A Q
& A with
Andrew Johnson, Commissioning Editor of CBC's new documentary program THE LENS.
Interview originally published in CBC MontrealŐs
i-Wire Newsletter, January 1st,
2006. Reprinted with permission.
ROUGH
CUTS is being rebranded and relaunched as THE LENS on Tuesday, January 24th.
Why the rebrand?
When ROUGH CUTS was started in 1994,
production budgets were much lower and many of our filmmakers were making their
first one-hour documentary. Those
filmmakers are now much more experienced and even the newer producers are
making docs with larger budgets and higher production values. Just as the
Canadian documentary community has grown and developed in the last decade, so
too have the films seen on ROUGH CUTS. The new title reflects the higher quality
of films shown on the strand while remaining a showcase for original Canadian
documentaries.
Will the
commissioning priorities of THE LENS differ from those of ROUGH CUTS?
We continue to search for one-hour
documentaries exclusively from Canadian filmmakers. We seek films that are innovative and compelling with up close, personal and dramatic
stories with new perspectives; films that inform, provoke and entertain while
giving fresh insights into contemporary Canadian society. In 2006 we'll be looking for films with
higher production values and strong appeal to audiences across Canada. We're interested in documentaries that
are bit more populist than in the past.
What are
some of the titles you will be programming in the first season of THE LENS?
Some of the most interesting films
coming on THE LENS include:
- The Cross and Bones (January 24th): Dinosaur-bone
hunters, bikers and a Passion Play come together in the Alberta Badlands in a
dramatic collision of ideas around evolution, creationism and hedonism. Directed by Paul Carriere.
- Lifelike (January 31st): A hilarious and
fascinating look at the quirky world of taxidermists who stuff and mount
everything from deer and ducks to the family dog. Directed by Tally Abecassis.
- God Only Knows: Same Sex
Marriage (February 7th): Family values and
religious beliefs clash when a gay pastor from Vancouver and a Christian
fundamentalist from Calgary walk a mile in each other's shoes. Directed by Brent Kawchuk.
What are
some of the Quebec-based documentaries you have in development/production for
THE LENS?
The Cross and Bones and Lifelike were made by Montreal producers
(AmerImage and InformAction respectively). Also upcoming are Braindamajd'd: Take II (March 14 -Apartment 11
Productions), Very Secret Agents (Orbi-XXI), and Mommy, Mommy from Rezolution Pictures. Montreal is a major source of
documentary programming for us.
What are
the key elements you look for in a documentary proposal?
This depends on what stage the
project is at when submitted: are you seeking for development or production
funding? To start we need a
concise summary of what the film is about (1 or 2 pages) and we then start
asking other questions: what's
unique and/or original about the content and/or approach? Is there special access to a
situation? What will unfold
on-camera? What's at stake? Who are the main characters? Will people across Canada want to watch
this film? We also need
information about the budget, financing & the team making the film.
Do you
prefer to receive written proposals or a verbal phone pitch?
I prefer to receive proposals in
writing (especially by email) which can be followed up by a phone conversation
if we're interested. All proposals for the CBC Independent Documentary Unit
should be emailed to christine_whalen@cbc.ca
for logging & inclusion in our database. If possible, indicate which strand you think is most
appropriate. Submissions specifically intended for THE LENS can be cc'd to me
at andrew_johnson@cbc.ca but they must
also go to Christine.
How many
proposals do you receive a year? How many do you move forward with?
In recent years, "Rough
Cuts" received about 400 proposals per year, this includes everything from
submissions for development, completion & commissioning to finished films
looking for an acquisition. We
broadcast about 22-26 new films per year, half of them are full commissions,
the rest are a mix of 2nd windows, English premieres of films initially made
for a French broadcaster in Canada (esp. SRC/RDI) and some acquisitions.
On
average how many proposals do you develop each year? What is your average
development-production ratio?
We develop about 12 projects per
year. In recent years about half
of our commissions started with development, but in the coming year we may
increase the number we develop, while maintaining the number we
commission.
What
elements do you think need to be in place for a documentary originally
conceived for the francophone market to work for your audience?
We have commissioned several films
that have a French-language lead broadcaster, especially SRC and RDI. We look for strong stories that will
appeal to English-Canadian audiences.
Sometimes a topic or person is famous in Quebec, but is relatively
unknown in the rest of Canada.
Background information is often needed for clarity, but a good story can
overcome viewer resistance to sub-titles.
We also participate in productions that are shot in both languages and
then versioned slightly differently for each broadcaster. We try to avoid 100% sub-titling and
will be considering partial or full dubbing on future productions.
How long is the time slot for THE
LENS?
We currently have 42:30 available
for documentary content (including max. 40 seconds of credits). The packaged program is a couple
minutes longer.
Do you ever program
feature-length documentaries?
Very, very rarely although THE
PASSIONATE EYE has a longer slot available on Newsworld on Sunday nights. It's best to think of THE LENS docs as
TV-one hours.
THE LENS airs on CBC Newsworld every
Tuesday and Saturday night at 10:00pm and 1:00am, starting on January
24th.
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