While documentaries have boomed on Netflix, the documentary filmmakers behind them aren't the same people that were making passion projects before. These latter are still trying to make passion projects but in an industry that's been consumed by the streamers. In 2022, The Film and TV Charity's Looking Glass research found 60% of respondents had thought about leaving the industry in the
last year due to concerns about their mental wellbeing. 2023 DocuMentality Price of Passion research paints a picture of an industry on the verge of collapse across the US, UK and Canada. https://documentality.org/passion-report.
Not everyone sells out and makes Tiger King, and people are still suffering for their art.
Daniel, thanks for a great article drawing attention to the changes in the industry.
A topic close to my heart. Thanks for analysing this, Daniel. Funny you mentioned Edelman's Prince documentary. I wrote about it the other week, after reading Sasha Weiss' NYT piece, which is one of the best culture articles of the year. The Estate is going to protect its assets and block indefinitely, I fear.
I came to documentary mostly through music and aspired to make something long-form and cinematic like 30th Century Man, Wild Combination (A Portrait of Arthur Russell), 20,000 Days on Earth and later Searching for Sugar Man, of course.
Other key discoveries included the subterranean Dark Days (featuring a score by DJ Shadow), Hoop Dreams' slow-burn storytelling, bizarre windows to another world like King of Kong…
But it was movies such as Bowling For Columbine, Blackfish, Man of Wire and Senna that really excited me about the form and its potential to be more than a niche interest. A cross-section of friends would find their way to the big screen to watch them. And post-Inconvenient Truth, I noticed how films were driving social movements. I went for a job as an impact producer at the Doc Society in 2014, where you would be asked to build a campaign around a doc release.
You're right, after the doc filmmaking boom of the early 2000s focus has shifted to more episodic true crime and celebrity content (though binged in one go). This floods streaming platforms and steals attention in an era when viewers are overwhelmed by choice. To what extent is that a reflection of changing tastes or production companies prioritising those projects? 🤷🏽♂️ I was surprised by that drop in Best Oscar interest. Look at the list. High calibre. It's always been a signpost for me. Summer of Soul went next level after the award.
I've watched, Beckham, Sly, Arnold, Federer: Twelve Final Days etc Easy watches and enjoyable but they feel like a conveyor belt of conventional projects closer to hagiography. It's like brand extension. Some of them are probably closer to their subjects than they should be. Have they lowered the benchmark for documentatry?
My fear is we'll get to see less experimental and challenging work offering alternative perspectives because there are fewer flagship successes to make the business case and catch the eye in prominent places. A more radical choice here but The Act of Killing is exceptional and unforgettable. We need more outliers like that.
That's why your SXSWs and Sundances are still so important, along with more specialist events. In London, I always keep an eye on Doc n Roll Festival, Frames of Representation and Open City Documentary Festival.
There are still original, surprising, transportive documentaries out there but you have to dig. I'm thinking of Fire of Love, Val, The Painter and the Thief, I Am Not Your Negro… I know it's Bowie but I wonder how many have actually seen Brett Morgan's bold Moonage Daydream?
I really was wondering why I couldn't find good documentaries anymore. Thanks for waking me from my Netflix-induced stupor, Danny. The profit motive wins again, I guess.
I think the rise in reality television has impacted this as well. Seems like the celebrity-driven, talking head forward docs draw a lot in common with Bravo-type shows.
Great piece but one naive comment/question... If the streamers don't get sufficient viewing hours to justify $10M prices for prestige docs, why doesn't the prestige doc industry shift to a model with a lower price tag? Seems to me that at some price, the streamers would welcome lots of prestige content but it just happens to be below $10M.
Apropos of nothing, I should add that I watched part of the Federer doc and it was unbearably uninteresting. That, along with all the aging rock star docs are pure hagiography and not worth a moment of time.
Hi, can I translate part of this article into Spanish with links to you and a descripción of your newsletter, and of your stats services?
While documentaries have boomed on Netflix, the documentary filmmakers behind them aren't the same people that were making passion projects before. These latter are still trying to make passion projects but in an industry that's been consumed by the streamers. In 2022, The Film and TV Charity's Looking Glass research found 60% of respondents had thought about leaving the industry in the
last year due to concerns about their mental wellbeing. 2023 DocuMentality Price of Passion research paints a picture of an industry on the verge of collapse across the US, UK and Canada. https://documentality.org/passion-report.
Not everyone sells out and makes Tiger King, and people are still suffering for their art.
Daniel, thanks for a great article drawing attention to the changes in the industry.
A topic close to my heart. Thanks for analysing this, Daniel. Funny you mentioned Edelman's Prince documentary. I wrote about it the other week, after reading Sasha Weiss' NYT piece, which is one of the best culture articles of the year. The Estate is going to protect its assets and block indefinitely, I fear.
I came to documentary mostly through music and aspired to make something long-form and cinematic like 30th Century Man, Wild Combination (A Portrait of Arthur Russell), 20,000 Days on Earth and later Searching for Sugar Man, of course.
Other key discoveries included the subterranean Dark Days (featuring a score by DJ Shadow), Hoop Dreams' slow-burn storytelling, bizarre windows to another world like King of Kong…
But it was movies such as Bowling For Columbine, Blackfish, Man of Wire and Senna that really excited me about the form and its potential to be more than a niche interest. A cross-section of friends would find their way to the big screen to watch them. And post-Inconvenient Truth, I noticed how films were driving social movements. I went for a job as an impact producer at the Doc Society in 2014, where you would be asked to build a campaign around a doc release.
You're right, after the doc filmmaking boom of the early 2000s focus has shifted to more episodic true crime and celebrity content (though binged in one go). This floods streaming platforms and steals attention in an era when viewers are overwhelmed by choice. To what extent is that a reflection of changing tastes or production companies prioritising those projects? 🤷🏽♂️ I was surprised by that drop in Best Oscar interest. Look at the list. High calibre. It's always been a signpost for me. Summer of Soul went next level after the award.
I've watched, Beckham, Sly, Arnold, Federer: Twelve Final Days etc Easy watches and enjoyable but they feel like a conveyor belt of conventional projects closer to hagiography. It's like brand extension. Some of them are probably closer to their subjects than they should be. Have they lowered the benchmark for documentatry?
My fear is we'll get to see less experimental and challenging work offering alternative perspectives because there are fewer flagship successes to make the business case and catch the eye in prominent places. A more radical choice here but The Act of Killing is exceptional and unforgettable. We need more outliers like that.
That's why your SXSWs and Sundances are still so important, along with more specialist events. In London, I always keep an eye on Doc n Roll Festival, Frames of Representation and Open City Documentary Festival.
There are still original, surprising, transportive documentaries out there but you have to dig. I'm thinking of Fire of Love, Val, The Painter and the Thief, I Am Not Your Negro… I know it's Bowie but I wonder how many have actually seen Brett Morgan's bold Moonage Daydream?
Sorry this is a long. You got me started!
I really was wondering why I couldn't find good documentaries anymore. Thanks for waking me from my Netflix-induced stupor, Danny. The profit motive wins again, I guess.
Adding “Ex Libris” to my watch list, on the basis of it being the opposite of all the Netflix content.
And leaving a recommendation of my own, though a little dated: The Great Happiness Space - https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0493420/
Would recommend "Minding the Gap" as well. Incredible stuff.
The Prince documentary needs to be released
I think the rise in reality television has impacted this as well. Seems like the celebrity-driven, talking head forward docs draw a lot in common with Bravo-type shows.
Great piece but one naive comment/question... If the streamers don't get sufficient viewing hours to justify $10M prices for prestige docs, why doesn't the prestige doc industry shift to a model with a lower price tag? Seems to me that at some price, the streamers would welcome lots of prestige content but it just happens to be below $10M.
Apropos of nothing, I should add that I watched part of the Federer doc and it was unbearably uninteresting. That, along with all the aging rock star docs are pure hagiography and not worth a moment of time.