Interactive Online Documentary
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Background
The form of documentary has evolved throughout the past century, typically when technological developments occur. The 21st century has seen the rise of new media, specifically the Internet, which has challenged traditional documentary forms and content resulting in a new, emerging medium, interactive online documentary.
Our research study is presented as a downloadable Quicktime file, it aims to define and explain this meduim in a interactive, entertaining way, so make interactive online documentary a more accessible and easily understood form. We also hope to encourage more filmmakers and media producers to explore and experiment with this meduim.
As interactive online documentary remains an undefined term, we have also created a definition (see above), and created this wiki in hope of encouraging further dialouge about this meduim.
History
From the birth of the moving image in the 18th century the documentary genre has grown enourmously. Social and technological changes have seen the documentary evolve from ethnographic travelouges to political propaganda films to the ideal cinema verite to reflexive styel documentaries that question the representation of truth. With the development of the Internet and increased public awareness of new media technologies, traditional documentary form is changing more then ever before.
1895: Film historians recognise the birth of cinema in the year 1895, when the Lumiere brothers project a series of moving images, to a paying public, in Paris. It was also the same year that the camera was first used to collect ethnographic research footage.
1920's: In 1922, the first feature length documentary, ‘Nanook of the North’ is produced by Robert Flaherty, depicting the life of Quebec Inuits, ‘it has been called the first documentary film, the first ethnographic film, as well as the first art film.’ (Rony, 1996) Film theorist and revolutionary filmmaker, Dziga Vertov, releases his last and most controversial film in 1928, ‘Man With A Movie Camera,’ exemplifying his contention that ‘the camera can function as a truly international language of expression and communication.’ (Petric, 1978) It is also during this decade that the term ‘documentary’ is first developed by John Grierson.
1930's: The invention of sound in film is developed resulting in, what Bill Nichols will later term, expository documentary dominated by ‘voice of god’ voice overs and propaganda imagery. During 1935 filmmakers such as Basil Wright produce ‘Song of Ceylon’ and Leni Riefenstahl produces, ‘Triumph of the Will’ both landmark propaganda films.
1960's: New technologies such as the light weight movable video recording equipment and the development of synchronous sound result in a new cinema movement, cinema verite, characterised by filmmakers observing action, conveying a sense of ‘unmediated access to the world.'(Nichols, 1991) In 1960 Filmmaker Robert Drew produces the first sync-sound film, 'Primary', which follows John F.Kennedy in the lead up to the US presidential election. Other highly regarded films of this genre include ‘Don’t Look Back’ directed by D.A.Pennebaker (1967), which follows Bob Dylan during a tour of the UK.
1980's: The style and form of documentary is challenged by the introduction of ‘mockumentary,’ such as the send up of cinema verite style, ‘This is Spinal Tap.’ (Rob Reiner, 1984) Other significant movements include reflexive style documentaries which question the reliability of documentary and the representation of truth, illustrated by filmmaker Errol Morris and his film, ‘The Thin Blue Line.’ (1988) and previous to this in 1974, Orson Welles film, ‘F is for Fake.’
1990's: Personal video cameras introduced in the 1980’s become more affordable and accessible and amateur video content becomes more popular. Personal perspectives and histories become more evident in film, and the rise of reality television increases. Filmmakers such as Michael Moore release political documentaries against globalisation such as, ‘Canadian Bacon’ (95) where Moore is present on-screen. The success of pseudo-documentary ‘The Blair Witch Project’ shot on personal miniDV cameras, further support the idea that anyone can produce content.
2000: Ordinary people have access to mass media via the Internet. The introduction of web 2.0 sees the rise of video content on the Internet and the popularity of social networking sites such as YouTube and Myspace increase. Personalised interactive documentaries increase, with the release of documentaries like 'Super Size Me' (Morgan Spurlock) and Fahrenheit 9/11 (Michael Moore) The idea that everyone can produce content is exemplified by the release of ‘Tarnation,’ a documentary of Jonathon Caouette’s life, which was edited using iMovie. The introduction of interactive online documentaries occurs through the Australian Film Commission (AFC) and Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC) initiative that challenges traditional documentary. Interactive documentaries successful within this initiative are, 'The Wrong Crowd' produced by Debra Beattie and ‘Long Journey, Young Lives’ produced by Sohail Dahdal and David Goldie.
Filmmakers
Australian filmmakers have pioneered the interactive online documentary medium producing insightful, exciting content that challenges the boundaries of traditional filmmaking. During 2001 the Australian Film Commission (AFC) and the Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC) collaborated to launch an online documentary initiative marking the first series of funded interactive online documentaries.
Our research study includes interviews with four Australian filmmakers, two of whom were successful entrants of the AFC/ABC initiative, who have produced or are currently producing interactive online documentaries. The filmmakers come from different backgrounds ranging from traditional documentary filmmaking, new media, education and also a students perspective. The filmmakers present different perspectives and highlight their experiences producing online documentaries. These interviews offer filmmakers, media producers and anyone interested in documentary or the convergence of traditional and new media insightful information on a broad range of issues.
Filmmakers Interviewed:
Debra Beattie, writer, director and producer of 'The Wrong Crowd'
Sohail Dahdal, producer of 'Long Journey, Young Lives.'
Dani Venn, student documentary filmmaker, currently producing, 'Strength of Women.'
Judith Hewitson, director of Cicada.net
Some of the issues and topic areas discussed:
Why filmmakers have decided to produce interactive online documentaries?
"I come from the background of new media and also traditional filmmaking and I wanted to combine both, but also I always thought the online environment is a excellent place where you can have infotainment and documentaries that actually have value and give you information, and are at the same time engaging." (Sohail Dahdal)
How interactive online documentaries make room for new content and new voices?
"It was an absolute revelation to me having been constrained all these years by having to reveal a story in a purely lineal format, to be freed up by that constraint." (Debra Beattie)
Differences to keep in mind when producing for an online environment?
"We shot with the idea of making micro-videos that were 3-4 minutes long, rather then an hour. The story you can tell in 3-4 minutes is completely different to that you tell in an hour." (Sohail Dahdal)
Constraints the meduim faces in an Australian context?
"The absolute short sightedness of the federal governments broadband policies." (Debra Beattie)
How to promote and distribute your online documentary?
"The key is finding the right distribution channel, if you know who you want to watch it, you have to find out where these people hang out on the web, and show it to them."(Sohail Dahdal)
Advice for emerging filmmakers and students?
"The idea of making a documentary is not about making something that is polished, it's in the content. This is where people may fail, trying to do a lot of flashy things, a lot of animation, but forgetting the key is the story." (Sohail Dahdal)
For full audio and video responses, please head to our website.
Funding
Funding rounds for traditional documentaries are still highly competitive. Existing funding models include the following three categories:
General Documentary Funding
In Australia, there are a number of government-owned or sponsored agencies responsible for funding for local media productions. These include the Australian Film Finance Corporation, Film Australia Ltd., Australian Film Commission, etc. Applications for funding are considered individually and assessed based on a number of criteria. Financial help comes in various forms, from undertaking investment or participating in loans to investment guarantees and underwriting agreements.
For example, the Australian Film Commission (AFC) offers its support for documentaries in terms of project development as well as project investment. Project development funding is “designed to ensure that projects achieve their potential and are as strong as possible when competing for production finance”, while project investment is mainly for low budget projects and is designed to provide opportunities for the professional development of aspiring directors, producers and writers.
Unlike AFC, Film Australia Ltd. is not a funding body. It is a government owned company specialising in producing and commissioning productions of National Interests Programs. While the company mainly accepts proposals for television documentaries, they also accept proposals for new media contents.
Although funded by the Australian government, these funding schemes have very limited resources and are often under-resourced. For example, the FFC committed all of its non-Accord documentary production investment in the first four months of the 2002/03 financial year. For Film Australia, funding for the National Interests Program has not kept up with the pace of increase in production costs.
As a result, they do take commercial viability and profitability into careful considerations. Showing promising potentials for their investment returns is almost as important as having an interesting idea for your project.
For example, the Film Finance Corporation generally invests in documentaries with an Australian free-to-air or pay television presale. The requirements for market attachment leave no room for consideration for online documentaries. However, proposals for online documentaries can be considered under the “Special Documentary Fund”. This is designed to provide opportunities for documentary producers to produce innovative contents without the potential limitations of broadcaster commissioning and FFC market requirements. In 2007/08, the amount of funds available for production for up to 5 documentary programs under this category is $750,000.
Accord or Initiative Funding
These funding schemes are established to encourage innovative and experimental projects. In Australia, two major initiatives targeting on online documentaries have been introduced in recent years.
The Australian Broadcast Company (ABC) and Australian Film Commission (AFC) collaborated the Documentaries Online Initiatives in 2006. Four were selected out of a total 116 applications from around Australia. Each winning online documentary received $115,000. The winning online documentaries are produced for web-streaming on ABC Online. The four winning documentaries are: “The Homeless”, The Wrong Crowd, A Year On The Wing, and “Long Journey Young Lives”.
AFC and SBS also created a successful series exploring the effects of digital communication on relationships between lovers, friends and strangers. Each of the five PODLOVE episodes was created by a different directing / writing team and series produced by Beth Frey of Circe Films. Following the success of the first series, AFC and SBS are coming up with Podlove 2. Podlove 2 will comprise of two 25-minute documentaries, a website and an online game that aims to expand and build upon the established Podlove community. The series examines how communication technologies continue to add to or detract from our lives, loves and relationships. Podlove 2 will be broadcast on SBS television and released online. Each a cash budget of $115,000 for production of the broadcast and online production components. Additional funds will be appropriated for the cost of producing the Podlove 2 website.
These initiatives provide a substantial amount of revenue and financial support to online documentaries, which the traditional funding bodies or broadcasters have been reluctant to finance due to its lack of profitability. These initiatives are, nonetheless, extremely competitive and have strict application requirements.
This is evident in the number of applications received for these programs. For AFC/ABC’s Documentaries Online, only 4 teams were selected out of 116 applications.
AFC/SBSi are also applying strict requirements for applications for Podlove 2. The director of a team “must have directed at least one documentary program which has been broadcast nationally”. The pre-requisites are making it extremely difficult for new and aspiring documentary makers to have access to initiative funding.
Another example of government funded online documentary is evident in our case study of Cicada.net. This media organisation produces online documentaries as training models for rurual Indigenous Australian communities. The Online Documentary Traning (ODT) programs in this case were funded by Queensland health.
Non-government funding
Non-government funding includes sponsorship ties with non-government organisations, from educational institutes to philanthropic organisations. Environmental Media Fund is one of these organisations sponsoring media contents on environmental issues. Environmental Media Fund acts as an executive producer to assist in project management, marketing, developing funding strategies and negotiating distribution commitments. They also provide a variety of general assistance services to filmmakers, including acting as a fiscal sponsor.
Online Documentary Training
We have described online documentary as a creative media form, but it can also be utilised for education, training and corporate functions. Other projects analysed in this research study are all primarily funded by ABC/ AFC funding bodies, and published under organised initiatives. An alternate model is that of the online documentary being designed and as an training tool supported by government bodies, or distributed to paying clients. To see interview with director of Cicada.net (Online Documentary Training Organisation) view our interactive research project
Cicada.net
To analyse the use of online documentary as a training device we undertook a case study of media organisation Cicada.net. Cicada produces Online Documentary Training (ODT), designed to impart skills and knowledge in areas of health and social education to participants. The ODT have been delivered as “training...for health and community workers in isolated remote, rural/ or indigenous communities,” (Hewitson, 2002) and a program was also developed for occupational therapy students studying in China. The initial project released was called ‘Joe’s Story’ and was “ the first of its kind in Australia. (Health Matters, 2003) The function of the training was “to teach remote communities how to take care of older people or those with a disability or injury.”(Health Matters 2003) The ODT programs were delivered to “the communities of Bamaga, Lockhart river, Palm Island, Doomadgee and Horn Island and professional services based in major cities” (Health Matters 2003) Cicada’s ODT programs are unique as they operate in real time with personalised content for the participants. Moving the online documentary beyond merely interactive video allows a more realistic experience for the user, and therefore allowing a greater personal connection with the content. The ODT created for struggling Indigenous communities attempt to transcend cultural barriers and impart social, health related and technological skills to the communities. The ODT models such as George's Story create a fictitious character or avatar that the participants create a dialogue with. The content is presented as a pseudo diary where the character discusses relevant day-to-day issues.The entries are made up of writing and multimedia, which the participant can then respond to. Cicada’s description of the training process is that it “consists of specialised problem- solution orientated tasks tailored to specific health-related issues experienced be a community or learner group. It aims to increase the participants’ skill set and knowledge, whilst also facilitating responses that lead to behavioural and attituditional change.” (Hewitson, 2006)
The technology must be designed to be culturally appropriate in order to be accepted by communities. This entails replicating a familiar environment (with the avatars), and recognising and applying the community’s traditions to the design of the documentary. Some of the social customs employed for the indigenous ODT are acknowledging storytelling as being an oral tradition and implementing ideas of networking and community. The participants are encouraged to network with each other, creating a peer to peer learning environment.
Communicating across cultures
Cicada’s ODT make use of online learning as an environment where a personal sense of independence, and the freedom to experiment and make mistakes are achievable. Judith Hewitson, director of [www.cicada.net.au Cicada.net] describes this as “safe spaces” or “hybrid space” where it becomes possible for “people to engage, try new behaviours and overcome conflict and culturally sensitive problems.”(Hewitson, 2006) Online learning also eliminates the “face-to-face cues such as mannerisms and accent” that may “indicate social class” allowing cultural barriers to be knocked down.(Lindsay et al 2007) Hewitson describes the ODT as imparting skills and knowledge, but not as implicitly “teaching you” (Hewitson int. 2007). Communicating through avatars is a step to avoid patronising, dictatorial teaching, and encourage peer learning. Cicada’s aim is to utilise technology “as an agent of change, rather than a provider of information or a communication tool.”(Hewitson, 2006) In the fight to promote positive change in Australia’s rural Indigenous communities, outside intervention can only help so much before intervention becomes interference. The ODT attempt to encourage the townspeople to resolve the community’s problems themselves.
““It educates communities towards self-management and well-being and teaches them how to deal with social issues in their community.” (Health Matters, 2003)
Being able to invest ownership in the technology and gain confidence in the tasks involved in the ODT, this confidence is hoped to transcend beyond the online documentary into the community. In a research study of internet based peer learning applied to health education for people with heart conditions, it was found that peer to peer learning is successful as long-term patients often lose their “trust in experts.” (Linsday et al 2007) Therefore the opportunity to discuss problems and queries with other patients allows another outlet for finding health knowledge in a less authoritarian environment. Hewitson described that they were able to hurdle cultural barriers with the use of the avatars, so it didn’t matter that she was an ‘outsider’ to the culture and community. Cicada’s pioneering ODT demonstrates that online documentary is an ideal form for transmitting skills across cultures. The content is video based therefore allowing it to be accessible for participants with lower literacy levels, and is most importantly entertaining. From this example it is evident that there are many windows of opportunity for online documentary to be used to as a learning tool in other scenarios. Hewitson suggested possible avenues for ODT in schools, to overcome issues such as bullying. Another case, which could utilise ODT lack of reliance on literacy, may possibly be a program designed for people with learning disabilities such as dyslexia.
Learning by interaction
The advantage of using online documentary as a training form is that the user can actively engage with the material. This interactive participation with the content allows the users to provide their own input on the content, creating a dialogue with the text. It has also been suggested “direct contact with the audience is one of the web docos most important features.”(Sparkman, 2007) This is evident in Cicada’s ODT with its real time delivery and “interweaving of fiction with reality… allowing a new permutation of culture to be formed.”(Hewitson, 2006) Although aware that the characters are fictional, the participants divulge into the fictional world. The immediacy and relevance to the participant’s daily lives creates a realistic setting that “motivates participants to respond, engage and relate.” (Hewitson, 2006) The fictional scenarios created within the Cicada ODT are designed to create new “social memories.” The concept is that “in order for behaviour to shift, new memories are requires to create new, positive cultures and paradigms to live in.(Hewitson, 2006) Rapidly developing forms of new media are exploring the “potential for interaction with the source of information, that is, a dynamic medium for influencing learning and maybe changing behaviour”(Lindsay et al 2007) With the development of new ways of educating, new learning habits also develop. One new habit is that “younger generations” are beginning to learn most effectively “by interacting with media.”(Sparkman, 2007) The online documentary’s interactivity is created by its non-linear structure, reliance upon user navigation, and the ability to create a dialogue between the text and the user. New media artist Kathryn Board discusses the user being able to “‘restructure fact, knowledge, and myth’ by interacting with a narrative” Board believes online documentary is a hybrid of older media forms that allows the user to navigate and interact with the text in a way that “would not be possible in the physical world.” As is evident in the popularity of sensory games such as Second Life and The Sims, Board predicts that “New media art as we know it today might soon become a cultural realisation of change, of expression, of refashioning the past, the present and the now, an ultimate sensualised virtual reality.” (Board, 2005) The online documentary has been recognised for it’s ability to “evoke an emotional response” with the user because of the intimate interaction between the user and technology.(Sparkman, 2007) In ODT, the communication between the text and the participant allows the user to impart an imprint on the text for future users. The many voices that contribute to the ODT allows “…a plurality creating new permutations of culture for end users” (Hewitson, 2002)
Increase in funding for technology
Documentary is historically a medium that endeavours representation of truth or reality, aiming to promote awareness of an issues and to incite change in society. Errol Morris’ The Thin Blue Line, and more recently Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth are examples of documentary that attempt to bring about societal change. The Thin Blue Line was successful in it’s mission to uncover the truth, “credited with overturning the conviction of Randall Dale Adams for the murder of Dallas police officer Robert Wood, a crime for which Adams was sentenced to death.” Al Gore’s documentary has also been widely noticed, an environmental documentary promoting awareness about the detrimental affects of climate change. As a variety of the tradtional documentary form, ODT adheres to this principle of attempting to create positive societal change. Hewitson has dedicated her career to Cicada and working for “...dramatic change” that “is required to combat such issues such as poverty, HIV/AIDS, domestic violence and so forth…”(Hewitson, 2006) The Cicada ODT models are a realisation that “The pattern of memories blocking wellbeing by maintaining paradigms of “have and have nots” race and religious differences, and historical conflicts needs to change.” (Hewitson, 2006) The ODT is an attempt to answer this call.
As a financially successful form of online doco The initial ODT, ‘Joe’s Story’ was funded by Queensland health in 2003. The 2003 QLD Health Matters report outlines the 2003 initiative “Access to health information for people living in rural north Queensland communities will be improved under a $500,000 three-year program announced last month by Health Minister Wendy Edmond." (Pound, 2003)
Projects that assist in ICT (Information and Communication Technology) development are supported by either government or NGO’s. For example one of Cicada’s other projects relied on a partnership with JTA International an NGO that “specialises in the provision and implementation of health services in remote and challenging environments.” (JTA Int) Cicada’s ODT programs for indigenous communities are very fitting to this mission statement. Hewitson also mentioned a possible future project for ICT in India that may be in collaboration with Ngo Engineers Without Borders, an organization with the goal to “vision is of a world where every individual and community has adequate access to the resources, knowledge and technology necessary to meet their self identified human needs.” Although Cicada have in the past been successful with linking with willing NGO’s, in our interview Hewitson admited that it is a “risky business.” The success of a business like Cicada relies upon “local champions” and aid organizations. She noted that in the past funding for ICT learning was scarce, but finally “aid and development are becoming more savvy with it (technology)”(Hewitson, int. 2007), with the “growing belief that it public health.” (Lindsay et al, 2007). Models such as the ODT are being increasingly recognised as “economical way of approaching training”(Hewitson, int. 2007). This change is evident in projects such as first mile solutions, and Bill Gates supporting ICT in Africa. [technology and ICT based learning] can help transform both personal and The creation of ODT demonstrates the possibilities of using the available technology in a practical way. This model of online training has been recognised internationally and also as a successful form, winning Cicada several awards Hewitson also noted that as with all media “its not about the technology its about the content.”(int.) It doesn’t matter what the platform is, broadcast or digital, success is reliant upon good story telling. Embracing a use of online documentary that has a practical application and successful outcomes in communities seems to be a form of online documentary that has longevity. Most importantly, it is a technology with a demand. As Hewitson noted in or interview organisations such as Queensland Health were calling out that they needed training.
Climate
The online documentary is a form still in its infancy, still finding its feet in the media marketplace. There is a lot of scuffling amongst media networks to identify the most effective way to capture the flourishing market that is provided by the web. This applies across all media forms, from independent productions, TV networks, to movie distributors - everyone is vying in to try and catch on to the next wave. As this is all unfolding concurrently, there is necessarily a fair amount of speculation and projection as to what technologies and which platforms will eventually dominate; what does emerge however are some clear trends which seem set to identify the characteristics of online consumption.
We are living in a new click-to commerce, where everything seeks to be trackable, broken down into units which determine KPIs, value for money, and justify every strategized dollar enlisted in the promotion and distribution of a product. Through the trends of technology (what is available and what consumers are using), hopefully this will show how new documentaries should be packaged and whether there is a demand for them in this form.
Audience Trends
There is a lot of research going on trying to determine the uses of consumers in the online habitat. Convergence is the buzzword. Online distribution is now seemingly a given, all media makers seem required to integrate the web into their product be it an integral element, or more of an after thought the presence is key. Cursed with two extremes of licenses/copyright being plundered to the over hype of marketing departments projecting that the new forms of access and distribution will cannibalise traditional media. We tend to become overexcited or paralysed with fear when a new system or technology emerges and no one is yet aware how this will ultimately be utilised or exploited. Audiences are shifting away from traditional broadcast models, and towards the alternatives that allow them to dictate the terms of their media consumption. New sources for gathering media allow the viewer to download “on demand” (Dawson & Watson, p12) and select their own choice of content. This has become available with the rise of podcasting/ vodcasting, video downloading sites ( such as BitTorrent/YouTube), and internet TV. Improvements in broadband accessibility "expected in the next three-to-five years,” will also enable the possibility “to operate to the demands of individuals." (Ziffer, 2006) It’s a matter of adapt or be left behind. The power of groups is by no means an unfamiliar concept. What is new is the ease in which likeminded “citizens and consumers can now go online and connect, group and ultimately exert influence on a global scale” (trendwatching, 2007). These networks exert a phenomenal sense of power, as the old adage goes power in numbers; there are now over 1 billion people on the net (internetworldstats, 2007) There is also a critical shift in the role of the user to a dual role as viewer and participant. No longer satisfied to play the “visitor” who “surfs” over the informational chains of the web, they become a “participant” who creates and disseminates as an active individual (and often) group, within network (Trendwatching, 2007). The modern individual has less time, thus the rise in mobile media and digital media allowing them to download and watch in their leisure. The frenzy of mobile media devices include models such as the Nokia N95 and the ipod video. Consumers of media will not stop enjoying “passive” consumption, regardless which medium they prefer to use, but in the future they are going to spend less time doing so. Quite a few users will demand possibilities for interaction giving them the opportunity to control their own programming or act as producers of content (Hoem, 2004).
Interactivity
Online distribution of documentary does not have to be actually making the whole product available to download, but creating an environment to interact with audiences: these can be by creating forums, profiles on social networks, games, web-cams – anything you can think of, the more creative the execution and the more relative it is both to the audience and your product, seem the closest possible instance to a formula for success. Heather Croall, director of the AIDC states: “Producers need to get their heads around new platforms and the need to make more than the linear program. They need to understand the new environment, working with online content” (Loebenstein, 2006). Creating interactive environments for users allows audiences to move up and beyond spectatorship, to actually have input on the outcome of the work. New media artist Katherine Board discusses the evolution of the viewer in the face of “vitual space.” Board believes virtual space offers the viewer “greater immediacy” and offers a “self-authenticating experience.” (Board, 2005) Interactive media such as online documentary provide a more personal connection with the viewer and the medium. Interactivity is evident in online documentary as the user has the choice of navigating the documentary in the order they wish, they chose the beginning and ending. It is also common for online documentaries to provide space for the user to comment and express their ideas on the related topics. The level of interactivity can vary from the user being invited to input their own stories, to the user creating an active dialogue with the work. For example in the Cicada.net online documentary training programs, the user is invited to respond to the characters that tell the story. The interactivity enables a “sensual…real, emotional experience of the user.” (Board, 2005) Interactive media is a growing area, Terry Flew from the Queensland University of Technology notes: “there is currently a great deal of research and development actively taking place in the entertainment industries about how to best combine interactive and participatory possibilities of the internet with the capacity of broadcast television to reach mass audiences.” (Flew, p298) Tradional media broadcasters expolration of online platforms is narrowing the gap between tradional and new media. Futururst Richard Watson notes that this convergence “is intensifying and the separation between 'traditional' and 'new' or 'social' media is becoming increasingly meaningless.” (Watson, 2007) With the rise of new media, some predict it will overtake tradtional media in the future, but more realistically the two forms will become more interrelated and dependent upon each other. Another view is that tradional media may adapt to a new role. Judith Hewitson, (director of online documentary training company Cicada.net) predicts the role of television on the future as a medium promoting social gatherings, replicating the olden days past-time of “sitting around the piano.” (Hewitson int, 2007)
Technology
As a form of its own, or a tool for promoting exposure for existing doco/ filmmakers. The model is not clearly defined with the most successful cases eventually ending up in the traditional distribution modes of cinema exhibition, and DVDS. There is an argument that forging a new screen culture is more important then any projected returns. David Vadiveloo, writer/director/producer of Usmob, (funded under the ABC/AFC Broadband Production Initiative) puts it out quite simply- “Perhaps these projects won’t return massive revenue but that’s not the point of them” (Loebenstein, 2006). Online distribution however does have its advantages. If it is an extension of a traditionally broadcast documentary, the online counterpart thus allows the projects to “add depth to the story telling, and expand the filmmakers platform for storytelling by going beyond the boundaries of a broadcast or theatre engagement.” (web) The form also requires a “comparatively small investment” but are available for viewing anytime, anywhere, and “run” can be indefinite.”(Sparkman, 2007) It also offers further exposure for the documentary and the filmmaker. There are no given rules but it does imply a certain ingenuity and understanding of the media technologies. “It is increasingly important to have a web component in a budget, right from commissioning stage, rather than tack it on at the end,” said the ABC’s executive producer of documentaries Dasha Ross (Loebenstein, 2006). Even if the number of actual sales are limited, making it available on the Internet promotes the crew, the film itself and can provide a stepping stone for the careers of everyone involved in the film (Newton,2007).
The success of the internet in the era of Web 2.0 has moved away from the box office model where a small number of titles enjoy sales success, in this arena of online networks, communities and search engines the long-tail exists as a defiant contrast to traditional media. Previously broadcasters exerted their control of information simply by the limited availability of content; audience choice was therefore restricted to “relatively short menus of information sources and communication services”. (Lievrouw, P18)
The new media devoid of the physical confines allows groups to use the technology to collaborate in groups determined by interest groups rather than physical location. This could mean that the most obscure seeming topic could in fact be marketable where this would never have been possible in a broadcasting model.
Though there is a lot of hype attached with the possibilities of Web 2.0 few experts are prophesizing the demise of television any time soon “’consumption’ of moving images is hardly going to decrease - the opposite is more likely to happen” (IBM 2004 cited by Hoem). But what is changing is the manner in which we access the content - “production, distribution and use will change profoundly” (IBM, 2004). What is consented on is that integration across platforms is integral to remaining relevant to consumer uses and needs. Broadcasting services are now providing an increasing amount of broadband services to complement and extend their broadcast services. What is key is integrating the affordances of the web rather than using them as an appendage to the work. This is fashioning content in way that is fundamentally different to that which is modelled for broadcasting.
The distribution of audiovisual content is likely to be critically affected as has been evident in the music industry since the late nineties. The tensions between physical formats, distributor-sanctioned downloading and community-based sharing are still to be resolved in the music industry, and are set to affect the audiovisual content, as the increase in internet connection has enabled the downloading of video files. Importantly the increase in the number of broadband users is now over 3.91 million, (ABS: Internet Activity, Sep 2006). This sees an opportunity for documentary filmmakers to capitalise on a broader online audience. With the increased speed afforded in the broadband connections, the relative ease of larger size file transfers encourages and allows for these sites. The switch over to “digital television” and connection to high speed broadband across the country has been development in Australia has been “largely stalled.” (Flew, p293) Progression has been slow since the “…the prohibition on new commercial broadcast licenses until 2006” was declared, setting “restrictions on the development of data casting and interactive services.” (flew, p294) Until widespread access of high speed broadband is obtained, the take-off of the online documentary may, for many, be ultimately delayed.
“It isn’t often that you can help define for future generations a whole new form of storytelling, and I see our work with the web docos as proving that opportunity” - Chris Palmer (Sparkman, 2007)
References for Interactive Research Project
History
Nichols.B, 1991, Documentary Modes of Representation (The Observational Mode) Representing Reality: Issues and Concepts in Documentary. Bloomington & Indianapolis; Indian University Press, pp 38-44
Petric.V, 1978, Dziga Vertov as Theorist Cinema Journal, Vol 18, No 1, pp 29-44
Rony.FT. 1996, Taxidermy and Romantic Ethnography: Robert Flaherty's Nanook of the North The Third Eye: Race, Cinema and Ethnographic Spectacle. Durham, Duke University Press. pp 99-126
2002, 'Chronology,' Chicago Media Works, date of viewing 25.05.07, <http://www.chicagomediaworks.com/2instructworks/3editing_doc/3editing_docfilmstyles.htm>
Filmmakers
Interview with Debra Beattie, conducted by Dani Venn, 09.05.07
Interview with Sohail Dahdal, conducted by Dani Venn, 18.05.07
Funding
Australian Film Commission. 2004. Documentary Production and Funding in Australia: A discussion paper prepared by the Australian Film Commission. Australia, viewed 28 May 2007. <http://www.afc.gov.au/downloads/docodiscussfinal_04.pdf>
Australian Film Commission. 2007. Australia, viewed 17 April 2007. <http://www.afc.gov.au>
Australian Film Commission. 2007. ABC/AFC's Documentaries Online. Australia, viewed 20 May 2007. <http://www.afc.gov.au/filmsandawards/recentfilms/doconline.aspx>
Film Australia Ltd. 2007. National Interest Program. Australia, viewed 17 April 2007. <http://www.filmaust.com.au/production/default.asp?content=nip>
Film Finance Corporation. 2007. Victoria, Australia, viewed 17 April 2007. <http://www.ffc.gov.au>
SBS. 2007. SBS/AFC's Podlove. Australia, viewed 19 April 2007. <http://www21.sbs.com.au/podlove/index.html>
'Digital Branded Content: Owning the digital space.' Marketing (Dec6, 2006):49. Expanded Acadmic ASAP. Thomson Gae. RMIT University Library. 19 Apr 2007. <http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/itx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T002&prodId=EAIM&docID=A155556793&source=gale&srcprod=EAIM&userGroupName=rmit&version1.0>
Online Documentary Training
Works Cited
An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore, 2006 http://www.climatecrisis.net/
Board, Katie.'Technological and Cultural Aspects of Virtual Space as a Medium'16/5/2005 http://64.233.179.104/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=cache:swF66CZQUCUJ:www.kathrynboard.com/05_2005.pdf+(online+documentary)+(interactive+OR+interactivity Date viewed April 2007.
Engineers without borders http://www.ewb.org.au/about/?p=0
First mile solutions http://www.firstmilesolutions.com/index.php
Hewitson, Judith. ‘Onilne Documentary Training. Reconstructing memory as an agent of change for developing and Indigenous communities.’ Cicada.net Oct 2006, http://www.cicada.net.au/mamboSite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=41&Itemid=53. Date viewed 20/5/07
Hewitson, Judith. ‘Online Documentary Training: empowering health care in local communities’ Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 2002, p1
Hewitson Jenny, interview with Tessa Farrell, Melbourne 23/5/07
JTA International -http://www.jtai.com.au/
Lifetech- http://www.lifetec.org.au/home/default.asp
Sparkman, Russell.’The Web Documentary’, The Fusionspark Media Blog. 10/5/2007 http://fusionspark.wordpress.com/2007/05/10/the-web-documentary/. Date viewed 23/ 5/ 07
Sally Lindsay ; Simon Smith ; Frances Bell ; Paul Bellaby. ‘Tackling the digital divide: Exploring the impact of ICT on managing heart conditions in a deprived area.’ Chapter: Interactive learning strategies for health information seekers. Information, Communication & Society, Vol. 10, no. 1 Feb 2007 , pg 95 - 114
The Thin Blue Line, Errol Morris, 1988 http://www.errolmorris.com/film/tbl.html
'Online Services Help the Outback' Health Matters. Vol8 no 2 http://www.health.qld.gov.au/news/health_matters/2003/hm_mar03.pdf.
Pound, Leanne. 'Health Technology Boosted' Health Matters. vol 8, no 2 http://www.health.qld.gov.au/news/health_matters/2003/hm_mar03.pdf. p4
PR NewsWire 'Bill Gates Announces Microsoft Partnerships and Programmes to Benefit More Than 45 Million People in Africa by 2010' http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=175083
Climate
Australian Bureau of Statistics 5/12/2006 “Household Use of Information Technology, Australia, 2005-2006” http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/lookupMF/ACC2D18CC958BC7BCA2568A9001393AE DA:01/05/2007
Bittorrent http://www.bittorrent.com/
Board, Katie. ‘Technological and Cultural Aspects of Virtual Space as a Medium’ New Media, Innovation and Research. 16/5/2005 http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=cache:swF66CZQUCUJ:www.kathrynboard.com/05_2005.pdf+(online+documentary)+(interactive+OR+interactivity) date viewed, May 2007
Dawson, Ross. Watson, Richard. ‘Future of Media Report’ Future Exploration Network. July 2006. http://www.futureexploration.net/fom06/Future_of_Media_Report2006.pdf. Date viewed May 2007
Flew, Terry. ‘The Social Contract and Beyond in Broadcast Media Policy.’ Television and New Media vol 7, no 3. August 2006 p282-305
Hoem, Jon (2004)Videoblogs as "Collective Documentary" Department of Art and Media Studies, Norwegian University of Science and Technology Presented at BlogTalk 2004 http://infodesign.no/artikler/videoblogs_as_collective_documentary.pdf
Hewitson, Judith. Interview with Tessa Farrell. Melbourne 23/5/2007.
Internet World Stats http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
Newton, Dale & John Gaspard (2007) Digital Filmmaking 101 2nd edition. Michael Wiese Productions California USA
Lievrouw, Leah A. “New media and the ‘pluralization of life-worlds’”. New Media & Society Vol3(1):7 London, Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi
Loebenstein, Ghita 03/04/2006 “Will digital media solve doco’s dramas: AIDC” Encore Magazine http://www.encoremagazine.com.au/articles/E0/0C03E5E0.aspx
Sparkman, Russell. ‘The Web Documentary’ The Fusionspark Media Blog 10/5/2007 http://fusionspark.wordpress.com/2007/05/10/the-web-documentary/ date viewed, May 2007.
Trendwatching “Digital Embrace” http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/2003/08/DIGITAL_EMBRACE.html
Watson, Richard. ‘Media trends for 2007’ Whats Next? issue 15, 2007 http://www.nowandnext.com/?action=sector/view&issueId=16§orId=4 date viewed May 2007
Youtube http://www.youtube.com
Ziffer, Daniel. ‘It was 50 years ago today ... can TV last another 50?’ The Age September 16, 2006
Key Links
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