Doc/Fest - Sheffield

Take a break from all the pitching and remember why you wanted to make documentaries in the first place. 10x10 is a hugely popular workshop that focuses on the filmmaking whilst building a more empowered indie-doc community. Three filmmakers will screen up to ten minutes of their workin- progress and receive ten minutes of directed feedback from you, the audience. You might be watching a traile...

A lively discussion on the current state of a technology that is revolutionising how we perceive factual entertainment. How has 3D developed over the past year? How are producers and broadcasters approaching the capabilities of the format and what are advantages and pitfalls of this new frontier? With landmark TV factual productions such as Flying Monsters 3D attracting the industry’s most infl...

Filmmaker Leonard Retel Helmrich will be here to discuss his landmark trilogy of films, an in-depth portrait of Indonesia through the eyes of one family with whom he has filmed for over a decade. Leonard uses the film method ‘single-shot cinema’, involving long takes and a constantly moving camera, and he developed the innovative ‘steadywings’ camera mount. A multi-award winner including, the S...

Non-Governmental Organisations and documentary – it sounds like a match made in heaven. NGOs have the access, the stories, the case-studies, and sometimes the cash to help you make your film. But what can be a highly successful venture can also turn into a nightmare scenario – obstructive NGOs not allowing access or pushy PR people insisting that your film turns into a promotional piece. This s...

This session looks at the crucial role that documentaries play in providing new, positive and revolutionary views about Africa. How can we redefine the image of a continent that is regarded by so many as troubled? Do news organisations contribute to negative African stereotypes or are they responsibly reporting current events? Do films made by charities enhance or blinker our perspective on Afr...

Adrian Anthony Gill is a columnist currently employed by of The Sunday Times and Vanity Fair. Abbreviating his name to A.A. Gill, he has garnered a reputation as one of the nation’s most salient satirists, but often at the cost of dividing opinion. By writing on issues such as race, sexuality and geopolitics, feeling on his pieces is almost antonymous – loved and hated; harmonious and disagreea...

Join film legend Albert Maysles of Maysles Films in conversation, featuring selections from his unsurpassed body of work, which spans over 55 years of filmmaking. Albert will show clips from many of his films. The inaugural recipient of The Sheffield Doc/Fest Lifetime Achievement Award will take questions about his iconic work — from Gimme Shelter and Grey Gardens to Muhammad and Larry and curr...

Until 1991, all broadcast media in the Arab world was government controlled, owned, and pre-recorded. Now viewers have their choice of hundreds of satellite news, entertainment and sports networks. What was the catalyst for this change and what is happening in Middle East media today? Meet representatives from Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya, the most watched news channels in the region. What effect ...

Pushing the boundaries and responsible risk taking in factual production. A panel of leading documentary makers face a series of ethical dilemmas in an unfolding scenario. Su Pennington, Head of Editorial Standards at the BBC Academy is on hand to advise.

An exclusive screening of a behind-the-scenes documentary revealing the problems faced by the crew filming for this hit BBC series. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Dale Templar, series producer of the Human Planet.

BBC Academy Director Anne Morrison talks to Brian Woods, multi BAFTA-winning documentary director about the challenge of finding characters, working with vulnerable child contributors, and how to support contributors at and after transmission. Brian will show clips from a series of award winning BBC social issues docs including Eyes of a Child, Evicted and his latest film, Poor Kids, which will...

This industry is littered with sad stories of how great, new ideas never saw the light of day because “the Commissioners didn’t get it”. But is this their fault or yours? This is a practical workshop run by Academy’s pitching guru Frank Ash is stuffed full of tools and techniques to prepare, structure and present your pitches to give your brilliant ideas a fighting chance.

An exclusive screening of a behind-the-scenes documentary revealing the problems faced by the crew filming for this hit BBC series. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Dale Templar, Series Producer of the Human Planet.

Adam Curtis is a documentary maker with one of the most distinctive of visual styles. Prolific in his blogging about some of the world’s most pressing issues, his films often reflect the opinions and arguments he has developed through meticulous research and rigorous planning. In various series commissioned by the BBC, Curtis has made extensive and imaginative use of their archive footage, ofte...

Five years ago documentary-maker Daisy Asquith met and started filming three immigrant children from three different countries as they arrived to start their new lives in Britain. Marshal moved from Zimbabwe to Newcastle, Altynay moved from Kyrgyzstan to South Yorkshire and Imran came from Pakistan to live in Peterborough. Daisy filmed with them regularly from the moment they stepped off the pl...

A masterclass with Bedlam Productions’ Gareth Unwin, Simon Egan and Simon Breen as they celebrate the success of The King’s Speech (2010) and discuss their latest documentary projects. They will also examine how the demand for history films often results in documentaries that become dramas. If you are a member of the public

In today’s complex distribution landscape, the possibilities for releasing documentaries can go far beyond a single broadcast window. Join a panel of leading distributors to explore how we can work together to make the most out of our movies, including DVD, online, mobile formats, theatrical, and grassroots distribution. How is the new multi-platform, globalized media-scape impacting our potent...

The Big Fish Fight season started on Channel 4 on January 11th. By day 6 half a million people had got behind the campaign. By March 3rd the front page of The Guardian read: ‘Europe to ban discarding of unwanted fish.’ This session will look at the Big Fish Fight multiplatform campaign from conception to the capitulation of the EU Fisheries Minister from the points of view of the TV and digital...

Bruce Parry is one of British documentary’s most recognisable faces. A former Royal Marine, his compassionate presentation style saw him become an instant success when he began his television career in the early 2000s. In series such as Tribe and Amazon, where he visited and lived with different remote groups, Parry approached the massive changes in culture with an intrepid dedication that saw ...

KEO Films has become one of the country’s leading independent production companies since it was set up 15 years ago. In that time, River Cottage has gone from being a cottage by a river to become an international brand, while the documentary team have produced films all over the world from the Arctic to the Sahara, the Amazon to the Atacama Desert. After 12 episodes of Going to Extremes, they s...

Mobile devices, multiple screens and location-based technologies are opening up new ways to think about cinema. Interactivity has held a long-term promise of a cinema experience that is multi-dimensional and participatory. Does the current emergence of new forms of media mobility deliver this promise and how are filmmakers and artists responding to this challenge? What are the possibilities for...

In the changing world of print journalism, newspapers and magazines have to adapt quickly to the increasing demand of readers on television, on the net, and even on their phones. In order to address this widening gap between news and technology, traditional print media have begun to incorporate video and film work to heighten, enhance, and even stand for their work. This panel will discuss how ...

With a new generation of Red & Canon cameras changing the game for all filmmakers, documentaries have never looked so good. This interactive session chaired by Beadie Finzi with award-winning cinematographers Danfung Dennis plus special guests take us through the latest kit and what it means on location and in the edit suite. With stunning extracts from some of the most eagerly anticipated docu...

Music Publisher Audio Network gives the inside track on clearing music for documentaries and film, plus invited guests discuss essential general rights clearance and revenue creation.

Featuring

Simon Anderson – Head of Rights - Audio Network and host.
Andrew Baker – Lawyer and MD of Rights TV

Music Publisher Audio Network gives the inside track on clearing music for documentaries and film, plus invited guests discuss essential general rights clearance and revenue creation.

Three commissioners from three public broadcasters, each with a very different take on commissioning for convergence. Channel 4, PBS and VPRO are each pioneering smart and very different approaches to creating and distributing convergent content that fundamentally changes the way that a broadcaster talks to its audience and the audience’s interaction with content.

Factual is everywhere on British digital channels but it really needs to hit the target audience. Commissioners for nonterrestrial channels have money to spend and there are great opportunities to break into new markets, so how exactly do they commission, and what are they looking for right now? And with the digital channel landscape constantly evolving, who should you be pitching to and how?

This time we’re whisking our panellists away to dream up their desert island docs, and share with us what inspires them, present and past, both on their own channel and others. Through their choices, you’ll get to understand what makes them tick, and have the facility to ask questions about what they are looking for.

It’s the factual stuff that lots of people want to watch, it’s the programming that gets written about, and it can be some of the most groundbreaking content on TV. But what’s the secret of being popular? Commissioning Editors who want to fund factual that makes for ratings successes will explain the secrets of making really good pop. They’ll reveal the best features and formats of the past yea...

Specialist Factual is often where the big-ratings-hits and sometimes where the big money comes from. Interest in science, history and natural history programming in particular continues to grow. Plus it’s often from within Specialist Factual departments that the big international co-productions arise. So what exactly unites and divides Specialist Factual across borders? Hear from UK, European a...

The Libyan desert near Ras Lanouf. Pro-Gaddafi forces mount their first coordinated offensive, exposing the rebels as woefully untrained and unorganized. Plant yourself in the middle of this violent conflict through Condition ONE, a mobile media technology site where leading filmmakers, photojournalists and visual storytellers create powerful immersive experiences.

Join creator Danfung Denni...

During lunch and in the afternoon there will be a number of round table breakout discussions where the speakers from the spotlights as well as the panelists from the Commissioning for Convergence panel will head up a table for more in depth discussion and information about the projects. A special legal round table will be led by representatives from Sheridans, the leading London media law firm.

During lunch and in the afternoon there will be a number of round table breakout discussions where the speakers from the spotlights as well as the panelists from the Commissioning for Convergence panel will head up a table for more in depth discussion and information about the projects. A special legal round table will be led by representatives from Sheridans, the leading London media law firm....

The 2011 Crossover Summit features sessions and spotlight case studies from world class speakers from the UK and abroad as well as in-depth ‘round table’ discussions on specific topics.

The day will feature spotlights by Paul Bennun, Lucy Cooke, Patrick Crowe, Tom Kenyon and Sabine Lange.

In this keynote opener to Crowdfunding Day, find out how more than 500 documentary filmmakers have successfully raised funds through Kickstarter, and more than 5,000 artists overall. What impact did raising funds from their audience have on their work? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using Kickstarter, and what might this portend for art in the future? Join Kickstarter cofounder Ya...

Let’s get beyond the hype and explore what crowdfunding is, who uses it and why. Hear from the filmmakers that have been there, done it, and raised money and awareness from their crowd/fans/audiences/friends. Discover which platforms are there on which to raise crowdfunding for production and distribution. Find out why crowdfunding matters beyond film from those using it for music, other arts f...

Want to take your funding offline and merge the entrepreneurialism of crowdfunding with other fundraising strategies that liberate you from tradition? Discover creative strategies and techniques for raising money through foundations, house parties, individual donors, online fundraising, partnerships with non-profits and brands, and how this all relates to co-productions with international TV. H...

Supported by Current (Sky 183/ Virgin Media 155/current.com) five top international projects will compete to win a pot of money crowdfunded from Doc/Fest’s delegates and community. Check out www.indiegogo.com/DocFests-Crowd-Funding-Pitch-2011 where a single Doc/Fest project on IndieGoGo is running, where YOU can all collectively raise finance towards the prize money. Hear the pitches and vote f...

Bananas!* (2009), Crude (2009), For the Love of Water (2008); investigative documentaries in which filmmakers confront big corporations, have been blooming over the last few years. But when Goliath strikes back, David needs to be prepared and equipped. Fredrik Gertten, director and producer of Bananas!* just won a 20-month legal battle against Dole involving lawsuits, festivals and broadcasters...

In the business of learning how to get funding for documentaries we can often forget the inspiring stories, emotional connections and contagious passion that drive us to want to be part of this industry in the first place. This entertaining and informative seminar will offer the insight of producers, commissioning editors, filmmakers, funders and more who are not only going to inform us with th...

Most emerging filmmaking talent come up against the same obstacle time and time again – a great idea, but no story – or at least a story that first needs to be found. This session is all about how to make sure your idea has a solid story arc and your film has a narrative that engages an audience from the start. Our panel made up of filmmakers, editors, execs and commissioners will guide you thr...

The all-important toolkit for presenting a project to a potential funder includes the proposal, the taster tape and the pitch. You need to get your ideas across, but what do you include (or leave out)? Chaired by Nicola Lees, author of Greenlit: Developing Factual Reality TV Ideas from Concept to Pitch and founder of www.tvmole.com, this open workshop will include a panel of experts from each o...

The Documentary Filmmakers Group is offering six emerging filmmakers the opportunity to pitch their ideas for groundbreaking 30-90 minute documentaries suitable for a UK audience. They’ll be pitching their UK based film ideas live on stage to a panel of industry movers and shakers, including top commissioners, exec producers, The DFG and The Grierson Trust who’ll debate which pitch wins a devel...

DocDay 101 is an inspiring, intensive and entertaining day of hands–on sessions and workshops for beginners wanting to break into documentary. It’s a chance to hear first hand from the professionals, and learn about how they approach documentary filmmaking. Participants will develop an idea for a short documentary with some of the best practitioners from around the UK – directors, producers, ed...

From Faking It.. to Wife Swap.. to the world’s first live autopsy.. to the trailer trash voyeurism of Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, Channel 4 has long been known for its boundary-pushing documentary programming. Teen mums have passed their placentas on One Born Every Minute... Embarrassing Bodies exposed haemorrhoids as viewers enjoyed their evening meal. Is nothing out of bounds? Flicking through the...

Some say reality television killed the documentary, but it all started from what the documentary community has always known: truth is indeed stranger, and more fascinating, than fiction. It is so popular that last year non-fiction programming grew globally by a staggering 20%. This is GOOD news. It means that there is a demand for factual storytelling. And it means there is a place and an audie...

Come to Fashion Popcorn at Doc/Fest to take an active part in exploring the relationship between fashion and documentary film. To get the conversation started, the panel will present a short showcase of fashion films. Then through quick workshops and an open debate, participants will be encouraged to share their experiences and opinions about engaging with fashion brands as a documentary filmma...

Film Nation: Shorts present a special workshop led by director Kim Flitcroft and producer Alex Usborne. Together the team have made 8 documentary films from Sheffield including two award winning films about boxers and two multi award winning and critically acclaimed documentary feature films. Flitcroft & Usborne will talk through their work together and explain their techniques in research, sho...

Want to know the tricks of the trade for making your first documentary? Well this is the place to start. This session will cover the crucial areas for making your first feature documentary, looking at how to put your crew together, creative ways to raise a budget, how to make that all important taster video and how to gain access to that amazing story and pitch it. Hear firsthand from a range o...

European documentaries have traditionally been funded by broadcasters and national film institutes. But as public funding for culture declines and broadcasters feel the pinch of commercial pressures and high ratings, are transnational foundations and funds the future for getting ambitious documentaries made? This panel will explore the expanding field of funding opportunities, looking at where ...

The mass media of the past century have been restrictive by nature, with audiences confined to a passive role – but that has now completely changed. The inclusive nature of the Internet invites open participation amongst storytellers and audiences alike, and that means putting the audience right at the centre of the action in a gamelike fashion. Storytellers of every stripe will now have to lea...

Producers of all sorts of content are increasingly looking to the games industry for new ways to tell stories and engage audiences. It often means working with brands and working with team roles that are new to traditional film and TV producers. This panel gives some insights into the details involved in game production with some great examples used as illustrations. If you want to get more int...

Good Pitch Presents takes a closer look at Adam Wakeling’s debut feature Up In Smoke and how best to plan an audience engagement campaign around the film. The Good Pitch brings together filmmakers with NGOs, foundations, brands and media around leading social issues to forge coalitions and campaigns that are good for all these partners, good for the films and good for society.

Peter Barron, Director External Relations EMEA, and Roy Ackerman, Managing Director Fresh One Productions, Exec Producer of Jamie’s Dream School, lift the lid on the unlikely and ground-breaking partnership behind Jamies’ Dream School, the talked-about Channel Four series show where a staff room of Rolf Harris, Alastair Campbell, Cherie Blair, David Starkey and other luminaries tried to inspire...

In our post-digital decade the speed of change of digital innovation is unprecedented.

• How can we keep abreast of the tools and services affecting how we can view, select and interact with our entertainment?
• What future trends are already manifesting?

• What digital innovations are being developed that will change how we interact with the technology coming to
our homes?

Some of ...

Are documentaries getting too big? Commissions are being dominated by 8-14 episode multi camera series which require
big production companies. Channel 4 has recently begun the single biggest initiative in diversifying its creative supply for over 10 years, but what hope is there really for smaller indies of getting a look in?

Lee Kern brings his one-stop workshop designed to make even the most mediocre filmmakers a force to be reckoned with in the world of independent documentary filmmaking.
How to crap on your peers, how to make your subjects cry on camera and then ditch them when you’ve finished – everything you need to know in order to make it to the top
is here in this masterclass. You too can become king of ...

This session dissects the realities of raising finance for documentaries in the international market. We cover all genres of documentaries and all types of financing partners. We’ll share horror stories and success stories alike; this session is a must for anyone trying to get a documentary off the ground.

This panel gets into the nitty-gritty of how to make money from your documentaries on the net. We will look at all the different models for on-line revenue generation, among them, self-distributed DVD sales, streaming, aggregators, micropayments and subscription, and we will ask: what works? What kinds of subjects in documentaries attract online sales? Is the online audience willing to pay? Wil...

We’re surrounded by news reporting extraordinary real-life stories – which one could you make into an interesting documentary? Choose a real-life story from a newspaper headline and pitch it to our panel of BAFTA- Award-winning experts who will mentor and finally vote for the pitch ‘most likely to succeed.’ If you are looking to get hands-on experience and a one-off chance to get personal acces...

As the industry continues to fracture in Europe and North America, there are signs that India, the sleeping giant of factual storytelling, is waking up. Across distribution, funding and production, new opportunities are opening up in India. Be you a buyer, a producer or simply a film lover, come and meet some of India’s most forward facing film folk and find out about what you can do for India ...

This session will not just cover what the international markets are looking for but aims to give producers practical information about what is involved when making shows for multi territories or multiple broadcasters. The panellists are all involved in producing, distributing or commissioning internationally. They will discuss what the broadcasters and distributors are looking for and what stor...

It’s unsurprising broadcasters are risk averse when ratings are so hard won. There’s a knock-on effect to risk aversion, mediocrity and stagnation. If commissions are dished out to the same super indies, how can new stars emerge? If new presenters aren’t given a chance, how do we know if they’ll sink or swim? If creatives are selected for jobs on their CVs alone, how can new talent rise through...

The idea was simple: imagine the world millions of years in the future, without mankind. Fifteen years ago Jo Adams started the journey to bring The Future is Wild, an ambitious 3D CGI factual series, to life. Since then it has spawned a glossy TV series, global DVD, book and inflight entertainment distribution, theme park rides, a Japanese manga comic and much more. Jo’s simple idea has become...

John Akomfrah’s genre-defying films elegantly combine art and politics; his career spans the worlds of film, arts, television, and academia. He began directing in The Eighties with Black Audio Film Collective, whose subtle but searing commentaries on British racism were aired on a bold new Channel 4. His latest, The Nine Muses, comes to Doc/Fest off an extensive A-list festival run, and is bein...

Creative panel debate hosted by music publisher Audio Network on how to achieve the ultimate in filmmaking, best use of music and sound.

Hosted by Juliette Squair – International Director, Audio Network

Featuring:

Ashley Jones – Co-Founder of Green Lions Films, producer of "Erasing David".
Dennis Wheatley – Sound Designer/Composer
Jez Lewis – Film-maker - Bungalow Town Productions, d...

From dinosaurs to frozen ice caps, from ancient Egypt to outer space, 2D/3D animation, CGI and VFX can bring factual productions to life, with award-winning results. Find out how to work with design houses without breaking your budget. Showcasing design-led animation, CGI and VFX work we’ll see what the animators are capable of, and learn how to tackle production challenges, creatively. Get the...

Come and meet a panel of critics to discuss and debate some of the must-see documentaries at this year’s Festival. Here’s your chance not only to hear what they think of the films but to make your own voice heard. Think Newsnight Review when they do films, but with the audience getting stuck in too. Find out if documentary film criticism is alive and kicking or just a wordy irrelevance to filmm...

The Mini-MeetMarket is a unique opportunity for emerging filmmakers to get feedback on their documentary idea, with advice and guidance from established executive producers. Led by the Documentary Filmmakers Group, up to 30 filmmakers will be selected to take part in this steering and pitching session, which begins with a mini-workshop on how to pitch a proposal, followed by an intimate roundta...

Molly Dineen, one of Britain’s most acclaimed documentary filmmakers, is known for her intimate and probing portraits of British individuals and institutions – ranging from her debut film, Home from the Hill (1987), which made a star of its protagonist Colonel Hilary Hook to the BAFTA-winning Lie of the Land (2007), which explores the harsh realities of life as a British farmer. In this session...

This masterclass offers the exciting opportunity to hear from the Academy Award-nominated documentary director, Morgan Spurlock, who made the international hit film Super Size Me (2004). Spurlock is here fresh off the release of his latest feature, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011), about the practice of product placement in mainstream Hollywood cinema today. Listen to the voice of one of the...

TV and Radio Documentaries –creative challenges and cross-commissioning opportunities: TV and Radio have for many years viewed each other with mutual suspicion, but through a number of recent creative collaborations on BBC Radio, radio and TV documentary makers have been coming together to develop new ways of working. What stories work well on radio? Can radio help secure a TV commission? What ...

Northern Film & Media’s NE Doc is all about ideas, access and a convincing pitch. Following an intensive, competitive talent development programme delivered by some of the leading creative and commissioning minds in documentaries, six filmmakers will pitch an industry panel at Doc/Fest for the chance to win up to £5,000 of development funding. Three ideas will be taken forward to the next phase...

Nick Broomfield has long been counted amongst the most important people working in documentary. He currently employs ‘Direct Cinema’ as his shooting style, which uses non-actors to play themselves and helps capture the truth of his film’s subject matter. Along with Michael Moore, Nick has been counted amongst the Les Nouvelles Egotistes – a body of filmmakers whose documentaries feature themsel...

The global financial crisis resulted in a significant dip in commissions. Now a new challenge has to be tackled, and this time it’s much closer to home. International co-productions are becoming rare, not only because there is less ready cash available that make them worthwhile, but also because broadcasters are increasingly focused on regional subjects that don’t travel. This means that the co...

In this session, we will be discussing how best to capture sound, how to enhance and supplement it with sound design, tracklaying and mixing and how a director and a sound team work together.

What’s happened to the classic broadcast genres - Science, History and Wildlife - over the last decade? What would happen if we compared yesterday’s hits with today’s? Would we wince with embarrassment at our voice of God narrations and clunky CGI? Or be pleasantly surprised? Join us for the retro Science, History and Wildlife show where we explore how production values, storytelling and global...

More and more owners are looking to transmedia as a way of extending the reach of their content. We will explore the current landscape and economics within transmedia from a business and legal perspective. The speakers are the first true transmedia lawyers in the UK and have impeccable credentials to speak about all in aspects of deal-making in this space. The session (based on their SXSW 2011 ...

Do you have what it takes to bring Science, History and Religion alive for documentary audiences across the world? The Specialist Factual New Talent Pitch gives new-talent presenters from a range of academic disciplines the chance to show a panel of commissioning editors, specialist factual producers, and funders what they can do. Aspiring presenters pitch cutting edge research in their area as...

For filmmakers, the Internet is changing everything. Shooting People present this 2-hour session designed to help you and your film navigate the rapidly evolving digital and web landscape. The Bootcamp is aimed at those for whom these tools are somewhat of a mystery, and know they need to understand them. Digital Bootcamp is a comprehensive survey of resources, websites, social media, crowdsour...

A step-by-step guide to making money from online video, focused on the needs of independent producers. The 90-minute session will be structured around a series of business challenges, with a panel of industry experts providing their views on how best to deal with these real-world digital dilemmas. The session will draw upon the latest industry analysis, market intelligence and audience research.

Cross-media is still the latest buzzword on the market. According to this ongoing shift in the media landscape broadcasters are now changing their strategies of future content development, financing and distribution towards cross-media projects. To give a European overview on the shift of the media landscape there will be two case studies: Farewell Comrades is an example of an international cro...

Join Ulla Simonen for some insider info!
Seize the opportunity to hear more about the SOURCES 2 experience. SOURCES 2 adviser Ulla tells everything you should know about SOURCES 2 Script Development Workshops, a three-month process of Writing Documentary, Professional Development & Training for filmmakers developing a feature-length documentary. And about Projects & Process – Training Mentors ...

Steve James is an award winning documentary filmmaker with the very highest of critical accolades. In a year that included some of the world’s best-known blockbuster films, 1994’s Hoop Dreams was featured on more critics’ top ten lists than any other movie. His subsequent works – which include Stevie (2002), The New Americans (2004), and At the Death House Door (2008) have received similar prai...

This session will offer a highly interactive afternoon, creating audience engagement and non-traditional distribution strategies for a feature documentary at the Festival. Working Films UK will develop some early plans for the film’s campaign with a suggested range of potential partners – including leading NGOs and some corporate brands. We’ll invite some of these NGO partners to collaborate wi...

What happens when a broadcaster knows that a project would be just the right fit for their slot - they want it desperately but they don’t have the finance to fully commission? They team up with like-minded broadcasters. But who can work with whom, and how do they work together? And what does it mean for versioning? European commissioning editors with small purses, who’ve had to join forces to c...

The mortality rate of TV formats today is scary. What are the causes of death? Is it just ‘wrong place, wrong time’? Is it a slow and painful process or a sudden death? This session will take you into the “Emergency Room” of formats. Our experts will reveal how they predict a format’s downfall, distinguish when a project is truly in danger, and reshape the genre or concept to keep the format al...

Five contenders will compete in front of a panel of executive producers and Aysha Rafaele, Commissioning Editor for First Cut. Candidates will be judged on their CV, experience and the project they are pitching. Following 2010’s incredibly successful pitch, this year First Cut is specifically looking for regionally based directors. The prize is a chance to direct a 24-minute film for Channel 4’...

Round up your friends, update your status and join us for The Dos and Don’ts of Social Media. Become your own personal guru at a workshop on how to turn your film into a cult; win prizes, find friends and discuss the festival in a Twitterbased networking game; find out how to trigger a dragonfly effect to create digital influence, and discover how to ‘go viral’ with the help of cute furry creat...

Tomorrow’s World, Walking with Dinosaurs, Surgery Live, Seven Wonders of the Industrial World, Inside Nature’s Giants, One Born Every Minute, Embarrassing Bodies, Wonders of the Solar System... From documentary to docudrama, selfexperimentation to live stunts, reality to drama – science on TV has had its fair share of formats and fads. But what’s the next twist to the story? Where does science ...

Time to stop talking about working with Asia and just do it. You’ll leave this panel with an understanding of the territories, the opportunities and the pitfalls. It’s not all hardnose business. Our guests will take you behind the scenes of their most and least successful co-pros and explore what type of person you have to be to embark on this journey. In the spirit of co-production, they‘ve co...

Ratings, what are they, how do they work? An info packed panel with experts who know the subject inside out. They’ll clue you in on why networks stand by ratings, how to understand the ratings code and why we have no choice but to trust in their message. Meet the people behind the scenes at the mission control of statistics and monitoring. A must attend session for any one who has ever been tol...

The year 2011 has already seen unprecedented political changes in North Africa and the Middle East, with the internet and social media playing a huge facilitatory role. This session will explore the power of social media in uniting protesters and communicating the struggle to the wider world starting with an introduction with Wael Omar of Middle West Films, Egypt. We will then kick off a series...

Having trouble with your edit? Wanting to attract an international audience? Come and hear how Tomáš Kudrna, Czech filmmaker, was able to re-edit his film about the relationship between a large Canadian gold mining company and the locals in a Kyrgyz village, with the help of the Sundance Institute and U.S. film editor Joe Bini. Based in Prague, Tomáš could not afford to be in LA, so the edit to...

The Wellcome Trust Broadcast Development Award Pitch returns for a fourth year. Five programme makers will pitch their idea to a panel of Wellcome Trust Executives and leading broadcast figures. Awards of up to £10,000 are available and there could be more than one winner. The prize will enable the pitched ideas to be developed into high impact, well-researched proposals to help secure a UK bro...

Remember the 2006 cult horror film Pacific Airflight 12? No? What about Snakes on a Plane? Same film. The former was the official title until lead Samuel L Jackson demanded they use latter. A bad day for snakes, a good day for titles. Whether the title for your documentary is obvious or has to be pointed out by someone else, the right title is crucial even before your film is made. It can make ...

As the line between Factual and Factual Entertainment has become increasingly blurred, should filmmakers be embracing the rise of Fact-Ent or fighting against it? Now it seems, more than ever, onscreen talent matters most – perhaps even more than the subject matter. So, as Factual Entertainment increasingly strays across the border into Factual’s territory, we ask whether filmmakers should be e...

A hypothetical scenario where a lawyer, a producer and a broadcaster lock horns to fight for their rights. The broadcaster wants the universe including parallel ones, all back holes and supernovas therein, as well as rights to broadcast on every platform yet to be invented including interplanetary in-flight entertainment. The producer just wants to make his film, but his emotions are seesawing ...

In an all-new format, the must-attend kick-off session in Doc/Fest’s Marketplace is back, and open to all delegates. Hear introductions from key commissioning editors, funders and decision-makers in 6 short curated ‘mini-sessions’. Bring your Decision Makers Guide, and identify which of the 200 Decision Makers you need to meet with at Doc/Fest and beyond. The Who’s Who Session provides an infor...

Welcome to the age of Wikileaks – never out of the news as subject matter or source. But what is the organisation’s real impact? Has it altered international relations and brought down governments? Has it change the way news is gathered and released forever - or merely made diplomats more discreet with their email exchanges? In search of the story behind the story, we’ve invited a panel of peop...

The German TV landscape is one of the richest and most developed in Europe, and Germany’s broadcasters attach great importance to high-quality TV production. This panel will introduce you to the structure and slots of the main German broadcasters such as ARD and ZDF along with their regional channels. In addition, experienced German producers will share their perspective and tell the audience w...