This section will analyze the independent documentary filmmaking industry in order to understand and approach the research done within the thesis. The analysis will include, a brief introduction of the industry, the advantages and disadvantages of the industry, along with a focus on the marketing of these specific genre of films, ultimately, leading into the social media focus of the industry.
Introduction to the Industry of Independent Documentaries
The role of a documentary film is to tell a “story about real life, with claims to truthfulness”(Aufderheide 2007). Within the term of ‘documentary’ the word, ‘document’, can be extracted and used to further understand the purpose and role that a documentary film plays in the industry of media as well as society. Many documentary filmmakers usually have a moral purpose or a goal that they hope their film makes in comparison to traditional fictional films which usually have the main focus of creating monetary profit. Because of these differences between documentary films and the traditional fictional films, many documentary filmmakers associate themselves with independent filmmaking as well. This is true for the director and producer of I am Belmaya, Sue Carpenter of Tideturner Films, who recognizes herself as an independent documentary filmmaker (see professional log).
Acclaimed film critic, Roger Ebert explained an independent film as a “film made outside of the traditional studio system, often with unconventional financing and it’s made because it expresses the director’s personal vision rather than someone’s notion of box-office success” (Levy 1999). This definition is an ideal description of the I am Belmaya documentary film. Sue Carpenter solely went to the country of Nepal and documented the story of Belmaya Nepali and the difficult life she endures with the purpose to raise awareness for Belmaya’s struggles and those in similar situations all over Nepal.
By understanding what an independent documentary film is, it opens up the ability to dive into the details of analyzing the industry through the advantages and disadvantage of this styling of filmmaking. Along with that, this specific genre of filmmaking requires a specific method of marketing that may be in contrast to traditional film marketing strategies. In continuation, understanding the important role of social media in order to raise awareness and funds for the film leads into main research thesis (click here to view thesis).
Pros and Cons of the Industry
When it comes to independent filmmaking, specifically for documentaries, there are advantages and disadvantages to this style of filmmaking in comparison to the well-known “big-studio” or “Hollywood” style of filmmaking. One main argument in favor of independent documentaries is that they could be used as a tool to promote social cohesion and insight, as stated by John Grierson and he also when on to believe that because of this, Hollywood was “unjoinable” (Aufderheide 2007). This meant that documentaries, needed to distance themselves from the large studios and entertainment cinema, striving for a different experience for the viewers.
Due to separation from larger studios, independent documentary filmmaking allows for an extensive amount of freedom for the filmmakers, allowing for a multitude of topics and stories that could be covered by the film these creators go on to make. The disadvantage to this creative freedom is that this could lead to poor results in terms of viewership and recognition of the film itself for a few reasons. The separation from large-studio interaction can lead to independent films being made my inexperienced filmmakers, thus leading to poor forms of storytelling, or making a documentary with such a niche subject that it becomes unappealing to viewers (Corner 2007), therefore not being able to form “social cohesion and insight,” which is what the goal of a documentary is. Even with these disadvantageous risks, in today’s modern society, independent documentaries can still find success on subscription streaming platforms such as Netflix, Curiosity Stream, Amazon Prime Video, and for free on YouTube if they cannot find theatrical success or film festival success.
To continue the advantages of creative freedom, a considerable positive of independent filmmaking for documentaries is the important role each of the filmmakers within a crew have. Within independent documentaries, there is a sense of decentralized organization. Decentralized organization for filmmaking means that there is “less hierarchical culture, [allowing] a free flow of ideas” and this “approach works well when an organization needs innovation and creative solutions” (Fraher 2010). This decentralized form of filmmaking allows for all individuals involved with the creation process to share ideas and opinions about what they think is wrong and what can be done to improve. Like all films, documentary films have directors, producers, editors, and other crew, but due to the creative independence, many of these roles can overlap and evidently, decentralized organization is the obvious choice for this kind of cooperative environment.
Due to the nature of the work done for independent documentaries, and the close relationship between filmmakers through decentralized organization, this specific industry of filmmaking allows for the ability to network and contact individuals more directly and efficiently. Communication within any industry is vital, especially when focusing on how to advance and prepare for a career in the future. The industry of independent documentaries allows for this important communication both locally and internationally, but with a hidden downfall for some — since this sector of the film industry is so specific, most independent documentary filmmakers are usually only in contact with other similar filmmakers, hindering the ability for individuals that would like to branch out into other genres.
Understanding the Marketing of Independent Documentaries
As a result of the specific audience for independent documentary films, this causes the marketing of these films to be just as specific and targeted. This creates a contrast between the marketing strategy for standard, fictional films. When it comes to traditional film marketing, much of the marketing occurs after the film has finished pre-production and production, then marketing is ramped up when the release date for the film is near. With independent documentaries, marketing has to be different as the films are intended to be more personal and, they are evidently films that are just at a much smaller scale. Because of the smaller scale production of independent documentaries, the marketing is best started at the pre-production stage all the way through the release date of the film (Noschis 2015), and possibly further if necessary.
As stated earlier, a role documentaries play in society is to create social cohesion and insight (Aufderheide 2007), and because of this role, the marketing must reflect that purpose when compared to traditional films. According to Noschis (2015a), the main marketing criteria for documentaries include the popularity of the protagonists (or the subject of the documentary), having an identifiable target audience, and showing the elements of passion within the project/film, this is especially true when it comes to marketing through the use of social media, as will be discussed in the next section.
Because of the nature of documentaries being an informative medium, rather than just an entertainment medium, the marketing must also be focused on creating a discussion on the film’s topic before, during and after the film is released. This form of marketing coincides with the purpose of documentaries to have a social impact rather than having a financial goal. When it comes to reaching target viewers for the documentary, the viewers of the film became more than just an audience, they become ambassadors of the film by openly discussing the film’s topic (Noschis 2015a). This causes recognition of the film to spread by “word-of mouth” which is crucial for independent filmmaking because of the limitation of the financial marketing resources available.
If an independent documentary film can obtain recognition early before its release date, it has the opportunity to enter film festivals, thus exponentially growing the awareness the film will receive. This will eventually lead the film to being well-known and marketed by the time the official release date is reached, and the film can then be viewed by a larger audience than initially anticipated. In return, the topics within the documentary are discussed socially for the foreseeable future.
Without experience within the industry of independent documentaries, one may think that the marketing strategy would be the same as traditional entertainment films, but this is not the case. When viewed in detail, it becomes clear that the process in which an independent documentary film is marketed is different, engaging with the potential audience very early into pre-production, and well after the film has been released with the help of those same viewers and social media.
The Importance of Social Media
Social media and the film industry as a whole, are naturally associated with each other for a variety of factors. Both social media and film are audiovisual material and both also encourage individuals to express their opinions and discuss their experiences. When it comes to creating awareness for a film (in terms of marketing), the use of social media is vital for any film campaign to be a success. When specifically analyzing the use of social media for independent documentaries, the use of this marketing tool is used much earlier during the film’s development or pre-production stage (Noschis 2015a). For films that do not have large budgets, or financial support from large studios, social media becomes a vital marketing tool for independent documentaries because it is free to use. The use of multiple free platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even YouTube create a “low-risk, high-reward” situation for these types of films when it comes to their marketing campaign.
Due to the freedom of separation that independent documentaries have from large studios, it allows for social media to be used differently when compared to a more traditional marketing tactic for traditional films. Independent documentary film campaigns may be able to use social media to post whatever they see fits their goal and creates discussion/interactions amongst followers. For example, during the I am Belmaya campaign, posts varied from cinema posters for the film, to behind-the-scenes photos, personal photos, and many more (a more detailed look into the analysis of the I am Belmaya social media strategy is covered within the thesis). Because of the variety of posts for independent documentary films, followers become attached to specific aspects of the social media marketing, such as “directors, where users expect to build a direct relationship with [them]” (Noschis 2015b). This is why it is important to build a relationship with followers early on, as the discussion of the film has the ability to start before a film’s release date and continue after the release.
The importance of social media is undeniable when it comes to the success of an independent documentary film’s impact on society. The ability to create a relationship with followers for long periods of time encourage the discussion of the topics covered within the film, ultimately having the ability to create long lasting social cohesion and insight (Aufderheide 2007).
Concluding Analysis
In a final look into the industry of independent documentaries, it can be stated that this form of filmmaking is distinct when compared to the standard large studio films, and this is visible specifically when it comes to marketing and creating awareness for a film. As a result of the limited financial abilities and resources of independent films, an unconventional approach of connecting with potential viewers is created through the formation of early relationships directly with the filmmakers. The hope is to eventually have the discussion of these documentaries extend into making an informative impact on society. For many independent documentary filmmakers, this future discussion is what some consider to be the defining factor of their film’s success.
The purpose of this industry analysis was to give an understanding into the film genre of independent documentaries, with a detailed look into the marketing process of these films. Understanding these details help to give basic knowledge of the topics that are covered in the thesis, which view the role of social media for the I am Belmaya film campaign.