{"id":16475,"date":"2021-07-14T09:00:50","date_gmt":"2021-07-14T13:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev2.worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/worldscreen.com\/"},"modified":"2021-07-15T09:22:00","modified_gmt":"2021-07-15T13:22:00","slug":"tvf-international-on-the-power-purpose-of-feature-docs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/tvf-international-on-the-power-purpose-of-feature-docs\/","title":{"rendered":"TVF International on the Power & Purpose of Feature Docs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Will Stapley, TVF International\u2019s head of acquisitions, talks to <\/em>TV Real about how the company is meeting the expanding demand for factual titles with its diverse roster of feature documentaries.<\/em><\/p>\n

The U.K.-based independent factual distributor TVF International has been championing feature documentaries for decades. The company has long been feeding the appetite of linear TV for such content, and is now meeting the expanding demand from the ever-growing roster of streaming platforms.<\/p>\n

\u201cInterest in features has been supercharged over the last few years, thanks to the rise of the streamers and a greater focus on the VOD arms of linear broadcasters,\u201d says Stapley. \u201cThe move from rigid hour-long schedules has given more flexibility for run-time, and there are now so many new platforms and digital channels battling it out to satisfy audience\u2019s niche interests, which opens up more opportunities for distributors like TVF.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith audience expectations for documentary production value driven higher and higher, and huge marketing campaigns rolled out by the leading streamers for \u2018megadocs\u2019 that can drive subscriptions, we are seeing an increase in buzzy event films that are more visible, more accessible and attracting broader audiences, which is fantastic for the genre,\u201d Stapley adds.<\/p>\n

Among the titles in TVF\u2019s feature documentary catalog are a number that reexamine well-known events, such as The Six: Titanic\u2019s Last Secret<\/em>, which tells the story of six forgotten Chinese survivors of the Titanic. Others, like The<\/em> Bowraville Murders<\/em>, which takes a look at the treatment of Aboriginal people in Australia by a legal system rife with racism and police misconduct, give a voice to underrepresented minorities. There are also films that empower women, as well as those that tackle health issues, including Misunderstandings of Miscarriage<\/em>. Entertainment-driven films, like David Foster: Off the Record<\/em>, also make up TVF\u2019s catalog.<\/p>\n

\u201cA feature doc can provide the antidote to a world of constant information overload and short attention spans,\u201d says Stapley. \u201cThey force us to engage, slow down, absorb and immerse ourselves in a subject matter without distraction. A truly global title is genre-agnostic but the story has to transcend physical borders, race, religion, age and gender and resonate with everyone, no matter where they are or what their background is.\u201d<\/p>\n

TVF currently represents a slew of blue-chip feature documentaries that have been commissioned by pubcasters from around the globe, including\u00a0China Love<\/em>, produced by Media Stockade for the ABC in Australia, which TVF has placed with Netflix. \u201cQuite often these films will have multiple versions, with a 1×90-minute also made available as a 1×60-minute or 2×45-minute to help maximize international broadcast sales potential,\u201d explains Stapley.<\/p>\n

For more than a year, Covid-19 has been impacting individuals and industries on an international scale. With cinemas shuttered, audiences turned more than ever to TV and streamers to fill an entertainment void\u2014and were eager to consume factual content for both diversion and information. \u201cOver the last 12 months, we have seen increased division across the world, enhanced by the global pandemic, crippling economies, heightened racial tensions and a rise in fake news,\u201d says Stapley. \u201cPeople have looked to documentaries for authenticity and for answers to some of the biggest questions of our time, in the hope of better understanding and tackling these divisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

At TVF, the future looks like a ripe environment for longer- and shorter-running documentaries, with rigid scheduling and commissioning going by the wayside and digital prospects giving films greater lifespans and extended relevance. \u201cIt\u2019s no longer just about a feature doc being brand new to market, but more about its overall quality, integrity and relevance to specific audiences in the present day, with cult status and increased visibility for some older films giving them a new lease of life,\u201d says Stapley.<\/p>\n

With a trend of consolidation in the global content industry posing a risk to independent producers, TVF aims to continue to offer its support to them \u201cand help them navigate the increasingly complex international TV market,\u201d says Stapley, adding, \u201cBy putting together a bespoke strategy for each film, we can simultaneously ensure that a feature doc gets out to as wide an audience as possible whilst maximizing revenue potential.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Will Stapley, TVF International\u2019s head of acquisitions, on how the company is meeting the expanding demand for factual titles with its diverse roster of feature documentaries. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1033,"featured_media":16476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,69],"tags":[3195,5640],"class_list":["post-16475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-profiles","category-top-stories","tag-tvf-international","tag-will-stapley","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nTVF International on the Power & Purpose of Feature Docs - TVREAL<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/tvf-international-on-the-power-purpose-of-feature-docs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"TVF International on the Power & Purpose of Feature Docs - TVREAL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Will Stapley, TVF International\u2019s head of acquisitions, on how the company is meeting the expanding demand for factual titles with its diverse roster of feature documentaries.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/tvf-international-on-the-power-purpose-of-feature-docs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TVREAL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-07-14T13:00:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-07-15T13:22:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2017\/07\/The-Bowraville-Murders.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"360\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Chelsea Regan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Chelsea Regan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/tvf-international-on-the-power-purpose-of-feature-docs\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/tvf-international-on-the-power-purpose-of-feature-docs\/\",\"name\":\"TVF International on the Power & Purpose of Feature Docs - TVREAL\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-07-14T13:00:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-07-15T13:22:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/#\/schema\/person\/2a2c6d8fb3c7c8b4220b8877ecffb79a\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/tvf-international-on-the-power-purpose-of-feature-docs\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/tvf-international-on-the-power-purpose-of-feature-docs\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/tvf-international-on-the-power-purpose-of-feature-docs\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"TVF International on the Power & Purpose of Feature Docs\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/\",\"name\":\"TVREAL\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvreal\/#\/schema\/person\/2a2c6d8fb3c7c8b4220b8877ecffb79a\",\"name\":\"Chelsea Regan\",\"description\":\"Chelsea Regan is the managing editor of World Screen. 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