Tom Bernard

Tom Bernard/The Sony Pictures Classics co-president says there are changes in the wings for indie pictures.



Sony Pictures Classics' co-president Tom Bernard has been in the specialized film business since the 1970s incarnation of the art-house circuit. Bernard created UA Classics -- the first art-house franchise within the studio system -- in 1980. Three years later, he teamed up with current partners Michael Barker and Marcie Bloom to form Orion Classics, before creating SPC for Peter Guber and Sony in early 1992. SPC movies have been nominated for nearly 20 Academy Awards and have taken home the best foreign language feature trophy three years in a row for "Indochine," "Belle Epoque" and "Burnt by the Sun."

Bernard spoke to The Hollywood Reporter's Nik Jamgocyan about the current state of the indie biz and where it's heading.



The Hollywood Reporter: Do you have any final comments about the Oscar buzz surrounding the indies this past year?

Tom Bernard: The Academy Awards was more publicity than fact. You had "The English Patient," a $40-million (sic) movie made by a studio producer that Miramax tried to sell off as an indie to get the sympathy vote. Really the only independent that was shining in that Oscar race was "Secrets & Lies." The rest was business as usual.

THR: How do you assess the health of the industry?

Bernard: The business is growing by leaps and bounds. And the only true measure of our success is to examine the behavior of the people who control the money from the beginning -- the theater owners. What truly legitimizes specialized fare in the mainstream is that all the major theatrical circuits are now incorporating art houses within their multiplexes.

THR: What explains the most recent wave of corporatization to hit the industry?

Bernard: Miramax, Fine Line and Searchlight allow the majors a way to make movies on a smaller budget, with fresh talent that they can eventually integrate into the studio system. And with the massive appetite for product -- with worldwide TV, video and ancillary deals -- the specialized divisions have no shortage of places to pawn their wares. In fact, the studios can't pump out enough movies to feed these deals. And that seems to be what's keeping alive a lot of the specialized divisions that spend studiolike dollars on their releases.

THR: How long will these indie hybrids continue to churn out studiolike pictures alongside their more specialized fare?

Bernard: I think that you're going to see these companies change dramatically. These companies are trying to make and market specialized movies at commercial-movie prices, which don't add up at the end of the day. Eventually they're going to either move to more mainstream, commercial-type product or cut back and become a lot smaller. You can't ride the fence.

THR: When do you hit the point of diminishing returns for an average indie picture?

Bernard: I think movies under $10 million is where it's got to stay for these types of movies to remain successful ventures. Once you hit $15 million and over, you're doing the same thing as the studios but without the same type of high-end return.

THR: How can a small Indie film such as SPC's "In the Company of Men" make a profit?

Bernard: The picture has now grossed about $3 million domestically. We acquired North American rights for $250,000. It's been sold around the world to various companies, and it's going to have great video life and TV life. All told, it's probably going to generate -- on a worldwide basis -- $5 million or $6 million profit. And the guy who made the movie made it for under $500,000.