The complexities of documentary making...
Anyone that has been exposed to the production of television programs, commercials or corporate videos would understand the complexity of acquiring footage, assessing that footage, editing video tape and distribution.
The making of documentaries enters this same realm with added dimensions such as distance (travel), privacy issues and weather (non-controlled conditions). Often, additional pre-recorded footage is required which introduces a time element.
As documentaries are generally factual productions a great deal of research is necessary to reflect accuracy of content. In some cases creative licence is required to portray facts, but nevertheless, the facts must be known before this measure is adopted.
Rarely would a producer move to production without some form of pre-sale or distribution guarantee. In the case of “One Red Blood” (Murder Bore) the Producer has sought contracts from several international distributors at the recent MIP-TV sales conference in Cannes, France. Two distributors have indicated an interest subject to viewing a pilot episode.
The series, “One Red Blood” consist of five parts, 5 x 1 hour programs, each portraying a separate event but based on the same theme, an Australian outback murder. These murders will have happened between 1940 and 1960.
In creating such a series, the logistics of moving cast and crew, accommodating and feeding them is rather huge and must be well managed to contain costs within budget. Once in production the time factor becomes important in regard to delivery to the pre-determined television broadcaster.
An indication of the complexity of this type of production can be seen in the budget summary found elsewhere in this presentation.
Promoting tourism through television
When television programs like “Getaway” focus on towns, attractions and other places of interest they generate enormous interest in those locations which in turn attracts tourism and travel.
The effectiveness of such shows often depends on the focus and length of the segment, plus the story or characters portrayed in that program. Documentaries can be equally effective as we have seen with the graphical reproduction of the “Lockerby” event, the shooting down of a 747 aircraft over ten years ago. The town was unknown before the event and as macabre as it may sound; tourists now flock to the area.
Television is a powerful medium often encouraging viewers to believe what they see despite the production values of the program. The “Bore” murder near Hungerford was a significant event in the history of Australian crime and its solution with the use of a new forensic science was equally intriguing. The continuing popularity of crime on television ensures a broad audience for this kind of documentary.
Maximising national promotion through opportunity
Often a viewer will seek more detailed information after watching a program such as “One Red Blood”. There appears always to be a lust to visit a movie set or location if only to associate with the characters portrayed by the actors.
It is important to promote “the making of” this documentary in other appropriate forums, particularly the more common and accessible platforms such as the World Wide Web. This type of national and international promotion is relatively inexpensive and serves a two fold purpose of promoting any subsequent video release.
The making of can also be an “event” that lends itself to promotion in the print media and remains enduring for as long as the promotion continues. As national interest continues to grow a spin-off often occurs from news media which in turn regenerates interest, increases interest and develops further opportunities for ongoing tourism.
Word of mouth promotion will play a significant part in developing or increasing the tourism potential. People who visit the area will increase the awareness and significance of this attraction provided they are properly catered for during their stay. In this respect it may be appropriate to create some monument to the event for the tourist to visit, or perhaps a memento for purchase and take away. The analogy could be Barcaldine’s tree of wisdom, a relatively inexpensive landmark.
Television – value added marketing
A simple concept that is occasionally overlooked by producers of specific television programs is the domino effect. Often targeted at one audience such as the cinema, national television station or world wide distribution, the country cousin, regional television is forgotten.
Regional television stations can collectively deliver a greater audience for a program than a single city broadcast. These local transmissions generally appeal to a greater receptive audience, produce some income from purchase of the program and promote local video distribution.
If promoted correctly in a particular region this documentary material can be a source of ongoing promotion. With appropriate permissions some footage from the documentary may be used for commercial purposes and promotion that is relatively inexpensive.
The market for regional broadcast is not limited to national interests. A number of cities in the United States have over one hundred cable television stations. These stations are often networked or affiliated with counterparts in other areas. Financial returns from this source can be as little as $US3000 per hour or as great as that amount multiplied by up to eighty affiliate station buys.
Distribution of promotional videos and DVD’s
So far we have spoken about the distribution of a documentary through the most common channels of broadcast television. Worldwide, more viewers will watch a documentary television program via the media of video tape and more recently, DVD.
It is not uncommon to reproduce thirty or forty thousand copies of a program for distribution through retail outlets and video hire shops. This level of production can be repeated in many developed countries. The benefits of duplication and retail sale are the repetitive nature of the program. A buyer will most certainly view the documentary more than once, often in the company of friends and relatives and more particularly, at their choice of time and place.
Special events such as annual shows, occasions that are repeated frequently, will often date and subsequent sales reduce as a new video supersedes the old. This is not so with one off events such as the “Bore Murder” which is unlikely to be repeated in the foreseeable future.
With the advent of DVD it is becoming more common to travel with this technology than was ever the case with tape formats such as VHS. Often, young people will carry portable DVD players in their car or on the train or aircraft and this is becoming even more popular with mature people.
In the near future it may be common place to use the DVD technology geographically and watch a program before visiting a particular area.
Video and DVD – Recouping you investment
Without time limitations there are few restrictions on the number of video tapes or DVD’s that can be sold.
Some of the opportunities that present themselves at this time include distribution (at cost +) through tourist organisations and related retail outlets in other states (much like the ABC shops in capital cities). Local and regional retail outlets would benefit from reselling this product to local tourists via a commission or voluntary program with council.
Local marketing strategies would determine a retail price for the documentary but it would not be unreasonable to expect a return of $25.00 per unit after reproduction costs. Related directly to your investment all capital costs would be recouped in a relatively short period of time.
Of course, the indirect returns to the council and the community from the video would be much greater as, over time, it attracts new and repeat visits from viewers, their friends and relatives.
The distribution of DVD, its ease of use and portability will even further enhance the returns from media sales. In the long term, distribution on DVD should be the easiest and most profitable format.