Blog: Plugging the gap in documentary funding

Published: 29 April 2009 12:23
Charlie Phillips in Broadcastnow

There is an issue over decreasing funding for new UK documentaries from traditional avenues, especially broadcasters. But that just means documentary-makers have to look beyond the limited UK opportunities and seek support from beyond the UK and beyond TV, writes Charlie Phillips.

It’s impossible to rely on UK broadcasting money now. The tide has turned - documentary is now seen as a cheap investment in something high quality. Compared with other TV genres, you get much more bang for your buck but the ‘big budget documentary’ is a rare beast, because doc-makers are skilled in making something very brilliant for very little.
But you still need the cash, however efficient your budgeting is. That’s why the MeetMarket at Sheffield Doc/Fest was invented – to provide UK doc-makers with an opportunity to meet with international funders and potential co-producers, in order to be able to pool together the available resources from across borders. European broadcasters like ARTE, or American broadcasters like PBS, cannot offer the whole package of funds, but together the jigsaw builds.

It also means looking beyond TV funders. Brian Woods is probably right to be suspicious of some of the more rhetorical promises of internet distribution, but he shouldn’t dismiss the concept entirely. I’d suggest a change of emphasis; the internet as a place to get the documentary seen, not necessarily somewhere to make your budget up.

Portals such as Joining The Docs and The Auteurs offer an opportunity for high-end documentaries to be seen in a trusted place, guarded by platform editors with a commitment to publicising quality films.

If funds do need to be generated from the internet, in the UK at least, we’re still in a place whereby you need to either call on special-interest groups related to your subject matter (the Age of Stupid or Robert Greenwald route), or have an excellent network of fans who want to support you because they think no-one else is doing it or they admire your independent spirit, for example, the Radiohead/Patrick Wolf music model transferred to documentary.

It does require a total commitment to an existence outside of broadcast funding, and a lot of grassroots social network wooing.

There are, of course, now multiple funders out there commissioning directly for the internet – 4IP is being especially prominent in doing so – but it would be a mistake to think they will commission linear documentary simply placed on the web. They’re cross-platform commissioners, so they’ll want cross-platform projects. If that’s not you, then don’t expect their funds.

If that’s a step too far, there’s a panoply of non-TV funders out there, who you would meet at MeetMarket (in 2008, 23% of participants did deals at MeetMarket, with a projected worth of £365,000 and a further £7,500,000 worth of deals in negotiation).
In the UK, there’s Britdoc, which supported Woods’ ‘Chosen’. There’s also increased investment from trusts, NGOs and other semi-independent funders in documentary, if your doc is appropriate to one of their remits, and if you can ensure a satisfactory degree of editorial control. But it’s the USA where this non-broadcast sector is especially inspiring; the Sundance Institute and ITVS in particular being crucial sources. 
Documentary-makers are used to working creatively to keep budgets low and to maximise sources of funds from multiple sources through wheeling and dealing. That may be distasteful to some directors, but that’s okay - just get a really good producer to do it for you. In any case, is the exasperated documentary community really saying that documentary people aren’t good at schmoozing and persuading? Now that’s just not true at all.

Charlie Phillips is marketplace producer at Sheffield Doc/Fest