Netflix is steadily expanding its programming appetites in the feature documentary, popular Factual and Reality Formats. Follow recent reports from the field, and in my new and expanded guide NETFLIX 2021: What You Need To Know Now! True Crime: Netflix is launching the original True Crime documentary American Murder: The Family Next Door. The feature …
For my Sunny Side of the Doc Meet the Executive interview, the BBC‘s Commissioning Editor for History Simon Young, shared his vision, priorities and three notable examples. Pipeline BBC History: 70-80 hours. Specialist Factual: 400 hours. History’s broad remit: Ancient to Early 21st century. The BBC’s Documentary unit also commissions recent History programs. Simon Young …
REELZ commissions around 200 originals each year and acquires another 50+ programs. The focus is on: Celebrity, particularly from the world of entertainment, and Notoriety, in the True Crime genre. Unlike most platforms like Netflix or U.S. cable nets, REELZ acquires only U.S. rights, allowing producers to profitably exploit rest-of-world in a popular genre. I …
Independent filmmaker Pat McGee explores the fast track production of his feature documentary Bernie Blackout: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised . We discuss: The Concept: documenting Bernie Sanders’ campaign and the media bias against him. His unique access to the Sanders campaign. The High-risk decision to commit to the production without a buyer. The …
In this intense U.S. election year, I caught up with filmmaker Pat McGee to explore his fast-track production of “Bernie Blackout: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”. Broadcast on VICE network on May 13, 2020, McGee‘s investigative documentary asks: How did the news media affect Bernie Sanders‘ 2020 presidential campaign? Was his campaign sabotaged by corporate …
“26 Days to Kill de Gaulle” is a unique French production made possible by the discovery of a hidden archive that suggested a dramatic documentary format which blends facts with speculation. Talweg Productions’ Vincent Gazaigne shared the story of his project from concept to delivery for Sunny Side of the Doc. The Case Study is sponsored …
David Attenborough went head-to-head with Joe Exotic in the battle for the ‘Most Popular Launch of a Netflix Unscripted Series.’ Tiger King failed to deliver a knockout blow over Our Planet, instead winning on points. That’s the finding from Parrot Analytics‘ online Demand analysis — a methodology that scoops up and ranks all of a …
INSIDE WUHAN is a Case Study in how hard times bring out innovation and flexibility from filmmakers. The producer/ director Craig Thompson discusses his 22-minute, short turnaround special, commissioned by CTV-Canada’s W5 and produced by Ballinran Entertainment and White Pine Pictures. Tagline INSIDE WUHAN is an undercover documentary that foreshadows a world under quarantine and …