How Punk Cinema Changed the World
Even though cinema itself has only existed for a little over 100 years, it still has a massive history with an immense amount of genres. The point of cinema is to reflect the life around it and that is just as true for modern cinema as it was for cinema in past decades. One of these moments in history was the punk movement in America and England where ‘punk cinema’ was created as a result. But the concept of there being a ‘punk cinema’ has been up for debate ever since the punk movement ended. If people agree that there was in fact a punk cinema, they would most likely say that it doesn’t exist anymore since the punk movement is over. That statement can also be up for debate as there are few films made today that feature punk bands and music the way it was featured during the punk movement. But, in the absence of ‘punk cinema’, there is still the lingering effect of it. Even in its extinction, filmmakers have taken elements of punk cinema and incorporated it into their own work today, most noticeably the do-it yourself method and representing the repressed and minorities with society. This can be seen in the world of professional cinema as well as in the world of amateur filmmaking due to the advancements of technology today.
The punk movement occurred in England and America during the late 1970s into the early 1980s. The movement happened in result to the 1950s as a time of being the ‘perfect member of society’. As a result of this mentality, the young people of England and America rebelled in any way they could. They did this because “punk represents rupture…an unsubmissive attitude that challenged the status quo, giving visibility to unsatisfied youth” (Guerra, 2014, p. 111–112). Typical ‘punks’ wore outrageous clothing and intense makeup as it was the opposite of what their parents and superiors wanted. The punks were also fed up with their government and social order. The core of the punk movement was “a daily struggle of resistance against existing powers” (Ibid, p. 115). The punks didn’t want to follow orders and the current social rules anymore, so they grew their hair, painted their face, and made music. The movement embraced the artist and the social outcast. Everyone that wasn’t the ‘perfect member of society’ was celebrated in the punk movement and valued for being who they were. Individuality was valued, not success. The punk movement also featured creative expression. At this time, there was an surge of punk music which consisted of punks using music to address their issues with the world and protest. The most popular element of punk expression was rock music which included bands like The Ramones and The Sex Pistols who embodied these values.
Other than music, there were other ways punks expressed themselves during the punk movement. Some painted and became graffiti artists while others became models. But some punks made films which is where people say, ‘punk cinema’ was born. Punk cinema, like punk-rock music, represents the punk movement but instead of music, it was represented through the medium of film. Like the music during the punk movement, ‘punk cinema’ is “loosely imagined [and] describes a particular aesthetic that mimics punk music’s speed, frenetic energy, anger, antiauthoritarian stance, irony, style, anomice, or disillusionment” (Thompson, 2004, p. 47). Just like the music during the punk movement, the films made during the punk movement featured the same themes of rebelling against authority. Typically, these films were made independent of a big Hollywood studio. Meaning that the filmmakers made the film without any support in terms of finance, production, and distribution. Normally, a studio would give the director a script and money to make a movie, but that wasn’t the case in punk cinema. These filmmakers made their films by themselves and due to the punk themes, weren’t seen as commercial for the mass audience, but appealed to punks who were also fellow artists. Most of these artists were amateur artists as the “punk filmmakers, like punk musicians, would produce their own work with little or no specialized training and [maybe] without prohibitive financial investing” (Ibid, p. 49). It didn’t matter that these individuals didn’t have any money or experience because it didn’t stop them from making their films.
Out of all the elements during the punk movement that were incorporated in punk cinema, the most well-known element was the do-it-yourself method. This method states that anyone has the potential to make art, so one might as well make it. This means that most of the artists in the punk movement weren’t trained in their art form. The musicians, like The Ramones, just picked up a guitar and made a song because they could. Within “British and American punk- the [do-it-yourself] approach-generated a social and cultural charge that emerge from rock music and fashion to infuse a group of filmmakers who translated…the DIY logic into their own medium” (Ibid, p. 51). This do-it-yourself approach was also used in punk cinema. Punk filmmakers, just like punk musicians, would just pick up a camera that they either found, rented, or bought, and then shot something because they could and later turned that footage into a film. Within punk cinema and the do-it- yourself approach, “anyone [could] become a producer, make a film, pick up a camera, and start shooting” (Ibid, p. 51), and that is exactly what punk filmmakers did.
The do-it-yourself approach applies to the environment behind the camera as well as the environment in front of it. It was common for punk films to feature characters that are trying to make it in a field, typically the music industry, without any training and making music because they can. One example of the do-it-yourself model in punk cinema can be seen in one of the most known punk films, Derek Jarman’s film Jubilee. Jubilee is a dark, gritty, and a shocking low-budget film that is about a female gang that does whatever they want, because they can. They kill when they want to, assault people when they want to, and have sex with whoever they want to whenever they want to. They are completely in charge of their own lives and do everything themselves because they live in a society that has no rules. All the characters do everything themselves, which is exactly what a punk does. On the technical side, the film is also dirty and messy. There are weird angles and imperfect shots throughout the film that a commercial director wouldn’t choose.
Another do-it-yourself element in the film is the fact that Jubilee’s lead role is played by a non-actor. Instead of hiring an actor, Jarman chose to cast a real punk in the role. This is because the “DIY [method] ethos demands that participants move beyond the role of consumers and instead become actively involved” in the making of the art (Barrett, 2013, p. 26). In result to the do-it-yourself approach, the line between creator and audience member was thinned out. There was no real distinction between a typical punk and a punk that made movies. One was not better than the other and one wasn’t more qualified than the other. Everyone was free to do what they wanted and make whatever they wanted. Punk cinema and the “punk culture introduced the DIY (do it yourself) ethic to a generation of young people who seized the impetus to create subversive art, music, and culture” (Downes, 2012. p. 204). The movement inspired everyday, untrained people to make something and this element of punk cinema hasn’t left, but affected other generations.
Over thirty years after the punk movement and punk cinema, the do-it yourself method is still being used. In the twenty-first century, the rise of social media and the internet has become a huge part of human connection. It has fundamentally changed the way humans consume content. One of the main social media platforms that has changed the way humans engage with content is YouTube. YouTube “is used as the platform for video blogging (vlogging)” (Munnukka, 2019, p. 92). Here, the website relies on the ‘performers’ being self-made and consists of “bloggers and other amateurs…[creating] new content [by themselves]” (Mohr, 2014, p. 43). Within the platform, people post videos of themselves where people can react and comment on each other’s videos instantaneously. It relies on people filming videos of themselves without any production experience and has quickly become one of the most popular modern platforms. In 2014, “13.4% of US adults online created 80% of social media influence” (Ibid, p. 44). This means that like punk filmmakers, the people who post videos of themselves on YouTube have complete control over their own content and do everything themselves.
Within the last ten years, YouTube has grown tremendously and now features a wide variety of content. There are videos from verified news sources and talk shows, but there are also a countless number of video blogs, otherwise known as ‘vlogs’, which are made by everyday people that have zero training in filmmaking. “The contents of vlogs can be categorized into different kinds of videos, such as haul videos featuring products that the vlogger has just acquired; Q&A videos where the vlogger answers questions from fans; product reviews where the vlogger reviews recently released products; or DIY videos” (Munnukka, 2019, p. 92). Within the ‘vlog’ community alone, there is a huge range of topics to choose from. But all of these creators incorporate the do-it yourself model because these creators are doing everything themselves. The videos are usually “based on the blogger’s own lives and filmed using [a] simple handheld camera” (Ibid, p. 92). So for the vlog section of YouTube, thousands of people are getting a camera from any retail store, or online shopping forum, and making content. They are coming up with the content, writing the scripts, casting actors, filming the video, adding in sound effects, editing the video, publishing the video, and then promoting the video. These creators are completely involved in the pre-production, production, and post-production stages of their products and make videos without having any education in filmmaking. They all just buy a camera and start shooting, so according to certain definitions, YouTube is consisted of modern day punks practicing the do-it-yourself method.
But the do-it-yourself method has also broken into the professional world of cinema. A new trend in the world of cinema is the idea of the ‘iPhone movie’. This concept is shooting a feature length film completely on an iPhone as opposed to a traditional camera. Within the last five years, this trend has even been seen in the highest level of filmmaking. One of the directors that has made a film using an iPhone is Steven Soderbergh. As of 2019, Soderbergh has made two films that were shot completely on an iPhone, 2018’s Unsane and High Flying Bird which was released on Netflix this past February. Both films received critical acclaim and positive reviews from the general audience. Soderbergh has said that shooting on an iPhone is the future and was so impressed with the cinematography of the camera, that he had to make a movie with one (Zhang, 2018).
The iPhone has an advanced high definition camera that makes it extremely easy to capture stunning images. As a result of the advanced technology that everyone has at the tips of their fingers, it is possible to make a full length, feature film with a smartphone. The camera is so well made that now that well respected directors are choosing an everyday device as their camera instead of an expensive state-of-the-art camera. As a result of technology’s exceptional advancements, the camera doesn’t matter anymore. One is getting pretty much the same shot, whether it is shot on an iPhone or a professional high definition camera. Today, one’s phone can be a camera, so everyone has the opportunity to make a movie if they want to, because they have the camera literally in their pocket, ready to be used.
Even though the punk movement and punk cinema is over, punk cinema elements are still used today. One element is the do-it-yourself method which means making a film completely independent of a major Hollywood studio. In the punk movement, punk filmmakers didn’t receive any money from any studio. They made their films with their own money and then found distribution on their own and were involved with every phase of the filmmaking process. Today, that aspect is still alive in the independent cinema world as hundreds of films are made independently of a major Hollywood studio. People still make films on a small budget without any support, just like punk filmmakers did. It doesn’t matter if an individual doesn’t have money from a studio or an extra $20 million to make a movie, as long as you have equipment and passion, you can make a film. Barry Jenkins’ 2016 film Moonlight was made independently and cost $4 million to make. The film was shot in Miami for twenty-five days because that was all they could afford (Rodriguez, 2016). To this date, it is the cheapest film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Another film that incorporates the do-it-yourself motto and making a film on a budget is the 1999 horror film The Blair Witch Project. The Blair Witch Project is an independent horror film that was “made for around $40,000” (McDowell & Myrick, 2001, p. 140) and used a camera shooting style that would be later defined as ‘found footage’. The film follows the discovery of footage of missing college students that were filming a documentary. The film is scary and gritty, which is in result to the way the film was made. It involved “improvisational acting, [a] loose script, and the use of pseudo documentary style” (Ibid, p. 141). The film was the love child of writer-director duo Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick who both “‘came up with the idea…in film school’” and took around five years to make (Ibid, p. 141). Sánchez and Myrick wrote a script without dialogue because they wanted the film to be based in improv, meaning that the actors were existing as the characters and not memorizing lines (Ibid, p. 142). The script only had general plot points as the rest of the film was going to come up through the actors’ performances.
The actors also shot themselves in order to get that gritty ‘found footage’ appeal. Since the actors were filming themselves with video cameras, Sánchez and Myrick would let them walk around in the woods and film themselves alone. The actors would “‘wander as the crow flies through the woods and to get to [the] coordinates…[which] enabled [the actors] to feel lost without having any crew member around” (Ibid, p. 141). So Sánchez and Myrick would give the actors equipment and a coordinate to arrive at and then leave them alone in the woods where they would then shoot the film as they work their way to the location. During the actual filming, the actors were without a crew and directors. No one was giving them notes or telling them where their mark was. They were just alone in the woods with limited resources with the only goal of getting to a specific location. So the actors were coming up with the dialogue of the film, but they were also shooting the film themselves. This perfectly incorporates the do-it-yourself method. Having the actors shoot themselves and therefore not having a camera or a cameraman is cost effective but also gave the film an element of realism. The actors choose each frame and shot which made the film look and feel like tapes that a normal person shot. The Blair Witch Project would then go onto becoming the film that introduced the world to ‘found footage’ films and showed that just because you don’t have a major studio or money, doesn’t mean you can’t make a movie. Sánchez and Myrick wanted to make a movie, so they did, and their film went on to inspire a new cannon of film in modern day cinema. But all of that came out of the do-it yourself method from punk cinema.
Another important element in punk cinema was representing the repressed and minorities of society. The punk movement was about celebrating the social outcast so the films in punk cinema typically featured the social outcast and the repressed of that specific society at the time. These communities could be fellow young punks, women, people of color, the poor, and the LGBT community. Anyone that wasn’t seen as a benefit to society was considered an outsider and was probably represented in punk cinema. Even though punk cinema is over, this trend is still common in modern cinema, particularly in the world of independent cinema. One of the directors that tells stories of the repressed is Sean Baker. Baker’s films tell stories that most people aren’t aware of but are actually happening within our society. Baker has “long been interested in the overlooked” (Stables, 2017, p. 65) and makes it a point to represent them in his films. For example, Baker’s latest film, The Florida Project is about the low-income population that lives in Orlando, Florida. The film is told from the point-of-view of six-year-old Moonee who lives in a motel with her young mom, Halley.
Within this film, Baker lifts the shadow of the “hidden world of ‘motel kids’, where families scrabble to make rent for single [motel] rooms and are forced to move out once a month to avoid establishing residency” (Ibid, p. 65). Throughout the film, the audience follows Moonee’s summer as she runs around the torn up motel she lives in called ‘The Magic Castle’ which is a few minutes away from Disney World. Moonee and her mom scam tourists for money by selling them old Disney bracelets and sometimes finding people’s hotel room numbers in order to indulge in the hotels’ buffets. The film represents “the working class that hovers at the point between low-wage work and unemployment” (Youndahl, 2018, p. 99). Baker shows what life is like on the other side of Disney World, where being a waitress is considered the best job because the only other option is unemployment. This leaves Halley no other option but to hustle and beg her way to earn enough money to put a roof over her and her child’s head.
Technically, Moonee and her mom are homeless since they are unable to establish permanent residence so they beg and scam their way through the summer. But they aren’t alone. Within the film, there are lots of people and young single mothers that live in the motel as well. The film is plotless and just follows Moonee’s summer but the overall point of the film is to show the two communities. Through his film, Baker juxtaposes the rich population that can afford to send their family to the happiest place on Earth and the low-income families that can barely afford to spend a few nights in a motel that is literally down the road. Baker shows what life is like on the other side of the popular tourist location where everything is perfect, grand, and happy. He shows in his film that poverty is never far away, it is just down the street. Through his film, Baker sheds light on the repressed individuals that aren’t highlighted in modern cinema which is exactly what punk filmmakers did in punk cinema: represented people who weren’t represented in the commercial world.
Even though the punk movement is over, there are still films that are made about punk bands. These films might not be made during the punk movement, but they are still made which shows that people still enjoy making films about punks with punk elements. In 2010, Floria Sigismondi released her film The Runaways, which is a coming-of-age biopic based on the 1970s rock band of the same name. This film was Sigismondi’s first feature film and was only made for $10 million. It followed the origin, rise, and fall of the all-girl band which was a narrative that was common in the punk cinema canon with films like Ladies and Gentleman, The Fabulous Stains and Broken Glass.
Another punk film that was recently made was John Carney’s 2016 Sing Street which follows a teenage boy in Ireland who forms a band in order to impress a girl. Carney was the writer, director, and producer of this film and only featured original music. He also casted unknown and non-actors in the lead roles, especially for the young musicians as it was some of their first acting jobs. Recently, Alex Ross Perry’s film Her Smell was released which follows the fictional story of an all-girl punk group in the 1990s called ‘Something She’. The film mostly follows the lead singer, Becky Something as she struggles with drug addiction. Perry also incorporates the do-it yourself method by being the writer, director, and producer of the film and also makes a very messy film. It is all over the place, loud, and gritty, as if it was made in the punk movement itself. It doesn’t happen often, but artists still make films about punks but they always use elements that originated from punk cinema.
Punk cinema, like the punk movement, has come and gone, but its legacy remains. Even in its absence, everyday people and professional filmmakers are still using techniques that originated from punk cinema. Today, the do-it-yourself method and representing the social outcast or minority is still actively being used. Punk cinema taught its audience that if one wants to make art, they should just make it and never apologize for it. One doesn’t need a formal education in order to be a storyteller, just the passion. Through these methods and techniques, punk cinema lives on and will continue to be the genre that paved the way for all of these new and interesting stories that are quickly emerging in the film world.
Works Cited:
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Rodriguez, R. (2016, October 21). Miami plays a starring role in the glorious ‘Moonlight’.
McDowell, S., & Myrick, D. (2001). Method Filmmaking: An Interview with Daniel Myrick, Co-Director of the Blair Witch Project. Journal of Film and Video, 53(2/3), 140–147.
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Youngdahl, J. (2018). The Magic Castle: Hope and Despair in the Florida Project. New Labor Forum (Sage Publications Inc.), 27(3), 98–100.
Zhang, M. (2018, January 30). Steven Soderbergh’s New Movie was Shot on the iPhone: Here’s the Trailer.
