Divide and Consider to Save Independent Film

An in depth follow-up to my recent answer to the below question is developing, but I'd love to know your thoughts first.  To read the full interview where this question comes from, please CLICK HERE.

10. What do you think the media could do better to portray the film industry as a more balanced light?

GM: I would love for the media to stop calling Independent film everything from Lana Wachowski's Cloud Atlas to my film The Other One.  Yes, both had independent financing, but we're not in the same category and neither is Zach Braff's Wish I was Here film.

I believe delineating film into different categories for sales, audience sake, promotion, and critique could create a whole new world of support for independent filmmakers.  I see at least five categories;

  1. Micro - the student 
  2. Buddy - no money projects; Indie - the under 1 million projects;
  3. Independent - typically celebrity drive one way or another/well funded passion projects,
  4. Studio Babes - the 15-50+ Million dramas that become award winners and host big star studded casts; and finally the
  5. Studio Banks - the tentpole, enormous action, teen driven films with all sources of revenue.

If the media began defining film more broadly and judged films in by the stratospheres they live, I believe more opportunities could arise from a more balanced perspective.  Imagine if the Oscars had two best picture categories? Delineate it even by the gracious $10 million dollar mark and I guarantee you the directors in the under 10 million category would have many more women in it. 

We are doing a lot with a little, but just imagine how much more we could do if we could get even a little of the coverage the guys with a lot get.

Is this even possible or even more possible because of today's growing digital space?