Converging Indiewood: Spike Jonze, Propaganda Films, and the Emergence of Specialty Film Giant USA Films

Abstract

This chapter examines the production background of Jonze’s first feature film, Being John Malkovich. Jonze put Being John Malkovich together with the participation of both production companies and music labels (such as Michael Stipe’s Single Cell Pictures), and a new distribution company, USA Films. Although largely unrecognized at the time, USA Films also released Traffic and The Man Who Wasn’t There, before merging with other companies to become Focus Features. As Being John Malkovich went on to become a quintessential ‘indiewood’ film, this chapter examines the film’s role, and indeed the role of Jonze more broadly, in the shift toward the incorporation of global finance and distribution structures within the independent film sector. The chapter posits that Jonze’s diverse media background and ability to traverse entertainment sectors can be seen as a key example of indiewood’s drive to push independent filmmaking into new arenas in the late ‘90s.