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Not-So-Profitable Doc and Public Broadcasting

email   discuss Posted by Patricia Aufderheide on Apr 29, 2008 at 9:25 AM

Arts Engine executive director Katy Chevigny, a leader in the field of documentary production (and whose timely and watchable film Election Day is part of the stunning summer season on public television series P.O.V., has written a thought-provoking blog entry. She notes that some documentaries are hugely popular (An Inconvenient Truth) and others are highly targeted (Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price). But what happens to the “smaller or artier documentary”?

Katy observes that:

It’s more difficult to raise the funds or to make the argument that an audience will want to see it. Films like the Maysles’ Salesman (about a bunch of nobodies doing a tedious job) or Marlon Riggs’ Black Is…Black Ain’t (political, but not advancing a hard-hitting agenda) would have a more difficult time today justifying their existence, waving the flag of art over the subtle ideas they explore. Intimate without being sensational, these films are examples of the work of artists taking a humanist approach to their documentary subject matter. Concrete political advocacy in the form of “next steps” are mostly absent, and the storytelling style does not necessarily cleave religiously to a three-act narrative arc. This year’s Hot Docs Film Festival in Toronto offered a retrospective of the Dutch filmmaker Heddy Honigmann, including her new film Forever, a meditation on death and mourning through the experiences of visitors to the Pere-Lachaise cemetery. It’s a poem of a film, not topical, news-y or dramatic. Honigmann’s nuanced tough, rooted in confident craftsmanship, reminded me of how unusual it is today to see docs from the U.S. that take the time to muse on the human condition. There are some, for sure, that rise to the top of the heap, but it is not the rule…

In 2008 and beyond, we are likely to continue to see documentaries that serve a critical democratic function of truth-telling. This could mean that the side stories of life may not gain center state any time soon. But it’s worth remembering that no matter what film style is a la mode at a given time, there will always be artists who cannot be pigeonholed and whose beset work goes against market trends. For those of us true believers in documentary as an art form capable of producing films that are profound, beautiful and long-lasting, we should continue to champion those films that are mostly left behind in the marketplace. To the best of our ability, we should strive to keep a spot carved out on the documentary landscape for the humanist doc, the poetic doc, the so-called “smaller” film. Hopefully, artists will continue using the relatively inexpensive tools available to them to work in the voice of their choosing, and festivals and online distribution will offer a sanctuary for their work to flourish. Because in order for the documentary to remain an exciting form in the next decade and beyond, filmmakers need the space to take the artistic risks that will bring us films that truly push the envelope and blow our minds.

This argument seems to me to lead to the need for public media, especially public broadcasting (although Katy doesn’t take it that far). On television, only public broadcasting has consistently carried documentaries whose goal was exploring the human condition. On Independent Lens, on P.O.V., and sometimes on other documentary series such as American Masters, Wide Angle, Frontline and Nova, you can watch the humanist documentary. On radio, This American Life, Storycorps episodes, shows brought to radio by PRX (which brokers for independent producers) and segments within news and public affairs all work within this important mid-range of expression.

Of course, not even public broadcasting is always hospitable to independent voices. Independent Lens and P.O.V., for instance, are often carried at unattractive times of the day, and regular viewers without a digital video recorder are often frustrated. On radio, podcasts help viewers who can’t show up for “appointment listening,” and who have the gizmos.

If you think Katy’s argument is worth supporting, then think about supporting your public broadcasting outlet, and letting them know why you support them.


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In 2008 and beyond, we are likely to continue to see documentaries that serve a critical democratic function of truth-telling. This could mean that the side stories of life may not gain center state any time soon. But it's worth remembering that no matter what film style is a la mode at a given time, there will always be artists who cannot be pigeonholed and whose beset work goes against market trends. For those of us true believers in documentary as an art form capable of producing films that are profound, beautiful and long-lasting, we should continue to champion those films that are mostly left behind in the marketplace. To the best of our ability, we should strive to keep a spot carved out on the documentary landscape for the humanist doc, the poetic doc, the so-called "smaller" film. Hopefully, artists will continue using the relatively inexpensive tools available to them to work in the voice of their choosing, and festivals and online distribution will offer a sanctuary for their work to flourish. Because in order for the documentary to remain an exciting form in the next decade and beyond, filmmakers need the space to take the artistic risks that will bring us films that truly push the envelope and blow our minds. This argument seems to me to lead to the need for public media, especially public broadcasting (although Katy doesn’t take it that far). On television, only public broadcasting has consistently carried documentaries whose goal was exploring the human condition. On Independent Lens, on P.O.V., and sometimes on other documentary series such as American Masters, Wide Angle, Frontline and Nova, you can watch the humanist documentary. On radio, This American Life, Storycorps episodes, shows brought to radio by PRX (which brokers for independent producers) and segments within news and public affairs all work within this important mid-range of expression. Of course, not even public broadcasting is always hospitable to independent voices. Independent Lens and P.O.V., for instance, are often carried at unattractive times of the day, and regular viewers without a digital video recorder are often frustrated. On radio, podcasts help viewers who can’t show up for “appointment listening,” and who have the gizmos. If you think Katy’s argument is worth supporting, then think about supporting your public broadcasting outlet, and letting them know why you support them. http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/blogs/beyond_broadcast/1006/ ' />

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