Factual is new moniker for what used to be called Reality TV and Documentary. At least in the commercial world, you still see Documentary festivals in the independent world.
A new buzzword on everyone’s lips was “returnable”. Budgets are being cut and a format that can run for a few years is highly prized. Perhaps this is a way of saying popular. Everyone is after then next “Bake Off”.
Another word I learned was “access”. I had always found it difficult to get in to places to film, for example Reading Jail now it is open to the public. It was nice to know that everyone meets the same problem – glad to know its not personal.
Speakers would generally run a clip from their latest show, these were all good but from my perspective Anna Hall from True Vision Aire was the best. She showed a clip of a program on the consequences of domestic violence. It was very powerful. Anna was very kind to talk about how those sorts of programs get commissioned.
The most inspiring talk was from Ross Kemp (Freshwater Films). To be honest I was always a bit skeptical about Ross’s films but to see him in person and take a look again at clips from his films he was very impressive. The most memorable was him being shot at by an ISIS sniper. ‘They’re not all idiots’, he says, the sniper making rounds burst above his head was 350 yards away. The commissioning aspect of his company was straightforward, he has an excellent relationship with his Commissioner, she interviewed him. Also he showed that you can get good results with a small team.
There was a lot of material presented, my challenge will be to see if I can use it over the coming year. I can’t tell you all the tips I learned, I will use them to my advantage. Want to know more? be there next year.