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S A V E |
C A M P A I G N |
Primary Economic Benefit: Storyville rarely provides more than a third of the production cost of its programmes (often a lot less), and thus BBC viewers can see excellent documentaries on important international subjects at a fraction of the cost of producing them. Yet these films are still commissioned in the UK by the BBC. This is possible because of Storyville's internationally acknowledged quality and its dominance in this market. It is able to originate projects it can't itself afford to make, and then guide and influence their production to a degree that is out of all proportion to the money it can put in. In this age of financial restraint, one would have thought the BBC would want to expand this cost-effective strand, rather than destroy it. Additional Economic Benefit: There are other hidden economic benefits due to the nature of international co-productions for long-form documentaries. Because Storyville does not fully fund its films, all UK filmmakers must search for the majority of their funding abroad. While this search can put huge strains on production teams (and deter many from even trying), it does strengthen international ties between UK producers and foreign broadcasters and producers, and is frequently responsible for bringing in foreign funding to other UK productions as these relationships mature. Co-productions are often fraught affairs while producers learn to overcome regional differences in TV production and financing, and build trust. The strand helps develop these relationships, thus contributing to the co-production market overall as filmmakers, producers and broadcasters are brought together. A Showcase for Talent |