How to take the difficulty factor out of making and distributing a new indie? Do you have an extremely low budget? No budget? No problem. Steps to an easier way of making and distributing an independent film may be studied just by watching Be Kind Rewind - which takes independent filmmaking to a different level.

The basic guide to filmmaking would probably recommend starting with a script. That’s good advice, but - with the Rewind method -- if you can remember some lines from a classic movie or two why not start with that? No money to pay for actors? Just find a friend with an outgoing personality. What about locations? Your backyard? Okay, get a digital video camera, some household materials to make costumes, and you are on your way to producing your next film.

Of course this is not a serious proposal. It takes much more work to make an indie that actually produces money. Be Kind Rewind is a new movie written and directed by Michel Gondry. Mike (Mos Def) and Jerry (Jack Black) play video store attendants who accidentally erase all the store’s video tapes, and can’t buy new ones - their solution is to become very creative. They also become neighborhood legends when they remake movie classics using a technique they call sweding (producing very low budget home movies as they remake famous movies like Ghostbusters, Driving Miss Daisy, and Robocop).

Mike and Jerry don’t just put a spin on filming indies, they attempt to show an alternative way to distribute and market film. Bob Berney, move aside -- there are faster ways to distribution. According to Mike and Jerry, you just use the direct-to-video approach, and distribute it through the local video store. And if you have some connections, you’ll get some exposure.

Mike and Jerry’s technique of "sweding" should be qualified a bit. First of all, their “remakes” aren’t exactly equal to the remaking of Ocean’s Eleven or The Italian Job. You are limited to what you cover in 20 minutes. Nevertheless, they show that viral marketing and neighborhood distribution can work, at least in a comedy.

Warning: this technique of sweding should never be attempted at home. The FBI frowns upon copyright infringement, and so do the writers currently on strike.