American New Wave Contextual Research (Easy Rider, Taxi Driver, Bonnie & Clyde)

American New Wave is a term used to refer at least three generations of American filmmakers.
First emerged in the 50s in New York.
Concerned with realism and a truthful depiction of American society at the time.
The second generation is the Hollywood Generation (60s).
Influenced by French New Wave.
The late 80s and 90s last generation work outside the studio system and openly in debt to Nouvelle Vague and New Hollywood.
All three generations wanted to work independently of a studio control and have a belief in cinema as an art rather than mere entertainment.
In 1919 four leading figures in American Silent Cinema (Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith) formed United Artists - the first indie studio. Their aim was to better control their own work as well as their futures. 
After WWII major studio companies had limited power due to The Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers combined with portable cameras lowering in price allowed indie filmmakers to compete with the major companies.

Hitchman, S. (2013 http://www.newwavefilm.com/international/american-new-wave-1.shtml)
A History of American New Wave Cinema [1]

New Hollywood was a movement in filmmaking from the late 1960s through the 1970s
The movement started with 'The Graduate" and "Bonnie and Clyde" both released in 1967
They both influenced the future of movie-making
These films saw less influence from their production studios and more influence from their directors.
New Hollywood resulted in commercially viable pictures that explored previously taboo subjects in innovative new ways. 
New Hollywood isn't so much a style of filmmaking as it is a movement and a period of time. 

Saporito, J. (2016 http://screenprism.com/insights/article/the-filmmakers-handbook-what-is-the-new-hollywood-movement) What was the New Hollywood movement? [2]

The American New Wave featured films that shocked the sensibilities of studios and audiences alike.
The movement ended abruptly and draws skepticism among views today.
By 1969, when Easy Rider proved an unlikely hit, the American New Wave could be said to be the dominant force in American filmmaking. the moniker "New Hollywood" suggests how mainstream these eclectic, challenging, and youth-centric films became for the next decade.
Incidentally, Roger Ebert's review at the time for the seminal Easy Rider captures much of the movement. Ebert points to three items which characterized films of the American New Wave. Sudden generational disjunction captured in the difference between Henry Fonda's career and Peter Fonda's new film. The reworking of popular genres such as westerns and motorcycle films. Rejection of straightforward storytelling. 
American New Wave films tend to fixate on character action and scenes with intense thematic resonance. Dialogue frequently feels unnecessary and gives way to scenes of violence and high-speed pursuits as in the case of Easy Rider. 
Ironically, many of the American New Wave directors became the system they had successfully bucked. 

Jordan, S. (2018 http://facets.org/blog/exclusive/lists/essentials/the-new-perspectives-in-the-american-new-wave/) The New Perspectives In The American New Wave [3]

The 1970s was a cultural revolution in many parts of society. Music, literature, politics, sex, and race were all heavily impacted by during the decade. One area which missed out on the party was film. This was mostly attributed to the structure of the studio system at the time. It is slow to recognize change and even slower in implementing it.

Esterkamp, J. (2014 https://medium.com/@jtesterkamp/new-hollywood-why-the-70s-were-the-greatest-decade-in-america-cinema-c42676e2170f) Why The 70's Were The Greatest Decade In American Cinema [4]

Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda did not write a full script for the movie and made most of it up as they went along. They didn't hire a crew, but instead picked up hippies at communes across the country, and used friends and passers-by to hold the cameras, and were drunk and stone most of the time.
Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Jack Nicholson were actually smoking marijuana on camera. LSD, however, was not actually used during the acid scene, as Fonda has stated.
It was one of the first films to make extensive use of previously released musical tracks, rather than a specially written film score. This is common with films now but was quite unusual at the time.
Peter Fonda got the idea for Easy Rider after seeing a picture of himself and Bruce Dern on their motorcycles. He got Dennis Hopper (who was planning on quitting the acting business and becoming a teacher at the time) involved when he promised he could direct the film.
The cocaine scene was only fake due to the fact they couldn't afford real cocaine.
Some of the weird lighting effects in the LSD scene came about because a can of the film was accidentally exposed when it was opened before being developed.
Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson were huge fans of Italian Director Michelangelo Antonioni, invited their idol to the first screening of their film. Antonioni was sufficiently impressed to cast Nicholson in his next feature film, "The Passenger" (1975)

IMDB (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064276/trivia?ref_=tt_ql_2) Easy Rider (1969) Trivia [5]

"the biggest reason to be careful when pointing a camera toward the sun is that the lens of the camera can actually act as a magnifying glass and focus the rays of the sun into a very small area on the shutter of the camera. If left in place long enough, this can burn a hole in the shutter or aperture mechanism of the lens itself"

Highton, S. (https://www.vrphotography.com/data/pages/askexperts/basics/pointatsun.html) Ask The VR Photography Experts [6]

Taxi Driver was a huge departure from typical Hollywood and exemplified what New Hollywood wanted to achieve in a number of ways. The non-traditional narrative combined with the unique aesthetics of the film truly set it apart from its conventional Hollywood predecessors

Disjunctive editing was one of the cinematic practices favored by New Hollywood. In opposition to the traditional continuity editing of Hollywood, disjunctive editing further distanced New Hollywood films from their predecessors and served a number of purposes – from forcing the audience to actively be engaged in the film to disorienting them for artistic, ideological, or psychological purposes

 The editing used in this scene, as well as the non-diegetic sound of Travis’s voice-over, all disturb and disorient the audience, in addition to mirroring the paranoia and delusions occurring in Travis’s head.

Zoons, A. (https://amylaurenzoons.wordpress.com/2013/03/09/how-taxi-driver-defied-traditional-hollywood-and-exemplified-the-new-hollywood/) How Taxi Driver Defied Traditional Hollywood and Exemplified the New Hollywood [7]

In her book, Hollywood Renaissance, Diane Jacobs discusses the innovative editing and camerawork present in Taxi Driver, saying: “While the camera’s pacing accelerates as the film progresses, it is as restless as its character’s mind from the very start” (146). [8]