After coming across the short interview video clip of Penny Woolcock I found these videos as well. They are all short interviews with the TV documentary commissioners from all the major channels. They have all been asked the same questions including:
- What does your role in the commissioning process involve?
- What are the defining characteristics of a successful [channel] documentary?
- How developed does a documentary have to be when it's pitched?
- Do documentary makers that try to be different hinder their chances of getting commissioned?
- What advice would you give to a new documentary maker looking to pitch to you?
It was very interesting to learn what different things each station or commissioner is looking for and it does differ for all them. If you looking to pitch an idea to a channel it is important to know what each one looks for and who there audience is because this will have a bearing on whether your film is right for that particular channel. Some channel's (like Sky) look for more family orientated documentaries whereas others might want more daring stuff that pushes the boundaries (Channel 4) or stations like Channel 5 want documentaries that can reach the broadest audience and are people stories.
Just by watching these short videos I already have an idea of which stations I might think to approach with my documentary or style of documentary if I was looking to get it commissioned and so far I think, hypothetically, Channel 4 and possibly ITV would be the best ones to approach because Channel 4 show quite a broad range of documentaries and seem more creative in their approach and have also been known to show shorts and like to showcase new talent. I think ITV because they often have a lot of short half hour documentaries that are animal based but there tend to be more series rather than one off's like Channel 4 has.
It was also good to know that they don't all expect a fully formed idea that is pages and pages long. Most said they would rather have a strong idea that was just a paragraph than something written out in too much detail because a lot of the channels like to tweak it to suit their preferences and also they want something that is strong and snappy that will grab their attention straight away.
It seems that if you were to think about getting a programme commissioned the best route would be to approach a production company first rather than an actual channel because you need someone who is capable of making it and usually if you are an independent or individual film maker you are not going to have the resources or money to make it. Also you will be taken more seriously if you have a proper production company backing you up. From what they say though I think if you potentially had a good enough idea and they liked you a lot the TV commissioners might help you by linking to a production company who could make it.
Channel 5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLpTlMeKAe0#t=212 - Accessed 30/3/2014
Channel 4
BBC
ITV
Sky
These are definitely something I will refer to again in the future if I hopefully do continue to make documentary films and one day think that I want to pitch an idea to a TV station or a production company that producers programmes and documentaries for the TV channels.
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