One of the most exciting events last week at the festival was the One World Media Live Pitch. It was a great session where 5 young filmmakers had been whittled down from a group of 70 to battle it out for the One World Media Live Pitch final grand prize of £2,000!  In front of a prestigious panel of documentary film makers and producers each filmmaker had 5 minutes to pitch their idea and were then grilled by the panel and offered feedback on what they had delivered.

The documentary ideas put forward covered an eclectic range of topics ranging from moustaches in India to punks in Algeria. The panels advice was clear and concise with their main questions including 'how is this universal to all?' and 'what is the story?'. A couple of the pitches were in the early research stages and these were offered guidance on how to develop their ideas fully and told they need to be clear from the story what type of production company they want to take their idea forward when complete.

And the winner was.....With The Punk. They were my favourite and gave an excellent, very confident and energetic pitch.  They had a story mapped out and a taster film to show, which highlighted the feel, emotion and pace of the documentary and how the story would unfold.  The presenters were very engaging and the story had a real life journey to it, relevant storyline and was universally linked to all teenagers rebels.

Fellow Digital Reporter Monique Jarrett caught up with panelist Steve Boulton after the event and also got to grab winners Onyeka Igwe and Sofia Bouzidi to congratulate them on scooping the top prize...

And my favourite bit of advice from the event was from filmmaker Olly Lambert who made Tea Boy of Gaza.  He said that the best documentaries are those that do not hit the message home with a hammer but take the smallest story like the little tea boy from Gaza to show the bigger picture such as the political unrest and war happening around him. That bit of advice I will use well!

Sarah Miles - Words and photos
Digital Reporter

Monique Jarrett - Audio
Digital Reporter

 

So you've got a great idea for a documentary how do you go about pitching it? Cue the Pitching for Documentary workshop that took place earlier today.

We heard from experienced filmmakers Steve Boulton and Sophie Chalk who gave lots of great advice to those wanting to get their ideas commissioned and onto our TV screens.

Steve Boulton started working on documentaries in 1982 and was a researcher at Granada. He's worked with a whole host of companies including Channel 4, ITV, BBC and Channel 5. Steve started his own company in 2002 and went on to make the documentary Young Nazi and Proud, which won a BAFTA  - not bad hey.

So here's Steve’s advice on how to pitch for a commission -

- It matters that you learn how to sell - the power of persuasion is key.
- It helps to have a reputation, experience or awards within the business.
- If you don’t its important to encapsulate your idea in no more than 100 words to get it across clearly.
- Never give more than two pages for an idea.
- Always start with the nugget of the documentary.
- Know your character.
- Know exactly what you want the documentary to be about.
- Think about who would be involved on the talent side i.e. celebrities, experts.
- Research the people you're pitching to. Each broadcast channel has a genre and specific topics that they are looking for so watch out for those and taylor your pitch. 

Things NOT to do when pitching a documentary -

- Undermind the person/company you're pitching to.
- Do no research into the person/company you're pitching to.

More useful tips from Steve -

- Use a Narrative Ark that shows a clear beginning, middle and end of the documentary.
- Take a few mins sample footage of your documentary that covers the core of your work.
- If pitching about a character it should be about the character and nothing else.
- No graphics should be used unless its explaining something brief.
- Stay clear of music besides the intro and ending.
- Simple is best.
- No fancy editing.
- Communicate your passion for your documentary.
- It’s a hard business so you have to be tough skinned.

Up next was Sophie Chalk. Sophie started working in documentaries in 1989 and over the years has worked with companies including Sky News, TVAM and Yorkshire TV. Sophie set up her own company Rooftop production in 1998 and also works for the International Broadcasting Trust.

Here's Sophie’s advice on making and pitching documentaries:

- Documentaries that are about misery don’t work well.
- Pitch to a company that you like and who work with similar topics as your documentary.
- Being turned down becomes a way of life, dont take it personally, be thick skinned and passionate.
- If it's an international documentary make it more about the people than the topic.
- Find a human narrative and a familiarity in peoples lives that the viewer can relate to.
- Think about the sensitivity towards the viewer.
- Produce adocumentary that would inspire a viewer.
- Include a mixture of humour and sadness or seriousness

And more advice on commissions from Sophie -

- BBC3 have made a real skill of developing serious documentaries without them looking serious.
- All of these channels/progs are looking for new ideas NOW for documentaries: BBC1, 2,3,4, Dispatches, Panorama and Crew Cut.
- To find out who to speak to watch documentaries and keep an eye on the credits to catch contact names.
- Don’t be put off by the commissioners saying it will cost more to film abroad, in many cases this isn’t true. It costs a lot to film in Britain.
- Make sure your taster video has your name at the beginning, end and on the DVD.

Monique Jarrett
Digital Reporter
@roidmj

 

On Thursday 18 November, 5 documentary makers will go head to head in a suspenseful live pitch in front of a public audience and  panel of professionals. The prize: £2000 to make a high-quality trail for their documentary as well as mentoring and support.
Making the ultimate decision are Steve Boulton, former editor of flagship current affairs programme World in Action; Cat Lewis, director of the production company Nine Lives Media, exposures co director Beth Hewitt and  Andy Glynne, Chief Executive of the Documentary Filmmakers Group (DFG) - the UK’s national organisation for documentary.

The 5 students and recent graduates shortlisted were selected from over 70 entries received from all over the UK.  Come and cheers them on!

Which one will get your vote?

• A History of the Indian Moustache (William Hartley, University of Salford)
  This film will provide an unusual history of India by looking at the Indian moustache. Once an important part of the Indian male’s appearance, what status does it have now? And what does that tell us about how the country is changing?

• God Save the Punk (Onyeka Igwe, Goldsmiths, University of London; Sofia Bouzidi, graduate of University of Bradford)
  There is now an emerging movement of young people who use Islam and punk as a way of defining their lives. In this film Sofia Bouzidi – who is British, Algerian, and punk – will take us inside this growing culture in Algeria and the UK.

• Life in a Capsule (Luo Yi, graduate of Goldsmiths, University of London)
  ‘Capsule Studios’ is a new way to live for cheap in China’s rapidly developing capital city, Beijing. But what is it like squeezing three people into each capsule, with no windows and one bed to share between them?

• Radio Benin (Anouk de l’Ecluse, graduate of The Metropolitan Film School, London)
  The radio has become a vital part of people’s lives in Benin, West Africa. This documentary will hear people’s accounts of what their radio means to them – and find out what happens when people switch their radios on.
  
• The King of Bandra (Philip Pendlebury, University of Salford)
  This film will tell the story of Mr. Sandeep Bacche from Mumbai, a man of extraordinary generosity who is devoted to raising money for those in need. But Sandeep is not a rich philanthropist – he is one of Mumbai’s 55,000 autorickshaw drivers.

The One World Media Live Pitch is on Thu 18 october, 16:15, Cornerhouse Cinema 2
One World Media events at exposures are supported by UKaid from the Department for International Development <> 
The Live Pitch supported by the Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation, in collaboration with DFG