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Documentaries for Television

Documentaries for Television. This Week Murrow/Friendly/Lowe Robert Drew – NBC/Time-Life Clarke/Laurie Koppel/Bettag US – HBO and PBS, UK - Ch 4 and BBC McBride/Laurie Film List. Murrow/Friendly/Lowe. ‘See it Now’ 1951-1958 CBS Reports 1959-1971 [Murrow left in 1961]

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Documentaries for Television

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  1. Documentaries for Television • This Week • Murrow/Friendly/Lowe • Robert Drew – NBC/Time-Life • Clarke/Laurie • Koppel/Bettag • US – HBO and PBS, UK - Ch 4 and BBC • McBride/Laurie • Film List

  2. Murrow/Friendly/Lowe • ‘See it Now’ 1951-1958 • CBS Reports 1959-1971 [Murrow left in 1961] • ‘Harvest of Shame’ (1960)

  3. Robert Drew • 1961 - “The Reason many docs Are dull is because traditionally they have been little more than illustrated lectures.” • Drew in TV wanted to change that tradition • http://www.drewassociates.net/Main/About.htm • Traditional TV resisted

  4. Drew’s Kennedy Films • ‘Primary’ (1960) ABC Close-up • ‘Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment’ (Oct 21 1963) ABC • http://www.docurama.com/productdetail.html?productid=NV-NNVG115661 • http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/filmnotes/documentary4.html

  5. D-C in television • From “Defining the Moment” 1999 • See excerpt from film

  6. Robert Drew: • “Real life never got out of the film. never came to the television set…. • find a dramatic logic in which things really happen. If we could do that we would have a whole new basis for a new journalism. It’s hard to define.  • it would be a theater without actors. Plays without playwrights. Reporting without summary & opinion.  The ability to look in on people’s lives at crucial times from which you could deduce certain things and see a kind of truth that can only be gotten by personal experience. ….” • Compare Pennebaker’s ‘War Room’ 1992 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A47H4qzV3ms

  7. Traditional Narrative Style • ABC News Close-Up Unit • 1981 “Myths Behind the Miracle” • Director Malcolm Clarke • http://theoscarsite.com/whoswho7/clarke_m.htm • Written/Narrated by this guy =

  8. Traditional narrative style • Despite the influence of Robert Drew and others advocating a more natural unnarrated style – the genre persists to the present day. • If Japan in 1981 was the ‘rising’ nation • China was in 2008 & Discovery Channel offered Ted Koppel and a 4 part ‘People’s Republic of Capitalism’

  9. In America: Change at the Big Three US Networks • 1988 ABC “Close Up” & others • shut down • public service requirement diminishes • Documentaries become multi-subject magazine shows or long form programs of a more sensational nature – focusing often on crime or celebrities

  10. American Commercial TV Networks • CBS Sixty Minutes • ABC Prime Time • 20/20 • NBC Dateline • Magazines • Have replaced the TV documentary form at traditional US networks

  11. Reality TV • The popular stand-in for documentary • Competition meets Cinema Verite • Read Michael Hirschorn May 2007 • http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200705/reality-tv/2

  12. TV Documentaries Today • In America • Cable TV & the PBS dominate TV doc work • The PBS Frontline Series • HBO, Discovery, History, National Geographic, CNN, a few others • Ratings, Commercial Advertising, Corporate pressure, the risk… • Undermines experimental, bold, controversial, graphic film making

  13. PBS Frontline Series • Wide variety, traditional style • Often Controversial • International Subjects • Independent Series • http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/view/

  14. British Documentaries • Arguably more attention paid to long form non fiction film on Television in Britain than in America • Channel Four London archives • http://www.channel4.com/programmes/tags/documentaries/page-1 • And a guide to short documentaries http://www.4docs.org.uk • And a source of funding for independent films • http://britdoc.org/real_films/directory

  15. Range of BBC TV docs • Index to BBC Docs– • http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/ • BBC produces dozens of documentary films each year. Styles differ. Often multi-part in the tradition of “Civilisation” (1969) Heavily narrated by Kenneth Clark • Many topical or investigative films but - still usually in a traditionally narrated style

  16. The BBC Process • Most films are produced in house or as JV with other broadcasters • From big budget ‘Planet Earth’ 2006 • To low budget in-house ‘White Horse Village’ • Favoured independents • Occasional outside purchase

  17. Cambodia Surgical Ward • A first hand BBC experience • A film by Rob McBride and Jim Laurie • Pay little, want world wide rights and will control the final edit • The producers experience • 30 % prod, 70 % funds & dist • The Distribution nightmare

  18. Next Week • Personality Driven Film making • And some elements of style • Beyond Michael Moore • Nick Broomfield • Ross McElwee • Morgan Spurlock • Techniques of • Errol Morris and Ken Burns

  19. JMSC 6085 Documentary Film Appreciation Wednesday, February 3, 2010 0930 - 1230 Jim Laurie jlaurie@hku.hk Office: Eliot G-21

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