Matthew Sylvain
Indies do more for BBC
NEWSThe BBC’s factual and learning team is downsizing. The cuts announced in May affecting 37 producer posts won’t impact overall spending on factual, however, as more of the department’s budget is being dedicated to independent doc commissions.
PBS to use ratings targets
NEWSStruggling through a funding drought that has seen underwriting fall by 26% in the last two years, this fall PBS plans to adopt ratings-target figures to evaluate which programs to greenlight, a move that will influence the pubcaster’s support of docs.
Factual drives UK exports
NEWSRevenues from u.k. tv exports climbed to US$921 million in 2003, up from $754 million in 2002, and the three new top-sellers were docs: Granada Intl’s Living with Michael Jackson, and Carlton International’s Ancient Greek Olympics and Innovations.
High definition dominates NAB
NEWSBy far, the focus at this year’s National Association of Broadcasters’ annual trade show (April 17 to 22 in Las Vegas) was on the production and carriage of high definition programming. Virtually every vendor touted new and more price-competitive hd gear, which is good news for independent doc-makers looking to stretch already stretched hd-program budgets.
CTF overhaul puts docs on firmer financing ground
NEWSCanadian doc-makers and their international partners
Buddha bucks
NEWSRefuge. Wheel of Time. Angry Monk. Life of Buddha. These are just a few of the many recent docs that focus on Buddhism in general and Tibetan Buddhism in particular. It’s quite an output, considering fewer than 500 million people globally (mostly in Asia) ascribe to Buddhism, and that Tibet is a remote corner of central Asia. But Buddhism hooks audiences.
VOD market heats up for doc-makers
NEWSAfter a dozen quiet years since its birth, the video-on-demand TV market is poised to get noticed. According to forecasting firm Jupiter Research, revenues from cable-based on-demand content in the US will grow from US$318 million at the start of 2004 to $1.2 billion by 2008. Providers of VOD say short-form, special-interest programming is central to drawing audiences, and they’re increasingly seeking material from non-fiction distributors and producers.
Making a move to HD
NEWSThe high definition revolution has been a darling topic of TV insiders for years. Until recently, however, doc-makers felt left behind, grumbling that the buyers for HD-originated content were few while the challenges (read: expenses) of shooting and editing in hd were many. It’s a sentiment that was voiced by respondents to a recent RealScreen survey. Of industry people polled, 13% said the majority of their doc slate is HD content, whereas 81% said only some – if any – of what they produce or distribute is in HD. As one respondent commented, ‘I can’t afford to get into HD and have no incentive to do so.’ Although the point is valid, several trends suggest this appraisal is overly pessimistic.
CPB earmarks US$20 million for post-9/11 America docs
NEWSThe Corporation for Public Broadcasting, an arm’s-length organization backed by the U.S. Congress,
The musket shot heard ’round the world
NEWSRecent TV trends suggest there are three key ingredients that will ensure broadcaster buy-in on a project: conflict (in front of the camera that is, not behind it), getting ‘real’ people to dress and behave like it’s another era, and focus on a seminal period in history.
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Photos
Factual Entertainment Forum 2011 - MTV head of programming David Janollari during “Living in the Real World: The Evolution of the Docusoap” at Realscreen’s Factual Entertainment Forum.