Don’t miss a really useful video offering from A+E Networks: Three networks: Lifetime, History and A&E. Six of the biggest nonfiction series on US cable: Pawn Stars, Hoarders, Storage Wars, Dance Moms, Swamp People and Top Shot. Four leading executive producers: Elaine Frontain Bryant, Gena McCarthy, Paul Cabana and Mary Donahue. For invaluable insights into the [...]
Our Anatomy of a Pitch Session concludes in part 3/3 of our extended coverage of Canada’s Hot Docs Forum 2012. 25+/- producers pitched their projects. What worked? Which projects fell flat? How easy is it to break in? Or does the system favor established, award-winning talent? For our coverage of the earlier pitches: Click here for [...]
How to Succeed at a Documentary Pitch Event: Impressions at Toronto’s Hot Docs Forum 2012, Part 2
We continue our coverage of Hot Docs Forum where 25+/- producers pitched their projects to a long table packed with commissioners and funders. Who pitched? What are their budgets? Who is backing them? What kinds of projects just didn’t make a connection? And more… In Part 1, we set the scene in Toronto’s Hogwarts-style Hart [...]
How to Succeed at a Documentary Pitch Event: Impressions at Toronto’s Hot Docs Forum 2012, Part 1
Hot Docs Forum was a two-day session held in Toronto’s Westminster-style Hart House. Around 25 teams each pitched their partly-financed concept to a long table of potential funders. ‘The money’ included the BBC’s Storyville strand, ARTE, Knowledge Canada, NHK Japan, Tribeca Film Institute, PBS’s POV strand, The New York Times’ Opinion Pages, ITVS, YLE Finland’s [...]
Documentary Film Funds: Their Missions. How to Find Them! (Part 2 of 2) Outside North America
We continue our analysis by the Sundance Institute‘s Senior Consultant for its Documentary Program, Bruni Burres, of the opportunities to secure funding from foundations and film initiatives. This week: Sources outside North America By Bruni Burres Select International Documentary Funds Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation To date, Britdoc grants have enabled over 60 influential documentary films [...]
Documentary Film Funds: Their Missions. The Filters. How to Find Them! (Part 1 of 2) North America
The Sundance Institute‘s Senior Consultant for its Documentary Program, Bruni Burres, analyzed the opportunities to secure funding from a number of foundations and film initiatives on a panel that we shared at the 2012 Asia Side of the Doc in Tokyo. This week: North America. By Bruni Burres North American Documentary Film Funds Cinereach Cinereach [...]
Takeaways from MIPDoc & MIPTV: #1, China Makes a Really Big Statement – Croisette Resembles Bund
In four decades of attending MIP, I’ve never seen a coming out like the one organized by CCTV in Cannes earlier this month. Luo Ming, CCTV’s VP for economic affairs captured China’s strategy when he was reported saying: “Size is important at MIPTV. “And the higher the profile of Chinese content in general, the more [...]
Asia Side of the Doc: Five Big Takeaways from Tokyo
France Television’s Ann Julienne and NHK’s Sayumi Hori. Last week’s Asia Side of the Doc was a memorable event. Senior-level decision-makers attended. There were lots of involved delegates from across the region. The backdrop was a huge city that is still reeling from last year’s catastrophes. Here are my “Big Five” Takeaways: 1.Tohoku Pitch The [...]
'What is the 3D production cost premium? And the trends?' Variety covers the Sunnyside 3D experts’ panel moderated by Peter Hamilton. 
