صحافة دولية » ?Has reality TV killed off docu-mentaries
Guardian
Has reality TV killed off serious docu-mentaries? A debate on the state of the genre at Edinburgh reflected the fears of many that more demanding work is being ousted by cheap and cheerful people docs, heavily influenced by Big Brother and similar shows.
The veteran producer Brian Woods – whose docu-mentary Zimbabwe s Forgotten Children is shown on BBC2 tomorrow, after first being screened to critical acclaim on BBC4 – observed that it was now increasingly difficult to win new orders for foreign stories. Only a few commissioners will regularly put up funds of at least £30,000-40,000, and screen films at accessible times.
The same point was made by Paul Hamann, the respected former head of BBC docu-mentaries and executive producer of many ground-breaking observational films. He said docu-mentaries were no longer properly reflecting domestic Britain, either. The BBC until recently had a dedicated docu-mentary department, and that meant they were able to "take punts on things, make commitments". Hamann thought the department should be revived within the BBC.
The worry is that the balance of output has become too skewed as budgets are crunched, with noisy characters such as Pineapple Dance Studios Louie Spence – who was on the debate panel – grabbing the limelight.
However, Simon Dickson, deputy head of docu-mentaries at Channel 4, said audiences were living through a "golden age for docu-mentaries", and that we should avoid self-flagellation. And, he added, television has always cast extroverts in docu-mentaries.
Jenny Popplewell, who made Channel 4 s My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, said the key test was "are we showing it as it is", or exploiting people. She said in her experience the public believe they will be unfairly edited. So the key to authenticity is winning subjects trust, and Spence confirmed that had been vital in his series case. He said they had decided to go with Sky, despite approaches from Endemol and interest from the BBC, because "I had a big say in what was filmed. We were involved."
Has reality TV killed off serious docu-mentaries? A debate on the state of the genre at Edinburgh reflected the fears of many that more demanding work is being ousted by cheap and cheerful people docs, heavily influenced by Big Brother and similar shows.
The veteran producer Brian Woods – whose docu-mentary Zimbabwe s Forgotten Children is shown on BBC2 tomorrow, after first being screened to critical acclaim on BBC4 – observed that it was now increasingly difficult to win new orders for foreign stories. Only a few commissioners will regularly put up funds of at least £30,000-40,000, and screen films at accessible times.
The same point was made by Paul Hamann, the respected former head of BBC docu-mentaries and executive producer of many ground-breaking observational films. He said docu-mentaries were no longer properly reflecting domestic Britain, either. The BBC until recently had a dedicated docu-mentary department, and that meant they were able to "take punts on things, make commitments". Hamann thought the department should be revived within the BBC.
The worry is that the balance of output has become too skewed as budgets are crunched, with noisy characters such as Pineapple Dance Studios Louie Spence – who was on the debate panel – grabbing the limelight.
However, Simon Dickson, deputy head of docu-mentaries at Channel 4, said audiences were living through a "golden age for docu-mentaries", and that we should avoid self-flagellation. And, he added, television has always cast extroverts in docu-mentaries.
Jenny Popplewell, who made Channel 4 s My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, said the key test was "are we showing it as it is", or exploiting people. She said in her experience the public believe they will be unfairly edited. So the key to authenticity is winning subjects trust, and Spence confirmed that had been vital in his series case. He said they had decided to go with Sky, despite approaches from Endemol and interest from the BBC, because "I had a big say in what was filmed. We were involved."
