September 21, 2010
FNB Feature: West Doc Conference, Days 1-2
By Catherine Clinch
Last week, The West Coast Documentary and Reality Conference made clear the single most important element of reality and non-fiction programming in the 21st century. Whether you are telling the saga of an endangered species struggling to survive the harsh realities of one more winter, or the escapades of self-indulgent bickering brides who seem to have lost track of the real reasons they are planning to take vows involving forever, it’s essential that filmmakers use every tool available to tell an interesting and compelling story about a character who is larger than life.
In recent years, non-fiction programming has emerged as the driver of the broadcast industry. The business plan has evolved away from a prior dependence on scripted programming — which has become extremely expensive — and, by necessity, created a new element that relies heavily on non-union cast and crew. Working on budgets that are sometimes as low as 1/10th of their scripted counterparts, non-fiction/reality filmmakers have rallied to the cause and learned how to build series around the real lives of real people. These characters are bigger than life and live at the extreme ends of the social spectrum. It is as if society has agreed to participate in a collective social experiment — the observer and the observed — with the results left to be judged by future generations.
Enter Richard Propper and Chuck Braverman, co-founders and managing partners of West Doc. Their goal is as simple as it is noble: to put content creators in the same room as the programming decision makers. In and of itself, this would not make West Doc a unique event. Indeed, on both coasts and around the global market, there are Expos and Pitch Fests and Conferences throughout the year that place content creators in the room with executives and other buyers. The thing that makes this event stand far above all others is that the decision makers were mostly at or above the level of Vice President or Senior Vice President and they displayed an open and earnest respect for the content providers in the room. In fact, the pervasive collegiality and flow of information was so unusual that it took awhile to realize that human interaction is valued as a necessary job skill in this world. In a profession where success is measured by one’s ability to get a subject to open up on camera, communication is a natural form of currency that extends up and down the chain of command.
While Propper and Braverman believe that the panels are “the heart of our event,” the breakout sessions in small rooms were open and candid. Content creators were encouraged to ask questions about what the individual companies and networks were and were not looking for. Yet, the most fascinating part of the transaction was the way in which each of the executives volunteered information about why things did and/or did not work. There was not a single executive who hesitated to give out their business card — or at least their email address — to everyone who asked. It is also to Propper and Braverman’s credit that each company represented at the market received an in-depth profile in the program. Furthermore, the bios of every speaker focused less on their employment history and stressed the programs they had been involved with and listed specific credits.
Each of the executives in the breakout sessions was very eager to explain that the most important part of their programs is the character, followed by the story that surrounds that character and, last but certainly not least, the supporting characters. Each of the executives presented this exact same list as if they actually believed that they were looking for something unique, but in an odd way, they are. The characters and stories the History Channel wants to focus on are completely different from the characters and stories you will find on The Style Network. It’s all about the execution of the details that change a project and make it appropriate the specifics of each of these buyers.
The panels were constructed to flow together in a cohesive story of their own. Beginning with “How to Qualify for an Academy Award,” moderated by Adam Leipzig (former president of National Geographic Films), the tone was set for candid interaction. Leipzig surprised the attendees with a guarantee that somebody in the room would win an Academy Award for best documentary. Immediately thereafter, he led a vibrant discussion of what it takes — in time, money and other resources — to even qualify for the short list. All the rules are on the Academy website and should be looked at carefully before a filmmaker even begins the process of raising their funds.
One panel that was unfortunately titled “The Boob Tube: Programming for Women” — the only misstep in an otherwise splendid lineup — examined why these networks are so successful and sought to pinpoint what they are looking for next. Sarah Weidman, Senior Vice President of Development & New Series for The Style Network, summed up the pattern for success as: Relatable characters, bold concepts and out-of-the-box approach, all of which are grounded in the life experience of Middle America. Megan Lawrence, Director of Development at WE TV wants “big, loud, promotable characters. An audience,” she explains, “wants to see results with satisfaction.”
During a panel that invited executives from two networks and one company to speculate on the future of reality programming, Brent Pinvidic, Executive Vice President at 3 Ball Productions was exceptionally candid about his experience developing shows that he believed in, only to see both series tank terribly. Jill Holmes, Senior Vice President at VH1, is confident that the predominantly young female viewers on her channel long for fun and escape. They want to see the glamorous life that eludes them. In the future, she predicts there will be much more of the same because “each show begets the next.”
Tomorrow: Day 3 of the Conference
Catherine Clinch is a screenwriter, journalist, and the founder of Nuclear Family Films. She is a regular contributor to Film News Briefs and can be reached at Catherine@nuclearfamilyfilms.com.
Posted in: 3 Ball Productions, Academy Awards, Adam Leipzig, Brent Pinvidic, Catherine Clinch, Chuck BRaverman, History Channel, Jill Holmes, Megan Lawrence, National Geographic Films, Richard Propper, Sarah Weidman, Style Network, VH1, WE TV, West Coast Documentary and Reality Conference, West Doc Conference