Documentary production in Australia, 2010 - A collection ... · Documentary production in Australia...

Documentary proDuction

in australia, 2010

a collection of key Data

www.screenaustral ia .gov.au

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CONTENTSSUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

PRODUCTIONDocumentary as a proportion of audiovisual production . . . . 4

• In Australia, 2006/07 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

• In Australia, Canada and New Zealand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Production activity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

• Businesses involved in producing documentaries. . . . . . 5

• Hours produced and production budgets . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

• Budget ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

• Cost per hour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

• Activity by state. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

EMPLOYMENT• Documentary filmmakers: Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

• Documentary filmmakers: Activity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

FUNDINGSources of finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

• Sources of finance in Australia, Canada and France . . . 8

Government funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

• Federal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

• State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

• Domestic non-theatrical sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

ON SCREENCinema . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

• Theatrical release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

• Top documentaries at the box office . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

• Sales of documentaries on video. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

• Top documentaries on video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Television . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

• Free-to-air TV release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

• Programming by public broadcasters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

• Program spending by commercial broadcasters . . . . . 15

• Top documentaries on TV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

This report is based on key data from Get the Picture Online, Screen Australia’s comprehensive web-based

statistics collection.

ABOUT THE DATA

Data in this section is based on documentary production by Australian

production companies, including those productions filmed wholly or

partially overseas. These are projects under Australian creative control (i.e.

where the key elements are predominantly Australian and the project has

been originated and developed by Australians). It includes official and

unofficial co-productions with foreign partners (i.e. where creative control

is shared between a mix of Australian and foreign partners and there is a

mix of Australian and foreign elements in the key creative positions). It

also includes projects that are 100 per cent foreign financed if they are

under Australian creative control. It does not include productions made in

Australia by foreign production companies, or foreign projects where an

Australian production company is operating in a service capacity. Although

programs made by New Zealand companies are counted as local by the

Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for compliance

with the Australian content quota, they are not included in Australian

production figures. In-house production by free-to-air and subscription

television broadcasters is included only where indicated.

Figures are based on when principal photography commenced, even

though series, in particular, may be shot over more than one financial year.

What is a ‘documentary’?

Screen Australia's definition of ‘documentary’ follows that used by ACMA,

specifically ‘a program that is a creative treatment of actuality other than a

news, current affairs, sports coverage, magazine, infotainment or light

entertainment program, and corporate and/or training programs’. Screen

Australia data covers documentaries intended for cinema and/or TV

release. Non-broadcast documentaries are not included, nor are online

documentaries.

In practice, it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish documentaries

from programs such as infotainment, travelogue or light entertainment

programs, which adds to the difficulty of gathering data on this area of

Australian production activity. ACMA released guidelines on the

interpretation of its definition of documentary in December 2004; see

www.acma.gov.au

Data sources

Screen Australia has collated research from a number of sources,

including the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Screenrights, the free-

to-air and subscription broadcasters, GfK Retail and Technology Australia,

OzTAM and state film agencies.

Screen Australia continues the monitoring of documentary production

previously undertaken by the Australian Film Commission throughout the

year via an extensive range of sources, including funding agency

announcements, production reports and media monitoring. Many titles are

located through the monitoring of Australian documentaries screened on

Australian free-to-air and subscription TV. A point of contact first needs to

be established; then data can be requested from the filmmakers, including

details of the producer, director, writer, production company, sales contact,

synopsis, duration, budget, location, sources of finance and subject

headings. The agency also monitors festival screenings, awards, cinema

and Australian TV screenings, ratings and box office.

Documentary production is also included by the ABS in its Services

Industry Surveys of the film and video production and post-production

services industries. Variations between Screen Australia and ABS data are

due to differences in survey methodology.

Data limitations

Because of the difficulties involved in monitoring documentary production,

particularly in-house production by the television broadcasters, Screen

Australia includes some estimates in the number of titles, hours and

budgets for some years.

Data updates

This report includes data from Get the Picture Online. Data on Get the Picture Online is updated as it becomes available, which may lead to

discrepancies between this report and Get the Picture pages.

Cover picture:SALT: Lake Eyre, South Australia.

Courtesy Jerrycan Films Pty Ltd.

© Screen Australia 2010

Screen Australia is grateful to all those that contributed data to the

compilation of this report.

ISBN: 978-1-920998-10-3

Also available online via the Screen Australia website at:

www.screenaustralia.gov.au/gtp/docos

See also Get the Picture Online at: www.screenaustralia.gov.au/gtp

index.fm Monday, February 22, 2010 12:26 PM

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SUMMARYDOCUMENTARY AS A PROPORTION OF AUDIOVISUAL PRODUCTIONDocumentary makes up 2-3 per cent of audiovisual production in Australia, compared to 11 per cent in

New Zealand and 21 per cent in Canada.

HOURS PRODUCED AND PRODUCTION BUDGETS

Documentary production in Australia peaked in 2007/08. A total of 509 hours (239 titles) were produced,

with production budgets totalling $138.6 million, compared to an annual average of 331 hours and

$74 million. For the last three years, activity by production companies has been well above average, largely

due to documentary series, whereas in-house production by broadcasters has remained relatively steady

over the 13-year survey period.

BUDGET RANGESNot including broadcaster-produced titles, 85 per cent of single documentaries made between 1996/97

and 2008/09 had budgets of less than $500,000, with nearly half made for less than $200,000.

ACTIVITY BY STATEMost documentaries (55 per cent of titles, 64 per cent of hours) are made by production companies in NSW.

EMPLOYMENTAround 220 producers, 170 directors and 140 writers have made two or more documentaries in the last five

years. However, the majority of documentary filmmakers (66 per cent of producers, 67 per cent of directors

and 71 per cent of writers) made only one.

SOURCES OF FINANCEGovernment sources have provided the highest proportion of funding to the annual documentary slate in

Australia over the last 10 years (46 per cent), with broadcasters providing 27 per cent and foreign finance

13 per cent.

153 provisional and 64 final Producer Offset certificates have been issued to 18 February 2010.

DOMESTIC NON-THEATRICAL SALESAround $9 million was collected from educational institutions for off-air copying and retransmission of

documentaries in 2009.

THEATRICAL RELEASEEight Australian documentaries were released in cinemas in 2009.

SALES OF DOCUMENTARIES ON VIDEOOf the top 500 documentary titles sold on video in 2009, 12.2 per cent were Australian. The three

highest-selling Australian documentary titles were Love the Beast, Fat Belly: Chopper Unchopped and

First Australians.

FREE-TO-AIR TV RELEASEA total of 428 hours of first-release Australian documentaries were broadcast on Australian free-to-air TV

in 2009 – significantly higher than the annual average of 312 hours.

TOP DOCUMENTARIES ON TVEight of the top ten documentaries in 2009 were Australian, with World’s Strictest Parents at no. 2.


PRODUCER OFFSET

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PRODUCTION

DOCUMENTARY AS A PROPORTION OF AUDIOVISUAL PRODUCTION

According to the ABS, documentary production made up 2–3 per cent of total audiovisual production in Australia in 2006/07.

IN AUSTRALIA, 2006/07

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Television, Film and Video Production and Post-production Services 2006/07 (cat. no. 8679.0).

Notes:

Includes film and video production and post-production businesses, free-to-air and subscription television broadcasters and subscription television channel

providers. Unlike previous years, includes significant non-employing businesses.

^ Estimate has a relative standard error of 10–25 per cent and should be used with caution.

* Estimate has a relative standard error of 25–50 per cent and should be used with caution.

** Estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50 per cent and is considered too unreliable for general use.

n.a. Data not available.

IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA AND NEW ZEALAND

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Statistics New Zealand, Statistics Canada, Documentary Organisation of Canada and Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA).

Notes:

1. Documentary as a proportion of total production costs for film and video production and post-production businesses, free-to-air and subscription television

broadcasters and subscription television channel providers in 2006/07.

2. Documentary as a proportion of funding received by screen production companies in 2006/07. RBA’s annual average of daily exchange rate with New Zealand in

2006/07: AUD$1.00 = NZD$1.15.

3. Documentary as a proportion of total content production in 2005/06. RBA’s annual average of daily exchange rate with New Zealand in 2005/06: AUD$1.00 =

CAD$0.87.

Sport 14%

News and current affairs 22%

TV drama (excludes children’s) 8%

Commercials 13%

Feature films 10%

Light entertainment and variety 16%

Quiz, panel and game shows 4% TV and other documentaries 2%

Corporate/marketing/training videos 4%

Other TV programs(includes children’s) 5%

Other 2%

Type of audiovisual activity No. businesses Production value ($m) Share of value (%)

News and current affairs *63 411.5 22%

Situation and sketch comedy 8 15.1 <1%

TV drama (excludes children’s) ^22 152.9 8%

Sport *50 268.4 14%

Commercials n.a. 243.1 13%

Feature films 78 183.8 10%

Light entertainment and variety *84 306.1 16%

Quiz, panel and game shows 8 74.8 4%

TV documentaries ^67 ^39.8 2%

Other TV programs (includes children’s) n.a. 97.5 5%

Corporate/marketing/training videos ^454 *71.7 4%

Other non-TV programs *74 ^4.1 <1%

Documentaries (other than for TV) **46 4.8 <1%

Short films ^33 1.4 <1%

Music media *27 ^1.3 <1%

Educational media *107 *6.0 <1%

Total 1,882.4

% $m (local currency) $m (Aus)

Australia1 2 45 45

New Zealand2 11 45 39

Canada3 21 440 506


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PRODUCTION ACTIVITY

BUSINESSES INVOLVED IN PRODUCING DOCUMENTARIES

In 2006/07, according to the ABS, there were approximately:

• 67 Australian businesses involved in producing documentaries for TV, down from 98 in 2002/03, and

• 46 businesses involved in producing documentaries other than for TV, up from 21 in 2002/03.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). See Documentary as a proportion of audiovisual production (page 4)

HOURS PRODUCED AND PRODUCTION BUDGETS

Documentary production in Australia peaked in 2007/08. A total of 509 hours (239 titles) were produced, with budgets

totalling $138.6 million.

Average annual documentary production in Australia is estimated at around 331 hours (364 broadcast hours), with a

production value of approximately $74 million (based on combined production budgets). Although television

broadcasters play a significant role in Australian documentary production, most documentary activity occurs in the

independent sector. An average of 226 hours, totalling $61.3 million, have been produced annually by production

companies in the 13 years from 1996/97 to 2008/09, compared to 105 hours, totalling nearly $13 million, by

broadcasters.

After a peak in 1990/00, boosted by titles made for the Centenary of Federation, independent documentary activity fell

in both 2000/01 and 2001/02, but subsequently rose again to an 11-year high in 2006/07, and higher again in 2007/08.

That year saw the continuation of many series including Mythbusters, RSPCA Animal Rescue and Family Footsteps, as

well as the introduction of several new titles with high budgets and/or long running times to the production slate, such

as Two in the Top End, Find My Family, Outback Wildlife Rescue, Voyage to the Planets and Snake Crusader.

The generally high levels of production since 2003/04 have been due to an increase in documentary series. Apart from

the peak in 2007/08, production of single documentaries (in titles and hours) has remained at lower levels since

2003/04; however, there was a strong increase in their total production value in 2005/06 due to several high-budget

titles made that year. Activity by broadcasters has remained relatively steady over the surveyed period, with a peak in

hours and production value in 2006/07.

.

Source: Screen Australia.

Notes:

Figures include some estimates.

Duration calculated on actual running time of program in minutes rather than broadcast hours.

Figures are based on year when principal photography commenced; this also applies to series, even though series are often shot over more than one financial year.

Activity by broadcasters refers to productions where television broadcasters are the only production companies involved. Includes free-to-air and subscription

broadcasters. Does not include subscription television channel content providers; these are included with production companies.

Includes Australian productions and productions with overseas partners where creative control is shared (i.e. with a mix of Australians in key creative positions).

Includes IMAX documentaries but excludes magazine-format documentaries, current affairs, news, information programs, online documentaries, and corporate and

training films/programs.

HOURS MADE PRODUCTION BUDGETS

0

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400

Hours made by production companies

Hours made by broadcasters

Documentaries made by production companies

Documentaries made by broadcasters

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For comprehensive data, see Get the Picture Online: www.screenaustralia.gov.au/gtp

This report online: www.screenaustralia.gov.au/gtp/docos


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BUDGET RANGES

Eighty-five per cent of the single documentary titles made by production companies over the 13 years between

1996/97 and 2008/09 had budgets of less than $500,000 (in 2009 dollars), with nearly half made for less than

$200,000.

For series, budgets vary with the number of hours produced, but on average 30 per cent of titles were made for less

than $500,000, and 37 per cent for more than $1 million.


Notes:

Current dollar figures have been adjusted for inflation using the Non-farm GDP Deflator. This index has been used in preference to the Consumer Price Index as it

more accurately reflects the cost increases experienced by the film industry.

COST PER HOUR

For single titles, the average cost per commercial broadcast hour initially rose from 1996/97, then fell in 2001/02 and

subsequent years when no large-format titles were produced, before rising again in 2005/06 with the production of

several high-budget titles, such as The Secret, Bom Bali and Night. For documentary series, the average cost per

commercial broadcast hour has ranged between $110,173 in 1997/98 ($161,803 in 2009 dollars) and $262,952 in

1998/99 ($384,893 in 2009 dollars).

Over the 13-year period since 1996/97, 74 per cent of series hours have been made for less than $300,000 per hour

(actual running time) and 16 per cent for less than $100,000 per hour. Only 6 per cent cost more than $600,000

per hour.


Notes:

Current dollar figures have been adjusted for inflation using the Non-farm GDP Deflator. This index has been used in preference to the Consumer Price Index as it

more accurately reflects the cost increases experienced by the film industry.

BUDGET RANGES FOR SINGLE DOCUMENTARY TITLES BUDGET RANGES FOR DOCUMENTARY SERIES

2001/02

2002/03

2000/01

1999/00

1998/99

1997/98

1996/97

2003/04

2004/05

2006/07

2005/06

Percentage of single documentaries in these ranges

Under $200k $200k–$499k $500k $1m– $1m+

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

2008/09

2007/08

2001/02

2002/03

2000/01

1999/00

1998/99

1997/98

1996/97

2003/04

2004/05

2006/07

2005/06

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

2008/09

2007/08

Percentage of series in these ranges

Under $200k $200k $499k– $500k $1m– $1m+

AVERAGE COST PER COMMERCIAL BROADCAST HOUR FOR SINGLE TITLES

AVERAGE COST PER COMMERCIAL BROADCAST HOUR FOR SERIES

100

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ACTIVITY BY STATE

In the 13 years between 1996/97 and 2008/09, most documentaries (excluding in-house productions by broadcasters)

were made by production companies based in NSW (55 per cent of titles, 64 per cent of hours), followed by Victoria,

Queensland and Western Australia.


Notes:

Documentaries may have two or more production companies; where the production companies are located in different states, each state is counted.

Productions with foreign partners are allocated to the Australian production company’s state of residence.

Calculated as a 13-year average, 1996/97–2008/09.

Hours are calculated on actual running time of programs in minutes.

Overall total may be less than 100 per cent due to a small number of titles of unknown origin.

EMPLOYMENTThe main sources for film industry employment data are the ABS Census and Service Industries Surveys.

Unfortunately, these don't categorise occupations by genre. However, some data is available from other sources.

DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKERS: NUMBER

All credits, 2004/05–2008/09

Based on Screen Australia analysis of 914 Australian documentaries, including broadcaster-produced titles,

shot between July 2004 and June 2009:

• 641 people produced a documentary (46 per cent of these were women)

• 525 people directed a documentary (38 per cent women) and

• 489 people wrote a documentary in this period (39 per cent women).

Source: Screen Australia analysis of the credits of 914 Australian documentaries, including broadcaster-produced titles, shot between July 2004 and June 2009.

Notes:

Sex unknown for 11 producers (2%), 8 directors (2%) and 6 writers (1%).

Two or more credits, 2004/05–2008/09

Analysis of filmmakers who have made two or more documentaries in the last five years indicates that there are

around 220 producers, 170 directors and 140 writers currently making documentary films/programs in Australia.


Notes:

Percentages may not total exactly due to rounding.

Sex unknown for 1 producer (<0.5%), 1 director (1%) and 2 writers (1%).

SHARE OF DOCUMENTARY TITLES BY STATE SHARE OF DOCUMENTARY HOURS BY STATE

NSW 55%

Queensland 9%

SouthAustralia 3%

Victoria 20%

WesternAustralia

8%

ACT, NT & Tasmania 5%

NSW 64%

Queensland 7%

SouthAustralia

2%

Victoria 15%

WesternAustralia

8%

ACT, NT & Tasmania 4%

5-year profile: 2 or more credits

Men Women

Total no.No. % No. %

Producers 112 51% 105 48% 218

Directors 107 61% 67 38% 175

Writers 89 63% 50 35% 141




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DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKERS: ACTIVITY

Analysis of the producer, director and writer credits for documentaries made in the five years between July 2004 and

June 2009 shows that a high proportion of documentary filmmakers made only one title over this period, with producers

the most likely to have multiple credits – 34 per cent, compared to 33 per cent for directors and 29 per cent for writers.


FUNDING

SOURCES OF FINANCE

SOURCES OF FINANCE IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA AND FRANCE

Government sources (excluding public broadcasters) provide the highest proportion of funding to the annual

documentary slates in Australia and Canada (46 per cent and 34 per cent of the slate respectively), and the second

highest in France (20 per cent), where producers provide around the same proportion.

The largest contribution to the French slate comes from broadcasters (including public broadcasters) – 42 per cent,

compared to 30 per cent in Canada and 27 per cent in Australia. Australia has the highest level of foreign finance –

13 per cent, compared to 11 per cent in Canada and 8 per cent in France.

SOURCES OF FINANCE FOR DOCUMENTARY SLATE (% SHARE)

Source: Australia: Screen Australia, ten-year average 1999/00 to 2008/09.

Canada: Getting Real Volume 2, 2004 and Volume 3, 2007, Documentary Organisation of Canada, CFTPA Profile 2005 and 2006, ten-year average 1996/97 to 2005/06.

France: CNC Results May 2008 and Production Audiovisuelle 2009, 11-year average 1998 to 2008.

Notes:

Includes Screen Australia estimates.

Australia government includes direct funding from federal and state film funding agencies and other non-film government sources such as the National Council for

the Centenary of Federation and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC).

Australian producers includes Producer Offset from 2007/08.

Producers

Directors

Writers

Production companies

Percentage of documentary filmmakers with:

1 credit 2 credits 3 credits 4 credits 5+ credits

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Australia Canada France

Foreign

Other local

Producers

Distributors

Broadcasters

Private

Government


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GOVERNMENT FUNDING

Government funding for documentaries is available

directly, through the federal and state government

film agencies, and indirectly, through federal tax

incentives.

FEDERAL FUNDING

The federal funding landscape has undergone substantial

change in recent years, with the creation of the new agency,

Screen Australia – a merger of the Australian Film

Commission, the Film Finance Corporation and

Film Australia – in July 2008, and the 2007 introduction

of the new Australian Screen Production Incentive,

comprising three streams – the Producer Offset, Location

Offset and Post, Digital and Video Effects (PDV) Offset –

which supersedes earlier incentives such as 10BA. In

addition, SBS Independent (SBSi), which commissioned

Australian documentaries from the independent sector for

screening on SBS Television, was incorporated into SBS’s

Content (Television and Online) Division in 2007/08 and

no longer receives separate funding.

Screen Australia

Screen Australia provides direct funding for documentaries

through various development and production funding

programs, continuing many of the programs of the Australian

Film Commission, the Film Finance Corporation and

Film Australia, including Film Australia’s National Interest

Program and Making History Initiative (now incorporated

into the National Documentary Program). In 2008/09,

Screen Australia provided $1.1 million in documentary

development funding, and committed $17.6 million in

production funding to 61 new documentary titles, both

one-off and series.

Producer OffsetThe Producer Offset is available to producers of projects

with ‘significant Australian content’ or official co-productions.

This refundable tax rebate is accessed via the Australian

production company’s income tax return once the project is

completed. For eligible non-feature documentaries that meet

the ‘qualifying Australian production expenditure’ (QAPE)

threshold of $250,000 per hour, it is worth 20 per cent of

QAPE. While the Location and PDV Offsets are open to

documentary series, it is rare that a documentary would

meet the required thresholds.

CERTIFICATES ISSUED FOR NON-FEATURE DOCUMENTARIES TO 18 FEBRUARY 2010

Source: Screen Australia

Federal funding to the 2008/09 documentary slate

2008/09 is the first full year of simultaneous operation of

Screen Australia and the Producer Offset. Below is a

snapshot of the number of documentary titles starting

production in 2008/09 (including titles made in-house by

broadcasters), broken down by cost per hour, indicating those

with direct funding via Screen Australia and indirect funding

via the Producer Offset. Many of the titles under $250,000

per hour with no government funding are documentaries

made in-house by broadcasters. Titles with the Offset

comprise those that had applied for provisional or final

certificates by 17 February 2010 rather than to all eligible titles.

As some producers don’t apply for a provisional certificate,

ultimately, the number of titles in the 2008/09 slate with the

Producer Offset may be higher.

Source: Screen Australia

STATE FUNDING

While the majority of direct funding for documentaries comes

from the federal agencies (now Screen Australia), the state

and territory film agencies also provide development and

production funding. Annual production funding from this

source has grown from around $1 million in the mid-1990s

to around $5 million since 2003/04.

ANNUAL DOCUMENTARY FUNDING BY STATE/TERRITORY FILM AGENCIES

Notes: Participating state/territory agencies are: ArtsACT; ACT Department of the

Environment and Cultural Heritage; ScreenACT ; Arts Tasmania; Screen

Tasmania; Screen NSW; Northern Territory Film Office (NTFO); Pacific Film

and Television Commission (PFTC); South Australian Film Corporation

(SAFC); Film Victoria; ScreenWest.

PROVISIONAL

Number of certificates issued 153

Total budgets $138.53 million

FINAL

Number of certificates issued 64

Total QAPE $48.72 million

Total Offset $9.74 million

0

20

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None ineligible for Producer Offset–

None – no Offset certificate to date

Producer Offset only

Screen Australia only

Screen Australia and Producer Offset

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SALES

DOMESTIC NON-THEATRICAL SALES

Documentaries are distributed non-theatrically by small educational distributors that specialise in supplying

educational institutions, libraries, community groups and other niche markets. It is a labour-intensive and

low-returning activity. However, documentaries often have a long life. For example, many popular older titles, such as

The Back of Beyond (1953) and Exile and the Kingdom (1994), have continued to sell to educational users and in niche

markets looking for Australian content.

Another source of revenue for documentary makers is off-air copying of programs for educational use. Screenrights

promotes documentaries to the education sector via its website, enhancetv.com.au, and collects and distributes

royalties for the copying of programs from TV and radio by schools, TAFEs and universities for teaching purposes.

Documentaries comprised 26 per cent of audiovisual material copied by educational institutions in 2008/09. In 2009,

$34 million in royalties was collected by Screenrights, including $25.4 million for educational copying throughout

Australia and New Zealand and $5.1 million for retransmission. An estimated $8.8 million of this will be allocated to

documentaries.

Royalty returns from the off-air copying of programs for educational purposes can be substantial for documentaries.

For example, Screenrights returns to date for the three-hour Film Australia Federation series, which first screened in

1999, have totalled more than $285,000, higher than the $240,000 domestic free-to-air television licence fee. The

one-hour documentary Seeking Asylum (2002), made by Piper Films with a budget of $260,000, generated $50,000 in

royalties through Screenrights, or 35 per cent of its total returns. And Screen Australia’s Captain Cook: Obsession and Discovery has so far earned more than $160,000 in Screenrights royalties since its initial 2007 broadcast, with further

royalties expected.

Royalty returns from the off-air copying of programs can vary greatly. For resource centre copying, royalties can

typically range from $9–27 for schools to $60–139 for universities for a 60-minute program. For survey copying

reported through the annual sample, royalties for a 60-minute program typically vary from $900 to $8,000.

Factors that affect the value of a royalty payment include the type of program, the format used to make the copy

and the type of educational institution.

SHARE OF EDUCATIONAL OFF-AIR COPYING BY TYPE, 2008/09

Source: Screen Australia, Screenrights.

Notes:

Includes Australia and New Zealand educational institutions.

Documentary 26%Dedicated educational 12%

News and current affairs 33%

Infotainment andlight entertainment 13%

TV drama 5%

Radio 6%

Feature films 2%

Music and variety 1%Sport 1%




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ON SCREEN

CINEMA

THEATRICAL RELEASE

Eight Australian documentaries were released in cinemas in 2009. Between 1988 and 2009, an average of seven

Australian documentaries (including co-productions) were released annually in Australian cinemas, totalling 159 titles.

A total of eight Australian documentary titles were released in the UK over this period and 18 in the US.

Source: Compiled by Screen Australia.

Notes:


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TOP DOCUMENTARIES AT THE BOX OFFICE

Large-format films dominate the top Australian documentaries at the Australian box office.

There are two Australian-made IMAX titles in the all-time top 20 to December 2009: Antarctica and Africa’s Elephant Kingdom. The most successful non-IMAX Australian documentary is Bra Boys, which has grossed

$1,698,976 since its release in March 2007.

TOP 10 FROM ANY COUNTRY (AUSTRALIAN TITLES LISTED IN BOLD)

TOP 10 NON-IMAX (AUSTRALIAN TITLES LISTED IN BOLD)

TOP 10 AUSTRALIAN

Source: Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia (MPDAA), Nielsen EDI (Australia) and Ronin; compiled by the Screen Australia.

Notes:

Includes Australian productions and productions with overseas partners where creative control is shared (i.e. with a mix of Australians in key creative

positions).

World Safari 2: Adventure Bound (released 1984) is not included as national box office figures are unavailable.

1. Cumulative box office, reported on 3 February 2010 in current dollars (i.e. not adjusted for inflation). These figures may include revised MPDAA box office

earnings.

Rank Title Distributor Release date Box office ($)1

1 Michael Jackson’s This Is It Sony 29 Oct 2009 9,574,115

2 Fahrenheit 9/11 Hopscotch 29 Jul 2004 8,404,378

3 Everest IMAX 18 Mar 1998 6,334,124

4 Space Station 3D IMAX 6 Jun 2002 5,457,957

5 Deep Sea 3D IMAX 6 Apr 2006 5,189,744

6 Extreme IMAX (CPL/Extreme) 18 Mar 1999 5,152,785

7 Bowling for Columbine Icon/Hopscotch 26 Dec 2002 4,852,301

8 Mysteries of Egypt IMAX (CPL/Destin) 21 Jan 1999 4,507,547

9 Titanic 3D: Ghosts of the Abyss IMAX 4 Sep 2003 4,477,494

10 Antarctica IMAX 26 Sep 1996 4,475,438

Rank in top 50 Title Distributor Release date Box office ($)1

1 Michael Jackson's This Is It Sony 29 Oct 2009 9,574,115

2 Fahrenheit 9/11 Hopscotch 29 Jul 2004 8,404,378

7 Bowling for Columbine Icon/Hopscotch 26 Dec 2002 4,852,301

12 March of the Penguins Roadshow 30 Mar 2006 4,345,437

13 An Inconvenient Truth UIP/Paramount 14 Sep 2006 4,190,159

17 Touching the Void Hopscotch 24 Jun 2004 3,080,689

19 Super Size Me Dendy 3 Jun 2004 2,907,204

22 The Travelling Birds Hopscotch 19 Jun 2003 2,564,215

23 In Bed with Madonna Columbia 13 Jun 1991 2,241,064

32 Bra Boys Hopscotch 15 Mar 2007 1,698,976

Rank in top 100 Title Distributor Release date Box office ($)1

10 Antarctica IMAX 26 Sep 1996 4,475,438

15 Africa’s Elephant Kingdom IMAX 21 May 1998 3,491,995

32 Bra Boys Hopscotch 15 Mar 2007 1,698,976

56 Australia: Land Beyond Time IMAX 6 Mar 2003 887,251

60 Love the Beast Madman 12 Mar 2009 777,351

62 Sydney: Story of a City IMAX 18 Aug 1999 709,231

67 Cane Toads: An Unnatural History Ronin 1 Mar 1988 613,910

87 ABC of Love and Sex Australia Style Roadshow 29 Mar 1978 447,000

90Unfolding Florence: The Many Lives of Florence Broadhurst

Dendy 24 Aug 2006 429,243

94 Forbidden Lie$ Palace 13 Sep 2007 401,027


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NVIDEO

SALES OF DOCUMENTARIES ON VIDEO

GfK Retail and Technology tracked approximately 47,000 video releases sold in Australian retail outlets in 2009. These

sales accounted for around 70 million units at a value in excess of $1.3 billion in revenue. Around 4,300 of these were

documentary titles, with a combined value of over $54 million, compared to approximately 4,000 titles worth $50

million in 2008.

When ranked by value, the proportion of sales achieved by Australian titles within the top 500 documentaries sold on

video during 2009 was 12.2 per cent (just over $5.3 million). Although the Australian proportions have remained steady

over the last two years, they have fallen significantly from the 2006 peak in units sold and sales value and the 2007

peak in the number of titles. Contributing to this have been the growing dominance of the foreign Top Gear titles while

sales of popular local series Mythbusters and Crocodile Hunter have softened. Nevertheless, the value of 2009 sales

remains above the six-year average of $4.9 million.

The highest selling Australian titles in 2009 were the DVD editions of Love the Beast and Fat Belly: Chopper Unchopped, while First Australians made the top three for the second year. Since 2004, among Australian

documentaries, the top-selling individual titles have been The Secret, Wild Australasia and Bra Boys; the top-selling

series when sales of all seasons and editions are combined are Mythbusters, Crocodile Hunter and Food Safari.

AUSTRALIAN SHARE OF TOP 500 RETAIL DOCUMENTARIES ON VIDEO (DVD, BLU-RAY AND VHS),1 2004–2009

Source: Screen Australia analysis of GfK Retail and Technology Australia data.

Notes:

Includes DVD and VHS in 2004–2007, DVD and Blu-ray in 2008–2009.

Includes Australian productions and productions with overseas partners

where creative control is shared (i.e. with a mix of Australians in key

creative positions).

1. Documentary does not include reality, light entertainment, music

performance, sports coverage, infotainment or instructional titles. It does

include documentary features, TV series and made-for-video titles.

2. Refers to the number of titles sold during each calendar year (first-

release titles issued that year and continued sales of previously issued

titles). This may include multiple editions of the same movie or program.

3. Although box sets are counted as a single title for ranking purposes, their

units and value are proportioned according to the origin of discrete titles

included in the collection.

TOP DOCUMENTARIES ON VIDEO

TOP 10 AUSTRALIAN DOCUMENTARY TITLES ON VIDEO (DVD AND BLU-RAY),1 2009

TOP 10 DOCUMENTARY TITLES FROM ANY COUNTRY ON VIDEO (DVD AND BLU-RAY),1 2009

Source: Screen Australia analysis of GfK Retail and Technology Australia data.

Notes:

All titles DVD unless stated.


1. Documentary does not include reality, light entertainment, music performance, sports coverage, infotainment or instructional titles. It does include documentary

feature, TV series and made-for-video titles.

2. Ranked by value of retail sales (value ranking has been adjusted to reflect Australian proportion of collections).

Titles Units Value

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%)

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15

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2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Rank2 Title Distributor Release date

1 Love the Beast Madman 15 Jul 2009

2 Fat Belly: Chopper Unchopped Aztec 5 Oct 2009

3 First Australians SBS 3 Dec 2008

4 Bombora: The Story of Australian Surfing ABC 2 Apr 2009

5 Gangs of Oz: Season 1 Universal 3 Jun 2009

6 Food Safari: Series 3 SBS 18 Mar 2009

7 John Safran’s Race Relations ABC 3 Dec 2009

8 Not Quite Hollywood Madman 3 Dec 2008

9 The Howard Years ABC 5 Feb 2009

10 Bra Boys Hopscotch 16 Aug 2007

Rank2 Title Distributor Release date

1 Top Gear: The Great Adventures Collection (The Helmet Edition) BBC 5 Nov 2009

2 Top Gear: The Complete Series 10 (Steelbook Edition) BBC 6 Aug 2009

3 Planet Earth: The Complete Series BBC 7 Nov 2007

4 Top Gear Collection 2.0: Challenges, US Special and Polar Special (Steelbook Edition) BBC 6 Nov 2008

5 Top Gear: The Great Adventures – Vietnam Special BBC 4 Jun 2009

6 Long Way Round: The Three Complete Series (Collectors Edition) EMI 20 Oct 2008

7 Grand Designs: Series 5 Fremantle 20 Aug 2009

8 Top Gear: Challenges Volume 3 BBC 5 Nov 2009

9 Top Gear: Challenges Volume 2 BBC 6 Nov 2008

10 Planet Earth: The Complete Series (Blu-ray) BBC 5 Dec 2007


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TELEVISION

FREE-TO-AIR TV RELEASE

A total of 428 hours of first-release Australian documentaries (including productions with overseas partners) were

broadcast on Australian free-to-air TV in 2009, significantly higher than the annual average for the 12 years back to

1998 (312 hours).

HOURS OF FIRST-RELEASE AUSTRALIAN DOCUMENTARIES ON TV, 1998–2009

Source: For commercial broadcasters, Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA) Compliance Reports to 2008; Seven, Nine and Ten Networks for 2009.

For public broadcasters, Screen Australia databases, ABC and SBS.

Notes:


Figures may not total exactly due to rounding and, for ABC and SBS, may not match previously published data due to subsequent adjustments by the broadcasters.

Hours are broadcast hours rather than actual running time of program in minutes.

1. Commercial free-to-air networks hours calculated using five-city average for the relevant year.

0

20

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PROGRAMMING BY PUBLIC BROADCASTERS

On ABC1, 566 hours of documentaries (including repeats) were screened in 2008/09 (6.5 per cent of total hours

broadcast). Australian documentaries comprised 2.1 per cent (185 hours) of total programming in 2008/09, compared

to 4.3 per cent (381 hours) for foreign titles.

In addition to this, ABC2, one of ABC’s digital-only channels, broadcast 425 hours (including repeats) of documentaries

in 2008/09 (6.8 per cent of total hours broadcast on ABC2). Australian documentaries accounted for 60 hours (1 per

cent of total programming), compared to 365 hours of foreign documentaries (5.9 per cent).

The ABC is required to report across numerous genres and therefore some documentaries screened in genres such as

arts and culture, education, Indigenous, natural history, religion, and science and technology are not included in these

documentary genre figures.

On 1 June 2009, SBS Television's main channel was renamed SBS ONE, and SBS TWO – a digital-only, free-to-air

channel – began broadcasting. On SBS ONE, 1,039 hours of documentaries (including repeats) were broadcast in

2008/09 (15 per cent of total hours broadcast). Australian documentaries accounted for 286 hours (4.1 per cent of

total programming), compared to 753 hours (10.9 per cent) of foreign documentaries. In addition, in its first month of

broadcasting, SBS TWO broadcast 20 hours of foreign documentaries (3.4 per cent of total programming).

Source: ABC Annual Report, SBS Annual Report.

PROGRAM SPENDING BY COMMERCIAL BROADCASTERS

There was $9 million spent on Australian documentary programming by commercial free-to-air broadcasters in

2006/07, down from a high of $12.4 million the previous year.

EXPENDITURE BY COMMERCIAL FREE-TO-AIR BROADCASTERS ON AUSTRALIAN DOCUMENTARY PROGRAMMING, 1996/97–2006/07

Source: Broadcasting Financial Results, Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

0

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TOP DOCUMENTARIES ON TV

Australian productions have dominated the free-to-air television ratings for documentaries in recent years. Eight of

the top ten documentaries in 2009 were Australian, with World’s Strictest Parents in the no. 2 position. Between

2005 and 2008, the top three documentaries each year were local titles.

Source: OzTAM; compiled by Screen Australia. 2000–2004 based on Sydney only. Since 2005 based on five-city averages. 1 January-31 December of each year, except

2009 which is Weeks 1-48.

TOP-RATING DOCUMENTARIES ON TELEVISION, 2009 (AUSTRALIAN TITLES LISTED IN BOLD)

Source: OzTAM; compiled by Screen Australia.

No. of Australian documentaries in top 10 Rank of top-rating Australian documentary

2000 5 * * * * * RPA (no. 1)

2001 2 * * RPA (no. 1)

2002 2 * * RPA (no. 2)

2003 3 * * * RPA (no. 2)

2004 4 * * * * Australian Story – Into the Forest: Part 1 (no. 3)

2005 5 * * * * * Border Security Series 3 (no. 1)

2006 8 * * * * * * * * Border Security: Australia’s Front Line (no. 1)

2007 9 * * * * * * * * * The Force: Behind the Line (no. 1)

2008 7 * * * * * * * Find My Family (no. 1)

2009 8 * * * * * * * * World’s Strictest Parents (no. 2)

Rank Title Network Viewers ('000)

1 A Lion Called Christian 7 1,587

2 World’s Strictest Parents 7 1,510

3 Border Security: Australia’s Front Line 7 1,499

4 Miracle of the Hudson Plane Crash 7 1,490

5 Find My Family 7 1,488

6 Border Security: Australia’s Front Line (Monday) 7 1,480

7 The Zoo 7 1,475

8 RSPCA Animal Rescue 7 1,433

9 Surf Patrol 7 1,415

10 Triple Zero Heroes 7 1,389

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Tel: +61 2 8113 5800 | Freecall: 1800 213 099 | Fax: +61 2 9357 3714

Level 4, 150 William Street, Woolloomooloo NSW 2011 Australia | GPO Box 3984, Sydney NSW 2001

[email protected] | www.screenaustralia.gov.au


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