It would appear that unscripted TV is here to stay, so if you want to drop your eggs into a few baskets – now is the time. As artists and filmmakers, we often lack on good business sense, because that hat never looks good on us. You’re an artist after all and your story and film are your biggest priority – someone else can worry about the business side, right? Do yourself a favour and bump into a sharp object, so your bubble can burst… because an artist needs to pay his/her bills and needs to know how to pitch, market and negotiate their film, TV series, web-series, documentary… at the very least.
Filmmaking, narrative TV and doc’s have been entertaining the world for decades… until reality/unscripted TV showed up – dressed in bling, making lots of noise and turning our neighbours into international stars! Unscripted television is unlike any other network narrative series. It mirrors a part of society that we’re interested about but to shy to ask. They provide a window with a microscope, into compelling characters with imperfections, with real tears, real stories and big hearts. They’re our neighbours, friends and people in society that we can all relate to… because it is real TV, it’s unscripted.
Many of us feel like we could have the next best idea for an unscripted show, but that reality comes with conditions. You need to know the right people, the right amount of preparation and you need good feedback. Where do you start and how do you know if this is a good fit for you? The FactualWEST Conference is here to answer all your questions while offering workshops, networking and inspirational speakers capable of catapulting that unscripted idea to the next level. This year, the 5th annual conference is Nov. 6 – 7th and will be exploring the future of screen-based media and the efforts being made to bring increased diversity, inclusion and representation to film and television.
This year, notable conference speakers include Cian O’Cleary from Netflix’s ‘Love on the Spectrum’, Fenton Bailey from ‘Drag Race Canada’, the team behind CBC’s ‘The Oland Murder’ and Jeff Orolowski from Netflix’s ‘The Social Dilemma.’
Produced by Field & Post, the two-day conference will be bringing together top broadcasters, creators and producers for a group of online sessions including panels, interviews and masterclasses from Corus Entertainment, Telus STORYHIVE, Bell Fund and Accessible Media Inc to name a few. Through the sessions, delegates will learn practical tips and gain insights into the importance of creating more opportunities for diverse representation and how that will shape the future of documentary filmmaking. Additionally, Field & Post has partnered with Whistler Film Festival (WFF) to have their Doc Lab participants attend FactualWEST as part of their training. The collaboration with WFF is part of a deliberate effort to grow the unscripted film and television industry in BC.
FactualWEST will take place online through the Hopin.to platform. For additional conference details and the complete schedule, visit www.factualwest.ca.
I recently had the great privilege of speaking with Kate Green, director of programming and John Ritchie, president of Field & Post. They really got my wheels turning.
HNM “Why should people get excited about FactualWEST and what would you say it represents?”
JOHN “I wanted to start off by saying, it was Kate Green, Robert Hardy and Dana Johl that actually got it off the ground a few years back and it’s been growing ever since. Factual film, documentary and television in Vancouver is quite a significant industry, but there’s really nothing that represents it in the city or across Western Canada – which is why this started. It’s a very popular form of television that employs a lot of people. We love the fact that, every year we bring in creators that have made some of the most notable shows of the year. They’re happy to talk about the process of making them as well as providing some skills training at the conference.”
HNM “Many festivals are going virtual, including this event. What has been one of the bigger challenges in going virtual?”
KATE “It was one of our biggest challenges but I think we’ve overcome it. One of the main benefits of the conference, is the networking. It’s always been a big part of the conference, however – we’ve gotten around that too. There’s going to be a lot of Q & A sessions, as well as online networking sessions… where people can have chats and side meetings. They’re also opportunities for them to have private meetings with producers or broadcasters. At the end of the first day, we’re having a virtual cocktail class. It will be a fun way for everyone to learn how to make a drink, be online and chat. We’ve found a way to make it feel like you’re still with a group of people, which is great!”
HNM “When the pandemic hit; at which point did you have to switch gears toward the possibility of going virtual?”
JOHN “We kept talking over the summer, wondering how to proceed. We toyed with the idea of doing it partly in person and partly virtual, but it became clear that it wasn’t going to work. We weren’t even sure if the conference could even go forward – but then our sponsors (Telus Storyhive, Bell Fund) told us they wanted it to happen and they were fine with a virtual conference – that’s when we started switching gears early in the fall and put the wheels in motion.”
HNM “This conference really does foster ideas for new unscripted television. Are you aware of a new series that has been born out of a past conference?”
KATE “I know that there has been deals made at the conference but I’m not at liberty to discuss the details (laughing).”
JOHN “I can talk about one. Two years ago, I was developing a film with one of our board members, which was a very personal feature length documentary. That film was born out of the conference because we were able to sit down and talk to the commissioning editor about the film – which is when he bought into it. If there is no greenlight deals made, there are relationships formed and ideas get exchanged. In addition to the educational side of things, there’s definitely a deal making component. It’s very much how this business works and usually over a cocktail (laughing). It’s really what FactualWEST is all about – bringing buyers and sellers together, as well as creators meeting other creators, that result in moving projects forward.”
HNM “Where was last years event held and how was attendance?”
KATE “The conference sells out every year, with just over 200 attendees. It was at the SFU, Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue. Last year we moved to a 2-day event and will again this year.”
HNM “Considering this year is going virtual, did you have to leave any programs out of the conference?”
JOHN “Not really, just the cocktails (laughing). The content is essentially the same, with the exception of sitting in front of your computer all day.”
HNM “There are also some advantages to going virtual. What would some of those be?”
KATE “You can stay in your pajamas all day (laughing). I think there is a comfort in being able to learn in your home, while taking notes. We’re not confined to a set number and we are opening it up to Factual workers across Canada as well as industry organizations.”
HNM “Are all of the guest speakers from British Columbia?”
KATE “No, we’ve got quite a selection. We’ve got people from Toronto, New York, the UK, LA and BC, so from all over the place. It’s also an advantage to going virtual because they don’t have to hop onto a plane.”
HNM “If somebody has a great idea for a TV series, where would you recommend they start?”
JOHN “That’s one of the key purposes to the conference. Like everything else, there’s a protocol to how these things work and broadcasters get hundreds and thousands of pitches every year. Advancing your idea and getting it in front of them for their full consideration, is a complicated process.”
KATE “On Friday, we have a masterclass called, The Art of The Pitch – being run by Emily Best from Seed & Spark on how to package and pitch to get your project out there.”
JOHN “The workshop is step one but another decision you need to make is, do you go to a network or do you go to a production company? You can find out the way the industry works by going to conferences like this and start to realize that there is a system, which is hard to figure out – but making connections and contacts is critical.”
HNM “Since Field and Post is the parent company of FactualWEST, how many members do you have?”
KATE “We’re just under 200 members and it’s only 25.00 to join. If you’re not a member, the conference will cost you 75.00 but if you are, it’s only 25.00, so it’s worth signing up.”
HNM “Are there any new unscripted shows that you are aware of coming up that haven’t been announced yet?”
JOHN “When people are working on a new show, they don’t want to talk about it until its announced publicly. Having said that, at the conference people will talk about shows that they’ve worked on or are currently working on, under the understanding that it’s not public knowledge.”
HNM “I’ve heard mention of people putting a bible together to present to a network. Is that a first step when pitching to a network?”
JOHN “Kate and I are developing a few projects together, and you put the bible together after a process of determining what the show is and how it will work. Eventually, the product is a pitch package – which could be a bible or a creative five-page package. What you want to do is, get the network on Zoom and tell them about the idea and if they’re interested, send them the bible or pitch package.”
HNM “How did you both end up meeting and partnering up?”
KATE “I was pitching a documentary to Storyville at VIFF and I didn’t win but the consolation prize was, John Ritchie reached out to me, we went for coffee and I started working at Force Four and the rest is history.”
Only a couple days to grab those tickets and register for this must-attend conference!
