The Whickers published October 12 its fifth annual survey of the changing landscape of doc production, both in the UK and internationally. “The fact that this is now the fifth annual survey means that we are building up an increasing valuable record of the shifting trends and emerging stresses in today’s market. It is not all bad news by any means. There are encouraging signals of hope and yet some of these statistics still shock,” write the UK-based doc funding outfit.
Compiled with the help and support of Sheffield DocFest, the full Whickers report can be accessed here. Key findings are as follows:
Costs and Remuneration
- The cost of documentary making continues to rise. Travel is the cost increase cited by most respondents (65%) with production crew (61%) and post-production costs (53%) coming 2nd and 3rd. “This ongoing escalation of costs is the main reason for The Whickers to increase their top funding award from £80K to £100K,” the organisation writes.
- Increased production costs have inevitably led to corner cutting. The three most common ways of making ends meet have been to multi-task, reduce crew payments and the filmmaker’s own salary. 48% have used these methods, with 16% saying they have cut down on the number of shooting days.
- However, far fewer are willing to sacrifice on editing costs. Only 3% have dared cut editing days and more than 60% of filmmakers now hire in a craft editor. A few years ago, this figure stood at 39%.
- The net outcome is that less than a fifth of respondents (18%) perceive that they have been paid fairly for the time and effort they have poured into their documentary making. One said “I couldn’t afford the rent during filming at one point, so was sleeping on friends’ sofas,” the Whickers notes. This is not because respondents are valuing their time at a higher daily rate. The opposite appears to be true: in 2016, 26% of respondents felt that their contribution was worth a fee in excess of £60k, now that figure stands at 2%.
Brexit/COVID
- Brexit appears to be having more of a long-term impact on documentary making than predicted by the last survey. But the opposite appears to be true of COVID-19. Figures for those finding the fallout from Brexit an increasing issue are rising even for respondents outside the UK where it has doubled from 12% to 24%. Meanwhile those who say COVID-19 “threatens my future as a documentary maker” has considerably dropped since 2020 (26%, down from 45%).
Doc pitching
- Respondents seem to have fallen out of love with online pitching. This represented a popular option at the start of the pandemic, with 57% then saying they would recommend this as their preferred option. That figure has now plummeted to 13%.
- Despite the increase in the costs of pitching, documentary makers say they prefer to meet others and attempt to sell their proposals face-to-face. One explained: “It’s as much about building a network as it is about the pitch. You can’t do that virtually,” the organisation notes,
- A quarter recommend a hybrid solution, but one respondent said: “Online festivals are the end of any hope of distribution and income from films.”
Funding
- There are high levels of frustration with the documentary funding application process. 2022 has seen a surge in the number of failed applications. 31% of all respondents who have applied for funding have received none whatsoever, a rise of 8%. Some see a geographical bias with one saying, “there’s a massive gap between the access to funding between developing countries and the West.”
- Despite inflationary pressures and increased costs, the most common amount of funding received is below £10k and the least common is above £100k.
- Documentary makers appear to be moving away from academic training. Fewer than ever are taking related degrees in documentary (an 11% drop) whilst marginally higher numbers this year are describing themselves as ‘self-taught’, ‘learning on the job’ or picking up skills via ‘short courses’.
Technology
- Bucking the trend of the previous 3 years, shooting footage on smartphones has not progressed. After 3 years of growth there has been a 6% drop.
- The use of high-end cinema cameras has also seen a sharp decline in use. After a rise in popularity there has been a 10% drop, with mid-range cameras retaining their popularity.
- Drone use has risen threefold since the previous survey. Then it was 11%, now drones are being utilised by near a third of respondents.
Finding an audience
- The ultimate goal for any documentary is to find its audience. This year has seen a boost in the number of respondents whose documentaries have found an audience on VOD platforms, in cinemas and at festivals. Now only 39% say their documentary is ‘not available to a paying audience’. Just a couple of years ago this figure stood at 63%.
- Despite the welcome upsurge in the number of documentaries that are being shown at film festivals, there is little evidence to suggest these festival appearances subsequently generate sales or lead to distribution deals. This is a point frequently highlighted in verbatim comments, with one respondent adding that “there needs to be a move towards alternate forms of distribution”.
- Despite all the pressure and sacrifice, not one of our respondents is saying that they will completely abandon documentary making this year, with one still able to say “It’s the greatest job in the world,” the organisation writes.
Conclusion
“This year’s survey shows that the existence of documentary is still as precarious and underfunded as ever,” The Whickers concludes its report. “Charitable funders are stepping up more, but also making increasing demands in terms of rights and returns on investment. It has also become clear that a two-tier system of documentary is emerging. On the one hand there are the chosen few in whom eye-watering amounts of money are invested, with a view to Oscar and Box Office success. On the other hand, [there are] the rest. Important stories that will always struggle to find a voice. Despite all of this, The Whickers are humbled by the resilience and perseverance of the respondents to this survey.”
