Environmental Scan

1
Documentary Policy

• Environmental Scan
• June 13, 2005

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Outline of the Presentation

• Introduction
• Volume of Documentary Production
• Financial Structures
• Audiences
• Revenue Sources
• Cultural and Social Indicators
• Policy Issues
• Conclusions

3
Introduction

• Documentary Policy Summit, April 2004
• Doc Policy Advisory Group Meeting, June 2004
• Doc Policy Summit, April 2005
• Doc Policy Advisory Group Meeting, June 2005

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Documentary Production - Chart 1
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Documentary Production - Chart 2
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Documentary Production - Chart 3
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Documentary Production - Chart 4
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Documentary Production - Chart 5
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Financial Structures - Chart 6
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Financial Structures - Chart 7
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Financial Structures - Chart 8
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Financial Structures - Chart 9
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Financial Structures - Chart 10
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Financial Structures - Chart 11
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Financial Structures - Chart 12
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Audiences - Chart 13
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Revenue Sources - Chart 14
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Revenue Sources - Chart 15
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Revenue Sources - Chart 15

• Gross Sales For 35 projects in 1998-99 Canadian
  Pre-Sales Sales by Market Segment

20
Cultural and Social Indicators

• Case studies are useful as detailed examples of
  particular social and cultural behaviour
• Surveys provide results for an entire population
  but are dependent on opinions about behaviour
  rather than a study of the behaviour itself

21
Policy Issues

• Definition of a documentary
• Development financing
• Complexity of the financing environment
• Broadcasters financial participation
• Variations in financing by format
• POV documentaries

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Policy Issues (cont.)

• Sunsets on funds mandated by the CRTC
• Tax credits
• International sources of financing
• Theatrical feature documentaries
• Non-theatrical markets
• Broadcasting and new media in the future

23
Conclusions

• The driving force behind the growth in Canadian
  documentary production over the last ten years
  has been television, particularly the
  proliferation of specialty services.
• Broadcasters and distributors prefer documentary
  series to one-offs and features owing to the
  associated economies of scale.
• Now the rapid growth in independent television
  production may be at an end.

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Conclusions (cont.)

• The optimal strategy may involve greater
  diversification in the financing of documentary
  formats and a greater attention to
  non-traditional markets
• This strategy might involve a dedicated
  documentary fund for one-offs and features, with
  special attention to POV documentaries.
• The Doc Policy Advisory Group may want to further
  develop its long-term planning.