another documentary as well as a short film.  Tim Rideout- Editor Montreal artist and producer Tim Rideout was first interviewed for "What is INDIE?", and then ended up taking over the reigns as the film's editor. Using his many talents in video and music production, Tim brought a wealth of creativity to the project. As a solo artist, Tim has released 2 albums through his own independent record label, "Electric Salmon Records". His music runs the gamut from old school "lo-fi R&B" to breakbeat organic electronica and he often plays many or all the instruments on his tracks. Tim also scores music for film and television, including for the indie film "Elephant Shoes". His work even garnered him a nomination for “Best Original Music in a Television Documentary” at the recent Prix Gémeaux in Québec. |
|
 |
 |
|
|
