Access, Supersizing and Social Impact. What broadcasters are looking for in 2020.
And that’s a wrap! Clothesline’s highlights from the Australian International Documentary Conference, 2020.
Last week Clothesline spent four jam-packed days attending the Australian International Documentary Conference for 2020. Four full days of meetings, pitching, networking and learning from the best in the industry. Here are our highlights:
PITCH AT FIRST SIGHT
Pitching a show idea can be a little overwhelming - how much information do you need to have prepared? How much is enough? How much is too much? And… What are the networks looking for? If you’ve ever wanted to pitch your idea to a network exec - this was the place to be!
Picture this - two network executives, a spinning wheel of subject matters and a bunch of development producers with only minutes to prepare their pitch. What could possibly go wrong?
A fascinating, fun and surprisingly insightful session. We watched the best brains in the business put together a show idea in just a few minutes, and then pitch their ideas to two very different networks; to ABC’s Head of Non-Scripted production, Josie Mason-Campbell and Nine’s head of Factual Entertainment, Adrian Swift.
It was really great to watch producers take one idea and shape it for the specifics of these two networks, and to hear feedback on how they went. For us it really cemented the difference between what commercial and public broadcasters are after.
Our top takeaways from this session:
-Be able to express your idea in just one sentence.
-Have a reason WHY you think your show belongs on their network.
-Know your audience!
MAKING A KILLING: LESSONS FROM TRUE CRIME’S GOLDEN AGE
At Clothesline, we love true crime storytelling in all its shapes and forms, and in 2020 it’s never been more popular. The appetite for a real-life whodunnit seems to be insatiable for millions of armchair detectives.
This session looked at the challenges faced by directors, producers and broadcasters in telling these stories, and what better way to learn than from three distinctly different content creators; Navid Bahadori from Broken Yellow, Ninder Billing from The Garden (UK) and Brad Holcman from the A&E Channel (USA).
Navid Bahadori from Broken Yellow, shared insights in how he overcame some of these challenges in the award winning short form ABC animation series The Twist.
Ninder Billing from The Garden Productions in the UK talked about the need for a justification of going back over crimes, and how to ensure that proper duty of care is provided to families of victims not just through the production process but after the program has gone to air.
Brad Holceman from A&E brought his own flavour, sparking discussion around the legal and moral risks associated with pushing creative boundaries and how to avoid glamorising crime in this fascinating genre.
THE SEARCH FOR JUSTICE WITH AMY BERG
Amy Berg is an Academy nominated documentary filmmaker whose critically acclaimed documentaries explore the pursuit of truth and justice in some of the U.S.’s most controversial criminal cases. Berg’s documentaries include the four-part HBO series, The Case Against Adnan Syed – the case that was brought to global attention by the Serial podcast; West of Memphis – about the wrongful convictions of the West Memphis Three; and Deliver Us From Evil, examining sexual abuse within the Catholic church.
We loved hearing Amy Berg share her insights into directing for documentary, crafting story, and the challenges of documenting such contentious and high-profile cases and her experiences navigating some of the most powerful institutions in the U.S.
On a side note, Amy Berg also directed one of our favourite documentary series from last year; Netflix’s Dogs. If you need a break from true crime check this out, storytelling at it’s best and well, dogs.
TELLING STORIES WITH SOUND: LISTENING PARTY
Audio can make or break your film, you can live with a bad picture but if you can’t hear your subject you’re in trouble.
In this session which was part-listening party, part-exchange of ideas we heard from film sound designer Emma Bortignon and audio producer Jaye Kranz discuss some of their favourite sonic moments in podcasting and radio, and insights into how to sound design can shape, move, and amplify the narrative.
Music and audio is so important in filmmaking, it sets the tone for what you are trying to say. An inspiring session if you’re passion for radio and music is as strong as ours!