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| EVP BANFF Television Festival |
10:00 a.m. WGBH presents HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARIES, TRUTH OR STORYTELLING?
An exploration into the responsibilities of the visual historian now competing with feature film and docu-drama in the interpetation of history.
Alan Hayling. Deputy Commissioning Editor, Documentaries.. Channel Four.
We produced a documentary FAULKLAND WAR. It was the winning of this war which got Margaret Thatcher elected. The film breaks through the mythology of what happened. At Channel Four we consider ourselves revisionist filmmakers, we have a specific mission for two series which I oversee. We delve deeply into particular situations using critical thought. I would defend revisionist filmmaking because a great deal of history is propoganda. Look at celebrated feature films. It seems justifiable to do revisionist film. Our criterion is to try and discover a great truth. We must all be storytellers but within storytelling truth must be an important criterior. We claim to be honest troublemakers. In the last few years we've discovered that history programming is so popular that we've doubled our progamming, it is a pleasure for us. They are strong and vibrant and we hope their place (documentaries) is secure into the millenium.
Judy Crichton WGBH. (moderator).
Everyone on panel has worked on provocative material. What in terms of body language and physical and emotional attitudes has reality? Have any of you found yourselves pressured and influenced by movies portraying historical subjects? We live in a much more competitive environment to find funding for docs, to attract an audience, to be responsible and honest in our mission, it has become more and more difficult. We are working on a Theodore Roosevelt film now. Isn't it our job to get past the stereotype? It seems our job is to excavate and pry and release the human being under all that junk. I suspect our producers have found new information and that they have pushed past his bully image going up the hill.
August Hoyt Executive Producer. WNET.
If you are working from a book, you hope it's true. Does anyone really know for example how devious Kissinger and Nixon really were? How is charactization played out? (This is important).
Zvi Dor-Ner, Exec Producer WGBH
There are temptations for documetary filmmakers, it's natural to want to create excitement, interest. How do you reconcile this. Have producers been influenced by Hollywood versions of history? Producers (have been from the beginning) principally charged with transmitting information, they are now charged with giving an emotional esxperience to the audience. We need to see a dramatic trajectory superimposed on historical stories. We need a climax and we know it well in advance. So we develop a kind of superimposed dramaturgy. Some of us understand it precisely.
Elizabeth Deane, WGBH. If I didn't know history well, I'd be quite lost with some powerful biographical stories.
2:00 p.m. Sharing Stories - Case Studies in Intl/Co-Prod.
Ros Borland, BBC Scotland, moderator. Producer Robin Spry (Telescene, Canada), and director Roger Spottiswood talk about how they resolved the challenges in the first Canadian/Japanese (under a new treaty) TV co-production, the dramatic mini-series HIROSHIMA. Despite some difficulties inherent in any production, the producer and director said their experience was positive and that they would work in Japan again.
3:15 p.m. Banff as Bridge: Europe Meets North America, Part II The U.S. Ted Riley, President Atlantis, Canada, moderator.
Panelists:
Chris Fager, SVP Intl Dev E! Entertainment TV
U.S. cable networks in U.S. are very acquisitive of product from Canada. Now America's E! Entertainment, is the home of a CBC (Canadian Broadcasting) show, The Fashion File. We are also running a new special TV show called STAR with City TV of Toronto. New programming from Canadian producers is getting stateside runs. We are hopeful to see, for example, French channels introduced in the U.S. Our goal is to develop European niche channels, we want to go all over the world.
Bruce Johansen, President & COO, NAPTE International
Obviously, cable offers great opportunities to filmmakers. We talk about the difficulties facing Canadian producers to sell in the states, but I don't think it's any different for American producers to sell in America. It's a tough marketplace. Credits are what help. Even Stephen Bochco had difficulty getting started and gaining credibiilty. I agree with Norman, with niche channels growing, there will be more opportunities. Ironically, even with credits, there is a gray list and bias against older people, having youth on your side helps. We have just begun to see the opportunities that exist. If you are creative and clever there's a way. NAPTE has become a bazaar, it is for trading, it is not a one-way street where only American programming is sold. Regarding future technology, we hope that the bulk of people will not have to pay for communications.
Norman Horowitz, The Norman Horowitz Company USA
In 1979 the opportunities were dim for foreigners with Americans, now its changed. The market is receptive to anything which will help anyone. With an increasingly fragmented market place with on-line, computers, digital, etc we'll see lower ratings, lower licences fees, etc. But I never thought I'd see opportunites as I've seen them today. I believe the future will be highly techincially advance and that the consumer will now pay for service they've always had for free.
Bruce T. Karpas, President & CEO Reiss Media Entertainment and Liberty Prods Inc. USA
We are in the cable TV universe and it gives us an interesting persepctive. The U.S. networks are facing enormous competition from new stations, the internet, etc. We are extending ouir identity beyond TV. Imax productions, Travel Channel Club. Yes there will be fragementation because of compettion but therese present translate into sas indie we think there are greater opprotutnities. We are actively involved in developing channels and relationships with Canadian partners.
Mickey Gardner, NAPTE lawyer. USA.
More significant is that in the US there is a change in the Telecom Act, there are increased delivery system options. The telcos are screaming for content. Consumers whereever they are chose what they want to watch. Content quotas get in the way. If you are going to have free trade, than have free trade.
Commentators from European Producers Associations (representing Canada, France, Germany, and the UK). The invited guests representing North American and European independent producers were emphatically secure in their sentiments: Canadian and European quotas are designed to keep American culture from dominating the marketplace. Moderator Ted Riley said "Canadian producers are compelled to work in American market for economic reasons, but we have to work in an American voice, not in a Canadian voice. What we are saying is that we would like to use our voice. It is a continental business for Canadian producers." Richard Price (Chairman of Primetime UK) said "the biggest barrier is that Americans do not look past their own borders. Alexander Theis of the German Producer's Association: "There will be protectionism only as long as our markets can be built up in order to compete. We do look at how we can meet U.S. needs in our programming. We do not have the resources you do. We need a bigger market to work on a bigger economic scale.
More coming soon...
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